No. 86 Squadron RAAF

No. 86 Squadron RAAF
Members of No. 86 Squadron RAAF about to take off in their Kittyhawk fighters at Merauke in April 1944
Active	1943–45
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Type	Fighter
Engagements	New Guinea Campaign
Insignia
Squadron code	MP
Aircraft flown
Fighter	P-40 Kittyhawk (1943–45) P-51 Mustang (1945)

No. 86 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in March 1943 and was deployed to Merauke in Dutch New Guinea in July that year. While No. 86 Squadron was stationed at Merauke until April 1944, it saw little combat. After being transferred back to Australia its aircraft and personnel were transferred to other units, and only a nucleus of the squadron remained. While it was re-equipped with new aircraft in June 1945, the war ended before the squadron was ready for combat and it was disbanded in December 1945.

No. 86 Squadron was formed at Gawler, South Australia, on 4 March 1943 and was equipped with Curtiss P-40M Kittyhawk fighter aircraft. In May that year it moved to Townsville, Queensland, in May where it completed its training.

In early July 1943 No. 86 Squadron moved to Merauke in Dutch New Guinea to protect this base against Japanese air attack. Until this point the base had been protected by CAC Boomerang fighters of No. 84 Squadron flying out of Horn Island, but the completion of an airfield at Meruake allowed a Kittyhawk squadron to take on this duty. The decision to station a fighter squadron at Merauke was made in response to concerns that the Japanese could potentially attack and occupy the strategically located settlement, and the Australian Army garrison there was also expanded. While there was generally little Japanese activity in the area by the time the squadron arrived, on 27 July sixteen No. 86 Squadron Kittyhawks were scrambled to intercept four Japanese aircraft which had been detected by radar. The Japanese aircraft were able to leave the area before the squadron could make contact with them, however. A force of 16 Japanese Mitsubishi G4M bombers and the same number of fighters raided Merauke on 9 September and were intercepted by 14 Kittyhawks from No. 86 Squadron. While most of the Kittyhawks suffered gun malfunctions and were unable to engage the Japanese, the squadron shot down two G4Ms and a Nakajima Ki-43 fighter without loss.