No. 8 Squadron RAAF

No. 8 Squadron RAAF
A No. 8 Squadron Beaufort during an attack on Wewak in 1944
Active	1917–19 1940–42 1943–46
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Flying Corps Royal Australian Air Force
Engagements	World War I World War II

No. 8 Squadron was an Australian flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England in October 1917 as part of the Australian Flying Corps, and disbanded in April 1919. It was re-formed by the Royal Australian Air Force in September 1939. After seeing action during the Pacific War flying Lockheed Hudson and, later, DAF Beaufort bombers, the squadron was disbanded a second time in January 1946.

No. 8 Squadron was formed during World War I, being raised as a flying training squadron of the Australian Flying Corps at Yatesbury, England, during on 25 October 1917. The squadron received its first aircraft in January 1918 and trained replacement pilots for No. 4 Squadron until being disbanded following the conclusion of the war on 30 April 1919. The squadron's first commanding officer was Major G.A.C. Cowper; it was initially designated as No. 33 (Australian) (Training) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.

During World War II, No. 8 Squadron was re-formed as a bomber-reconnaissance unit at RAAF Station Canberra, which was later retitled as RAAF Station Fairbairn, Canberra, on 11 September 1939. Due to a shortage of other aircraft the squadron was initially equipped with ex-civilian DC-3 transport aircraft, which were used to conduct patrols off the Australian coast and for transport tasks. The squadron was re-equipped with Lockheed Hudson medium bombers in May 1940 and deployed to Singapore in August. It first saw action within hours of the outbreak of war in the Pacific in December 1941 when its 12 aircraft attacked Japanese shipping off Malaya. The squadron suffered heavy losses from anti-aircraft fire and Japanese fighters in the first days of the Malayan Campaign, during which time it undertook bombing and reconnaissance missions. As there were no aircraft to replace its losses, the squadron was amalgamated with No. 1 Squadron later in December.