No. 458 Squadron RAAF
Crew from No. 458 Squadron in front of their aircraft, December 1941
Active	8 July 1941 – 9 June 1945
Country	Australia
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Bomber Maritime patrol
Part of	No. 1 Group RAF,Bomber Command[1] RAF Middle East Command[2]
Mottos	We find and destroy[3]
Battle honours[3]	Fortress Europe, 1940–1944 France and Germany, 1944–1945 South-East Europe, 1942–1945 Mediterranean, 1940–1943 Sicily, 1943 Italy, 1943–1945
Insignia
Squadron Codes	FU (Sep 1941 – Mar 1942)[1][4] MD (Oct 1942 – Apr 1943)[5][6]
Aircraft flown
Bomber	Vickers Wellington

No. 458 Squadron RAAF was aRoyal Australian Air Force squadron that operated duringWorld War II. It was formed in Australia underArticle XV of theEmpire Air Training Scheme. The squadron flew various versions ofVickers Wellington bombers, first in Europe and later in the Middle East. It was disbanded in mid-1945, following the conclusion of hostilities in Europe.

No. 458 Squadron was formed atWilliamtown, New South Wales, on 8 July 1941 as anArticle XV squadron under the terms of theEmpire Air Training Scheme.^[1] Consisting of only ground staff, the squadron departed for the United Kingdom in August to join other personnel assembled atRAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor,^[7] where the squadron was officially established as No. 458 (Bomber) Squadron on 25 August 1941.^[1] From the outset, the squadron drew personnel from many different countries, with many coming from Britain, Canada and New Zealand, as well as Australia.^[7]

Equipped withWellington Mk.IV bombers, No. 458 Squadron formed part ofNo. 1 Group RAF ofBomber Command.^[1] It participated in its first operational sortie on 20/21 October, when ten of its aircraft joined in night attacks made against the ports ofEmden, Antwerp andRotterdam.^[8] Further attacks were made against industrial targets in France and Germany over the course of several months as part of a strategic bombing campaign.^[3] In addition, the Wellingtons were involved in mine-laying operations along enemy occupied coasts.^[9] In late 1941, No. 458 Squadron provided a flight to help raise the newly formedNo. 460 Squadron RAAF. At the end of January 1942 the squadron was withdrawn from Bomber Command to serve in the Middle East.^[10]

The relocation toMiddle East Command was, in the words of historian Steve Eather, "chaotic".^[10] Air and ground crews were separated as the latter went by sea, while the aircraft were flown out to the Middle East by their crews. While refuelling inMalta, many of the squadron's aircraft were re-allocated to other squadrons, and as a result many crews had to wait in Malta for transport on toEgypt. The move also resulted in the loss of the squadron's commanding officer, who was shot down by German aircraft while en route.^[10] It was May by the time that the ground crew reached Egypt, and when they arrived, many were re-allocated to other squadrons, and they too were re-allocated to various units, servicing a variety of aircraft fromRoyal Air Force and theUnited States Army Air Forces. Many of the aircrews suffered similarly, being temporarily detached to various squadrons including:Nos. 37,70,104,108, and148 Squadrons RAF.^[3][10]

On 1 September 1942, the No. 458 Squadron was re-constituted atShallufa, in Egypt, and began a new life of maritime patrols, convoy escorts and mine laying operations, once again flying Wellington bombers.^[10] In this role, the squadron deployed a number of detachments to various locations around the Middle East. On 30 March 1943, No. 458 Squadron was transferred from El Shallufa to LG. 91, also in Egypt. They continued anti-shipping operations after this and in the middle of 1943 the squadron's crews were responsible for sinking or damaging many ships, including an Italian cruiser and a destroyer. In June, the squadron deployed to Tunisia. This was followed by a further move to Bone, in Algeria, in October 1943, from where further maritime operations were flown, including anti-submarine patrols, which resulted in several attacks. The squadron sank its first U-boat in mid-May, whenU-731 was attacked by a Wellington based at Alghero, onSardinia.^[10] In August, the squadron flew bombing missions in support ofOperation Dragoon, in southern France.^[3] Further moves came in September 1944, with the squadron relocating toFoggia Airfield, in Italy, and deploying detachments toFalconara andRosignano in Italy andLa Vallon, in France.^{[1][11][12][13]}

The squadron's final move came on 26 January 1945 when it was re-established atRAF North Front,Gibraltar. As a result of the Allied liberation of France, and the continuedadvance of Allied forces in Italy, there were few targets for the squadron in the Mediterranean any more; as a result the squadron was re-tasked to patrol from Gibraltar across the western Atlantic to escort Allied convoys and search for German U-boats. These duties occupied the squadron until the end of the war in May 1945. No. 458 Squadron disbanded shortly thereafter on 9 June 1945 at Gibraltar.^[14] Losses during the war amounted to 141 personnel being killed, of whom 65 were Australian.^[3]

No. 458 Squadron operated the following aircraft:^{[1][11][12][13]}

No. 458 Squadron operated from the following bases and airfields:^{[1][11][12][13]}

No. 458 Squadron was commanded by the following officers:^[3][11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toNo. 458 Squadron RAAF.

• Australian War Memorial: 458 Squadron
• RAAF Museum Point Cook: 458 Squadron

• Australian Article XV squadrons of World War II
• Military units and formations established in 1941
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1945

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