No. 460 Squadron RAAF

No. 460 Squadron RAAF
Some of No. 460 Squadron RAAF's ground crew posing in front of the Avro Lancaster bomber G for George at RAF Binbrook, May 1944
Active15 November 1941 – 10 October 1945
2 July 2010 – current
CountryAustralia Australia
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Australian Air Force
RoleBomber squadron (1941–45)
Imagery and geographic intelligence (2010–current)
Part ofNo. 8 Group RAF, Bomber Command
(Nov 41 – Dec 41)[1]
No. 1 Group RAF, Bomber Command
(Jan 42 – Oct 45)[2]
Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (July 2010–current)
Motto(s)"Strike and Return"[1][3]
Battle honours
  • Fortress Europe, 1940–1944
  • France and Germany, 1944–1945
  • Ruhr, 1940–1945
  • Berlin, 1940–1945
  • German Ports, 1940–1945
  • Normandy, 1944
  • Italy, 1943–1945.
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryIn front of a boomerang in base a kangaroo salient.[3]
The kangaroo is a fast and powerful animal indigenous to Australia, and the boomerang is a weapon peculiar to that country.[1]
Squadron codesUV (Nov 1941 – Nov 1943)[4][5]
AR (Nov 1943 – Oct 1945)[6][7]
Aircraft flown
BomberVickers Wellington
Avro Lancaster

No. 460 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force intelligence unit active within the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO). It was first formed as a heavy bomber squadron during World War II on 15 November 1941 and disbanded on 10 October 1945 after seeing extensive combat over Europe. The squadron was a multinational unit, but most personnel were Australian. No. 460 Squadron was reformed on 2 July 2010 and is currently located in Canberra.

  1. ^ a b c Moyes 1976, p. 254.
  2. ^ Moyes 1976, pp. 302, 304, 306.
  3. ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 480.
  4. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 103.
  5. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 114.
  6. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 17.
  7. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 63.