No. 457 Squadron RAAF

No. 457 Squadron RAAF
457 Squadron badge
Active16 June 1941 – 7 November 1945
CountryAustralia
AllegianceUnited Kingdom (1941–1942)
BranchRoyal Australian Air Force
RoleFighter
Nickname(s)"Grey Nurse Squadron"
Battle honoursFortress Europe, 1940–1944
Pacific, 1941–1945
Darwin, 1941–1944
Morotai
Borneo, 1945
Defence of Britain, 1940–1945
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Peter Malam Brothers
Insignia
Squadron codesBP (June 1941 – March 1942)[1][2]
XB (1943)[3]
ZP (January 1943 – November 1945)[3][4]
Aircraft flown
FighterSupermarine Spitfire (1941–1945)
TrainerCAC Wirraway (1942)
Ryan ST (1942)

No. 457 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron of World War II. Equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters, it was formed in England during June 1941 under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme. The squadron was transferred to Australia in June 1942 and saw combat in the South West Pacific Area before being disbanded in November 1945.

The squadron saw combat against both Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan during the war. From March to May 1942 it was based in southern England and flew missions over German-occupied France during which it shot down at least five Luftwaffe aircraft. After being deployed to Australia, No. 457 Squadron was based near Darwin as part of No. 1 Wing RAAF and intercepted several Japanese raids on Allied bases in northern Australia between March and November 1943. The squadron remained at Darwin and saw almost no combat during 1944, but moved to Morotai and later Labuan in 1945 from where it attacked Japanese positions in the Netherlands East Indies and Borneo as part of Allied offensives in these areas.