76 SQUADRON - RAAF
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2
visits since 27 March 2000 |
A Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk of 76 Squadron RAAF near Townsville in May 1942. This looks like it may be at Mt. St. John in the background which is just to the north of Garbutt air base. This was later the location for the Townsville Zoo which has now been closed many years. |
Although 76 Squadron was formed at Amberley on 16 March 1942, Records for RAAF Station Archerfield show that 76 Squadron Kittyhawks arrived at Archerfield on 14 March 1942.
The Kittyhawks of 76 Squadron moved from Archerfield airfield in Brisbane on 15 April 1942 to the Townsville area where they were based at the Aitkenvale airfield which was adjacent to the Weir State School. Students were greatly distracted by the landings and take-offs of the aircraft. The school was eventually commandeered to be used as an Orderly Room and a Medical Centre. The airstrip ran back towards the existing suburb of Cranbrook. It was located in the two existing suburbs of Kirwan and Cranbrook. The school was just south of the southern end of the strip.
The Aitkenvale strip was gravel and the Kittyhawks were usually dispersed amongst the trees on the northern side halfway along the length of the runway.
76 Squadron was the second RAAF squadron to be equipped with Kittyhawks.
Squadron Leader "Ali" Brooker, RAF, was in charge of 76 Squadron while it was based at Aitkenvale.
Squadron Leader Peter Turnbull was placed in charge of 76 Squadron for the move to New Guinea. Peter in his Kittyhawk and two other other aircraft landed at No. 1 Strip (now called Gurney Airfield) at Milne Bay on 22 July 1942 after a dog fight with some zeroes. The airstrip had only just been carved out of 426 acres of plantation in the previous 22 days. Two days later the rest of 76 Squadron arrived. More Kittyhawks from 75 Squadron arrived from Townsville via Horn Island on the same day.
Crash of Kittyhawk
A29-362 of 76 Squadron
at Portland Roads on 15 June 1943
The Kittyhawks of 76 Squadron moved to Goodenough Island on 16 June 1943 at the same time as Spitfires from 79 Squadron. Kittyhawks of 77 Squadron had arrived the previous day. These 3 Squadrons formed No. 73 Fighter Wing.
76 Squadron's Kittyhawks were later replaced by Mustangs.
After 76 Squadron left Aitkenvale airfield it was used very little. In fact it was not used at all in 1943.
 |
Heaps of WW2 |
|
©
Peter Dunn 2002 |
|
|
Peter Dunn's |
|
|
|
|
This page first produced 11 July 1998
This page last updated 22 July 2002
AUSTRALIA
@ WAR
