No. 84 Squadron RAAF

No. 84 Squadron aircraft over Horn Island in 1943

No. 84 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron of World War II.

History

No. 84 Squadron was formed at RAAF Base Richmond on 5 February 1943 and was the first RAAF Squadron to be equipped with the Australian-designed Boomerang fighter. In April 1943 No. 84 Squadron was deployed to Horn Island, Queensland in the Torres Strait where it was responsible for the air defence of Horn Island and Merauke in New Guinea alongside No. 86 Squadron.

Due to the limited Japanese presence in this area, this duty was largely uneventful, though Boomerangs from No. 84 Squadron did attempt to intercept Japanese aircraft on a small number of occasions. These attempts were unsuccessful, however, at least partially due to the poor performance of the Boomerang. In light of the Boomerang's shortcomings as a fighter, No. 84 Squadron was issued with superior P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft in September 1943, making the Squadron both the first RAAF unit to be issued with the Boomerang and the first to replace its Boomerangs with other fighter aircraft. After transitioning to the Kittyhawk, No. 84 Squadron performed ground attack missions in New Guinea.

In May 1944, No. 84 Squadron returned to mainland Australia and was briefly reduced to cadre status. The Squadron returned to operational status in June and provided training support for Army units in Northern Queensland. No. 84 Squadron was re-equipped with P-51D Mustang aircraft in May 1945, though the war ended before the Squadron had converted to these new aircraft. No 84 Squadron was disbanded at RAAF Base Townsville on 29 January 1946.

Aircraft operated

• CAC Boomerang (April 1943 – September 1943)
• P-40 Kittyhawk (September 1943 – May 1944)
• P-51D Mustang (May 1945 – January 1946)

References

• RAAF Museum 84 Squadron
• Steve Eather (1995) Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force. Aerospace Publications.