No. 460 Squadron RAAF

460's G for George (Currently on display at the AWM, Canberra)

Brief History

The Squadron was formed on 15 Nov 1941 at RAF Molesworth, Huntingdonshire, equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk IV aircraft. Soon after in January 1942 they relocated to RAF Breighton in Yorkshire and began their part in the offensive campaign against Germany. Losses between June and August 1942 were 20 aircraft, and the squadron converted to Avro Lancasters in October. In May 1944 they relocated to RAF Binbrook from where it participated in the strategic bombing of Germany. In late 1943, early 1944 they played a role in the Battle of Berlin before turning their attention to supporting the Normandy landings.

The squadron's last Operational Mission in WW2 was on 25th April 1945 when 20 Lancasters were dispatched to Berchtesgaden, and their last mission before VE Day was on 7th May 1945 when 25 Lancasters dropped supplies to Dutch in Rotterdam area as part of Operations Manna / Chowhound and Faust. They then began to make ready to relocate to the Pacific theatre, but this soon became unnecessary with the capitulation of Japan, and they disbanded on 10 Oct 1945.

The squadron flew the most sorties of any Australian bomber squadron and dropped more bomb tonnage than any squadron in the whole of Bomber Command—24,856 tons, which it dropped over 6,262 sorties. In doing that, it lost 188 aircraft and suffered 1,018 combat deaths (589 of whom were Australian). This was the most of any Australian squadron during the war, with No. 460 Squadron effectively wiped out five times over its existence.

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.

Individual Honours (Australian personnel)

• 5 x Distinguished Service Orders
• 205 x Distinguished Flying Cross & 12 bars
• 1 x CGM
• 72 x Distinguished Flying Medals
• 1 x Distinguished Conduct Medal

Squadron personnel

• † Winton Greer Ottaway ?? - 21 Nov 1944 KIA in flying battle over Germany