No. 451 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force army cooperation and fighter squadron of World War II. It was formed at Bankstown, New South Wales, on 12 February 1941 and began flying operations on 1 July as part of the North African Campaign in Egypt and Libya. No. 451 Squadron was withdrawn for refitting in early January 1942 and spent the remainder of the year performing garrison duties in Syria. In January 1943, it was transferred to Egypt to contribute to local air defence but saw almost no combat. This inactivity caused morale among the squadron's personnel to greatly deteriorate.
September 1944. A Spitfire LF. VIII of 451 Squadron RAAF at Cuers-Pierrefeu, France. In the background is a K-class blimp belonging to US Navy squadron ZP-14.
451 Sqn Hurricane fighters at Rayak, Syria during 1942.
No. 451 Squadron Spitfire fighters being serviced at a North African airfield in early 1944.
May 1944, Poretta, Corsica. In front of a Spitfire undergoing servicing are pilots (left to right) F/O W. W. Thomas of Malvern, SA; F/O E. C. House DFM DFC of Gnowangerup, WA; S/Ldr E. E. Kirkham of Concord, NSW, and; F/O H. J. Bray of Moolcolah, Qld, not long after claiming four FW190s over Italy.
Article XV squadrons were Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand air force squadrons formed from graduates of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (1939) during World War II.
A bomber crew from No. 462 Squadron RAAF in September 1942. While the squadron was officially a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force, only the man third from the right was Australian; the others are from Britain, Newfoundland and New Zealand
Aircrew and groundcrew of a No. 428 Squadron RCAF Lancaster bomber.
Hurricane night fighter pilots from No. 486 Squadron at RAF Wittering in 1942
