#283 F/A-18A Hornet
Purchased products will not feature the Squadron Prints watermark
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 283 - F/A-18A Hornet, A21-3, 77 Squadron, RAAF Williamtown.
No. 77 Squadron which was formed at RAAF Pearce, Western Australia, in March 1942 and equipped with Kittyhawks, saw its first action in the Darwin area later the same year. One of its pilots was John Grey Gorton, veteran of the Malayan Campaign and later Australian Prime Minister. The Squadron was sent to Milne Bay in 1943 and was heavily engaged in air-to-air combat with Japanese formations. It also took part in the Allied advance in the South-West Pacific in 1944-45 and at the end of the war was at Labuan, Borneo. At Labuan the Squadron was re-equipped with Mustangs and flew to Japan as part of the occupation force. In 1950 it was the only RAAF Squadron in Japan and took part in the Korean War in which it achieved great distinction. During this time it was re-equipped with Meteor 8 jets. On returning to Australia it was re-equipped with Sabres and flew in 1959 to Butterworth to be part of the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve. In 1969 the Squadron returned to Williamtown operating Mirage fighters and in 1987 re-equipped with F/A-18 Hornets.