No. 450 Squadron RAAF

No. 450 Squadron RAAF
Official crest of No. 450 Squadron
Active	1941–1945
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Fighter, fighter-bomber
Part of	Desert Air Force
Nickname(s)	"The Desert Harassers"[1]
Motto(s)	Harass[1][2]
Engagements	World War II
Battle honours[3]	Syria, 1941 South-East Europe, 1942–1945 Egypt & Libya, 1940–1943 El Alamein El Hamma North Africa, 1942–1943 Sicily, 1943 Italy, 1943–1945 Gustav Line Gothic Line
Website	The Desert Harassers
Commanders
Notable commanders	Gordon Steege (1941–1942) John Williams (1942)
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	A jaguar's head couped, pierced by a rapier in hand[1][2]
Squadron codes	DJ (December 1941 – April 1942)[4] OK (April 1942 – August 1945)[5]
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Hawker Hurricane Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk North American P-51 Mustang

No. 450 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) that operated during World War II. Established at RAAF Station Williamtown, New South Wales, in February 1941, it was the first Australian Article XV squadron formed under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

The squadron embarked for the Middle East in April 1941; its personnel initially consisted solely of ground crew, who joined the pilots of No. 260 Squadron RAF to form No. 260/450 Squadron, which briefly operated Hawker Hurricane fighters in Syria. It was not until February 1942 that No. 450 Squadron, now with its own pilots and equipped with Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, commenced operations in earnest. Over the next 15 months, it fought in the North African and Tunisian campaigns in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles, claiming 49 German and Italian aircraft destroyed in the air and earning the nickname "The Desert Harassers".

Beginning in July 1943, No. 450 Squadron took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Italian campaign, primarily in the close support role. Its aircraft attacked targets in Yugoslavia as well as in Sicily and Italy. The squadron began converting from Kittyhawks to North American P-51 Mustang fighters in May 1945, but never saw action with its new aircraft. It was disbanded in August 1945 following the conclusion of hostilities, having suffered 63 fatal casualties during the war. Today, by agreement with the RAAF, the squadron's number is carried by a Royal Canadian Air Force unit, 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron.