When the
Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950,
No. 77 (Fighter) Squadron of the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was based at
Iwakuni, Japan, having served with the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) for four years. Equipped primarily with
North American P-51 Mustangs, the squadron also operated a
communications flight of two
Douglas C-47 Dakotas and two
Austers. Personnel were preparing to return to Australia when they were placed on standby for action over Korea; the Mustangs began flying missions as part of
United Nations Command (UNC) forces a week later. It left behind its main support elements at Iwakuni.
No. 91 (Composite) Wing was established at the base on 20 October and given administrative responsibility for all RAAF units operating during the conflict. As well as No. 77 Squadron, this included the newly formed
No. 391 (Base) Squadron and
No. 491 (Maintenance) Squadron, and No. 30 Communications Flight, formerly the No. 77 Squadron Communications Flight. The flight's original complement of two Dakotas and two Austers had been augmented in September 1950 by two more Dakotas from Australia. On 1 November, the flight was designated No. 30 Communications Unit. No. 30 Communications Unit was headquartered at Iwakuni, along with the rest of No. 91 Wing's components except No. 77 Squadron, which was based on the Korean peninsula. It supported all Australian forces in Korea. The same month, a
United States Air Force Mustang taking off from Suwon smashed into the cockpit of one of the Dakotas; none of the Australian crew was injured but the aircraft had to be written off and stripped for components by No. 491 Squadron. The first official commanding officer of No. 30 Communications Unit,
Squadron Leader John Gerber, took over from Hitchens on 28 January 1951. According to the RAAF Historical Section, a "typical month" (May 1951) involved carrying over 1,000 troops, of cargo and of mail from Iwakuni to Korea, and over 1,000 troops, 380 medical evacuees, of cargo and of mail from Korea to Iwakuni. One of its aircraft dropped a wreath over
Hiroshima on 6 August 1952, the seventh anniversary of the
atomic bombing. As of 31 December 1952, its strength was eight Dakotas and one
CAC Wirraway, and fifty-nine personnel including eight officers. On 10 March 1953, No. 30 Transport Unit re-formed as
No. 36 (Transport) Squadron, which had disbanded the previous day at
RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. Between the
armistice in July and the end of August 1953, the squadron repatriated over 900 Commonwealth prisoners of war. As of 30 November 1954, its strength was seven Dakotas and one Wirraway, and eighty-seven personnel including seven officers. Elements of No. 36 Squadron began returning to Australia in January 1955, and by the end of the month its strength was four Dakotas and one Wirraway, and fifty-eight personnel including five officers. Nominal operational control of the squadron was transferred to Fifth Air Force on 1 February 1955, though its purpose continued to be the support of Commonwealth forces. No. 36 Squadron ceased flying on 13 March, after which its remaining elements departed Iwakuni for Australia, leaving three Dakotas and a Wirraway that formed
RAAF Transport Flight (Japan); the flight operated until July 1956 and was disbanded two months later. The transportation unit suffered two fatal accidents. One of the Austers crashed on takeoff in April 1951, killing all three occupants. A Wirraway came down in a river after striking telephone wires in June 1952; the pilot and passenger survived the impact but the latter subsequently died of his injuries. During the war the Dakotas carried around 100,000 passengers and over of cargo. Reflecting on the nature of transport work in Korea, Hitchens stated: ==Notes==