World War II The squadron was established as a
reconnaissance and
bomber unit, equipped with
Lockheed Hudson aircraft, at
Port Moresby on 21 February 1942. It was formed from elements of other RAAF Hudson squadrons deployed from their home bases for combat operations against Japanese forces. The skill and fighting spirit of a lone, outnumbered crew from No. 32 Squadron impressed
Saburō Sakai, who would become among the highest-scoring Japanese aces of the war.
Pilot Officer Warren Cowan, Pilot Officer David Taylor, Sergeant Russell Polack and Sergeant Lauri Sheard, in Hudson Mk IIIA
A16–201 (bu. no.
41-36979), were killed in action after being shot down by Sakai on 22 July 1942.
A16–201 was intercepted over
Buna, New Guinea by nine
Mitsubishi A6M "Zeroes" of the
Tainan Kaigun Kōkūtai, led by Sakai. The Hudson's crew surprised the Zero pilots by taking the initiative in a turning dogfight and were apparently unscathed for at least 10 minutes. The suggestion was rejected on the grounds that all such recommendations had been closed at the war's end. Redeployed to
Sydney in September 1942, No. 32 Squadron conducted anti-submarine patrols, initially from
RAAF Base Richmond and then from
Camden. In March 1943, the Hudsons were replaced by
DAP-built versions of the
Bristol Beaufort, The squadron was disbanded in November 1945. No. 32 Squadron was re-equipped with leased
Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft commencing in 2003 and the remaining HS 748s were retired on 30 June 2004. The King Air 350s have been heavily modified and are used in three main roles: for Air Combat Officer and Maritime Aviation Warfare Officer; for low-level tactical and maritime operations training under the auspices of the School of Aviation Warfare; and as light transport aircraft. Typical low-level training missions are conducted at 200 to 500 feet (61 to 153 metres) above sea or ground level, while transport missions may be undertaken at altitudes as high as 35,000 ft (10,675 m). The current squadron motif is a
sulphur-crested cockatoo with the
Southern Cross depicted on a blue background. == Aircraft operated ==