No. 300 Group RAF

No. 300 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force transport formation created in Australia during the final stages of the Second World War. Its initial designation was No. 300 Wing RAF, established at Mascot Airport in Sydney in November 1944 to provide dedicated air transport for the British Pacific Fleet. The formation was unusual because it was placed directly under the operational control of the fleet commander, Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, making it the only RAF unit during the war assigned directly to a Royal Navy fleet commander. The group supplied the fleet with personnel, mail, equipment and other essential stores. Its aircraft connected the fleet's Australian bases with forward and logistical locations across the Pacific and Southeast Asia. In early 1945, its principal flying elements were No. 243 Squadron, operating Douglas Dakota transports, and No. 1315 Flight, operating Consolidated B-24 Liberators adapted for transport duties. Two of the Liberators were configured for VIP travel and were used by Fraser and other senior officers. The group’s headquarters was located in South Yarra, Melbourne, while its main flying base was at Camden Airport near Sydney. No. 243 Squadron included many Australian personnel. The transport network expanded rapidly. A regular Sydney–Manus Island service was operating by early 1945 and became daily by March. Flights to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines began in April, while a route to Enewetak Atoll was added in July to support British Pacific Fleet tanker operations. The formation also maintained long-distance services to the United Kingdom through Auckland, San Diego and Montreal, as well as a route to Colombo in Ceylon. Crews operated in difficult conditions, including adverse weather, long over-water sectors and poorly developed airfields. As personnel and aircraft arrived in Australia, the wing was redesignated No. 300 Group during 1945. No. 238 Squadron joined in June after transferring from Burma, bringing the group’s Dakota total to approximately 70 aircraft. Based at Parafield Airport in Adelaide, No. 238 Squadron strengthened the group’s transport capacity. By August, the group was operating a mature air-transport system that also evacuated wounded personnel. Two of its Dakota aircraft crashed into the sea during the war, killing both crews. After Japan’s defeat, No. 300 Group continued to support the demobilisation and redeployment of British Pacific Fleet personnel. Its network extended from the Philippines to Hong Kong and later to Singapore, Balikpapan, Labuan and Saigon. The group also transported Red Cross medical assistance to liberated prisoners of war. No. 238 Squadron was disbanded in Australia in December 1945, followed by No. 243 Squadron in April 1946. No. 300 Group itself was disbanded in April 1946, with some of its aircraft subsequently transferred to RAF operations in Hong Kong and Singapore. It was therefore a wartime operational formation rather than a commercial brand, with its historical significance resting on the integration of RAF air transport into Royal Navy fleet logistics in the Pacific.

No. 300 Group RAF originated as No. 300 Wing RAF, formed at Mascot Airport in Sydney in November 1944 during preparations for the deployment of the British Pacific Fleet. Fleet planners recognised that the fleet required an independent transport capability to move personnel, mail and essential stores quickly between Australia, forward bases and fleet-support facilities. The wing was placed under the control of Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, the British Pacific Fleet commander, rather than being administered solely through a conventional RAF chain of operational command. By February 1945, the wing contained No. 243 Squadron, equipped with 30 Douglas Dakotas, and No. 1315 Flight, equipped with six Consolidated B-24 Liberators. Two Liberators were fitted for VIP transport. Camden Airport, west of Sydney, served as the main flying base, while the headquarters was located in South Yarra, Melbourne, to maintain liaison with the Royal Australian Air Force. The arrangement reflected the formation’s role as a fleet-support organisation rather than a conventional bomber or fighter unit. The wing established a scheduled connection between Sydney and Manus Island, the British Pacific Fleet’s forward base off the northern coast of New Guinea. By March 1945, services on that route were being flown daily. In April, the wing began regular operations to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, an important logistical centre for Allied forces. A service to Enewetak Atoll was added in July to support British Pacific Fleet tanker activity. The network also included a thrice-weekly connection with the United Kingdom via Auckland, San Diego and Montreal, together with a route to Colombo in Ceylon. Support detachments were positioned at destinations and staging locations throughout Australia and New Guinea. The work was technically demanding. Crews faced long distances, tropical weather and airfields with limited infrastructure. The transport system nevertheless expanded as additional aircraft and personnel reached Australia. During 1945, No. 300 Wing was redesignated No. 300 Group. No. 238 Squadron transferred from Burma in June, increasing the number of Dakota transports assigned to the group to about 70. The new squadron operated from Parafield Airport in Adelaide. By August, the group was providing a regular and increasingly efficient service that included the evacuation of wounded personnel. Two Dakota aircraft were lost in wartime sea crashes, with all members of both crews killed. The end of the war did not immediately end the group’s work. Following Japan’s surrender, No. 300 Group extended its Sydney–Philippines route to Hong Kong and opened additional services to Singapore, Balikpapan and Labuan in Borneo, and Saigon in French Indochina. Its responsibilities included transporting Red Cross medical supplies and assistance to prisoners of war who had been liberated. These missions formed part of the wider Allied process of relief, repatriation and postwar redeployment across the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The group was progressively reduced as its wartime duties ended. No. 238 Squadron was disbanded in Australia on 27 December 1945, and No. 243 Squadron followed on 15 April 1946. No. 300 Group was disbanded in April 1946. Some of its aircraft were later transferred to RAF operations in Hong Kong and Singapore. The group’s legacy lies in its role as a specialised bridge between RAF transport resources and Royal Navy fleet operations, enabling the British Pacific Fleet to function across a large and geographically dispersed area.

• 1946

  Group disbanded

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 300 Group was disbanded in April after its wartime and immediate postwar transport duties ended.

• 1945

  Manus Island service becomes regular

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The wing established a Sydney–Manus Island route, with flights operating daily by March.

• 1945

  Leyte Gulf route opened

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  Regular services began to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, a major logistical base for the British Pacific Fleet.

• 1945

  Wing redesignated as No. 300 Group

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  As aircraft and personnel increased, the wing was redesignated No. 300 Group during 1945.

• 1945

  No. 238 Squadron joins

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 238 Squadron transferred from Burma in June, raising the group’s Dakota strength to approximately 70 aircraft.

• 1945

  Postwar Southeast Asian routes expanded

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  After Japan’s surrender, services were extended to Hong Kong, Singapore, Borneo and Saigon, alongside relief work for liberated prisoners of war.

• 1944

  No. 300 Wing established in Sydney

  [1]No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 300 Wing RAF was formed at Mascot Airport in November to provide dedicated air transport for the British Pacific Fleet.

A dedicated RAF air-transport formation supporting the British Pacific Fleet and its forward bases during and immediately after the Second World War.

• Military air transport · 1944

  Douglas Dakota transport service

  The group’s main transport capability was provided by Douglas Dakota aircraft operated by No. 243 Squadron and later No. 238 Squadron. They moved personnel, supplies, mail and medical assistance between Australia, Pacific bases and destinations in Southeast Asia. Dakota operations also supported wounded-personnel evacuation and postwar prisoner-of-war relief.

• Military transport and liaison aircraft · 1944

  Consolidated B-24 Liberator transport and VIP aircraft

  No. 1315 Flight operated six B-24 Liberators in transport configuration. Two aircraft were adapted for VIP duties and carried Admiral Fraser and other senior officers. Their inclusion gave the fleet-support organisation a longer-range executive and liaison capability in addition to its routine freight and personnel missions.

• 1945

  Expansion into a larger transport groupStrategy

  Background

  Increasing fleet-support requirements and the arrival of additional aircraft and personnel required a larger organisational structure.

  Action taken

  No. 300 Wing was redesignated as No. 300 Group, and No. 238 Squadron was added in June.

  Aftermath

  The group reached approximately 70 Dakota aircraft and operated a broader Pacific and Southeast Asian transport network.

  Source

• 1944

  Creation of a dedicated fleet transport formationStrategy

  Background

  Planning for the British Pacific Fleet identified a need for dedicated aircraft to move personnel, mail and essential supplies across the fleet’s widely separated bases.

  Action taken

  The RAF established No. 300 Wing in Australia and assigned it directly to the British Pacific Fleet commander.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement enabled scheduled links from Australia to Manus Island, the Philippines and other Pacific locations, and later developed into No. 300 Group.

  Source

1. 1No. 300 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Forcebooks.google.com