| Accession Number | P09137.030 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Digital file |
| Maker |
Layton, Ronald Frederick |
| Place made | Germany: Wunstorf |
| Date made | 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
A German memorial at Wunstorf bearing the inscription "Ich hatt einen Kameraden" [I had a ...
Description
A German memorial at Wunstorf bearing the inscription "Ich hatt einen Kameraden" [I had a comrade]. Wunstorf, a former German night fighter base about which the Allies knew nothing before the war ended had been built to defend the city of Hannover. No. 453 Squadron RAAF was posted to Germany in 1945 following almost three years of service attached to Fighter Command and based in Scotland. On 2 May 1945, the squadron escorted the aircraft that returned Queen Wilhelmina to The Netherlands after three years in exile in Britain. This was 453 Squadron's last mission of the war; Germany surrendered six days later. The squadron remained in Britain for several months before deploying to join the British occupation forces in Germany on 29 August. It was planned that 453 Squadron (along with 451 Squadron) would form part of a long-term Australian presence with the occupation forces, but a lack of volunteers for an extra year's service made this impractical and 453 Squadron disbanded at Wunstorf, Germany, on 21 January 1946.