Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

No. 682 Squadron was a photographic reconnaissance unit that served in the North African and Mediterranean theatres of WW2.

It is listed on this site becasue it was one of the many RAF units to which individual Australians were posted during WW2 having been products of the Empire AIr Training Scheme.  RAAF personnel posted thus became part of the community of 'odd bods' which charactersied the RAF in WW2 with aircrew from all over the Commonwealth.

The squadron was formed on 1 February 1943] at Maison Blanche, Algeria from No. 4 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) RAF.

It was initially equipped with Supermarine Spitfire PR.IVs and for a brief time DH98 Mosquito PR.IVs and PR.VIs, and later flew the Spitfire PR.XI in support of the campaign in Tunisia, Sicily, and then Italy.

The squadron supported the invasion of Italy and carried out sorties over Yugoslavia including special reconnaissance for army and commando operations. In 1944 the squadron began to target southern France (Operation Anvil) and it moved detachments to France in September 1944, receiving the superlative photographic reconnaissance version of the Spitfire, the PR.XIX.

It returned to cover the Italian campaign and also operated over Greece. With the war over the squadron carried survey flights until it was disbanded on 14 September 1945 at Peretola, Italy.

Reference: Wikipedia

WW2 In Colour site http://www.ww2incolor.com/britain/SPIT-PR-XI-682-SQN-SANSEVERO-9-44_001.html