 No. 38 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) transport unit . It was formed in 1943 and saw service during World War II transporting supplies and personnel between Australia and the combat zones in New Guinea and Borneo , using Douglas Dakota aircraft . Following the war , the squadron conducted regular courier flights between Australia and Japan in 1947 and 1948 , and later transported supplies to the Korean War . In 1956, the squadron was re-equipped with de Havilland Vampire jet fighters, and in 1958 it was transferred to the RAAF's Tactical