Aircraft History
Built by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Constructors Number 707. Assigned to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) serial number A20-506. On January 18, 1942 assigned to 1 AD. Two days later assigned to 23 Squadron, but canceled three days later and instead assigned to 1 OTU on February 23, 1942. Next assigned to 2 OTU on April 15, 1942. No known nickname or nose art.

Mission History
On June 23, 1942 took off from Mildura Airfield on a training mission to conduct shadow shooting training exercises. During the mission, this Wirraway went into a steep turn and stalled, then crashed into Lake Victoria, roughly fifty miles west of Mildura. The aircraft and both crew members were listed as Missing In Action (MIA).

Search
After the crash, a search of the lake failed to locate the plane or the crew. Circa 2000s, a renewed search for this aircraft and its crew members was denied by Aboriginal landowners due to 'cultural heritage' reasons.

Memorials
Both crew were officially declared dead the day of the mission. Both are memorialized on the Sydney Memorial. Ruge panel 6 and Moore panel 7.

References
ADF Serials - Wirraway A20-506
CWGC - Arthur Robert Ruge
CWGC - George Henry Moore

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Last Updated
February 4, 2018