Formed in January 1959 at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, its role was to convert pilots and navigators to the English Electric Canberra bombers flown by Nos.

1 OCU became an independent unit at Amberley in April 1968, its focus being the provision of operationally ready pilots for service with No.

During World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) established several operational training units (OTUs) to convert recently graduated pilots from advanced trainers to combat aircraft, and to add fighting ability to the flying skills they had already learned.

Post-war demobilisation saw the disbandment of these OTUs, and operational conversion of new pilots became the responsibility of front-line squadrons.

This practice impacted upon the squadrons' standard duties, and the advent of the Korean War and introduction of jet aircraft further necessitated a more formal training system.

2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, in March 1952; it was renamed No.

Over the next five years, forty-eight Canberras built in Australia by the Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) re-equipped all three of the wing's flying units, Nos.

[2][3] During this period, operational training of new bomber aircrew was performed "in-house" by the wing, primarily by No.

[4][5] Aside from its adverse effect on regular flying duties, the task was made technically challenging and potentially dangerous by virtue of the Canberra being designed for only one pilot, with a single control column.

[3][8] The unit was subsequently allocated Mk.21 trainers; GAF built seven of these dual-control models by converting five early Mk.20s and two British-built B.2 bombers.

76 Squadron based at RAAF Base Darwin, Northern Territory, as part of Operation Handover, a little-known contingency plan put into effect during Konfrontasi to guard against possible attack by Indonesian forces following the recent establishment of the Federation of Malaysia.

1 OCU suffered a fatal accident on 16 February 1965, when a Canberra Mk.21 ran off the runway and crashed at Amberley, killing both crew members.

1 and 6 Squadrons effectively ceased operations while their crews underwent conversion to the General Dynamics F-111C, expected to enter service soon afterwards.

1 OCU students participated in exercises such as Combat Skyspot in August 1968, which utilised radar controlled by No.

[8][16] From 21 March to 25 April 1971, four of the unit's aircraft flew 10,000 miles around Australia to conduct seven flying displays as part of the RAAF's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

1 OCU's fifteen Canberras were put into storage and the remainder, including surviving Mk.21 trainers, were taken on by No.