RAAF AIR DEFENCE AREAS FOR AUSTRALIA
Australia was part of the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) of command under General Douglas MacArthur.
In 1943, all of the operational Air Forces in the SWPA were under the command of Lieutenant-General George C. Kenney who directed the command headquarters of the Allied Air Forces, South West Pacific Area. These forces comprised:-
- 5th American Air Force (total of 36
Squadrons)
- operational squadrons of RAAF assigned to SWPA including their service units (total of
31 Squadrons)
- one RAF squadron
- one Netherlands Air Force squadron
Australia was divided up into five areas for air defence purposes. In April 1943 these areas were as follows:-
| North-Eastern
Area Air Commodore A.H. Cobby |
7 Squadron | Beauforts | Ross River, Townsville, QLD |
| 9 Squadron | Seagulls | Bowen, QLD | |
| 11 Squadron | Catalinas | Cairns, QLD | |
| 20 Squadron | Catalinas | Cairns, QLD | |
|
Eastern Area Air Vice-Marshall W.H. Anderson |
5 Squadron | Wirraways | Kingaroy, QLD |
| 23 Squadron | Wirraways | Lowood, QLD | |
| 24 Squadron | Wirraways | Bankstown, NSW | |
| 32 Squadron | Hudsons | Camden, NSW | |
| 71 Squadron | Ansons | Lowood, QLD | |
| 73 Squadron | Ansons | Nowra, NSW | |
| 83 Squadron | Wirraways | Strathpine, QLD | |
| Southern Area Group Captain C.W. Pearce |
67 Squadron | Ansons | Laverton, VIC |
| 86 Squadron | Kittyhawks | Gawler, SA | |
| Western Area Air Commodore R.J. Brownell |
14 Squadron | Beauforts | Pearce, WA |
| 25 Squadron | Wirraways | Pearce, WA | |
| 76 Squadron | Kittyhawks | Exmouth Gulf, WA | |
| 85 Squadron | Boomerangs | Pearce, WA | |
| North-Western Area Air Commodore Bladin
|
2 Squadron | Hudsons | Hughes |
| 12 Squadron | Vultee Vengeances | Batchelor | |
| 13 Squadron | Hudsons | Hughes | |
| 31 Squadron | Beaufighters | Coomalie | |
| 452 Squadron | Spitfires | Strauss | |
| 457 Squadron | Spitfires | Livingstone | |
| 54 Squadron RAF | Spitfires | Darwin | |
| 319 Squadron USAAF | Liberators | Fenton | |
| 18 Squadron Dutch |
Mitchells | Batchelor |
Military airfields in Australia and the western Pacific area during WW2
REFERENCE
"Air War against Japan 1943 - 1945"
by George Odgers
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
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© Peter Dunn OAM 2020 |
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This page first produced 2 April 2000
This page last updated 21 February 2020
