Australia’s mighty air war effort

By Andrew Stackpool

Australian troops watch a RAAF Beaufort bombing and strafing Ulum Ridge in Papua New Guinea in July 1945.

Reproduced courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, AWM 093946

Keen young Victorian pilots of No. 75 Squadron ready to take off from their base at Morotai in March 1945 to search out Japanese installations in the Halmaheras. Left to right: WOFF K. K. Hogan, FLTLT J. S. Archer, WOFF K. A. Martin, and FSGT S. G. Johnstone.

Reproduced courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, AWM OG2329

WARRANT Officer Alan Fraser of No. 7 Squadron turned his Beaufort A9-608 in for a strafing run against Japanese forces in the village of Kairivu, near Wewak in Papua New Guinea. Already he and the other 29 aircraft from No.s 7, 8 and 100 Squadrons had placed their bombs perfectly among the enemy forces. It was August 15.

As he commenced his run, the aircraft radio crackled with the urgent message, “Cease all operations and return to base.”

The urgency was understandable. The 30 aircraft had taken off a short time earlier from Tadji for the mission and, just as they lifted off, No. 8 Squadron received news that the Japanese had surrendered. Warrant Officer Fraser was, by all accounts, the last RAAF pilot to engage the enemy.

The War in the Pacific had been a different war from the conflict in European and Middle Eastern skies. There, the RAAF squadrons had been attached to the RAF fighter and bomber commands, while some personnel found themselves flying as members of RAF crews. In the Pacific the RAAF remained under its own commanders, albeit under overall American control of the campaign.

When war broke out in September 1939, the force comprised only 310 officers, 3179 airmen and 246 aircraft of differing qualities. The squadrons were on the whole undermanned, combat experience was almost non-existent and training overall was at a low level.

Although German units had been active there since 1939, the War in the Pacific officially began on December 7, 1941 (Hawaii time), when the Japanese launched their attacks on Pearl Harbour, Malaya, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

The Japanese quickly established air superiority. The RAAF was the first Allied force to take aerial offensive action against the aggressors. On December 8 1941, Hudsons from No. 1 Squadron attacked the Japanese invasion force at Kota Bahru.

RAAF Hudsons, Wirraways and Buffaloes were heavily involved in the defence of Singapore and Malaya, then the NEI and Rabaul, but were quickly overcome by the overwhelming numbers of superior Japanese Zeroes. More losses were sustained in the raids on Darwin, Broome, Wyndham and other cities in the north of Australia.

The RAAF’s losses in aircraft were matched by a lack of quality in aircrews. Nevertheless, aircrews gained experience very quickly and the parlous situation resulted in front line aircraft arriving from both the US and UK in increasing numbers.

P40 Kittyhawks were assigned to RAAF squadrons in 1942, Spitfires arrived in 1943 to supplement an RAF squadron in Darwin (though initially Zeros provided a nasty surprise for the venerable fighter, until new tactics were devised) and B-24 Liberator bombers arrived in 1944.

By 1943, the deployed air forces of both sides had achieved some measure of equality, but Japanese losses in the Battles of Midway and the Coral Sea, coupled with attrition rates, the loss of most of her aircraft carriers and the rolling loss of forward bases meant the tide of air superiority turned inexorably against her.

While the Pacific war was very much an American campaign and no strategic roles were assigned it, nevertheless the RAAF made an outstanding effort in its conduct, across the whole gamut of activities from fighter hunter-killer sorties and bombing, ground attack, troop logistic support, reconnaissance, mine laying and general aviation tasks.

Three campaigns highlight the RAAF’s endeavours.

In late March 1942, No. 75 Squadron hurriedly deployed to Port Moresby in the face of initial Japanese air thrusts against the city. From then until early May, they repeatedly took on waves of attacking Japanese aircraft, until the Battle of the Coral Sea rendered Port Moresby safe from invasion. The squadron destroyed or damaged 51 enemy aircraft for the loss of 22 aircraft and 12 pilots.

Then, at the end of August, Japanese forces endeavoured to flank Port Moresby and reinforce their troops on the Kokoda Track by forcing a landing at Milne Bay. No.s 6, 75 and 76 Squadrons were unable to interdict the invasion force, but bombed and strafed landing barges, troops concentrations and fuel and stores dumps. The concerted air effort and counterattack forced the Japanese to withdraw.

At the beginning of March 1943, another Japanese invasion force was despatched from Rabaul to reinforce its troops in New Guinea for another offensive. Six thousand soldiers were packed into eight transports, escorted by eight destroyers.

Allied intelligence was aware of the activity and assembled a combined USAAF/RAAF force of 270 fighters and bombers to intercept it. In four days, in what has become known as the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, the force sank all eight transports and four destroyers, damaged the other four and shot down about 60 escorting Zeros, for the loss of just six aircraft and 16 aircrew.

When the guns fell silent on August 15, 1945, Air Force casualties worldwide in combat were about 6500. Of these, about 1300 died in the Pacific.

At that time, Air Force’s strength in the Pacific was 131,662 personnel and 3187 front line aircraft out of a total force of 173,622 men and women and 5620 aircraft deployed worldwide. The aircraft were divided equally into front-line and support types and included 249 Liberators, 280 Mosquitoes, 378 Mustangs, 109 Dakotas, 109 Catalinas, 328 Beaufighters, 370 Kittyhawks and 367 Spitfires.

The RAAF had transformed from the relatively indifferent force of 1939 to become the world’s fourth largest air force.

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