During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. From these airports and airfields in Australia, the

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organiza ...

was able to regroup, re-equip and begin offensive operations against the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

after the disasters in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

during 1942.

Overview

Following the Japanese conquest of the Philippines, the remnants of the USAAF Far East Air Force relocated southwest to bases in the

(Indonesia).

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

units in Australia, including the Fifth Air Force, were eventually reinforced and re-organized following their initial defeats in the Philippines and the East Indies. After those islands also fell to Japanese forces early in 1942, FEAF headquarters moved to Australia and was reorganized and redesignated the Fifth Air Force on 5 February 1942 under General

George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player who played all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are second-mo ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. On paper, Brett had several hundred military aircraft of all types, but only a few of them were operational,American Caesar, Wm. Manchester, 1978, Little Brown Company, pp.300–307: ''On and about July–Dec 1942 and Kenney's impact on MacArthur and the war, his support for Guadalcanal and his daring offensive gamble in going to meet the Japanese in the difficult jungles of New Guinea in defense of Australia, rather than risk a war of maneuver when he had insufficient forces to move around.'' although replacements were in the logistics pipeline inbound on freighters Headquarters, Fifth Air Force, was re-staffed at

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia on 18 September 1942 and the Fifth Air Force was placed under the command of 52-year-old Major General

George Kenney George Churchill Kenney (August 6, 1889 – August 9, 1977) was a United States Army general during World War II. He is best known as the commander of the Allied Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), a position he held between Augu ...

on Tuesday, 28 July 1942, which had immediate impact. Within a month, he had his command striving for, or at least seriously thinking about, seizing air superiority over New Guinea and parity over the Solomon Sea, and September 1942 saw the Fifth placing several dozen bombers over New Britain and Rabaul, whereas in July 1942 only mere handfuls could be fielded. By the end of August 1942, before the retreat began of the Japanese attacking over the Owen Stanley Ranges, he'd established five airfields at Port Moresby, more than necessary for its defense, but a good start for staging to forward bases. General Kenney encouraged MacArthur to conduct a forward defense and meet the Japanese along the choke-points among the jungles of New Guinea, and provided planning for airlifts to put the ground forces in forward positions and supply them by air-transport if necessary. This model would be utilized throughout the coming two years of offensives as MacArthur's ground forces conducted Leapfrogging maneuvers and used combined arms tactics while strategically bypassing Japanese strong points and forcing them to attack his defensive works as he placed forces astride their supply lines. The Fifth Air Force kept pace, moving from forward air base to forward air base, repressing daylight activity by the Japanese on Land, Sea and Air. When he first proposed air supply (since sea-lanes were not safe because of the position of the Japanese bases in the Solomon Sea) to an objection that his C-47 airlift units could not move trucks as well as men and materials, Kenney immediately responded that they could, by cutting the truck frames in half with torches and welding them together again in Papua. By November the Fifth was in forward Headquarters in Port Moresby, though the official HQ remained in Brisbane. In addition to the Air Force units, many

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

forces embarked in Australia, using it as a base of operations prior to their deployment to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

in 1942, and other islands in the Southwest Pacific, driving the Japanese forces north towards their home islands. As the ground forces moved forward, the tactical air units of the AAF moved with them, providing the necessary air support for the ground operations. Throughout the Pacific War, Australia remained an important base of operations, but with the advance of the Allied Armies, the air-bases in Australia were returned to the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

once the Allied forces deployed north during 1942 and 1943. Today, most of the airfields in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

have returned to their natural state, being abandoned after the war, but most of the airfields in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and the other Australian states and territories still exist as civilian airports or military bases. Later, during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

assigned a small number of personnel to Australia for communication duties and logistical support. Today, USAF units routinely visit Australia for joint exercises with the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

, with a few personnel assigned for military liaison duties.

Major units

The initial USAAF units assigned to Australia in late 1941 and 1942 were ones which had withdrawn from the Philippines, leaving their ground echelons in Bataan as part of the 5th Interceptor Command to fight as infantry units. Later in 1942 and 1943, additional units arrived from the United States as replacement and augmentation to the

for offensive operations. Known units assigned were: * Bombardment : 3d Bombardment Group (25 February 1942 – 28 January 1943) :: (A-20 Havoc, A-24 Dauntless, B-25 Mitchell) : 7th Bombardment Group (22 December 1941 – 4 February 1942) :: (B-17 Flying Fortress) :

19th Bombardment Group 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

(24 December 1941 – 2 December 1942) :: (B-17 Flying Fortress) : 22d Bombardment Group (1 March 1942 – 9 October 1943) :: (B-26 Marauder) :

27th Bombardment Group 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

(February–4 May 1943) :: (A-24 Dauntless) : 38th Bombardment Group (25 February – October 1942) :: (B-25 Mitchell) : 43d Bombardment Group (28 March – 14 September 1942) :: (B-17 Flying Fortress) : 90th Bombardment Group (November 1942 – 10 February 1943) :: (B-24 Liberator) :

380th Bombardment Group 38 may refer to: *38 (number), the natural number following 37 and preceding 39 *one of the years 38 BC, AD 38, 1938, 2038 *.38, a caliber of firearms and cartridges **.38 Special, a revolver cartridge *'' Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transfo ...

(May 1943 – 20 February 1945) :: (B-24 Liberator) * Fighter :

8th Fighter Group 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh *"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6 * '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...

(6 March 1942 – 16 May 1943) :: (P-39 Airacobra, P-38 Lightning) : 35th Fighter Group (4 May – 22 July 1942) :: (P-39 Airacobra, P-38 Lightning) :

49th Fighter Group The 49th Fighter Group was a fighter aircraft unit of the Fifth Air Force that was located in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Activation and training The group was constituted as 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 194 ...

(2 February – 9 October 1942) :: (Curtiss P-40) : 58th Fighter Group (19 November – 28 December 1943) :: (P-47 Thunderbolt) * Other :

6th Reconnaissance Group Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Alec Tre ...

(10 October – 10 December 1943 :

317th Troop Carrier Group The 317th Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last stationed at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina as part of Air Mobility Command. It was activated in 1992 during the Air Force's Objective Wing reorganization, and ina ...

(23 January – 30 September 1943) : 374th Troop Carrier Group (12 November 1942 – 1 September 1944) : 60th Air Depot Group : 1124th Military Police (1943 - 1945)

Major aircraft operated

US Douglas Dauntless Dive Bomber in Australia 1942

* A-20 Havoc. A-20s first arrived in Australia by way of the air echelon of the 3rd Bombardment Group (Light) and the first operational unit to fly the A-20 in actual battle was the 89th Bombardment Squadron of the 3rd Bombardment Group. Many A-20s were reassigned to the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, being known as Bostons by the RAAF and had varied origins, some being ex-USAAF machines, some being acquired from the Netherlands Marine Luchtvaartdenst, and others being diverted from British contracts. These planes served with just one RAAF squadron, No. 22 Squadron which saw a lot of action in the

. *

A-24 Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/d ...

. The first operational A-24 unit was the 27th Bombardment Group (Light). Three of the four squadrons of the 27th BG were equipped with the A-24, plus one squadron of the 3rd Bombardment Group. The remaining squadrons of these groups were equipped with A-20A twin-engined level bombers. The crews of the 27th BG were in the Philippines when war broke out in the Pacific but their aircraft were in-transit via ship from Hawaii. The shipment was diverted to

, where they arrived on 22 December. Some of the 27th BG pilots were sent from the Philippines to ferry their aircraft back from Australia but were unable to do so when gun motors and solenoids could not be found during assembly. From Brisbane, eleven A-24s flew up to

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

in February 1942, but this battle was already lost. The remainder began operations from

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

with the 8th Bombardment Squadron on 1 April 1942. These units suffered heavy losses in the face of the Japanese advance. After five of seven A-24s were lost on their last mission, the A-24s were withdrawn from action as being too slow, too short-ranged, and too poorly armed. However, in all fairness to the A-24, their pilots had not been trained in dive-bombing operations and they often had to operate without adequate fighter escort. Following the New Guinea debacle, the A-24s were withdrawn from combat and the 27th was returned to the United States, where after being re-equipped with A-20s was sent to North Africa as part of

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

. *

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

. After the mission to attack a Japanese amphibious operation at Legaspi on 14 December 1941, only 14 B-17s remained of the original 35 assigned to the Philippines on 8 December. All were stationed at

Del Monte Field Del Monte Field (active 1941–1942) was a heavy bomber airfield of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) of the United States Army Air Forces, located on Mindanao in the Philippines. The airfield was located in a meadow of a Del Monte Corporation pinea ...

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, with the aircraft needing depot maintenance. Beginning on 17 December, the B-17s began to be evacuated to

Batchelor Airfield Batchelor Airfield, is an airport located south of Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia. The airport currently has no commercial air services; however, it is utilised by the Northern Australian Gliding Club and the Alice Springs Aero Clu ...

near Darwin. These first B-17s in Australia were shark-tailed C and D models. The first B-17 mission out of Australia, an attack on Japanese shipping at Davao, took place on 22 December with nine "Flying Forts" taking part. They landed at Del Monte, which remained in American hands until April 1942. However, the small force of B-17s could do very little to stem the tide of the Japanese advance, launching valiant but futile attacks against the masses of Japanese shipping. Newer large-tailed B-17Es began to join the depleted force of earlier-model B-17s in the Pacific in mid-1942, with the tail gunner of the B-17E being unpleasant surprise for the Japanese, who had become accustomed to attacking the Fortress from the rear. The crews of pre-B-17E Fortresses often adopted the expediency of rigging sticks in the rear of their planes, hoping to convince the Japanese attackers that tail guns were actually fitted to these planes as well. However, by mid-1943, most Fortresses had been withdrawn from the Pacific in favor of the longer-ranged

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

. The B-24 was better suited for operations in the Pacific, having a higher speed and a larger bombload at medium altitudes. In addition, the losses of

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

in Europe were reaching such magnitudes that the entire B-17 production was urgently needed for replacements and training in that theatre. Shortly after the

Battle of the Bismarck Sea The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2–4 March 1943) took place in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II when aircraft of the U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked a Japanese convoy carrying troops ...

, it was decided that no more B-17s would be sent to Australia. *

. Fifteen USAAF LB-30 (B-24A) bombers were deployed in

in early 1942 to reinforce the B-17-equipped 19th Bombardment Group in a vain attempt to stem the Japanese advance. The Java-based LB-30s would be the first US-flown Liberators to see action and participated in numerous attacks against Japanese targets in the

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, in

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

, and against shipping during the Japanese invasion of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

. By late February, the position of Allied forces in Java had become untenable, and the surviving LB-30s were evacuated to Australia. The early LB-30s were replaced by the first B-24Ds to reach the Pacific in late 1942. By 1943, the Liberator had almost entirely replaced the B-17 Fortress as the primary long-range heavy bomber in the theatre. The B-24 became the most numerous USAAF heavy bomber based in Australia and New Guinea in the most desperate phase of the Pacific war, and it was the first four-engine heavy bomber to serve with the Royal Australian Air Force home squadrons. It reigned supreme in the Pacific until the arrival of the

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

in mid-1944. *

B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

. In February 1942, the 22d Bombardment Group was ordered to Australia, being assigned to bases around

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. The B-26 first entered combat on 5 April 1942, when the 22nd Group took off from their bases in

, refuelled at

, and then attacked Japanese facilities at

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

. Each B-26 had a 250-gallon bomb bay and carried a 2000– pound bombload. The Marauder was the only medium bomber available in the Pacific, and generally, no fighter escort was available leaving the Marauders were on their own if they encountered enemy fighters. There were two groups equipped with B-26s, the 22nd and 38th, with two squadrons of the 38th Bombardment Group (69th and 70th) equipped with B-26s. In this series of attacks on Japanese-held facilities in the

, the B-26s gained a reputation for speed and ruggedness against strong opposition from Japanese Zero fighters. Attacks on

ended on 24 May, after 80 sorties had flown. A series of unescorted raids were made on Japanese installations in the

Lae Lae () is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highl ...

area. These raids were vigorously opposed by Zero fighters. In the 84 sorties flown against Lae between 24 April and 4 July 1942, three Marauders were lost. As the Allies pushed northward in the South Pacific, temporary airfields had to be cut out of the jungle and these runways were generally fairly short. The North American

had a shorter takeoff run than the B-26, and it began to take over the medium bomber duties. Although it was admitted that the B-26 could take greater punishment, was defensively superior, and could fly faster with a heavier bomb load, the B-25 had better short-field characteristics, good sortie rate, and minimal maintenance requirements. In addition, the B-25 was considerably easier to manufacture and had suffered from fewer developmental problems. At this time, there were more B-25s available for South Pacific duty because it had been decided to send the B-26 Marauder to the Mediterranean theatre. Consequently, it was decided to adopt the B-25 as the standard medium bomber for the entire Pacific theatre, and to use the B-26 exclusively to

in the Mediterranean with some later being used by

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

in the European theatres. *

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...

. The first P-38s to reach Australia during 1942 were P-38Fs assigned to the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 35th Fighter Group. This unit traded in its Bell

P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

s for the Lightnings at

RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), N ...

in Queensland before returning to combat operations at

. Its first success took place on 27 December 1942 when its pilots claimed eleven kills for the loss of only one P-38F. Two of these kills were claimed by

Richard I. Bong Richard "Dick" Ira Bong (September 24, 1920 – August 6, 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces major and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the country's top flying ace ...

, who was to go on to claim a total of 40 kills, all of them while flying the Lightning. The Lightning was ideally suited for the Pacific theatre. It possessed a performance markedly superior to that of its Japanese opponents. It possessed a range significantly better than that of the P-39s, P-40s and P-47s available in 1942 in the Southwest Pacific, and its twin engines offered an additional safety factor when operating over long stretches of water and jungle. However, the limited number of Lightnings available during late 1942 and early 1943 had to be used to make up attrition in the 39th Fighter Squadron and to equip only a single squadron in each of the 8th and

s. *

. At the time of Pearl Harbor, the P-39 (along with the P-40 and a few P-38s) was virtually the only modern fighter available to the USAAF. Those P-39s already in service with the USAAF at the time of Pearl Harbor were deployed at home bases, but were quickly moved forward to overseas bases in the Pacific to try to stem the Japanese advance. They carried much of the load in the initial Allied efforts in 1942. However, many Allied pilots lacked adequate training, and equipment and maintenance of the planes were below average. The Airacobras operating from Australia were sometimes called upon to serve as interceptors, a role for which they were totally unsuited. They proved to be no match for the Japanese Zero in air-to-air combat and were withdrawn from combat by the end of 1942. *

Curtiss P-40 The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...

. During 1941, a substantial number of P-40Bs and Cs were shipped to USAAF bases overseas, including the 20th Pursuit Squadron of the 24th Pursuit Group at Clark Field in the Philippines. Almost all were destroyed in the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42), and only a few reached Australia, although the RAAF operated a large number of P-40E-1 export models (Kittyhawk IA) and P-40Ks (Kittyhawk III) from the United States. *

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

. The first P-47Ds to arrive in the Pacific theatre entered service with the

348th Fighter Group The 108th Operations Group is a unit of the 108th Wing (108 WG) of the New Jersey Air National Guard, one of the many units stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. If activated to federal service with the U.S. Air Force, the ...

in June 1943. They were initially operated out of Queensland and were used on long-range missions to strike at Japanese targets in

. The 348th was followed by the 35th Group and at the beginning of 1944 by the 58th Group as well as the 35th Squadron of the 8th Group and the 9th FS of the 49th Group. However the Thunderbolt was used primarily by Seventh and Thirteenth Air Forces in the Central Pacific, with the long-range P-47N arriving in June 1944.

Airfields and unit assignments

In cooperation with the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, (RAAF), the Fifth Air Force was able to use many existing Australian airports and airfields to carry on the war effort. In 1942, additional new military airfields were constructed by Australian and United States engineering units to accommodate the increasing number of USAAF groups and personnel being deployed. The Air Force groups and squadrons moved frequently from airfield to airfield, and often group headquarters was located away from the operational squadrons, as the squadrons were dispersed over several airfields for defensive purposes. Known airfields of the Fifth Air Force units and squadron assignments are as follows: Note: Airfield locations shown on map above AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY *

RAAF Base Fairbairn Fairbairn (), formerly RAAF Base Fairbairn, is a former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base, located in Australia's national capital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Over the years the name of the establishment, and the ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

: ::

8th Fighter Squadron The 8th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force squadron, assigned to the 54th Fighter Group Air Education and Training Command, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. It currently operates the General Dynamics F-16 ...

(49th Fighter Group) (16 February – 17 April 1942) NORTHERN TERRITORY *

, Batchelor,

: :

(Heavy), (24–30 December 1941) (First B-17s arrived on 17 December 1941) :

(Light), (March–4 May 1942) :: 16th Bombardment Squadron (Light) (17 February – 8 March 1942) ::

17th Bombardment Squadron 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as ...

(Light) (22 February – 8 March 1942) :

7th Fighter Squadron The 7th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 1st Operations Group. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Overview The 7th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assign ...

, (9 April – 18 September 1942) : 14th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy) attached to

(Heavy) (24 December 1941 – 30 December 1941) (Air echelon only. Ground echelon fighting as infantry as part of 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional),

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, Philippines) : 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy) (24–30 December 1941) (Air echelon only. Ground echelon fighting as infantry as part of 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional),

, Philippines) :

30th Bombardment Squadron : ''See United States Air Force Thunderbirds for the squadron's successor unit'' The 30th Bombardment Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. On 19 September 1985 it was consolidated with the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, also known as ...

(Heavy),

(Heavy) (20–31 December 1941) (Air echelon only. Ground echelon fighting as infantry as part of 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional),

, Philippines) : 71st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 38th Bombardment Group (Medium)), (30 April – 11 August 1942) : 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy) (19 December 1941 – 1 January 1942) *

Daly Waters Airfield The Daly Waters Airfield, also RAAF Base Daly Waters, is a former commercial and sporadically-used military airfield located at , Northern Territory, Australia. As an airfield on Australia's earliest international routes, Daly Waters was used t ...

, Daly Waters,

: :: 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (16 May – 1 August 1942) *

Fenton Airfield Fenton Airfield was a World War II military airfield in the Northern Territory of Australia located at Tipperary Station in what is now the locality of Douglas-Daly and named after flight lieutenant Clyde Fenton. Abandoned since 1945, th ...

, Tipperary Station, Hayes Creek,

: :

(Heavy), (May 1943 – 8 August 1944) :: 528th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (28 April 1943 – 19 August 1944) :: 530th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (1 May 1942 – 8 August 1944) : 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group, (2 August – 25 September 1942) * Long Strip, Hayes Creek, Northern Territory : : 529th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy), (7 November 1943 – 9 July 1944) : 531st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (380th Bombardment Group) (Heavy), (5 December 1943 – 20 July 1944) *

Manbulloo Airfield Manbulloo Airfield was a World War II airfield built at Manbulloo Station, near Katherine, Northern Territory. History Works on the airfield were initially undertaken by the 43rd Engineer Regiment (US Army) in April 1942. The Allied Works Cou ...

, Manbulloo Station,

: : 529th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy), (28 April – 6 November 1943) : 531st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy), (28 April – 4 December 1943) *

RAAF Base Darwin RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The herit ...

, Darwin,

: : Headquarters, Far East Air Force, (23 December 1941 – 18 January 1942) : Headquarters, V Bomber Command, (December 1941 – January 1942) : 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), (16 April – 14 May 1942) :: 8th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (17 April – 14 May 1942) :: 9th Pursuit Squadron, (Interceptor) (17 March – 14 May 1942) :

, (15 May – 8 October 1942) ::

, (15 Mayl – 24 September 1942) ::

9th Fighter Squadron 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 * ...

, (15 May – 9 October 1942) :

(Heavy), (9 August 1944 – 20 February 1945) :: 528th Bombardment Squadron, (Heavy) (20 August 1944 – 20 February 1945) :: 529th Bombardment Squadron, (Heavy) (10 July 1944 – 21 February 1945) :: 530th Bombardment Squadron, (Heavy) (9 August 1944 – 27 February 1945) :: 531st Bombardment Squadron, (Heavy) (21 July 1944 – 28 February 1945) : 319th Bombardment Squadron 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (2 February – 7 July 1943) * QUEENSLAND *

Antil Plains Aerodrome Antill Plains Aerodrome was a World War II military aerodrome located south of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It takes its name from the nearby Antill Plains railway station (), which takes its name from pioneer Edmund Spencer Antill, who ...

: :: 33d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (7 April – 19 July 1942) * Archerfield Airfield,

: :

54th Troop Carrier Wing The Type 054 (NATO Codename Jiangkai I) is a class of Chinese multi-role frigates that were commissioned in the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2005. They superseded the Type 053H3 frigates. Only two ships, ''Ma'anshan'' (525), and ...

, (13 March – 2 May 1943) : 3d Bombardment Group (Light), (25 February – 9 March 1942) ::

8th Bombardment Squadron 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of the ...

(Light), (25 February – 16 March 1942) ::

13th Bombardment Squadron In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave p ...

(Light), (25 February–9 March 1942) ::

90th Bombardment Squadron 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

(Light), (25 February – 7 March 1942) : 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, (27 November – 9 December 1943) : 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (22 December 1941 – 4 February 1942) :: 9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (22 December 1941 – 3 February 1942), (operated from Singosari, Java, NEI 13–19 January 1942 and Jogjakarta, Jave 19 January-3 February 1942) :: 11th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (22 December 1941 – 18 January 1942), (operated from Singosari, Java, NEI 13–19 January 1942) :: 22d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (22 December 1941 – 18 January 1942) (air echelon at Hickam Field, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii 22 December 1941-5 January 1942 and Singosari, Java, NEI 13–19 January 1942) ::

88th Reconnaissance Squadron The 436th Training Squadron is a non-flying training squadron of the United States Air Force. The 436th Training Squadron, located at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, is a geographically separated unit (GSU) within Air Combat Command’s 552d Air C ...

(Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (22 December 1941 – 4 February 1942) (Ground echelon only; air echelon operated from Hickam Field, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii attached to 31st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) 22 December 1941 – 4 February 1942) : 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), U.S. Army Forces in Australia (25 February – 7 March 1942) :: 2d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (25 February – 1 March 1942) :: 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) (25 February – 6 April 1942) :: 19th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (25 February – 1 March 1942) (air echelon at Hickam Field, Oahua, Territory of Hawaii 15 February-ca. 1 March 1942) :: 33d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (25–28 February 1942) :

35th Pursuit Group Military units * 35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force * 35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I * 35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 Jul ...

(Interceptor), IV Interceptor Command (1 February 1942 – March 1942) :: 39th Pursuit Squadron, (Interceptor) (25 February – 7 March 1942) :: 40th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (25 February – 8 March 1942) :: 41st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (25 February – 7 March 1942) : 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area (7–16 April 1942) : 58th Fighter Group, (21 November – 27 December 1943) :: 310th Fighter Squadron, (23 November-27 December 1943) :: 311th Fighter Squadron, (21 November-27 December 1943) : 374th Troop Carrier Group, (12 November – December 1942) ::

21st Troop Carrier Squadron 021 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and ...

(12 November 1942 – 17 February 1943) :: 33d Troop Carrier Squadron, (1–27 December 1943) : 8th Photographic Squadron, Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area (24 April – 1 May 1942) : 16th Bombardment Squadron (Light),

(Light), (air echelon operated here 24 December 1941–16 February 1942 and 10–25 March 1942) :

(Light),

(Light), (air echelon operated here 24 December 1941–16 February 1942 and 10–25 March 1942) : 21st Transport Squadron, Air Transport Command, US Army Forces in Australia, (3 April 1942 – 4 July 1942) :

, Air Transport Command, US Army Forces in Australia, (5 July-11 November 1942 :

69th Fighter Squadron The 69th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve fighter squadron. It is assigned to the 944th Operations Group, stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 69th Fighter Squadron replaced the 301st Fighter Squadron in 2010. ...

, 58th Fighter Group (21 November-28 December 1943) : 91st Bombardment Squadron (Light),

(Light), (air echelon operated here 24 December 1941–5 February 1942 and 10–24 March 1942) *

Breddan Airfield Breddan Aerodrome is a heritage-listed abandoned aerodrome at Gregory Developmental Road, Breddan, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is located north of Charters Towers. It was built from 1942 to 1943 by Allied Works Council an ...

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under ...

: : 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), (7 August – 29 September 1942) :: 71st Bombardment Squadron, (Medium) (12 August – September 1942) :: 405th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (7 August – 29 September 1942) * Brisbane Army Air Base,

(Non-flying facility)
Brisbane AAB
: Headquarters, 5th Air Force, ( – 17 March September 1942) (unmanned from March to August 1942) : Headquarters,

, (18 September 1942 – 15 June 1944) : 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) (May 1942 – 15 June 1944) (Not equipped or manned. See Historical Notes section) :

Cairns Airport Cairns Airport is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busiest ...

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

: : 33d Troop Carrier Squadron detachment, 374th Troop Carrier Group, (1 November – 10 December 1942) * Charters Towers Airfield,

: : 3d Bombardment Group (Light, 10 March-27 September 1942, and Dive, 28 September 1942 – 27 January 1943), (10 March 1942 – 27 January 1943) ::

(Light & Dive), (17–30 March 1942 and 9 May 1942 – 27 January 1943) ::

(Light & Dive), (10 March 1942 – 9 January 1943) :: 89th Bombardment Squadron (Light), (8 March-31 August 1942) ::

, (Light & Dive) (8 March 1942 – 27 January 1943) : 16th Bombardment Squadron Light,

(Light)), (1 April – 4 May 1942) :

(Light)

, (Light), ( – 4 April May 1942) : 91st Bombardment Squadron (Light),

(Light), (April-4 May 1942) : 431st Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, (14 May – 30 June 1943) : 432d Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, (14 May – 10 June 1943) : 433d Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, (14 May – 16 June 1943) * Charleville Airfield,

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** ...

: : 63d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (15 June – 2 August 1942) * Cloncurry Airfield,

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as ...

: : 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy), (28 March – 4 May 1942) (Ground echelon attached to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) on Bataan, Philippine Islands) :

(Heavy),

(Heavy), (27 March – 12 May 1942) (Ground echelon attached to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) on Bataan, Philippine Islands) : 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)

(Heavy), (29 March – 17 May 1942) (Ground echelon attached to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) on Bataan, Philippine Islands) * Donnington Airfield,

Woodstock, Queensland Woodstock is a rural town and locality in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woodstock had a population of 239 people. Geography Woodstock is south of Townsville. The area in the head of the catchments for the Ross Rive ...

: : 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (5 July 1942–28 September 1942 and 4 February 1943 – October 1943) :: 19th Bombardment Squadron, (4 July–15 September 1942 and 4 February – 10 July 1943) :: 33d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (20 July – 28 September 1942 and 4 February – 14 October 1943) : 35th Fighter Squadron,

, (29 June – 26 July 1942) : 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, (20 April – 1 June 1942) * Doomben Field (Eagle Farm Airport),

Eagle Farm Eagle Farm is an eastern industrial suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eagle Farm had a population of 0 people. The neighbourhood of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm (). Geography Eagle Farm is situated no ...

: :

8th Pursuit Group The 8th Operations Group (8 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing. It is stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and is a part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The group is a direct su ...

(Interceptor), (6 March – 14 May 1942) :

, (15 May – 29 July 1942) :: 35th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (6–25 March 1942) ::

36th Pursuit Squadron The 36th Fighter Squadron is part of the US Air Force's 51st Operations Group at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron was first activated ...

(Interceptor), (6–12 March 1942) :: 80th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (6–27 March 1942) : 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), (10 June – 6 August 1942) :: 69th Bombardment Squadron, (25 February – 7 March 1942) (Ground echelon only. Air echelon at

Hickam Field Hickam may refer to: ;Surname *Homer Hickam (born 1943), American author, Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer ** October Sky: The Homer Hickam Story, 1999 American biographical film *Horace Meek Hickam (1885–1934), pioneer airpower advoca ...

, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii) :: 70th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (25 February – 7 March 1942) (Ground echelon only. Air echelon in U.S.) :: 71st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (25 February – 7 March 1942) :: 405th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (25 February – 7 March 1942) QUEENSLAND CONTINUED * Iron Range Airfield, Kutini-Payamu National Park,

: : 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (29 September 1942 – 3 February 1943) :: 19th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (15 September 1942 – 3 February 1943) :: 33d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (29 September 1942 – 3 February 1943) : 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (4 November 1942 – February 1943) :: 319th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (4 November 1942 – 1 February 1943) :: 320th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (4 November 1942 – 9 February 1943) :: 321st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (4 November 1942 – 9 February 1943) :: 400th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (4 November 1942 – 21 March 1943) : 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (12 October – 7 November 1942) : 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (13 October – 6 November 1942) : 403d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (17 October – 22 November 1942) * Longreach (Torrens Creek) Airfield,

Longreach Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford s ...

: :

(Heavy), (18 May – 23 July 1942) :: 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (5 May – 23 July 1942) ::

(Heavy), (5 May – 24 July 1942) :: 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (18 May – 22 July 1942) : 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (1 August – 13 September 1942) :: 63d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (3–19 August 1942) :: 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (15 August – 12 October 1942) :: 403d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (27 August – 16 October 1942) * Lowood Airfield,

Lowood Lowood is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,159 people. Geography The town is on the Brisbane River, west of the ...

: :

(Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (6–12 March 1942 : 80th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (28 March-9 May 1942) *

Mareeba Airfield Mareeba Airfield is an airfield located south of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. Built in 1942 as a US Army Air Force base during World War II, the airfield had two runways, with a complement of taxiways, hardstands and a containment area. A ...

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

: :

, (February-15 May 1943) :: 35th Fighter Squadron, (24 February-9 May 1943) :: 36th Fighter Squadron, (22 February-21 May 1943) ::

80th Fighter Squadron The 80th Fighter Squadron (traditionally nicknamed the "Headhunters", and since 1971 also the "Juvats") is a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter squadron of the United States Air Force, currently part of the 8th Operations Group of ...

(6 February-20 March 1943) :

(Heavy), (24 July – 23 October 1942) :: 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (24 July – c. 18 November 1942) ::

(Heavy), (24 July – ca. 10 November 1942) :: 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (23 July – c. 25 October 1942) : 63d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (20 August 1942 – 22 January 1943) : 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (8 November 1942 – 19 January 1943) : 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (7 November 1942 – 19 January 1943) : 403d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (21 January – 10 May 1943) *

Petrie Airfield Petrie Airfield was a World War II military airfield located just to the south of the North Pine River in what is now Lawnton, Queensland, Australia. After the war, the airfield was dismantled and the area is now part of the urban area of Petr ...

Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settle ...

: : 80th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (10–14 May 1942) :

, (15 May – 19 July 1942) *

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

: : 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (7 March – 6 April 1942) :: 19th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (2–28 March 1942) :: 33d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (1–6 March 1942) : 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), (30 April – 9 June 1942) :: 69th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (30 April – 19 May 1942) (Ground echelon) :: 70th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (20 April – 22 May 1942) (Ground echelon) : 475th Fighter Group, 14 May – 13 August 1943 :: 431st Fighter Squadron, (1 July – 13 August 1943) :: 432d Fighter Squadron, (11 June – 13 August 1943) :: 433d Fighter Squadron (17 June – 13 August 1943) * RAAF Base Garbutt,

: : Headquarters, V Bomber Command, (5 September–December 1942) : Headquarters, V Fighter Command, (November–December 1942) :

, (29 July – 17 September 1942) :: 35th Fighter Squadron, (27 July – 17 September 1942) :: 36th Fighter Squadron, (4–25 April 1942 and 30 June – 17 September 1942) :

(Heavy), (18 April – 17 May 1942) :: 40th Reconnaissance Group (Heavy), (14 March-21 April 1942) ::

435th Bombardment Squadron The 435th Bombardment Squadron, also known as the "Kangaroo" Squadron, is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Eighth Air Force 333d Bombardment Group, based at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 2 ...

(Heavy), (22 April-15 November 1942) : 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (7 April – 4 July 1942) :: 2d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (7–8 April 1942) :: 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) (7–11 April 1942) :: 19th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (29 March-3 July 1942) : 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), (30 September – October 1942) :: 71st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (1–28 October 1942) :: 405th Bombardment Squadron, (30 September – 25 October 1942) :

, (23 January – 29 September 1943) :: 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, (22 January-21 February 1943) :: 40th Troop Carrier Squadron, (23 January-3 October 1943) :: 41st Troop Carrier Squadron, (23 January-4 October 1943) :: 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, (23 January-30 September 1943) : 374th Troop Carrier Group, (7 October 1943 – 11 August 1944) ::

6th Troop Carrier Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, (12 November 1942 – 26 August 1944) :: 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, (12 November 1942 – 23 January 1944) :: 33d Troop Carrier Squadron, (12 November 1943-April 1944) :

, 63d Troop Carrier Group, (2 October-11 November 1943) : 8th Photographic Squadron, Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area (2 May – 8 June 1942) :

8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh *"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6 * '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...

, Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area (9 June – 8 September 1942) : 22d Bombardment Squadron, (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (20 February 1942 – 14 March 1942) (air echelon) : 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, (26 July – 17 October 1942) : 40th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, ( – 1 April June 1942 and 30 July – 24 November 1942) :

(Heavy) air echelon, 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (20 February 1942 – 14 March 1942) *

Reid River Airfield Reid River Airfield is a World War II airfield located to the south of the Reid River in the locality of Reid River, Charters Towers Region, inland from Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Disused since the war as an airfield, the former base i ...

: : 2d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (9 April 1942 – 8 October 1943) : 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium), 22d Bombardment Group (Medium, (12–21 April 1942) : 408th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), (22 April 1942 – 14 October 1943) NEW SOUTH WALES *

Bankstown Airfield Bankstown Airport is an airport and business park located in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, approximately from the Sydney Central Business District (CBD), Australia and west of Sydney Airport. It is situated on of land and has three pa ...

Bankstown Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, hav ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

: : 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), (16 February – 15 April 1942) :: 7th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (16 February – 8 April 1942) : 41st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (7 April – 14 May 1942) : 41st Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, (15 May – 19 July 1942) *

RAAF Base Williamtown RAAF Base Williamtown is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located north of the coastal city of Newcastle ( by road) in the local government area of Port Stephens, in New South Wales, Australia. The base serves as the h ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

: : 9th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), (14 February – 16 March 1942) : 39th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (3–19 April 1942) : 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (23 June – 14 August 1942) *

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

: : 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, (10 October – 26 November 1943) :: 25th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, (19–24 November 1943) :: 26th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, (19–24 November 1943) :

(Interceptor), (4–14 May 1942) : 35th Fighter Group, (15 May – 22 July 1942) : 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (28 March – 31 July 1942) :: 63d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (28 March – 14 June 1942) :: 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (16 March – 15 May 1942) :: 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (28 March – 22 June 1942) : 58th Fighter Group, (19–20 November 1943) SOUTH AUSTRALIA * Mount Gambier Airfield,

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

: : 39th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (16 March – 2 April 1942) : 40th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (16 March–April 1942) : 41st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (17 March-6 April 1942) VICTORIA *

Ballarat Airport Ballarat Airport (known officially as the Ballarat Aerodrome) is located west of Ballarat in the outer suburb of Mitchell Park, Victoria, Australia. History Pilot training was first offered on the Ballarat Common in 1914–15. In 1934, the a ...

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

: : 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), (8 March – 29 April 1942) :: 69th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (8 March – 29 April 1942) (Ground echelon) :: 70th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (8 March – 20 April 1942) (Ground echelon) :: 71st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (8 March – 29 April 1942) :: 405th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), (8 March – 7 August 1942) : 39th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (8–15 March 1942) : 40th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (9–15 March 1942) : 41st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor),

(Interceptor), (8–17 March 1942) *

Essendon Airport Essendon Fields Airport , colloquially known by its former name Essendon Airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. It is located next to the intersection of the Tullamarin ...

:
Camp Darley
(West of Melbourne) :

(Heavy), (2 March – 17 April 1942) :: 14th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (attached to

(Heavy), (4–14 March 1942) (Air echelon only) :: 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy),

(Heavy), (28 March-17 May 1942)(Detachment) ::

(Heavy), (5–26 March 1942) (Air echelon only) :: 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (1–28 March 1942) (Air echelon only) : 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), (2–15 February 1942) :: 7th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (2–15 February 1942) :: 8th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (2–15 February 1942) :: 9th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), (2–13 February 1942) : 8th Photographic Squadron, Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, (7–24 April 1942) : 11th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), (4 March – 6 April 1942) : 13th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), (27 February – 13 March 1942) : 22d Transport Squadron, Air Transport Command, US Army Forces in Australia, (3 April 1942-4 July) : 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, Air Transport Command, US Army Forces in Australia, (5 July-10 October 1942) *

RAAF Base Laverton "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, Laverton,

: : 13th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (14–21 March 1942) : 403d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (22 March-26 August 1942)

Historical notes

* The 2nd Combat Cargo Group operated from

Biak Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and c ...

in the

from May 1942 – May 1944 to fly passengers and cargo to US bases in Australia, the

Admiralties The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-cov ...

and the

. * Six of the 7th Bombardment Groups B-17 Flying Fortresses left Hamilton Field, California on 6 December 1941, reaching

, Hawaii during the Japanese attack but were able to land safely. Later in December the remainder of the air echelon flew B-17's from the United States to

, with the unit establishing its headquarters in Australia. From 14 January to 4 March 1942, during the Japanese drive through the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies, the group operated from Java, being awarded a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

for its action against enemy aircraft, ground installations, warships, and transports. * On 7 December 1941 (8 December in the Philippines), when the Japanese first attacked Clark Field, the 19th Bombardment Group suffered numerous casualties and lost many planes. Late in December the air echelon moved to Australia to transport medical and other supplies to the Philippine Islands and evacuate personnel from that area. The men in Australia moved to

at the end of 1941 and, flying

, LB-30, and

aircraft, earned a

for the group by attacking enemy aircraft, ground installations, warships, and transports during the Japanese drive through the

and

Netherlands Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

early in 1942. The men returned to Australia from Java early in March 1942, and later that month the group evacuated Gen Douglas MacArthur, his family, and key members of his staff from the Philippines to Australia. After a brief rest the group resumed combat operations, participating in the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

and raiding Japanese transportation, communications, and ground forces during the enemy's invasion of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. From 7 to 12 August 1942 the 19th bombed airdromes, ground installations, and shipping near

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

, being awarded another DUC for these missions. Captain Harl Pease, Jr. was posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions during 6–7 August 1942: when one engine of his bomber failed during a mission over

, Captain Pease returned to Australia to obtain another plane; unable to find one fit for combat, he selected the most serviceable plane at the base and rejoined his squadron for an attack on a Japanese airdrome near

. By skillful flying he maintained his position in the formation and withstood enemy attacks until his bombs had been released on the objective; in the air battle that continued after the bombers left the target, Captain Pease's aircraft fell behind the formation and was lost. The group returned to the US late in 1942. * The 24th Pursuit Group was wiped out on

in the spring of 1942 during the Japanese invasion of the

. Some pilots escaped to Australia where they were assigned to other units. The unit was never remanned or reequipped, but remained on active status until 2 April 1946

Post World War II

In 1978, Australia and the United States established a Joint Geological and Geographical Research Station (JGGRS) in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

. The US Air Force "Detachment 421" was centred there, and were granted Freedom of Entry to the Town in 1995. In 1981, Australia and the United States agreed to station up to three B-52 and six KC-135 aircraft, supported by about 100 US Air Force personnel and associated equipment at

."Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America for the Staging of United States Air Force B-52 Aircraft and Associated KC-135 Tanker Aircraft through Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin. ATS 9 of 1981"
Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved on 15 April 2017.

Notes

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . *
RAAF Museum, Point Cook – RAAF Bases

Pacific War Airfields Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Army Air Forces in Australia United States Army Air Forces Military history of Australia during World War II Pacific theatre of World War II South West Pacific theatre of World War II