The origins of the Royal Australian Air Force extend back to the early days of aviation, and we have made important contributions to defence and peacekeeping initiatives across the globe ever since.
1940-1949
Air Force Nursing service established
Formation of the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
Bombing of Darwin
Australia's first Indigenous fighter pilot
Introduction of helicopters to Air Force
Arrival of No 75 Squadron at Port Moresby
No 75 Squadron – formed at Townsville, Queensland, only 17 days earlier—arrived at Port Moresby. Japanese aircraft had been subjecting the town and its surrounding defence installations to air attacks since early February.
Arrival of No 75 Squadron at Port Moresby
No 75 Squadron – formed at Townsville, Queensland, only 17 days earlier—arrived at Port Moresby. Japanese aircraft had been subjecting the town and its surrounding defence installations to air attacks since early February. The squadron began fending off the Japanese by launching its P-40 Kittyhawk fighters on an attack of its own against Lae the very next day, in a highly successful operation that destroyed 12 enemy aircraft on the ground and damaged another five. No 75 Squadron continued an unequal fight against superior Japanese numbers alone until the end of April, when US units equipped with Airacobras began to arrive. Just two serviceable Kittyhawks were left to return to Australia on 9–10 May. During No 75 Squadron’s epic six weeks in action, it claimed 35 enemy aircraft destroyed and 58 damaged, for the loss of 12 of its own pilots.
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Enemy aircraft shot down on Australian soil at night
Wing Commander Richard (‘Dick’) Cresswell, the 22-year-old Commanding Officer of No 77 Squadron shot down a Japanese Betty bomber near Darwin in a night raid.
Enemy aircraft shot down on Australian soil at night
Wing Commander Richard (‘Dick’) Cresswell, the 22-year-old Commanding Officer of No 77 Squadron, was scrambled from the unit’s base at Livingstone, Northern Territory, at 3.27am to mount patrol over Darwin against incoming Japanese raiders. Shortly after 5.00 am he saw clearly silhouetted against the moon, three Mitsubishi G4M ‘Betty’ bombers in formation heading south at 23 500 feet, and moved to engage them. On his first attacking pass he raked all three aircraft with a four-second burst from his P40E Kittyhawk’s six guns. The bombers immediately turned to port, except the outside Betty which fell behind. Singling out this aircraft, Cresswell made two more passes which left it blazing fiercely and losing height. Shortly afterwards the Betty exploded and fell to earth in two parts. Cresswell’s ‘kill’ was the first time that an enemy aircraft had been shot down over Australian soil at night.
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