In the spring of 1942 Australia was in an extremely difficult political position.  The Japanese advance had reached the northern frontiers of the country.   Japanese bombs were falling on Darwin and Cape York Peninsula.  Moreover Australia’s major allies were not completely reliable.  Great Britain was militarily unable to provide the level of assistance anticipated prior to the war and the United States, which had taken over responsibility for the Pacific War, was separated from Australia by a long and vulnerable supply line.  Worse, both the U.S. and Britain were secretly committed to beating Germany first and Australia, while important to the Allied war effort, was expendable when compared with that goal.   One Australian response was to do all it could within its own resources to defend its homeland.  This involved bringing its expeditionary army corps home from the Middle East and developing a large well balanced air force. 

As a result RAAF strength committed to the Pacific Air War grew from 18 squadrons in December 1941 to 55 squadrons by August 1945 against an initial goal of 73.  The limiting factor in this growth was the number of aircraft which could be make available in Australia. 

RAAF combat aircraft came from four sources.

• The United States of America really was the “Arsenal of Democracy” and provided about 2,500  war planes of all types including heavy bombers to the RAAF. 
• Australia developed a local aircraft industry with three large firms producing over 1500 combat aircraft.   Production rates were ultimately sufficient to support nearly a third of the combat squadrons of the RAAF.
• The United Kingdom also provided more than 900 combat aircraft including the Spitfire, which was the most capable interceptor flown by the RAAF for most of the war.
• The RAAF also incorporated the assets Netherlands East Indies Air Force including their aviation personnel and lend lease allocation, ultimately providing two squadrons to the RAAF.

By September 1945 the RAAF was the fourth largest air force in the world.

During 1942 RAAF Kittyhawk squadrons conducted a gallant defense of Port Mores by and provided the margin of victory at Milne Bay.   By 1943 the RAAF Command had been formed to defend the approaches to Australia and conduct the air war against the Dutch East Indies from Darwin.  No. 9 Group made a significant contribution to the U.S. 5^th Air Force’s air war against Japanese bases at Rabaul and various points in New Guinea.  1944 saw the formation to No. 10 Group and its evolution into the 1^st Australian Tactical Air Force for the campaign against western New Guinea.  The RAAF’s  main  1944 and 1945 mission was the mundane task of pounding bypassed Japanese garrisons.  At one point during the period the RAAF’s fighter pilots rebelled at the lack of meaningful action.  The last half of 1945 brought the invasion of Borneo and plans for operation Olympic and the Commonwealth’s  assumption of the South West Pacific Area.

At the onset of the war, there were no modern fighters in Australia.  Makeshift modified Whirraway trainers could not fight modern Japanese aircraft with any real chance of success.  Fortunately the U.S. pipeline to the Philippines was full and America was committed to stabilizing the situation in the Pacific.  An immediate goal of equipping 3 Australian squadrons with Kittyhawks had been achieved by April 1942.  In addition Australia produced the Boomerang fighters, which was essentially a hastily evolved Whirraway with the same sized engine as a Japanese Zero.   By 1943 the British were providing Spitfires for three squadrons and the RAAF was receiving a steady supply of Kittyhawks.  These remained the  RAAF’s primary fighter types until very late in the war when Australia began both receiving lend-lease P-51 fighters and producing them locally.

For most of the war Australia maintained two squadrons of British provided Beaufighters operating in a long range fighter/attack role.  By late 1944 both Mosquitos and Beaufighters were being produced in Australia and the number of squadrons was increased.

Photo reconnaissance was conducted by a few Lightnings supplemented by a assorted obsolete American fighter type aircraft.  These were later replaced by Photo Mosquitos.

The Hudson was the RAAF’s general reconnaissance aircraft at the outset of the war.  This was replaced by the Austrailian Beaufort and supplemented by a squadron of U.S. built Venturas.  The Catalina was the standard flying boat during the war.  The RAAF took over the flow of aircraft in the pipeline for the Netherlands East Indies Air Force.  The most important component of this flow were the B-25s which ultimately equipped two squadrons.   The RAAF also maintained a squadron of A-20s until they were replaced by locally produced Beaufighters.

The RAAF acquired a large number of Vengeance dive bombers.  These were rejected by General Kenny as effective combat airplanes in early 1944. (Dive  Bomber Controversy)  For the RAAF this was a major setback, but to make amends, Kenny saw to it that Australia was provided with enough B-24 Heavy Bombers to equip seven squadrons.  With the Australian Lancaster squadrons assigned to the RAF Bomber Command, by the end of the war the RAAF possessed a fully diverse air force.  Lincoln heavy bombers, which produced in Australia shortly after the close of the war, would have made the RAAF contribution to the “Tiger Force” more self sustaining.