After the fall of the Dutch East Indies, the
British RAF contributed six squadrons to the Pacific Air War.
During the period of greatest threat to Australia
in 1942, Winston Churchill agreed to release three squadrons of
Spitfires from service in England.
This included No. 54 squadron plus two RAAF expeditionary
squadrons serving in Britain, Nos. 452 and 457.
The Spitfire was at the time the premier Allied air defense
fighter.
The squadrons arrived in Australia in October
1942 and were grouped as No. 1 Wing.
They were assigned the defense of the Darwin area in January
of 1943. The Wing
remained in that role for the remainder of the war.
In late 1943 two additional RAF Squadrons were formed in
Australia, Nos. 548 and 549.
These relieved the RAAF Sptifire squadrons for eventual duty
with the 1st RAAF Tactical
Air Force.
No. 618 Squadron, a Mosquito squadron armed with the Wallis bomb for anti-shipping missions was sent to the Pacific in late 1944 but never saw active service and was disbanded in June 1945.
In 1945 two Dakota squadrons, Nos. 238 and 243,
were sent to the Pacific to provide support for the British Pacific
Fleet.
The RAF’s No. 205
squadron, which was stationed in Ceylon, was responsible for air
services between Ceylon and Australia during the war.
Should the war have continued beyond VJ day, the
RAF planned to send the “Tiger Force” to Okinawa to support
operations against the Japanese home islands.
As of 10 July 1945, the “Tiger Force” was planned to be
composed of No. 5 (RAF) Group and No. 6 (RCAF) Group with 9 British,
8 Canadian, 2 Australian, and 1 New Zealand heavy bomber squadrons.
The Force was to be
supported by Pathfinder Squadron and a Photo/Weather Reccon squadron
from the RAF and 3 Transport and one air/sea rescue Squadrons from
the RCAF.
The Headquarters was to be established on Okinawa
on 1 September 1945.
No. 5 (RAF) Group, consisting of 4 Lancaster squadrons and 1
Mosquito pathfinder squadron was to be operational by 1 December.
Four more Lancaster squadrons and the photo/weather Reccon
squadron were to be in place by 1 January 1946.
Lincoln equipped squadrons were to follow at the rate of four
per month. The air/sea
rescue squadron was to be assigned by 1 February.
The RCAF transport squadrons were to be stationed at
Cawnpore, India and equipped initially with Liberators and later
with York aircraft. In
July 1946 the Lancasters were to be replaced by Lincolns.
Beginning in September 1945 and likely continuing into the latter portions of 1945, Commonwealth forces would have executed Operation Zipper, liberating Singapore and opening the Straits of Malacca. Admiral Mountbatten would then have taken charge of the SouthWest Pacific Area, less the Philippines, from General MacArthur. Following completion of Operation Zipper a Commonwealth Air Force of 15 Mustang squadrons coming from RAF, RAAF, and RNZAF and commanded by an Australian would have been deployed for Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu, in the spring of 1946.