Editing Royal Australian Air Force (section)

====Pacific War====
[[File:BrewsterBuffalosMkIRAAFSingaporeOctober1941.jpg|thumb|The [[Brewster F2A Buffalo]] participated in air campaigns over [[Battle of Malaya|Malayan]], [[Battle of Singapore|Singapore]] and [[Netherlands East Indies|Dutch East Indies]].]]

The beginning of the [[Pacific War]]—and the rapid advance of [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]ese forces—threatened the Australian mainland for the first time in its history. The RAAF was quite unprepared for the emergency, and initially had negligible forces available for service in the Pacific. In 1941 and early 1942, many RAAF airmen, including Nos. 1, 8, [[No. 21 Squadron RAAF|21]] and [[No. 453 Squadron RAAF|453 Squadron]]s, saw action with the [[Far East Air Force (Royal Air Force)|RAF Far East Command]] in the [[Battle of Malaya|Malayan]], [[Battle of Singapore|Singapore]] and [[Netherlands East Indies|Dutch East Indies campaigns]]. Equipped with aircraft such as the [[Brewster Buffalo]], and [[Lockheed Hudson]]s, the Australian squadrons suffered heavily against Japanese Zeros.<ref>Armstrong, p. 44.</ref>

During the [[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|fighting for Rabaul]] in early 1942, [[No. 24 Squadron RAAF]] fought a brief, but ultimately futile defence as the Japanese advanced south towards Australia.<ref name=Armstrong45>Armstrong, p. 45.</ref> The devastating [[Bombing of Darwin (February 1942)|air raids on Darwin]] on 19 February 1942 increased concerns about the direct threat facing Australia. In response, some RAAF squadrons were transferred from the [[northern hemisphere]]—although a substantial number remained there until the end of the war. Shortages of fighter and [[close air support|ground attack]] planes led to the acquisition of US-built [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk|Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks]] and the rapid design and manufacture of the first Australian fighter, the [[CAC Boomerang]]. RAAF Kittyhawks came to play a crucial role in the [[New Guinea]] and [[Solomon Islands]] campaigns, especially in operations like the [[Battle of Milne Bay]]. As a response to a possible Japanese chemical warfare threat the RAAF imported hundreds of thousands of chemical weapons into Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mustardgas.org|title=Chemical Warfare in Australia|publisher=Geoff Plunkett|access-date=24 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911232858/http://www.mustardgas.org/|archive-date=11 September 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea]], imported [[Bristol Beaufighter]]s proved to be highly effective ground attack and maritime strike aircraft. Beaufighters were later made locally by the DAP from 1944.<ref>Dennis et al. 2008, p. 81.</ref> Although it was much bigger than Japanese fighters, the Beaufighter had the speed to outrun them.<ref>Taylor and Taylor 1978, p. 48.</ref> The RAAF [[Consolidated PBY Catalina in Royal Australian Air Force service|operated]] a number of [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] as long-range bombers and scouts. The RAAF's [[heavy bomber]] force was predominantly made up of 287 [[B-24 Liberator]]s, equipping seven squadrons, which could bomb Japanese targets as far away as [[Borneo]] and the Philippines from airfields in Australia and New Guinea.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/units/subject_689.asp |title=Consolidated B24 Liberator |publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=10 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110103252/http://www.awm.gov.au/units/subject_689.asp |archive-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> By late 1945, the RAAF had received or ordered about 500 [[P-51 Mustang]]s, for fighter/ground attack purposes. The [[Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation]] initially assembled US-made Mustangs, but later manufactured most of those used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/units/subject_709.asp |title=North American P51 Mustang |publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=10 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110103234/http://www.awm.gov.au/units/subject_709.asp |archive-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

By mid-1945, the RAAF's main operational formation in the Pacific, the [[Australian First Tactical Air Force|First Tactical Air Force]] (1st TAF), consisted of over 21,000 personnel, while the RAAF as a whole consisted of about 50 squadrons and 6,000 aircraft, of which over 3,000 were operational.<ref>Sandler 2001, pp. 21–22</ref> The 1st TAF's final campaigns were fought in support of Australian ground forces in [[Borneo Campaign (1945)|Borneo]],<ref name=Sandler22>Sandler 2001, p. 22.</ref> but had the war continued some of its personnel and equipment would likely have been allocated to the [[Operation Downfall|invasion of the Japanese mainland]], along with some of the RAAF bomber squadrons in Europe, which were to be grouped together with British and Canadian squadrons as part of the proposed [[Tiger Force (air)|Tiger Force]]. However, the war was brought to a sudden end by the US [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|nuclear attack]]s on Japan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11175.asp |publisher=Australian War Memorial |title=467 Squadron RAAF |work=Second World War, 1939–1945 units |access-date=22 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925091441/http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11175.asp |archive-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The RAAF's casualties in the Pacific were around 2,000 killed, wounded or captured.<ref name=Sandler22/>

By the time the war ended, a total of 216,900 men and women served in the RAAF, of whom 10,562 were killed in action; a total of 76 squadrons were formed.<ref name="Eather 1995, p. 18">Eather 1995, p. 18.</ref> With over 152,000 personnel operating nearly 6,000 aircraft it was the world's fourth-largest air force.<ref>Eather 1996, p. xv.</ref>