AIRFORCE

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), formed March 1921, is the aerial warfare branch of the Australian Defence Force. It directly continues the traditions of the second oldest Air Force in the world, the Australian Flying Corps.

(AFC), formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF provides support across a spectrum of operations such as air superiority, precision strikes, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, air mobility, and humanitarian support.

The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century’s major conflicts. During the Second World War a number of RAAF bomber, fighter, reconnaissance and other squadrons served initially in Britain, and/or with the desert Air Force located in North Africa and the Mediterranean, while the majority were later primarily deployed in the South West Pacific Area.

Thousands of Australians also served with other Commonwealth air forces in Europe. 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.