![]() Hudsons and Catalina flying boats purchased in the United States were virtually the only RAAF aircraft capable of striking at the enemy. When Japan attacked, the RAAF had units at strategic locations around Australia, in the territories of Papua and New Guinea, on the islands of Timor and Ambon in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia), and in Singapore and Malaya (now Malaysia). By December 1941, the RAAF was ten times larger but many men were committed to service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Europe and the Middle East, most having enlisted and trained under the Empire Air Training Scheme. The Australian-built Wirraway, entering squadron service in September 1939, was based on an American trainer. At the start of World War II, it had just 3489 personnel and no modern combat aircraft. Formed in 1921, it was the youngest and smallest of the armed services. Their attacks set the tone for RAAF operations in the Pacific: determination, courage and perseverance. ![]() The Australians sank at least one troopship, critically damaged another, and inflicted many casualties bombing and strafing barges. The Japanese landings began an hour before their more famous attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.* By the time the first torpedoes and bombs slammed into US Navy warships at Pearl Harbor, 1 Squadron RAAF was in action, losing that night two Hudson bombers shot down, with seven men killed and another taken prisoner of war. With these attacks on a Japanese invasion force off Kota Bharu in northern Malaya, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) became the first Allied air force to strike a blow after Japan's entry into World War II on 7/8 December 1941. no scarcity of targets, which we machine-gunned as opportunity offered while returning to the aerodrome. It is possible that my other bombs did considerable damage to the barges which were clustered around the sides of the vessel, but it was too dark to say definitely. I encountered considerable light ack-ack fire during my bombing run, but took violent action and dropped my stick of four 250-pounders across its bows, getting a direct hit. ![]() about four miles from the beach apparently unloading troops. carried out a mast-height attack on a large merchant vessel. ![]()
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