![5th Air Force](../../../photos/5thafpath.gif) |
5th
Air Force 5th
3rd Attack Group
This unit was one of the first to arrive in Australia to counter
the Japanese threat and commenced operations using A-24 dive-bombers
on April Fool's Day 1942. The original Group originally amalgamated
the remnants of the 27th BG which had evacuated the Philippines,
including these cumbersome A?24 divebombers which they collected
at Archerfield, near Brisbane. The unit's four suquadrons at different
times, converted to A-20As and B-25s in mid-1942, and A-20Gs at
the end of 1943.
|
BS |
89th
Bombardment Squadron
On 25th February 1942, after twenty-five days at sea, the Army
Air Corps 89th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group arrived
in Brisbane, and immediately established camp at Ascot near Brisbane's
racecourse. The first three Douglas A?2OAs with which the squadron
would be equipped arrived less than a month later by sea. These were
followed in the months ahead by thirty-nine more, as part of a shipment
which had been earmarked for the Netherlands Air force to serve in
the Dutch East Indies in late 1941. The unit went on to fly A-20Gs
for the war's remainder and te Squadron's Commanding Officer, Ed Suor,
adorned the aircraft with Damon Runyon cartoon characters to caricature
the pilots assigned to each.
|
![](../../wrecks/a20/crtc/crtc_thumb.jpg)
A-20G-20-DO
Serial 42-86717 |
13th
Bombardment Squadron
When the Fifth Air Force decided to move to low?level strafing it
was decided to use a shipwreck of Port Moresby's Ela Beach for practice
target runs. The 13th and 90th Squadrons were the first Fifth Air
Force units to use the wreck to hone the art of low?level attack.
They commenced practice runs against the old British cargo vessel
in early February 1943, S.S Pruth. The unit converted A-20Gs in
early 1944 and used this type for the war's remainder.
|
|
312th
Bombardment Group
This unit arrived in Australia in October 1943
originally equipped with P-40Ns. They converted to A-20Gs at Port
Moresby and Nadzab in late 1943/ ealy 1944.
|
![](../../wrecks/a20/helln/helln_pelican_thumb.jpg) |
388th
Bombardment Squadron
The unit's four squadrons used the following insignias underneath
their tailplanes - Clubs for the 386th, Diamonds for the 387th, Hearts
for the 388th, and Spades for the 389th. |
|
|
![](../../wrecks/a20/wewak/crtc_thumb.jpg)
A-20G-40-DO
Serial 43-21638 |
360th
Service Group
This
unit was designated the Combat Replacement Training Center (CRTC)
and was established at Port Moresby in late 1943. It moved the bulk
of its operations to Nadzab in 1944, its founding ideaology was
to provide combat training to fresh crews from the US.
|
|
|
|
8th
Fighter Group
The unit commenced its operations in April
1942 using P-39Fs and P-400s, and for war's remainder used nearly
every type of fighter flown in the Fifth Air Force, including the
P-47, P-38 and P-40.
|
![](../../wrecks/p38/smith_flags_thumb.jpg)
P-38H-5-LO "Japanese Sandman
II" |
35th
Fighter Squdron
Like the 8th Fighter Group, the unit commenced
its operations in April 1942 using P-39Fs and P-400s, and for war's
remainder used nearly every type of fighter flown in the Fifth Air
Force, including the P-47, P-38 and P-40.
|
![](../../wrecks/p39/p400_thumb.jpg)
P-400 AP 347 |
36th
Fighter Squadron
The unit commenced its operations in April 1942
using P-39Fs and P-400s, and for war's remainder transferred to the
P-38. |
![](../../wrecks/b25/girua/girua_thumb.jpg) |
38th
Bombardment Group
This unit was the first medium bomber unit to be deployed
to the SWPA. The Group departed Hamilton Field in the US for New Guinea
on 7th August 1942. As the aircrews blearily gathered a mess-hall
breakfast at four o'clock in the morning, they heard the news that
US marines had just captured a place with an unusual name called Tulagi,
near Guadalcanal. The Squadron took off in foggy dawn, which covered
all of San Francisco that morning. |
|
|
![13th Air Force](../../../photos/13thafpath.gif) |
13th
Air Force
Undoubtedly the least-known
of all US Air Forces in WW2, this Air Force flew from the Solomons
to Tokyo and covered vast distances in its operations. It flew, among
other types, P-38s, P-39s, P-40s, B-25s, B-24s, B-17s and C-47s. |
![](../../wrecks/b25/talasea/mitchell_thumb.jpg)
B-25H 100th BS
|
42nd
Bombardment Group
This unit flew B-25s in from the Solomons
and helped in the campaign against Rabaul. It moved to Mono Island
in the Stirling Group and continued towards the Philippines later
in the war.
|
|
13th
AF P-40F Warhawk
(Unit Unknown)
|
![](../../wrecks/p39/airacobra_thumb.jpg)
P-39 Airacobra
|
13th
AF P-39 Airacobra
(Unit Unknown) |