Eastern Area Command was one of several geographically based commands raised by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. It was formed in May 1942, and controlled units located in New South Wales and southern Queensland. Its responsibilities included air defence, aerial reconnaissance and protection of the sea lanes within its boundaries. The area command continued to function after the war, its headquarters transferring from Sydney to Glenbrook, in the Blue Mountains, in 1949.
About Eastern Area Command (RAAF) in brief
Eastern Area Command was one of several geographically based commands raised by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. It was formed in May 1942, and controlled units located in New South Wales and southern Queensland. Its responsibilities included air defence, aerial reconnaissance and protection of the sea lanes within its boundaries. The area command continued to function after the war, its headquarters transferring from Sydney to Glenbrook, in the Blue Mountains, in 1949. In October 1953, the RAAF began reorganising its command-and-control system from one based on geography to onebased on function. Eastern Area was re-formed as Home Command, which was renamed Operational Command in 1959, and Air Command in 1987. The RAAF conducted intensive patrols along the east coast during January and February 1943. This included more than 400 patrol, anti-submarine, and convoy escort missions by Eastern Area aircraft in January. By April, Eastern Area had seven combat units: No.23 Squadron, flying dive-bombing missions with Wirraways from Kingaroy, Queensland; No.24 Squadron,. flying dive bombers, and dive bombers from Lowood, New Wales. No.73 Squadron flew maritime patrol missions with Avro Ansons from New Wales; No32 Squadron flew Lockheed Hudsons from Camden, South Wales; and No.71 Squadron flew Avro Avro Nowons from South Wales. The size of the area was such that theRAAF twice considered splitting it, but nothing came of this.
In September, the Allied Air Forces commander in the South West Pacific Area, Major General George Kenney, formed the majority of his US flying units into the Fifth Air Force, and most of their Australian counterparts into RAAF Command. Bostock exercised control of Australian air operations through the area commands, although RAAF Headquarters continued to hold overarching administrative authority, meaning Bostocks and his area commanders were ultimately dependent on the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal George Jones, for supplies and equipment. The role of area commands was mainly responsible for bombing and air defence; the other commands focussed on maritime patrol and anti- Submarine warfare. The Australian Air Board proposed assigning responsibility for operational and maintenance units within New South. Wales to a new area command,Eastern Area, which would also assume control of units in southern Queensland from North-Eastern Area. By the end of 1942, the area command had 114 staff, including forty-five officers. Staff numbered 114, including 44 officers. Training units in New. South Wales remained part of No. 2 Group, and took responsibility for all maintenance units initially controlled by Eastern area Command. The majority of RAAF flying units were based in Sydney.
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