No. 72 Wing RAAF

No. 72 Wing RAAF
Group Captain Allan Walters (right) with senior officers of No. 72 Wing in New Guinea, December 1943
Active	1943–45
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Fighter; attack
Size	Three flying squadrons
Part of	North-Eastern Area Command
Engagements	World War II South West Pacific theatre
Commanders
Notable commanders	Charles Eaton (1943) Allan Walters (1943–44) William Hely (1944)
Aircraft flown
Attack	A-31 Vengeance
Fighter	P-40 Kittyhawk CAC Boomerang

World War II

No. 72 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) wing that operated during World War II. It was formed in April 1943 at Townsville, Queensland, as part of North-Eastern Area Command. Led by Group Captain Charles Eaton, the wing soon deployed to Merauke, Dutch New Guinea, where it comprised three squadrons flying CAC Boomerang and P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, and A-31 Vengeance dive bombers. Eaton was succeeded by Group Captain Allan Walters in mid-1943. No. 72 Wing took part in the defence of Torres Strait, undertaking interception, patrol and occasional ground-attack and anti-shipping duties. By July 1944, its original squadrons had all been disbanded or transferred to other operational formations. No. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron, which had arrived in May 1944, operating Kittyhawks, remained at Merauke until February 1945. The wing headquarters returned to Australia that May, and disbanded the following month.

No. 72 Wing was formed on 23 April 1943 at Townsville, Queensland, under the command of Group Captain Charles Eaton. Early the next month, its headquarters deployed to Merauke, described by the official history of the RAAF in World War II as "a desolate marshy little port in Dutch New Guinea". Controlling No. 84 Squadron (flying CAC Boomerang fighters), No. 86 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk fighters), and No. 12 Squadron (A-31 Vengeance dive bombers), the wing's purpose was to assist in the defence of Torres Strait.