SOUTH WEST PACIFIC AREA
DURING WW2

Australia was part of the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) of command under General Douglas MacArthur.

The westerly boundary of the Southwest Pacific Area was the westerly boundary of the Pacific theatre, the area including necessary naval and air operational areas off the west coast of Australia. The north and east boundaries of the Southwest Pacific Area ran as follows: From Cape Kami (Luichow Peninsula) south to Latitude 20 degrees North; thence east to Longitude 130 degrees East; thence south to the Equator; thence east to Longitude 165 degrees East; south to Latitude 10 degrees South; south-westerly to Latitude 17 degrees South, Longitude 160 degrees East; thence south.

In 1943, all of the operational Air Forces in the SWPA were under the command of Lieutenant-General George C. Kenney who directed the command headquarters of the Allied Air Forces, South West Pacific Area. These forces comprised:-

- 5th American Air Force (total of 36 Squadrons)
- operational squadrons of RAAF assigned to SWPA including their service units (total of 31 Squadrons)
- one RAF squadron
- one Netherlands Air Force squadron

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command ABDACOM

Air Defence Areas for Australia
North-Eastern, Eastern, Southern, & Western

Military airfields in Australia
and the western Pacific area during WW2

REFERENCE

"Air War against Japan 1943 - 1945"
by George Odgers

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 1 April 2000

This page last updated 22 February 2020