Dudley acted as the base engineer at Finschhafen from 6 May to 3 July 1944, then resumed command of the 931st Engineer Aviation Regiment at Hollandia on 1 August. He became the base engineer there, and oversaw the development of Sentani and Hollandia Airfields. The 931st Engineer Aviation Regiment participated in the Battle of Morotai, where Dudley commanded several engineer aviation battalions and No. 61 Wing RAAF. In addition to airfields, he was also called on to construct roads, bridges, hospitals, staging camps, port facilities and headquarters installations. The 931st Engineer Aviation Regiment became the 931st Engineer Combat Group (Aviation) on 24 November 1944. It moved to Leyte in December, and then Luzon in January. For his services, Dudley was awarded the Legion of Merit.