In June 1944 a decision was made to transfer No. 61 Wing from the Darwin area to New Guinea, where it would support the Allied advance towards the Philippines. This was opposed by the Air Officer Commanding North-Western Area, Air Vice Marshal Adrian Cole, who wanted the wing to take part in an operation being planned to capture Selaru island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI); this operation was effectively cancelled on 7 June, however. No. 61 Wing left Darwin in August and arrived at Morotai in the NEI on 18 September, three days after United States Army forces had first landed on the island in the Battle of Morotai. No. 14 Airfield Construction Squadron landed on Morotai on 18 September and began work on building airfields the next day. Shortly before this operation began No. 12 Survey and Design Unit was absorbed into No. 61 Wing's headquarters on 12 September.