In May 1944, Hely assumed command of No. 72 Wing at Merauke, Dutch New Guinea, succeeding Group Captain Allan Walters. Comprising fighter and dive-bomber squadrons, the wing had been established to undertake air defence and patrol tasks in and around western New Guinea. Hely departed Merauke in September 1944 to establish an army cooperation formation, No. 84 Wing, in Cairns, Queensland. It was one of two such wings formed by the RAAF in the South West Pacific Theatre late in World War II. They were, as described by the official history of the RAAF in the Pacific, "essentially non-offensive in character", responsible for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, supply drops to ground forces, spraying DDT to combat malaria, and guiding close support aircraft to their objectives. The wing could also carry out its own strikes on "targets of opportunity". No. 84 Wing comprised No. 5 (Tactical Reconnaissance) Squadron, No. 17 Air Observation Post Flight, No. 10 Communication Unit (subsequently renamed No. 10 Local Air Supply Unit), and No. 39 Operational Base Unit. It deployed to Torokina in October to support Australian troops during the Bougainville Campaign. No. 5 Squadron, equipped with CAC Boomerangs and Wirraways, was assigned to mark targets for F4U Corsairs of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Between December 1944 and January 1945, the wing lost one Auster, one Wirraway, and one Boomerang on operations. Despite shortages of pilots and equipment, Hely's formation was generally able to keep pace with the army's requirements. By the end of June 1945, it had flown over 4,000 sorties.