No . 79 Wing RAAF No . 79 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) wing of World War II . It was formed in December 1943 at Batchelor , Northern Territory , as part of North Western Area Command . Led by Group Captain Charles Eaton , the wing comprised four squadron s on its establishment , flying Beaufort and B - 25 Mitchell bombers and Beaufighter heavy fighters . No . 79 Wing took part in the New Guinea and North Western Area Campaign s during 1944 – 45 , eventually transferring to Balikpapan in the Dutch East Indies as the Allies advanced northward . By the end of the Pacific War , the wing was attached to the Australian First Tactical Air Force and was made up of Nos . 2 and 18 ( Netherlands East Indies ) Squadrons , both flying Mitchells . The latter transferred to the Netherlands Air Force in late 1945 , while the former returned to Australia where it disbanded the following year . No . 79 Headquarters itself disbanded in October 1945 , soon after the end of hostilities . History . No . 79 Wing was established at Batchelor , Northern Territory , on 30 November 1943 . Its combat units consisted of Nos . 1 and 2 Squadrons ( flying Beaufort light reconnaissance bombers ) , No . 31 Squadron ( Beaufighter long - range fighters ) , and < a href = " No . % 2018 % 20 % 28Netherlands % 20East % 20Indies % 29 % 20Squadron % 20RAAF " > No . 18 ( Netherlands East Indies ) Squadron < / a > ( B - 25 Mitchell medium bombers ) . The wing was commanded by Group Captain Charles Eaton , whose Dutch personnel called him " Oom Charles " ( Uncle Charles ) . Operating under the auspices of North Western Area Command ( NWA ) , Darwin , No . 79 Wing participated in the New Guinea and North Western Area Campaign s during 1944 . Through March – April , the Beaufighters attacked Japanese shipping , while the Mitchells and Beauforts bombed Timor on a daily basis as a prelude to Operations Reckless and Persecution , the invasions of Hollandia and Aitape . Eaton organised a large raid against Su , Dutch Timor , on 19 April . Consisting of thirty - five Mitchells , Beauforts and Beaufighters , the force destroyed the town ' s barracks and fuel dumps , a result that earned the personal congratulations of the Air Officer Commanding NWA , Air Vice Marshal " King " Cole . On the day of the Allied landings , 22 April , the Mitchells and Beaufighters made a daylight raid on Dili , Portuguese Timor . The ground assault on Hollandia – Aitape met little opposition , credited in part to the air bombardment leading up to it . In May 1944 , Nos . 1 , 18 and 31 Squadrons attacked Japanese positions in Timor , while No . 2 Squadron was withdrawn from combat to re - equip with Mitchells . No . 79 Wing ' s light and medium bombers suffered from a lack of suitable targets as they had few airfields in forward areas from which to refuel . No . 2 Squadron returned to operations with Mitchells in June . That month , No . 18 Squadron flew 149 sorties , damaging Japanese airfields and shipping in the Timor area , but lost its commanding officer to anti - aircraft fire during a raid . In June – July , No . 79 Wing supported the Allied attack on Noemfoor . No . 18 Squadron was again the wing ' s most active unit , flying 107 sorties . In September , the Beaufighters and Mitchells attacked Japanese shipping and infrastructure in Ceram and Celebes , but lost nine aircraft and twenty - six crewmen killed , among them Squadron Leader Wilbur Wackett , son of Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation manager Lawrence Wackett . By the end of the month , Mitchell missions were put on hold while replacement crews were trained . In late 1944 , plans were made to transfer No . 79 Wing from North Western Area Command to Northern Command in Papua New Guinea , where it would undertake operations against the Japanese in New Britain . The wing ' s composition for this move was to be Nos . 2 and 18 Squadrons , operating Mitchells , and 120 ( Netherlands East Indies ) Squadron , operating P - 40 Kittyhawks . No . 31 Squadron was transferred from No . 79 Wing to the Australian First Tactical Air Force at Morotai in December . The same month , Group Captain Eaton posted out and was replaced by Group Captain John Ryland . Weather hampered the wing ' s activities in January 1945 . No . 1 Squadron was withdrawn to Queensland to re - equip with Mosquitos , with No . 13 Squadron , flying Venturas , taking up the slack on anti - shipping missions . The squadron accounted for around half of the thirty - eight enemy vessels sunk by No . 79 Wing in February , and a similar ratio to the twenty sunk the following month . Wing operations were cut back in March , as preparations were made to transfer the Mitchells to Jacquinot Bay in New Britain . On 6 April , all twenty available aircraft of Nos . 2 and 18 Squadrons were ordered to join B - 24 Liberators of No . 82 Wing in an assault on a Japanese convoy that included the cruiser " Isuzu " . The Liberators were late for their rendezvous with the Mitchells off Sumba so the latter , at the very limit of their range , attacked the convoy regardless . They claimed two direct hits without loss , despite anti - aircraft fire from the cruiser and other ships , and frontal attacks by enemy fighters . Allied submarines sank the damaged " Isuzu " the next day . The wing ' s proposed move to New Britain was cancelled in May , after the Netherlands government requested that its squadrons operate over the Dutch East Indies . No . 120 Squadron was transferred to Biak , while No . 79 Wing and its two Mitchell squadrons were ordered to move to Borneo , under the command of First Tactical Air Force . By July , No . 79 Wing had relocated from Batchelor to Balikpapan , leaving No . 13 Squadron under the control of North Western Area Command . After the Pacific War ended in August 1945 , the Mitchells joined Liberators of No . 82 Wing repatriating RAAF personnel from Borneo to Australia . No . 79 Wing Headquarters was disbanded on 8 October . The following month , No . 18 Squadron was reassigned to the Netherlands Air Force . No . 2 Squadron returned to Australia in December , disbanding in mid - 1946 . These were the only two squadrons in the RAAF to operate Mitchells during the war .