Northern Area Command ( RAAF ) Northern Area Command was one of several geographically based commands raised by the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) during World War II . It was formed in May 1941 , and covered the whole of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea . Headquartered at Townsville , Queensland , Northern Area Command was primarily responsible for air defence , aerial reconnaissance and protection of the sea lanes within its boundaries . In January 1942 , following the outbreak of the Pacific War , it was divided into North - Western and North - Eastern Area Commands , to counter Japanese threats to northern Australia and Papua , respectively . History . World War II . Between March 1940 and May 1941 , the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) divided Australia and New Guinea into four geographically based command - and - control zones : Central Area , Southern Area , Western Area , and Northern Area . The roles of these area commands were air defence , protection of adjacent sea lanes , and aerial reconnaissance . Each was led by an Air Officer Commanding ( AOC ) responsible for the administration and operations of all air bases and units within his boundary . Northern Area Command , headquartered in Townsville , Queensland , was formed on 8 May 1941 under the leadership of Air Commodore Frank Lukis . The command covered northern New South Wales , Queensland , the Northern Territory , and Papua New Guinea . Lukis was thus responsible for air defence along the entire north coast of Australia . The main air base in the Northern Territory , RAAF Station Darwin , was augmented by eight satellite bases in the region . Between June and November 1941 , Northern Area took the lead in tracking Japanese pearl luggers , whose increased presence off north - western Australia was regarded as " significant " by intelligence services . Central Area was disbanded in August and its responsibilities divided between Northern Area , Southern Area , and the newly formed No . 2 Training Group . By December 1941 , Lukis ' frontline strength in the Northern Territory consisted of No . 2 Squadron ( flying Lockheed Hudson s ) , No . 12 Squadron ( CAC Wirraway s ) , and No . 13 Squadron ( Hudsons ) , based at RAAF Station Darwin . As the Pacific War broke out , Nos . 2 and 13 Squadrons deployed forces to advanced operational bases at Koepang , Laha and Namlea in the Dutch East Indies . Nos . 11 and 20 Squadrons ( flying PBY Catalinas ) were based at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea , and No . 24 Squadron ( Hudsons and Wirraways ) at Rabaul in New Britain . Northern Area Command was instructed to " strike at Japanese bases or shipping wherever possible " ; " obtain such warning as is possible of any attempted southward movements by the Japanese " ; " keep open the shipping routes through the Coral , Arafura and Timor Seas " ; and " deny enemy access to Rabaul and to the Territories of New Guinea , Papua and the Mainland of Australia " . Nos . 2 , 11 , 13 , 20 and 24 Squadrons engaged in reconnaissance , maritime patrol and sporadic bombing missions against Japanese targets in the Dutch East Indies and Torres Strait . Short of modern fighters and sufficient numbers of bombers , however , the RAAF units were , in the words of the official history of Australia in the war , " virtually powerless " to either attack or defend against Japanese forces building up in the region . On 15 January 1942 , Northern Area was split into North - Western Area and North - Eastern Area , in an attempt to more effectively counter distinct Japanese threats to Ambon and Darwin in the former case , and Rabaul and Port Moresby in the latter . Lukis remained at Townsville as AOC of the new North - Eastern Area Command . Legacy . Following the end of the war , the Chief of the Air Staff , Air Vice Marshal George Jones , proposed reducing the five extant mainland area commands ( North - Western , North - Eastern , Eastern , Southern , and Western Areas ) to three . One of these would have been Northern Area , covering Queensland and the Northern Territory . The Australian Government rejected the plan and the wartime area command boundaries essentially remained in place until supplanted in 1953 – 54 by a functionally based command - and - control system made up of Home ( operational ) , Training , and Maintenance Commands .