Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/December 25

First Australian Tactical Air Force Headquarters following the Japanese surrender. One further strike was flown after this picture was taken.

The Australian First Tactical Air Force (1 TAF) was formed on October 25, 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force to provide fighter and ground attack support to Allied ground and naval forces, fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area. It was one of several Allied tactical air forces formed during World War II. 1 TAF had come into existence as No. 10 Operational Group (10 OG) and later grew to encompass more than 20 squadrons and more than 18,000 personnel. Its mainstay was initially the P-40 Kittyhawk although conversion to P-51D Mustangs was underway by the time the war ended. As the conflict gradually shifted further north, 1 TAF was relegated — in the absence of a Japanese air presence — to patrol, reconnaissance and some ground attack duties, including the Philippines campaign in 1944 and the Borneo campaign (1945). 1 TAF was disbanded following the end of the war.