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Group Captain Clive Caldwell, OSO, DFC & Bar, RAAF - highest scoring Australian airman in WWII, with 28½ victories. (Australian War Memorial neg No 43111)
Australian Fighter Aces
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THIS IS PART THREE OF A SERIES. In Part One we covered the origin of the fighter aircraft and the emergence of the early aces, and compared the top scorers from various countries and the proud place held by Australians in air warfare. In Part Two we covered the story of our early Australian aces in more detail and presented the personal story of our leading ace from that era. We now turn our attention to the Second World War.
The Background
In the First World War we had only four squadrons on active service. One of these was confined to a small area of the Middle East and was only active for just two years. The other three squadrons were always together in the same part of France and they were operational for less than a year. Their roles were limited to that of fighter or reconnaissance and their numbers were measured in hundreds. However, the fighting was concentrated and their scores were high.
In the Second World War, our airmen served in all parts of the world and they were numbered in thousands. The vast majority of them served in RAF squadrons in every theatre of war from the UK to Burma. Our purely RAAF squadrons were dispersed also between Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and the Pacific. Their roles and activities were as diverse as the areas and the squadrons in which they served. There was great mobility of men and units across the globe. Our airmen were active in one way or another throughout the full six years of the war.
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