9 Operational Group, which had been the RAAF's primary mobile formation in the South West Pacific theatre since September 1942, but had lately become a garrison force in New Guinea.

Re-designated Northern Area in December 1945, it was headquartered in Port Moresby from March 1946 and disbanded in February 1947.

Prior to World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force was small enough for all its elements to be directly controlled by RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne.

When war broke out, the RAAF began to decentralise its command structure, commensurate with expected increases in manpower and units.

[3] The roles of the area commands were air defence, protection of adjacent sea lanes, and aerial reconnaissance.

9 Operational Group, to act as a self-contained tactical air force that would be able to keep pace with Allied advances through the South West Pacific theatre.

9 Group's new status, the head of RAAF Command, Air Vice Marshal William Bostock, recommended renaming it Northern Area.

74 (Composite) Wing, which had been formed in August 1943 and was headquartered at Port Moresby, also came under the aegis of Northern Command.

To maximize support to Australian ground troops in the lead-up to the final assault on Wewak, the wing's three extant Beaufort squadrons were joined by two more, Nos.

Approximately sixty Beauforts and Boomerangs struck Japanese positions behind Dove Bay prior to amphibious landings on 11 May to cut off retreating enemy troops.

The wing suffered fuel and ordnance shortages; at one stage its squadrons had to load their Beauforts with captured Japanese bombs.

36 Squadron, flying C-47 Dakotas, its aircraft flew slightly over 4,000 sorties during the Bougainville campaign up to the end of June 1945.

[20] That month, Northern Command was tasked with acting in reserve for Operation Oboe Six, the invasion of Labuan.

71 Wing continued operations until the last day of the Pacific War, flying its final mission involving thirty Beauforts only hours before news arrived of the Allied victory on 15 August 1945.