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Federation and MeteorologyBureau of Meteorology
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Table of Contents

War History of the Australian Meteorological Service

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: D.Met.S.—Australia's Wartime Weather Service

Chapter 2: The Weather Factor in Warfare

Chapter 3: Met in the Retreat

Chapter 4: Met in the Advance
Port Moresby to Milne Bay
New Pacific Stations
9 Operational Group
10 Operational Group
Northern Command
First Tactical Air Force
Labuan Island
The End in Singapore

Chapter 5: Meteorology in Aviation

Chapter 6: Central Forecasting Services

Chapter 7: Met With the Army

Chapter 8: Research and Personnel Training

Chapter 9: Instrumental Development and Maintenance

Chapter 10: Scientific Developments in the RAAF Meteorological Service

Chapter 11: Divisional Bureaux and Their Work

Appendix 1: List of Reports Provided by D.Met.S. for Advances Operational Planning and Other Purposes

Appendix 2: List of Service Personnel RAAF Meteorological Service

Appendix 3: List of Civilian Personnel Who Worked Together with Service Personnel of the RAAF Meteorological Service

Appendix 4: List of Locations at which RAAF Meteorological Service Personnel Served


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9 Operational Group

The standard of meteorological service provided to all agencies by personnel attached to 9 Operational Group and 71 Wing was highly commended in a despatch by the air officer commanding in early 1944.

In May 1944 Fl Lt (later Sqn Ldr) A. T. Bath, who had been in charge of the Port Moresby meteorological station, succeeded Sqn Ldr McRae as command meteorological officer of Northern Command into which 9OG had been absorbed. Advanced operational headquarters of Northern Command were established at Milne Bay, where the weather station that had been closed in December 1943 was reopened. Shortly afterwards the headquarters of Northern Command was transported forward to Madang. There a new meteorological office came into operation, providing a weather service for 4 Squadron, 8 Com Flight, the Martin Mariner flying boat service to Sydney and the courier service to Milne Bay. New weather sections quickly followed at Tadji, Lae, Dobodura and Jacquinot Bay, while at Torokina on Bougainville Island two Australian weather men worked in conjunction with American and New Zealand meteorologists. In addition to these stations, mobile meteorological flights were in action with the Army over the wide area of land operations.

Sqn Ldr C. J. Wiesner replaced Sqn Ldr Bath as command met officer in February 1945. Midway through that year a RAAF weather section came into operation at Middleburg Island and subsequently Australian weather men took over from American met men at Hollandia, Finschhafen and Merauke. Except in a few cases, where the advance of operational units rendered their continuance unnecessary, all these stations were in operation when the Japanese surrender came on 15 August 1945.

For services in 9 Operational Group, Sqn Ldr J. N. McRae was mentioned in despatches.


People in Bright Sparcs - Bath, Allen Tristram; McRae, John Neil

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Haldane, T. 1997 'War History of the Australian Meteorological Service in the Royal Australian Air Force April 1941 to July 1946', Metarch Papers, No. 10 October 1997, Bureau of Meteorology

© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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