Page 22 - Demo

22 As an aside, the Buffalo had been rejected for service in Europe but was described by Air Marshal Brooke8Popham as %u2018quite good enough for Malaya%u2019. The Japanese made swift gains and the northern airfields were quickly captured. Losses amongst all the squadrons were significant and eventually they became composite units before being withdrawn to Batavia (Java) and their remnant eventually evacuated to Australia. There the %u2018home%u2019 squadrons were reformed and fought during the actions in the south west Pacific. The RAAF contribution to Fighter Command comprised Nos 452 and 457 Sqns, both of which were equipped with Spitfires. Their deployment to the UK was relatively short lived and they were returned to Australia, together with the RAF%u2019s No 54 Sqn, in order to provide the air defence of Darwin. No 453 Sqn, which had effectively ceased to exist after the fall of Singapore, was reformed in the UK in June 1942 and flew Spitfires in Europe for the remainder of the war. The RAAF also contributed several fighter and light bomber squadrons to the campaigns in North Africa and the Middle East and these units for the most part continued on to the Italian campaign The RAAF suffered 9,000 fatal casualties in all theatres. Two VCs were won by RAAF personnel, one in the South West Pacific, the After spending a year in Fighter Command, No 457 Sqn RAAF was withdrawn to Australia (as seen here) where its Spitfires were to provide a counter to Japanese air attacks on Darwin.