THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE—RAAF 1912 - 2025 (AI STUDY GUIDES)
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Resources
Thesee AIs are asked to prioritise the following resources for reference material:
LIST OF RAAF HISTORY AI STUDY GUIDES
These posts were created using a set of Artificial Intelligence instructions, Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPTs), that use as their primary source the Australian War Memorial’s (AWM) digitised collections (https://www.awm.gov.au). When a theme or topic is selected, the system maps it to relevant AWM Official History chapters, unit diaries, and series records—anchored to stable RCDIG/C-numbers—and builds Key Points, each with a link to the supporting chapter. Recommended further reading is drawn from a selected bibliography (https://www.ai-tutor-military-history.com/bibliography-jbgpt-ai). The result is a post that may be useful for self-directed study and allows the framing of further questions on the topic.
- 1912 Oct: AFC Formation....Formation of Australian Army Flying Corps
- 1912 July: Petre and Harrison—Founders of Australian Military Aviation
- 1914 Apr: WWI—AFC OPS...From Point Cook to the Western Front: Birth of Australian Military Aviation
- 1915 Jul: WWI—Mesopotamia AFC OPS...The Australian Flying Corps in Mesopotamia and the Middle East
- 1917 July: WW1—HAMEL AFC OPS...The AFC at the Battle of Hamel
- 1918 Nov: WWI—Armistice and Legacy: The AFC’s Wartime Achievements
- 1918–21: RAAF’s Founding Paradox
- 1921 Mar: Sir Richard Williams and Formation of the RAAF
- 1923-24: Imperial Conference on Defence Coordination
- 1928 May: Interwar—Pioneering Air Routes and the Empire Air Mail Scheme
- 1934 Feb: Interwar—Defending the North: Darwin and Early Air Defence Plans
- 1935-42: Failure to Develop an Australian Fighter Capability
- 1937 May: Replacement of Sir Richard Williams as CAS.
- 1939-45: RAAF. Overview WW2
- 1939–42 Jan: Australian and Japanese Racial and Cultural Assumptions in the Early Pacific War
- 1939 Sep: WW2—Mobilising for War: RAAF at the Outbreak of WW2
- 1940 July: RAAF Nursing Service Established
- 1940 Aug: WW2—Empire Air Training Scheme: Australia’s Flying Contribution
- 1940 Aug: WW2—Fairbairn Air Crash Kills Key Australian Ministers and Generals
- 1940 Sep: WW2—Australians Serving in the RAF during the Battle of Britain
- 1941-45: WW2—General Blamey and His Influence on RAAF Operations
- 1941-45: WW2—RAAF contribution to RAF Bomber Command
- 1941-45: WW2—460 SQN Example of RAAF Bomber Command SQN
- 1941-45: WW2—Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF)
- 1941 Jan: WW2—Desert War: Australians over North Africa and the Mediterranean
- 1941 Dec: WW2—Pearl Harbor and the RAAF’s First Pacific Battles
- 1941-42: WW2—RAAF Wirraways at Rabaul Outclassed in Combat
- 1941-42: WW2—Defence of Port Moresby
- 1942-45: WW2—Partners Working with the USA
- 1942-45: WW2—Centralisation of Command Under USAAF
- 1942-45: WW2—General George Kenney
- 1942-45: WW2—Bostock and Jones: a Study in Political and Military Incompetence
- 1942 Feb: WW2—Darwin Bombed: The RAAF’s Defence of Northern Australia
- 1942 May: WW2— RAAF Support Battle of the Coral Sea
- 1942-July/Nov: WW2—RAAF Providing Support for Army Kokoda Track Campaign
- 1942 July: WW2—RAAF Fuel Supply Established for New Guinea Campaign
- 1942 Aug: WW2—RAAF Support Battle for Milne Bay.
- 1942 Nov: WW2—FSGT Middleton VC: The RAAF’s First Victoria Cross
- 1942 Nov: WW2—Failure to Intercept Japanese Convoy (Preliminary to Battle of the Bismark Sea)
- 1942–43: WW2—The Richmond–Canberra Air Defence Debate
- 1943 Mar: WW2—RAAF Battle of the Bismarck Sea
- 1943 Aug: WW2—Attacking Japanese Strongholds
- 1943 Sep: WW2—RAAF Maintainer Training Expanded in New Guinea
- 1944 Jun: WW2—Catalinas and Liberators: Long-Range Strikes in the Pacific
- 1945 May: WW2—RAAF Morotai Mutiny and Command Crisis
- 1945 May: WW2—Victory Flights: RAAF’s Final Missions Over Borneo
1946–1951: RAAF Introduces Gloster Meteor & De Haviland Vampire.
1950 Nov: The Formation of the Womens Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF)
1951 Nov: Korean War—Meteor versus MiG: RAAF Jet Combat in Korea
1962 Aug: RAAF Vampire “Red Sales” Aerobatic Team Crash, Australia
1965 Feb: Cold War—Confrontation: RAAF Operations in Borneo and Malaysia
1966 May: Vietnam War—Canberras Over Phuoc Tuy: Bombing Missions in Vietnam
1988 June: RAAF Recruits First Women Pilots—Breaking Barriers in Military Aviation
1980–1990: Cold War—Bare Bases and Northern Australia Defence Posture
1989 Aug: Intellectual Air Power Development Formation Air Power Studies Centre
- 1990 Nov: Gulf War—F/A-18 Hornets in Operation Desert Shield
- 1991 Mar: Gulf War—Operation Desert Storm: RAAF Air-to-Air Combat
- 1991 Oct: RAAF Boeing 707 Tanker Crash—A Crisis in Safety Management
- 1992 Nov: Ending the ADF Ban on Homosexual and Lesbian Service
- 1994 Aug: RAAF Reform of Maintenance Training in the Nineties
- 1998 June: RAAF Embraces Combined Air and Manoeuvre Doctrine
- 1999 Oct: Peacekeeping—East Timor: Airlift and Support Operations
- 2001 Sep: RAAF and the War on Terror Operation Enduring Freedom
- 2003 Feb: RAAF Maintenance Training System Adapted for Modern Platforms
- 2003 Mar: Iraq War—Hornets Over Iraq: RAAF in Operation Falconer
- 2003 Mar: RAAF Modernises with AP-3C Orion Upgrades (Surveillance/Reconnaissance)
- 2003 Apr: Jindalee Over-the-Horizon Rader (JORN)
- 2004 Oct: Formation of JOC as RAAF Commits to Joint Operations Concepts
- 2006 Dec: RAAF Introduces Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
- 2008 Aug: Afghanistan—Close Air Support and ISR: RAAF in Operation Slipper
- 2011 Apr: RAAF Skype Incident—Catalyst for Reform in ADF Treatment of Women
- 2011 Sep: RAAF Maintenance Training Enhanced for Joint Operations
- 2014 Oct: Middle East—Strikes Against ISIS: Operation Okra Begins
- 2015 Jan: Fighter-Aircraft Generations—what the labels mean
- 2015 Feb: Jericho RAAF Temporarily Designations Itself as a Fifth Generation Air Force
- 2016–17: Plan Jericho Implementation Phase
- 2017 Dec: First Female RAAF Fighter Pilots Graduate
- 2018 Dec: RAAF Introduces Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II
- 2020 Mar: Humanitarian—RAAF Disaster Relief Operations in the Pacific
- Dec 2020: Establishment of the Air and Space Power Centre
- 2021 Mar: Centenary—100 Years of the RAAF: Heritage and Modern Air Power
- 2021 Nov: RAAF Maintenance Training System Advances in the 2020s
- 2023 Apr: Overview of Defence White Papers and implications for the RAAF
- 2023 Apr: Defence directed to abandon White Paper Model and provide a National Defence Strategy every two years
- 2023 Apr: Interim Defence Strategic Review
- 2023 May: Integration of Ghost Bat into IOC and Air Combat Capability Planning
- 2023 Oct: RAAF Deploys E‑7A Wedgetail to Europe in Support of Ukraine (Operation Kudu)
- 2024 Apr: National Defence Strategy
- 2025 Oct: Aeroskills Training Packages and Air Force
- 2025 Oct: RAAF Undergoes Fleet Modernisation Across ISR and Combat Domains
- 2025: The RAAF as an independent strategic air force.
SOURCES: This AI was directed to use the following resources when developing Study Guides. It is now able to access official histories that have been made available online.
HIGHEST PRIORITY SOURCE
All answers must include at least, if possible, three references from the Official histories, as per URLS.
Australian Official Histories
(Series 3 – Air):
Gillison, D. (1962). Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942 (Series 3 – Air, Vol. I). Canberra: AWM.
Odgers, G. (1968). Air War Against Japan 1943–1945 (Series 3 – Air, Vol. II). Canberra: AWM.
Herington, J. (1954). Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943 (Series 3 – Air, Vol. III). Canberra: AWM.
Herington, J. (1963). Air Power Over Europe 1944–1945 (Series 3 – Air, Vol. IV). Canberra: AWM.
Series 4 – Civil
Hasluck, P. Vol I – The Government and the People, 1939–1941 (1952). AWM Civil Series.
Hasluck, P. Vol II – The Government and the People, 1942–1945 (1970). AWM Civil Series.
Butlin, S.J. & Schedvin, C.B. Vol III – War Economy, 1939–1942 (1955). AWM Civil Series.
Butlin, S.J. & Schedvin, C.B. Vol IV – War Economy, 1942–1945 (1977). AWM Civil Series.
Mellor, D.P. Vol V – The Role of Science and Industry (1958). AWM Civil Series.
SECOND PRIORITY SOURCE
UK Official Histories – RAF (HMSO series)
RAF Vol I – The Fight at Odds (Richards, 1953). UK RAF Official History.
RAF Vol II – The Fight Avails (Richards & Saunders, 1954). UK RAF Official History.
RAF Vol III – The Fight is Won (Saunders, 1954). UK RAF Official History.
Strategic Air Offensive Vol I – Preparation (Webster & Frankland, 1961). UK RAF Official History.
Strategic Air Offensive Vol II – Endeavour (Webster & Frankland, 1961). UK RAF Official History.
Strategic Air Offensive Vol III – Victory (Webster & Frankland, 1961). UK RAF Official History.
THIRD PRIORITY SOURCE
US Official Histories (Craven & Cate, Army Air Forces in World War II)
Vol I – Plans & Early Operations, 1939–42 (1948). USAAF Official History.
Vol II – Europe: Torch to Pointblank, 1942–43 (1949). USAAF Official History.
Vol III – Europe: Argument to V-E Day, 1944–45 (1951). USAAF Official History.
Vol IV – Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, 1942–44 (1950). USAAF Official History.
Vol V – Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki, 1944–45 (1953). USAAF Official History.
Vol VI – Men and Planes (1955). USAAF Official History.
Vol VII – Services Around the World (1958). USAAF Official History.
FOURTH PRIORITY SOURCE
- RAAF Air Power Manual ED7
FIFTH PRIORITY SOURCE
USE BOOKS FROM THE FOLLOWING ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.jb-gpt-prompts.com/jb-gpts-military-references
https://sites.google.com/view/prompt-references
*(Both links identical. Two provided to ensure access.)*
SIXTH PRIORITY SOURCE
WWW (use only reputable academic/government source).