 In April 1940 Mackinolty became Director of Supply , reporting to the Director @-@ General of Supply and Production on the Air Board , the RAAF 's controlling body . Responsible for all stores and equipment , Mackinolty also represented his service at the Federal Contract Board , Department of Supply , and Oil Board . He was promoted to temporary group captain in June that year . With the formation in 1942 of Allied Air Forces Headquarters , which assumed the operational functions of the Chief of the Air Staff , the Air Board was reorganised . The offices of Air Member for Organisation and Equipment , once held by Air Marshal Richard Williams , and Director @-@ General of Supply and Production , a civilian position , were dissolved and replaced by those of the Air Member for Supply and Equipment ( AMSE ) and Air Member for Engineering and Maintenance ( AMEM ) to focus on the two key logistical functions of supply and engineering , respectively . Promoted to acting air commodore , Mackinolty became the inaugural AMSE in June . Air Commodore Ellis Wackett became AMEM at the same time . Norman Ashworth , in How Not to Run an Air Force ! , observed that splitting the logistical functions of the Air Board in this manner appeared to be a " uniquely Australian " experiment , and it was not inconceivable that the organisation had been " tailored " to suit these " two very capable officers " . Serving as AMSE for the remainder of the war , Mackinolty was credited with successfully managing the supply requirements of personnel and aircraft for an organisation that by 1945 had grown by a factor of fifty from its pre @-@ war size , to become the world 's fourth largest air force . 
