 Group Captain Allan Walters , formerly in charge of No. 1 ( Fighter ) Wing in Darwin , assumed command of No. 72 Wing following Eaton 's reassignment . Enemy contact was generally sporadic and inconclusive , but on 9 September 1943 a force of over thirty Japanese bombers and escorting fighters heading for Merauke were intercepted by fourteen of No. 72 Wing 's Kittyhawks and four of its Boomerangs ; although most of the Kittyhawks ' guns failed to fire through oil clogging , and none of the Boomerangs made contact , the Australian aircraft claimed one bomber and two fighters destroyed without loss . No. 12 Squadron became fully operational at Merauke in September , but was mainly given patrol duty and only rarely saw enemy activity . The following month , No. 84 Squadron converted to Kittyhawks and transferred to a new formation , No. 75 Wing , which controlled units on Horn Island , Thursday Island and Higgins Field . During late 1943 and early 1944 , No. 86 Squadron was actively engaged in air defence , enjoying some success against Japanese bombers and their escorts , as well as participating in attacks on infrastructure and shipping in Dutch New Guinea . 
