fˈɔːɹmd ɪnðə mˈɪd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi z æz ɐ jˈuːnɪt ʌvðə pˈɑːɹttˈaɪm sˈɪɾɪzən ˈɛɹ fˈoːɹs sˌiːˌeɪˈɛf, ɪt wʌz mˈoʊbəlˌaɪzd fɔːɹ sˈɜːvɪs dˈʊɹɹɪŋ wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ɹˌoʊmən tˈuː, wˌɛn ɪt sˈɔː ˈækʃən ɐɡˈɛnst ðə dʒˌæpənˈiːz æz ɐ fˈaɪɾɚ jˈuːnɪt ɪnðə məlˈeɪən kæmpˈeɪn, ɐ dˈaɪv bˈɑːmɚ jˈuːnɪt ɪnðə nˈuː ɡˈɪni kæmpˈeɪn, ænd ɐ hˈɛvi bˈɑːmɚ jˈuːnɪt ɪnðə bˈoːɹnɪˌoʊ kæmpˈeɪn.
Formed in the mid-1930s as a unit of the part-time Citizen Air Force (CAF), it was mobilised for service during World War II, when it saw action against the Japanese as a fighter unit in the Malayan campaign, a dive bomber unit in the New Guinea campaign, and a heavy bomber unit in the Borneo campaign.