Merauke Force

Merauke Force
A No. 12 Squadron RAAF Vengeance based at Merauke
Active	1942–45
Country	Australia; United States; Netherlands East Indies
Size	Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Merauke

Merauke Force was an Australian-led military force of World War II which was responsible for defending Merauke in Dutch New Guinea from Japanese attack amidst the Pacific War. The force was established in late 1942 and was disbanded at the end of the war, having never seen combat. The Japanese attack did not eventuate and from mid-1944 the force was progressively drawn down and its assigned units redeployed to Australia or elsewhere in the Pacific. At its height, Merauke Force included troops from Australia, the Netherlands East Indies and the United States, as well as several squadrons of aircraft, including a joint Australian-Dutch fighter unit.