Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) units served throughout the European Theatre of World War II, especially notable in RAF Bomber Command: they represented two percent of all RAAF personnel during the war, but accounted for 23% of the total number killed in action. This statistic is further illustrated by the fact that No. 460 Squadron RAAF, firstly flying the Vickers Wellington then the Avro Lancaster, had an official establishment of about 200 aircrew and yet had 1,018 combat deaths. The squadron was therefore effectively wiped out five times over. RAAF squadrons, including 460 Squadron, flew many missions in support of the D-Day landings in 1944 and Operation Manna, dropping food to relieve civilians facing starvation in the Netherlands in 1945. Overall, the Australian squadrons in Bomber Command dropped 6 percent of the total weight of bombs the Command dropped.[13] Other Australian squadrons served as part of RAF Fighter Command and RAF Coastal Command and many Australian airmen served as members of British squadrons. The RAAF suffered heavy casualties in these campaigns, and 5,397 Australian airmen were killed in Europe and 1,135 in the Middle East.[14]
