Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am honoured to rise today to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Bomber Command. Between 1940 and 1944, the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command provided the only Allied strategic attack capability against German forces on the Western Front and also the only means for disrupting German infrastructure and industry that supported the Third Reich's war machine across Europe. An estimated 10,000 of the roughly 40,000 Royal Australian Air Force personnel serving in World War II were part of the Bomber Command operations. In September 1940 following the Battle of Britain, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said:

The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide the means of victory.

This statement, although at the beginning of the Bomber Command, still rings true through the retelling of the history and camaraderie displayed throughout World War II. Australian historian Dr Alan Stephens wrote:

No single group of Australians from any service did more to help win World War II than the men who fought in Bomber Command.

The contribution and sacrifices that these men and women made for our nation and our freedoms will not be forgotten. They remain an extraordinary example of the true spirit of ANZAC.

These 10,000 Australians represented just over one per cent of Australian enlistments in all services during World War II; however, they accounted for nearly 10 per cent of all Australian combat deaths during that war period. These 10,000 men served as part of a combined Allied unit of more than 125,000 air crew, men that the then British empire recruited from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa as well as many countries which had fallen under Nazi occupation, such as France, Poland and Czechoslovakia. This group managed the night-time operations while the United States Air Force managed the day operations. A key part of the strategy was to have 24-hour coverage throughout the war.

At the peak of the bombing campaign over 1,000 heavy bombers would attack on any one night, but up to 10 per cent of aircraft and crews could fail to return. One RAAF veteran has said: 'Our skipper told us that every day we survived in Bomber Command was a bonus.' So high were the risks of the operations that between 1943 and 1944 crews had less than a 50 per cent chance of surviving a tour of 30 operations.

A wonderful Australian from the electorate of Macquarie, Air Commodore Geoffrey Michael, served in Bomber Command. As a part of the operations, Air Commodore Michael made a total of 32 trips and is proud to say that not one of his crew was lost—that is despite the fact that four trips needed to be aborted due to engine fire. I have often spoken with Air Commodore Michael about his experience during the war and have a deep respect for the contribution he has made to our nation, as well as the great contribution he made upon his return. He was commander of Richmond RAAF base for a number of years and later became mayor of our community. When I spoke with Air Commodore Geoffrey Michael recently, he humbly and, in quite an understated manner, described each of the 32 trips as a satisfactory experience, completed by a strong team effort where every member played an important role—the role being to finish the mission and then to get your mates back to Allied soil.

In June this year, 31 Australian men and women who served as a part of Bomber Command travelled back to London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of operations. Queen Elizabeth unveiled a bronze sculpture of seven aircrew to mark the occasion as a sign of respect to the contribution of the Bomber Command Allied Forces. The sculpture is representative of all the efforts from all of the countries and displays the bravery and mateship of the airmen returning from a mission. This is a fitting tribute to mark the 70th anniversary.

I am always humbled by the contribution made by the generations who have led us, who served to protect the Australian way of life and our freedoms. As stated by respected historians, the Australian participation in the Bomber Command operations went a long way to preserving that. It gives me great honour today to pay tribute to these ordinary men who did extraordinary things.