451 Squadron to a fighter unit, it saw little action during 1942. As a result, the squadron's morale deteriorated and aviation historian Steve Eather has written that "no other RAAF squadron, before or since, has suffered such a widespread loss of morale and combat effectiveness".
The 451 Squadron's lack of action in 1942 led to a significant drop in morale among its members, as noted by aviation historian Steve Eather. He emphasized that this was an unprecedented situation for the RAAF, with no other squadron experiencing such widespread loss of morale and combat effectiveness.