No. 44 Wing, known initially as No. 44 RDF Wing, was formed on 14 December 1942 in Adelaide River, south of Darwin, Northern Territory. Coming under the control of North-Western Area Command, the wing was responsible for controlling the radar stations that acted as an early warning system for Japanese air raids. The North-Western Area Campaign was, in the words of the official history of the RAAF in the Pacific theatre, "almost entirely an air war, with raid and counter-raid". The wing was commanded by Flight Lieutenant Hannam, and by March 1943 had a staff of 77 officers and other ranks.