Following the relocation of the initial batch of B-25s destined for the NEIAF,18Sqn had to wait until August 1942 before it began to receive replacement aircraft. The majority of aircrew on 18 Sqn were Dutch or Australian (the unit was under RAAF control during the war), but the unit as a whole was manned by personnel from 38 different countries speaking 13 different languages. Flying training was spent in the Canberra area where antisubmarine patrols were flown to build experience on type. No 18 Sqn later settled at MacDonald and Batchelor located in the Northern Territories. Between 1942 and 1945 the NEIAF received 150 Mitchells which were initially B-25C and Ds, but from 1944 onwards, the B-25J began to arrive. No 18 Sqn flew several raids against the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies, but as they were pushed back, the enemy moved out of range.
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