No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 unit which saw action in the Second World War.

No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight was formed at Lae

Lae

Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...

 in New Guinea on 20 October 1944. Operating four Auster

Taylorcraft Auster

The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited company during the Second World War.-Design and development:...

 light aircraft the Flight initially supported the Australian Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

 units on the north coast of New Guinea.

On 28 March 1945 No. 16 Flight departed for Morotai

Morotai

Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...

 in the Netherlands East Indies in preparation for the Borneo campaign (1945)

Borneo campaign (1945)

The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. Allied naval and...

. Detachments from the Flight initially supported the Australian 9th Division

Australian 9th Division

The 9th Division was a division of the Australian Army that served during World War II. It was the fourth division of the Second Australian Imperial Force and was formed in the United Kingdom in late 1940 from infantry brigades and support units which had been previously raised in Australia and...

's campaigns on Tarakan

Battle of Tarakan (1945)

The Battle of Tarakan was the first stage in the Borneo campaign of 1945. It began with an amphibious landing by Australian forces on 1 May, code-named Operation Oboe One...

 and British North Borneo. In July 1945 the detachment at Tarakan

Tarakan Island

Tarakan is an island off the coast of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a marshy island situated in the eastern Celebes Sea, off the northeastern coast of Borneo. The island occupies an area of .-Petroleum:...

 was re-located to Balikpapan where it supported the Australian 7th Division

Australian 7th Division

The 7th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1940 to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force...

 during the Battle of Balikpapan

Battle of Balikpapan (1945)

The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of the Borneo campaign . The landings took place on 1 July 1945. The Australian 7th Division, composed of the 18th, 21st and 25th Infantry Brigades, with support troops, made an amphibious landing, codenamed Operation Oboe Two a few miles north of...

. The Flight landed detachments at both Tarakan and Balikpapan on the day of the initial landing (1 May and 1 July respectively). The Flight's only fatality was Captain Ket who was killed on the day of the landing at Tarakan when his Auster crashed on take off.

No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight returned to Australia in December 1945 and was based in Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

 until its disbandment on 23 June 1947. The Flight was re-activated on 25 September 1958 at Canberra to provide training for Army officers.

On 1 December 1960 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron was formed as a joint Army/RAAF unit and No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight was disbanded on 20 December 1960. 16 Squadron was expanded to form the 1st Division Army Aviation Regiment in 1966 and was re-named the 1st Aviation Regiment in 1967.