According to official figures, 278 personnel belonging to RAAF North-Western Area Command (NWA) were considered to have deserted as a result of the raids, although it has been argued that the "desertions" were mostly the result of ambiguous orders given to RAAF ground staff after the attacks.
Offiziellen Berichten zufolge desertierten 278 Soldaten der RAAF infolge des Angriffs, obwohl diese Desertationen meistens die Folge der mehrdeutigen Befehle des RAAF-Bodenpersonals nach dem Angriff waren.