The Spitfire, the Hurricane, the Kittyhawk – when asked to name the fighter planes that won World War II, most people would place these legendary machines high on the list.

Yet largely absent from these lofty histories is the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation’s CA-13 Boomerang – Australia’s home-grown fighter plane, adapted from a training aircraft design and deployed in the Pacific theatre.

Though it was plagued with teething problems and never took down an enemy aircraft, the Boomerang carved out its own niche working with the Army in battlefields like the dense jungles of New Guinea.

In this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake Nelson talks to Don Williams, author of The CAC Boomerang: Australia's Own WWII Fighter, about the unique role played by the Boomerang in Australia’s aviation history – and how it can be better remembered.