 Promoted to squadron leader, in November 1942 Pentland was posted to Port Moresby, New Guinea, as commanding officer (CO) of No.1 Rescue and Communication Squadron, better known as "Pentland's Flying Circus".The official history of Australia in the war described this as the RAAF's "most unusual operational unit", asserting that its "strange assortment of light aircraft was as varied and as appropriate to its task as was the flying record of its commander ...".