Vultee Vengeance in Australian service
Vultee Vengeance in Australian service | |
---|---|
A Vultee Vengeance of No. 12 Squadron in December 1943 | |
Role | Dive bomber |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Vultee Aircraft |
Primary users | Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy |
Career | |
In service | 1942–1946 |
The
The RAAF was slow to bring its Vengeances into service, their first combat missions being flown in June 1943. The main deployment of the type took place between mid-January and early March 1944, when squadrons operated in support of Australian and United States Army forces in New Guinea. This force was withdrawn after only six weeks as the Vengeance was considered inferior to other aircraft available to the Allied air forces. All of the RAAF's five Vengeance-equipped squadrons were re-equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. Vengeances continued to be used in training and support roles with the RAAF until 1946, and some were transferred to the Royal Australian Navy between 1948 and 1950 for ground training.
Historians' assessments of the Vengeance's career in Australian service differ. While there is consensus that the type was obsolete, some argue that it nevertheless proved successful. Others, including the RAAF's Air Power Development Centre, have judged that the Vengeance's performance was mixed and the type was not suited to Australia's requirements.
Acquisition
The Vultee Vengeance was a
In mid-1940 the Australian Government placed an order for 243
Deliveries of the Vengeances to Australia were much delayed. Following Australia's entry into Pacific War in December 1941, the RAAF order still stood at 297 Vengeances.[9] These aircraft were scheduled to be delivered between January and December 1942.[10] No Vengeances had arrived by 8 May 1942, though the RAAF's order had been increased to 367.[11] A small number of the type arrived in Australia in late May 1942, but subsequent deliveries were slow.[12] This was because the USAAF was also rapidly expanding at this time, which limited the number and types of aircraft available to its allies.[13] Attempts by the Australian Government to obtain Vengeances from USAAF allocations in March 1942, when the country faced a possible Japanese invasion, were unsuccessful.[14] In April that year the Minister for External Affairs H. V. Evatt visited Washington, D.C. to lobby for increased allocations of aircraft. The US Government agreed to provide 475 aircraft, including some Vengeances. Evatt was not concerned with the types of aircraft which were delivered, and the Australian Government was willing to accept aircraft the US military judged unsuitable for its own needs.[1]
The majority of the dive bombers arrived after April 1943; by this time the threat of invasion had passed.[1] Overall, Australia received 15 Vengeances in 1942, 227 in 1943 and 100 during 1944.[15] Many of the aircraft required maintenance upon arrival as they had already been used by the American military or suffered from defects. This led to delays in introducing them into service, and caused the type to have a relatively low serviceability rate.[16][17]
Three different models of the Vengeance were acquired by the RAAF: 99 Mark I aircraft (given
Entry into service
Five frontline RAAF units were equipped with Vengeance dive bombers: Nos.
Two training units also operated the Vengeance. No. 2 Operational Training Unit received several of the type in 1942.[25] On 1 October 1942, No. 4 Operational Training Unit (No. 4 OTU) was formed at RAAF Station Williamtown to train aircrews to operate the Vengeance in combat. The unit began its first operational conversion training course on 28 October that year. No. 4 OTU's fleet of Vengeances was augmented with several Wirraways in January 1943; from this time crews began their training on the simple-to-operate Wirraway before progressing onto the Vengeance. Two of the dive bombers were destroyed in flying accidents during August and September 1943, resulting in the deaths of their crews.[26]
Despite the rapid expansion of the Vengeance force, by late 1942 the RAAF was aware that the type was obsolete and other Allied air forces' experiences had demonstrated that dive bombing was an inefficient tactic.
Operational service
No. 12 Squadron was the first Vengeance-equipped RAAF unit to see combat. After converting to the dive bomber, the squadron was used on routine patrol and search-and-rescue tasks off the coast of the
The commander of the Allied Air Forces in the South West Pacific, Lieutenant General George Kenney, requested in late August 1943 that the RAAF dispatch a squadron of dive bombers to New Guinea for use against pinpoint targets in the Huon Gulf area. No. 24 Squadron was selected for this role, and its 18 Vengeances were rushed to Tsili Tsili Airfield before crew training was complete. Little of the squadron's supporting equipment was dispatched as it was intended that the deployment would be temporary.[1][36] After arriving at Tsili Tsili on 2 September, the squadron flew its first combat mission on the 7th of the month. This operation was frustrated by bad weather, and the aircraft almost ran out of fuel on their return flight due to difficulties in locating their airfield. An attack the next day was successful. On 18 September, No. 24 Squadron dispatched 14 aircraft as part of an attack on Japanese positions near Finschhafen in preparation for a landing by Australian Army forces.[37] The squadron destroyed a Japanese radio station on the Tami Islands near Finschhafen area on 21 September.[38] It provided support for Australian Army units involved in the Huon Peninsula campaign during late September and October.[39] This included playing a significant role in halting a major Japanese counter-attack during early to mid October.[40]
The lack of ground equipment complicated No. 24 Squadron's operations, especially as it took a long time for this material to arrive once a decision to retain the unit in New Guinea had been made.[36] As a result of equipment shortages and inadequate aircrew training, the squadron was not fully ready for combat until December; this greatly frustrated Kenney's deputy, Brigadier General Ennis Whitehead, who commented that "we have never gotten a mission out of that unit".[1][22] Some of the training deficiencies were due to the RAAF's practice of stationing operational training units in southern Australia, with the result that aircrew were unfamiliar with flying in tropical conditions.[41] During December, the squadron operated against Japanese positions on New Britain and New Ireland ahead of the American landings in western New Britain.[42]
In September 1943, Kenney asked the RAAF to provide a mobile strike force for offensive operations in New Guinea. The RAAF decided that the force should comprise a
No. 77 Wing's initial combat missions were conducted by No. 24 Squadron.[46][47] From 17 to 23 January the unit supported Australian Army units involved in the Battle of Shaggy Ridge by conducting highly accurate dive-bombing strikes on Japanese positions. These attacks compensated for the Army units' lack of artillery, and assisted them to capture well-protected Japanese positions. The Vengeances were typically escorted by Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters from No. 78 Wing.[48][49][50] No. 24 Squadron also attacked buildings on Gragat Island near Madang on 24 January as part of a raid involving two squadrons of North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers.[51] On 29 February the squadron bombed Japanese positions near the village of Orgoruna and strafed the settlement in support of Army units; during this operation two Vengeances experienced engine problems, one being destroyed in a crash landing.[41] Two days later, No. 24 Squadron attacked and destroyed a bridge defended by anti-aircraft guns at the village of Bogadjim. Only three of the five aircraft dispatched were able to locate the target, and two were damaged by fragments from the bombs they dropped.[52] Historian Mark Johnston has judged this operation to have been "perhaps the Vultees' most notable achievement" in Australian service.[49] No. 24 Squadron was withdrawn from combat for two weeks on 31 January to undertake what official historian George Odgers described as "much-needed training exercises" for recently arrived replacement aircrew.[45][53]
The wing's operations expanded during February 1944. No. 23 Squadron entered combat on 11 February when six of its aircraft, operating in conjunction with six from No. 24 Squadron, bombed three villages south of
No. 77 Wing conducted further combat operations during early March. On the second of the month, 24 Vengeances attacked Japanese positions on
Withdrawal from combat
The attack on Rempi was the final combat operation involving Australian Vengeances. On 8 March 1944, General
Several factors explain the withdrawal of the RAAF's Vengeances from combat. Odgers judged that a key reason behind the decision was the poor performance of the Vengeance compared to other available aircraft in the region. USAAF units equipped with superior types were arriving in New Guinea during early 1944, and Kenney wanted to free up scarce space at forward airfields so that he could launch attacks on the important Japanese bases at
No. 77 Wing's three dive bomber squadrons returned to Australia during March 1944 to be re-equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. The RAAF had previously intended to establish new squadrons to introduce the Liberator into service, and the availability of the Vengeance-equipped units simplified this process.[63] All of the squadrons' dive bombers departed Nadzab on 13 March, and their ground crews followed soon afterwards.[64] No. 21 Squadron was transferred to Camden, New South Wales, No. 23 Squadron to Higgins Field in Cape York where it operated as an army-cooperation unit as part of No. 75 Wing, and No. 24 Squadron to Lowood. All three units ceased flying Vengeances shortly afterwards.[65][66][67] No. 4 OTU was also disbanded on 30 April 1944.[26] No. 12 Squadron remained at Merauke until July 1944, when it was withdrawn to Strathpine, Queensland, and handed in its Vengeances ahead of also receiving Liberators.[18]
No. 25 Squadron was the final RAAF combat unit to operate Vengeances, which it used to conduct anti-submarine patrols and army-cooperation tasks from Pearce.[20] During the Western Australian emergency of March 1944, the squadron was held at readiness to launch dive-bombing attacks on the Japanese ships that were feared to be approaching the Perth region. This provided to be a false alarm, and the unit soon resumed its normal duties.[68] In January 1945, No. 25 Squadron began converting to the Liberator.[20]
The RAAF used Vengeance aircraft for a variety of tasks following their withdrawal from combat roles. The type was operated by Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
The type was withdrawn from service in 1946; as of June that year the RAAF had 235 Vengeances on hand, but only required two.[12][72] The aircraft were disposed of over the next six years, most being sold for scrap.[12][73] Twelve Vengeance airframes were transferred to the Royal Australian Navy between 1948 and 1951 to be used for ground handling and fire-fighting training.[69] Only a single complete RAAF Vengeance, the former A27-99, was preserved. As of 2021, this aircraft was held by the Camden Museum of Aviation in the outskirts of Sydney and was the only remaining complete Vengeance worldwide.[74][75] This museum has not been open to the public since 2008.[76] Most parts of the airframe of the former A27-247 were also held by the Aviation Heritage Museum in Perth as at 1986.[77]
Assessment
The RAAF's acquisition and use of the Vultee Vengeance remains controversial. The Air Power Development Centre judged that the type's service was not "conspicuously good or bad", and Stewart Wilson described it as having a "somewhat indifferent career".[1][12] Historian Peter C. Smith has argued that the decision to withdraw the Vengeances from combat was mistaken, as the Royal New Zealand Air Force and United States Marine Corps successfully used dive bombers for close air support tasks in the South West Pacific until the end of the war and the RAAF could have built on No. 77 Wing's "great but limited achievement".[78] Similarly, Michael Nelmes has written that No. 77 Wing's dive-bombing operations were successful.[79] In contrast, American historian Eric Bergerud has written that by selling Australia Vengeances, the US Government "unloaded junk".[13] In his memoirs, Jones described the type as "a hopeless failure".[17] Australian historian Chris Clark has noted that one of the reasons the RAAF was excluded from major campaigns during the last years of the Pacific War was that many of its units were equipped with inferior aircraft such as the Vengeance.[80]
The Australian Government and RAAF were embarrassed by the rapid withdrawal from service of aircraft that had been acquired at considerable cost. However, their crews generally acknowledged the Vengeance's shortcomings and accepted the decision.[81][82] Evatt also came to regret the deal he struck which led to the acquisition of the Vengeance, and jokingly told Jones at a War Cabinet meeting to not "mention the bloody Vultees or I'll break your wrist".[83] The Air Power Development Centre's analysis of the Vengeance's RAAF career concluded that the type had been unsuited to the service's requirements, and "demonstrates the need to align force structure, doctrine and equipment".[46]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Air Power Development Centre 2008, p. 1.
- ^ a b c Donald 2000, p. 250.
- ^ a b Wilson 1998, p. 166.
- ^ a b Smith 1986, p. 54.
- ^ Australian Government 1942, p. 150.
- ^ Butler & Hagedorn 2004, p. 161.
- ^ Australian Government 1942, p. 1.
- ^ a b c "A27 Vultee Vengeance". RAAF Museum Point Cook. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ Gillison 1962, p. 268.
- ^ Hasluck 1970, p. 16.
- ^ Gillison 1962, p. 484.
- ^ a b c d e Wilson 1994, p. 211.
- ^ a b Bergerud 2000, p. 302.
- ^ Smith 1986, p. 90.
- ^ Smith 1986, p. 127.
- ^ Smith 1986, pp. 126, 149.
- ^ a b Horner 1982, p. 262.
- ^ a b c Eather 1995, p. 48.
- ^ Eather 1995, p. 55.
- ^ a b c Eather 1995, p. 63.
- ^ Smith 1987, p. 70.
- ^ a b Eather 1995, p. 62.
- ^ Eather 1995, p. 60.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 152.
- ^ RAAF Historical Section 1995a, p. 62.
- ^ a b RAAF Historical Section 1995a, p. 70.
- ^ a b Wilson 1994, p. 85.
- ^ Stephens 2006, p. 150.
- ^ Budiansky 2004, p. 296.
- ^ a b Odgers 1968, pp. 197–198.
- ^ Watson 1948, p. 478.
- ^ Huston 1950, p. 173.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 58–59.
- ^ Eather 1995, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 114–116.
- ^ a b Odgers 1968, p. 80.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 81.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 82.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 85–87.
- ^ Smith 1987, pp. 58–59.
- ^ a b Odgers 1968, p. 190.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 128.
- ^ a b Odgers 1968, p. 183.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 186.
- ^ a b c d Odgers 1968, p. 192.
- ^ a b c Air Power Development Centre 2008, p. 2.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 188.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 188–189.
- ^ a b Johnston 2011, p. 341.
- ^ Smith 1987, pp. 60–61.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 189.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 190–191.
- ^ Smith 1987, p. 63.
- ^ Smith 1987, p. 64.
- ^ Smith 1987, p. 65.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 192–193.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 193.
- ^ a b Odgers 1968, p. 195.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 196.
- ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 196–197.
- ^ Smith 1987, p. 68.
- ^ a b Odgers 1968, p. 198.
- ^ Nelmes 1994, p. 37.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 200.
- ^ Eather 1995, pp. 56, 60–62.
- ^ RAAF Historical Section 1995, p. 71.
- ^ Royal Australian Air Force 1945, pp. 706, 709.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 138.
- ^ a b c Smith 1986, p. 164.
- ^ "1 Australian Field Experimental Station". Queensland World War II Historic Places. Queensland Government. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018.
- ^ Smith 1986, pp. 166–167.
- ^ Stephens 1995, p. 13.
- ^ Smith 1986, p. 168.
- ^ Smith 1986, pp. 167, 171–172.
- ^ Air Force History Branch 2021, p. 146.
- ^ "Camden Museum of Aviation". Camden Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Smith 1986, p. 167.
- ^ Smith 1987, pp. 70–71.
- ^ Nelmes 1994, p. 82.
- ^ Clark 2009, p. 14.
- ^ Odgers 1968, p. 197.
- ^ Johnston 2011, p. 344.
- ^ Horner 1994, p. 68.
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- Australian Government (1942). "War Section. Brewster, Bermuda. & Vultee Vengeance Aircraft. Part I." RecordSearch. National Archives of Australia.
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- ISBN 0868610763.
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- ISBN 978-1-74175-901-3.
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- OCLC 1990609.
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