Australian First Tactical Air Force
Australian First Tactical Air Force | |
---|---|
Active | 1944–46 |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
Role | Fighter; ground attack |
Size | Three–five combat wings |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Harry Cobby (1944–45) Frederick Scherger (1945) Charles Read (1945–46) |
Aircraft flown | |
Attack | Beaufighter |
Bomber | B-24 Liberator |
Fighter | P-40 Kittyhawk; Spitfire |
The Australian First Tactical Air Force (No. 1 TAF) was formed on 25 October 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Its purpose was to provide a mobile force of fighter and ground attack aircraft that could support Allied army and naval units fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area. One of several Allied tactical air forces formed during World War II, it evolved from the RAAF's No. 10 Operational Group, established a year earlier. Following action in the assaults on Aitape and Noemfoor, the group was renamed the First Tactical Air Force to better reflect its size and role. It was beset with morale and leadership issues in early 1945, but recovered to take part in the battles of Tarakan, North Borneo, and Balikpapan. Reaching its peak strength of over 25,000 personnel in July 1945, No. 1 TAF's squadrons operated such aircraft as the P-40 Kittyhawk, Supermarine Spitfire, Bristol Beaufighter, and B-24 Liberator. The formation remained active following the end of hostilities in the Pacific until it was disbanded on 24 July 1946.
History
No. 10 Operational Group
No. 1 TAF was formed as No. 10 Operational Group (No. 10 OG) on 13 November 1943,[1] under the command of Group Captain Frederick Scherger.[2] The group consisted of No. 77 Wing, operating A-31 Vengeance dive bombers, and No. 78 Wing, operating P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, as well as various ancillary units.[3] It was to act as a mobile strike force capable of supporting Allied ground and naval units as they advanced against the Japanese in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), as distinct from the RAAF's area commands then based in Northern Australia, which had a static, geographical defence function. No. 10 OG took over the mobile role originally undertaken by No. 9 Operational Group, which by 1944 had itself evolved into a static garrison force in New Guinea and been renamed Northern Command to reflect its new purpose.[1][4]
After establishing headquarters at
First Tactical Air Force
No. 10 OG's name was changed to First Tactical Air Force (No. 1 TAF) on 25 October 1944, ostensibly to emphasise "the formation's impressive size and ambitious purpose".
Frustration was especially evident among highly experienced pilots, such as Australia's top-scoring
During July 1945, when the final Allied offensive of the
Order of battle
Upon its establishment on 25 October 1944, No. 1 TAF consisted of:[9]
- Headquarters No. 1 Tactical Air Force
- No. 77 (Attack) Wing
- Beaufighter)
- No. 30 Squadron (Beaufighter)
- No. 78 (Fighter) Wing
- P-40 Kittyhawk)
- No. 78 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk)
- No. 80 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk)
- No. 81 (Fighter) Wing
- No. 76 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk)
- No. 77 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk)
- No. 82 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk)
- No. 61 (Airfield Construction) Wing
- No. 3 Airfield Construction Squadron
- No. 14 Airfield Construction Squadron
- No. 62 (Airfield Construction) Wing
- No. 4 Airfield Construction Squadron
- No. 5 Airfield Construction Squadron
- No. 77 (Attack) Wing
The following units joined No. 1 TAF shortly after it was established:
- No. 80 (Fighter) Wing
- No. 79 Squadron (Spitfire)
- No. 452 Squadron (Spitfire)
- No. 457 Squadron (Spitfire)
- No. 31 Squadron (Beaufighter) under No. 77 Wing
Notes
- ^ a b c d Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 168–170
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 206–211
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 182–183
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 182–183, 198–200
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 186–187
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 196–198
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 210–211
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 237–241
- ^ a b Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 297–299
- ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 109, 123–124
- ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 207–215
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 456–461
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 470–471
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 477–479
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 494–495
- ^ Air Power Development Centre (October 2009). "Organising for War: The RAAF Air Campaigns in the Pacific". Pathfinder (121). Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "Last RAAF men will soon leave Borneo". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 2 January 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ Australian War Memorial, Squadrons, Formations & Units, p. 32
References
- Australian War Memorial (1995). Squadrons, Formations & Units of the Royal Australian Air Force and Their Deployment. Canberra: Unpublished monograph held by the AWM Research Centre.
- Helson, Peter (2006). "Ten Years at the Top" (PDF). University of New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2008.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Odgers, George (1968) [1957]. Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume II – Air War Against Japan 1943–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
- Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
Further reading
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Canberra: ISBN 0-644-42792-2.