No. 90 Wing RAAF
No. 90 Wing RAAF | |
---|---|
Active | 1950–52 |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
Type | Composite wing |
Size | Two flying squadrons |
Headquarters | Changi, Singapore |
Engagements | Malayan Emergency |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Frank Headlam (1950–51) |
Aircraft flown | |
Bomber | Avro Lincoln |
Transport | C-47 Dakota |
No. 90 (Composite) Wing was a
History
Origins and formation
In April 1950, the British government requested Australia's assistance to combat communist insurgents during the
It was agreed that RAAF operations during the Emergency would be directed by the
Operations
No. 38 Squadron's Dakotas began arriving at Changi on 19 June 1950, and No. 1 Squadron's Lincolns at Tengah on 16 July.[2] No. 90 Wing staff departed Richmond by air and established the headquarters at Changi on 22 July.[5][6] The Dakotas had flown their first mission the previous day; the Lincolns undertook their initial operations on 26 July. Nos. 1 and 38 Squadrons were responsible for their own routine maintenance; aircraft rotated back to Australia for major work.[2] The RAF provided base support facilities, including messing and accommodation.[1][7]
The Lincolns generally conducted
The Dakotas were tasked with airlifting cargo,
No. 1 Squadron's complement was increased from six to eight aircraft after the British Air Ministry requested in February 1951 that Australia augment its bomber force to partly offset the imminent withdrawal of the RAF's Lincolns to
Disbandment
No. 38 Squadron relocated from Kuala Lumpur to its former base at Changi in February 1952.
Commanding officers
No. 90 Wing was commanded by the following officers:
Appointed | Name |
---|---|
July 1950 | Group Captain Paddy Hefferan
|
November 1950 | Group Captain Frank Headlam |
December 1951 | Group Captain Redmond Green |
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 246–247
- ^ a b c d "RAAF wing takes over a new important job". The Examiner. Launceston, Tasmania: National Library of Australia. 20 April 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ Grey, A Military History of Australia, p. 208
- ^ Helson, The Private Air Marshal, pp. 224, 338
- ^ a b c "No 90 Wing formed at Singapore". Air Power Development Centre. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 122
- ^ O'Brien, Always There, p. 64
- ^ a b c Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 247–248
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 54
- ^ "With the RAAF "Biscuit Bombers" in Malaya". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 30 November 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 46
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 224, 247
- ^ "New RAAF CO in Malaya". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 10 November 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ RAAF Headquarters – Directorate of Flying Safety (1 February 1951). "Crash landing of Dakota A65-66". pp. 1, 5–6. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ Dennis; Grey, Emergency and Confrontation, pp. 37–38
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 249
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 57
- ^ "New head for RAAF wing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 4 December 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ "With the RAAF in Malaya". The News. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 10 July 1952. p. 12. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 59–60
- ^ a b c Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 51–52
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 246
- ^ Dennis; Grey, Emergency and Confrontation, p. 33
- ^ "No 1 Squadron returned from Malaya". Air Power Development Centre. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 71
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 257–258
References
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey (1996). Emergency and Confrontation: Australian Military Operations in Malaya and Borneo 1950–1966. St Leonards, New South Wales: ISBN 1-86373-302-7.
- Eather, Steve (1996). Odd Jobs: RAAF Operations in Japan, the Berlin Airlift, Korea, Malaya and Malta, 1946–1960. RAAF Williams, Victoria: ISBN 0-642-23482-5.
- ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
- Helson, Peter (2010). The Private Air Marshal. Canberra: Air Power Development Centre. ISBN 978-1-920800-50-5.
- O'Brien, Graham (2009). Always There: A History of Air Force Combat Support (PDF). Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory: Air Power Development Centre. ISBN 978-1-920800-45-1.
- Roylance, Derek (1991). Air Base Richmond. RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales: Royal Australian Air Force. ISBN 0-646-05212-8.
- Stephens, Alan (1995). Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946–1971. Canberra: ISBN 0-644-42803-1.
- Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
External links
- No. 90 (Composite) Wing (1951–52). Weekly reports from RAAF Squadron Leader Operations – Air Headquarters Malaya, Kuala Lumpur (Report). National Archives of Australia.
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