No. 91 Wing RAAF
No. 91 Wing RAAF | |
---|---|
Active | 1950–1955 |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
Type | Composite wing |
Headquarters | Iwakuni, Japan |
Engagements | Korean War |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | P-51 Mustang Gloster Meteor |
Transport | C-47 Dakota Auster CAC Wirraway |
No. 91 (Composite) Wing was a
No. 30 Communications Flight was re-designated No. 30 Communications Unit in November 1950, and No. 30 Transport Unit a year later, before re-forming as No. 36 (Transport) Squadron in March 1953. It undertook medical evacuation, cargo and troop transport, and courier flights. No. 77 Squadron converted to Gloster Meteor jets between April and July 1951, and operated primarily in the ground attack role from December that year. It remained in Korea on garrison duty following the July 1953 armistice, and returned to Australia in November 1954; No. 491 Squadron disbanded the same month. No. 36 Squadron returned to Australia in March 1955, leaving four aircraft to equip the newly formed RAAF Transport Flight (Japan), which briefly came under No. 91 Wing's control. The following month, No. 391 Squadron and No. 91 Wing headquarters were disbanded.
History
Origins and formation
When the
Following the
Operations
No. 77 Squadron's tasking was controlled by the United States Fifth Air Force from the time it commenced operations in Korea, and this arrangement was not affected by the formation of No. 91 Wing.[11][12] It moved forward from Pohang to Yonpo, near Hamhung, in November 1950, continuing its support of UN forces as they advanced up the peninsula. North Korea's counter-attack, augmented by Chinese forces, led to the squadron being hurriedly withdrawn to Pusan on 3 December.[13] Poor radio communications with No. 91 Wing dogged the evacuation from Yonpo, which was effected through US Air Force support supplementing the efforts of RAAF Dakotas.[14] Cresswell believed that the Iwakuni-based wing headquarters was not always in tune with frontline requirements, and he often dealt directly with Lieutenant General Sir Horace Robertson, BCOF commander and the theatre's senior Australian officer, and the RAAF's Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Frederick Scherger.[15][16]
In response to the threat of communist Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighters, No. 77 Squadron was withdrawn to Iwakuni in April 1951, to re-equip with Gloster Meteors. Four Royal Air Force officers with Meteor experience were seconded to No. 91 Wing to assist with training.[17] The squadron returned to action with its new aircraft on 29 July, operating out of Kimpo, South Korea. The Mustangs had been highly effective in close support, but No. 77 Squadron's main role in the RAAF was interception, and it was expected that with the Meteor it could again focus on fighter duties.[18] According to the official history of Australia in the Korean War, the unit proved its value diplomatically as well as operationally: having been one of the first UN squadrons to go into action, it comprised one-third of the jet fighter force in the latter part of 1951, when clashes in "MiG Alley" were at their height.[19] However, dogfights between Meteors and MiGs that August convinced the new commanding officer, Wing Commander Gordon Steege, that the Australian jets were outmatched, and Fifth Air Force agreed to take them out of an offensive air-to-air combat role in favour of escort duties and local air defence.[18] The squadron's loss rate by the end of the year was one in four killed or captured.[20]
Beginning in December 1951 under Steege's replacement, Wing Commander Ron Susans, No. 77 Squadron again took up an offensive role, namely ground attack, which constituted its primary tasking for the rest of the war.
No. 30 Communications Flight included Robertson's personal Dakota, operating under his direction.
Support
When the Korean War broke out, No. 77 Squadron was self-supporting. The added burden of combat operations made this situation untenable after the squadron went into action in Korea, leading to the formation of No. 391 (Base) Squadron at Iwakuni, at the same time as No. 91 Wing headquarters.[37] RAAF base squadrons were responsible for administrative, logistical, medical, communications and security functions.[38][39] Staffed mainly by former No. 77 Squadron members, in the first year of its existence No. 391 Squadron had to contend with severe shortages of winter clothing and equipment.[37] Further problems arose following the introduction of the Meteor, as spares for the British-made jet were harder to obtain than for the American Mustang.[40] Along with its RAAF responsibilities, No. 391 Squadron supported Australian Army and other UN personnel travelling through Iwakuni.[41] It ran No. 91 Wing's "Transit Hotel", which accommodated business people and entertainers, as well as military personnel.[42] The squadron's medical contingent was heavily engaged in the preparation and escort of injured personnel from Korea to Iwakuni and then to other destinations.[43]
No. 491 Squadron was also formed in tandem with No. 91 Wing on 20 October 1950. Headquartered at Iwakuni, it was responsible for all maintenance of the wing's aircraft except day-to-day servicing. A section was attached to No. 77 Squadron in South Korea to assist ground staff with daily maintenance.[44] Personnel from Iwakuni were regularly rotated through this section, and augmented by additional No. 491 Squadron staff as needed for repair or salvage work. The standard RAAF working days for technicians at Iwakuni contrasted with shifts of up to sixteen hours near the front line in Korea.[45][46] Korea was one of the coldest climates in which RAAF ground crews had ever worked; Squadron Leader Cresswell recalled seeing maintenance staff with tools frozen to their hands.[47] Both Nos. 391 and 491 Squadrons used Japanese technicians as well as Australian, which was unusual for the time; during the occupation of Japan following its surrender in World War II, the RAAF had only employed Japanese workers for menial tasks.[3][45]
Disbandment
No. 77 Squadron stood down at Kunsan on 7 October 1954 and flew its Meteors to Iwakuni five days later. It departed for Australia in November and became operational again at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, on 4 January 1955.[48] Its eleven-year absence from Australia, beginning in the Pacific during World War II and continuing in Japan as part of BCOF, was a record for an RAAF unit.[49] No. 491 Squadron disbanded at Iwakuni on 13 December 1954.[48] No. 36 Squadron ceased flying on 13 March 1955 and returned to Australia, leaving behind three Dakotas and a Wirraway that equipped RAAF Transport Flight (Japan), formed the following day under No. 91 Wing.[50][51] No. 391 Squadron and No. 91 Wing headquarters were disbanded at Iwakuni on 30 April 1955.[48] Transport Flight (Japan) flew a courier service to South Korea and remained operational until 8 July 1956, when its last Dakota—the last RAAF aircraft in Japan—departed Iwakuni.[52]
Commanding officers
No. 91 Wing was commanded by the following officers:[53]
Appointed | Name |
---|---|
October 1950 | Group Captain Arthur Dallas Charlton[8]
|
September 1951 | Group Captain Anthony George Carr[54] |
November 1952 | Group Captain Dixie Robison Chapman[55][56] |
February 1954 | Wing Commander Wilfred Norman Lampe[56]
|
April 1954 | Group Captain Ivan Stanley Podger[57][58] |
Notes
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 210, 222–225
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 227
- ^ a b c d O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, pp. 314–315
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 231–232
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 99
- ^ a b c d Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 228–229
- ^ Helson, The Private Air Marshal, pp. 224, 338
- ^ a b c "No 91 (Composite) Wing formed in Japan". Air Power Development Centre. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, p. 170
- ^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 315
- ^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 303
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 82
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 228, 231
- ^ Odgers, Mr Double Seven, pp. 105, 147
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 73, 79
- ^ Odgers, Mr Double Seven, p. 110
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 229–231
- ^ a b c Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 234–238
- ^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, pp. 408–409
- ^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 370
- ^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 375
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 242
- ^ a b c Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 240
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 207
- ^ a b RAAF Historical Section, Fighter Units, p. 59
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 228
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 230–232
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 224
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 231
- ^ a b c Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 163–164
- ^ a b c RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 150
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 247
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 152
- ^ a b Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 169
- ^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, pp. 583–584
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 151
- ^ a b O'Brien, Always There, p. 58
- ^ O'Brien, Always There, pp. 53–54
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 71
- ^ O'Brien, Always There, p. 59
- ^ O'Brien, Always There, p. 60
- ^ "World's most unusual hotel". Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser. 18 September 1953. p. 11. Retrieved 22 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ O'Brien, Always There, p. 61
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maintenance Units, pp. 72–73
- ^ a b Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 124–125
- ^ "The RAAF in Japan". Australia's involvement in the Korean War. Department of Veterans' Affairs. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 100
- ^ a b c O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 592
- ^ "77 Squadron home after 11 years away". Air Power Development Centre. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ RAAF Transport Flight (Japan), Unit History Sheet, 14 March 1955
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 58, 185
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 185
- ^ "No. 91 (Composite) Wing". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Air Force men get new posts". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 September 1951. p. 5. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Air command in Korea". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 November 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "New job for air officer". Brisbane Telegraph. 17 February 1954. p. 16. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Three RAAF appointments". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 April 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 10 November 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
References
- Eather, Steve (1996). Odd Jobs: RAAF Operations in Japan, the Berlin Airlift, Korea, Malaya and Malta, 1946–1960. RAAF Williams, Victoria: ISBN 978-0-642-23482-7.
- Helson, Peter (2010). The Private Air Marshal. Canberra: Air Power Development Centre. ISBN 978-1-920800-50-5.
- Hurst, Doug (2008). The Forgotten Few: 77 RAAF Squadron in Korea. Crows Nest, New South Wales: ISBN 978-1-74175-500-8.
- 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.
- ISBN 978-1-920800-30-7.
- ISBN 978-0-642-04330-6.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 2: Fighter Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 978-0-644-42794-4.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 4: Maritime and Transport Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 978-0-644-42796-8.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 7: Maintenance Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 978-0-644-42800-2.
- RAAF Transport Flight (Japan) (1955–56). Unit History Sheet (Form A50). Australian War Memorial.
- Stephens, Alan (1995). Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946–1971. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 978-0-644-42803-3.
- Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: ISBN 978-0-19-555541-7.
- Wilson, David (2005). The Brotherhood of Airmen. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74114-333-1.