Australian First Tactical Air Force

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The Australian First Tactical Air Force (1 TAF) was formed on October 25, 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force to provide fighter and ground attack support to Allied ground and naval forces, fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area. It was one of several Allied tactical air forces formed during World War II.

1 TAF had come into existence as No. 10 Operational Group (10 OG) and later grew to encompass more than 20 squadrons and more than 18,000 personnel. Its mainstay was initially the P-40 Kittyhawk although conversion to P-51D Mustangs was underway by the time the war ended.

Air Commodore Harry Cobby was the first commanding officer of 1 TAF. The unit was bolstered by RAAF squadrons returning from the Mediterranean and northern European theatres.

As the conflict gradually shifted further north, 1 TAF was relegated — in the absence of a Japanese air presence — to patrol, reconnaissance and some ground attack duties, including the Philippines campaign in 1944 and the Borneo campaign (1945).

By mid-1945, there was widepread dissatisfaction among the fighter squadrons of 1 ATF, at its focus on close air support duties. This was especially the case among highly-experienced pilots, such as Australia's leading air ace, Group Captain Clive Caldwell. This led to a series of events known as the "Morotai Mutiny". Officers based at Morotai in the Dutch East Indies, including Caldwell, protested the missions against "senseless unimportant ground targets" and resigned. Cobby was blamed for the incident and was eventually dismissed. Caldwell and the other officers were also disciplined. The underlying cause was the reluctance of the Allied Supreme Commander in the South West Pacific Area, Douglas MacArthur, to use non-American forces. However, it is likely that 1 TAF would have taken part in the proposed invasion of Japan, which was cancelled after the U.S. nuclear attacks on Japan.

[edit] Order of battle

Upon its establishment on October 25, 1944 1 TAF consisted of:

  • Headquarters 1 Tactical Air Force
    • No. 77 (Attack) Wing
    • No. 78 (Fighter) Wing
    • No. 81 (Fighter) Wing
    • 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

The following squadrons joined 1 TAF shortly after it was established:

  • No. 31 Squadron (Beaufighter) to No. 77 Wing
  • No. 452 Squadron (Spitfire) attached to No. 78 Wing
  • No. 457 Squadron (Spitfire) attached to No. 81 Wing

[edit] References

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