Australian First Tactical Air Force

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1TAF Headquarters following the Japanese surrender. One further strike was flown after this picture was taken.
1TAF Headquarters following the Japanese surrender. One further strike was flown after this picture was taken.

The Australian First Tactical Air Force (1TAF) 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 (SWPA). It was one of several Allied tactical air forces formed during World War II. 1TAF grew to encompass more than 20 squadrons and 20,000 personnel. Its mainstay was initially the P-40 Kittyhawk although conversion to P-51D Mustangs was underway by the time the war ended.

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[edit] History

Air Commodore Cobby (left) and Group Captain Caldwell (right) pictured at Morotai in January 1945
Air Commodore Cobby (left) and Group Captain Caldwell (right) pictured at Morotai in January 1945

1TAF was established as No. 10 Operational Group (10OG) in November 1943,[1] under the command of Group Captain Frederick Scherger.[2] It took over the mobile strike role originally undertaken by No. 9 Operational Group.[3][4] Promoted Air Commodore, Scherger led 10OG in Operation Reckless, the assault on Aitape, New Guinea, in April 1944.[2] This was followed by the attack on Noemfoor, beginning in June. Scherger was injured in a jeep accident that August and replaced by Air Commodore Harry Cobby.[5] 10OG's name was changed to First Tactical Air Force two months later, ostensibly to emphasize "the formation's impressive size and ambitious purpose".[1] Its numbers were soon bolstered by RAAF squadrons returning from the Mediterranean and northern European theatres.[6]

As the conflict gradually shifted further north, 1TAF 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 in 1945. By early 1945, there was widepread dissatisfaction among the fighter squadrons of 1TAF due to its new focus on close air support duties. The underlying cause was the reluctance of the Allied Supreme Commander in the SWPA, Douglas MacArthur, to use non-American forces for the main advance towards Japan.[7]

Air Commodore Scherger (right) with Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead at 1TAF Headquarters in Labuan, August 1945
Air Commodore Scherger (right) with Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead at 1TAF Headquarters in Labuan, August 1945

Frustration was especially evident among highly-experienced pilots, such as Australia's top-scoring ace, Group Captain Clive Caldwell, who commanded 1TAF's Spitfire squadrons. This led to a series of events known as the "Morotai Mutiny" in April 1945. Officers based at Morotai in the Dutch East Indies, including Caldwell, protested the missions against what they saw as unimportant targets and tendered their resignations.[7] Cobby was blamed for the incident and was eventually dismissed, being replaced by Air Commodore Scherger, who set about restoring morale.[8] In the following months, 1TAF took part in Operation Oboe One, the Battle of Tarakan, and Operation Oboe Six, the invasion of Labuan. It reached a strength of 21,893 personnel in June 1945.[9][10] 1TAF was disbanded following the end of the Pacific War in August 1945.

[edit] Order of battle

Upon its establishment on October 25, 1944, 1TAF consisted of:[6]

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

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp.168-169
  2. ^ a b Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp.206-211
  3. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p.168
  4. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp.182-183,198-200
  5. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp.237-241
  6. ^ a b Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp.297–299
  7. ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp.109,123–124
  8. ^ Helson, "Ten Years at the Top", pp. 207–15
  9. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp.459-461
  10. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp.470-471,477

[edit] References