:No. 91 Wing RAAF

When the Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950, No. 77 (Fighter) Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was based at Iwakuni, Japan. For the previous four years, equipped mainly with North American P-51 Mustangs, it had served with the British Commonwealth Air Group, the air component of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), initially as part of No. 81 Wing RAAF. No. 81 Wing was disbanded in November 1948, leaving No. 77 Squadron as Australia's sole air unit in Japan. It was now the largest squadron in the RAAF, comprising 299 officers and men, forty Mustangs, three CAC Wirraways, two Douglas C-47 Dakotas and two Austers. The squadron was preparing to return to Australia when it was placed on standby for action over Korea; it began flying missions as part of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force a week later.Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 210, 222–225 No. 77 Squadron's commanding officer, Wing Commander Lou Spence, was killed in action on 9 September 1950, and Air Commodore Alan Charlesworth, Chief of Staff at BCOF, temporarily took charge at Iwakuni, pending the formation of an overarching organisation for support and administration at the base. Squadron Leader Dick Cresswell arrived on 17 September to assume command of No. 77 Squadron.Stephens, Going Solo, p. 227O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, pp. 314–315

Following the landing at Inchon and the northward advance of UN troops, No. 77 Squadron relocated to Pohang, South Korea, on 12 October 1950.Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 231–232 It left its main support elements at Iwakuni.Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 99 No. 91 (Composite) Wing was established at the base on 20 October.Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 228–229 The term "composite" referred to an RAAF formation made up of disparate operational elements, rather than one comprising a single type such as bombers or fighters.Helson, The Private Air Marshal, pp. 224, 338 Commanded by Group Captain A.D. (Dallas) Charlton, No. 91 Wing was given administrative responsibility for all RAAF units operating during the Korean War.{{cite web|url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=404|title=No 91 (Composite) Wing formed in Japan|publisher=Air Power Development Centre|access-date=18 October 2014}} As well as No. 77 Squadron, this included the newly formed No. 391 (Base) Squadron and No. 491 (Maintenance) Squadron, and No. 30 Communications Flight, formerly the No. 77 Squadron Communications Flight and initially comprising its two Dakotas and two Austers.Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, p. 170 Apart from No. 77 Squadron, the wing's units were all headquartered at Iwakuni. Some members of the US Far East Air Forces command favoured the establishment of a British Commonwealth Wing, to include No. 77 Squadron and the Mustang-equipped No. 2 Squadron of the South African Air Force, then en route to Korea, but the South African government vetoed the idea.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 315

File:No. 77 Squadron Meteors in flight 1952 (AWM JK0242 cropped).jpg

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.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 303Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 82 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.Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 228, 231 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.Odgers, Mr Double Seven, pp. 105, 147 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.Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 73, 79Odgers, Mr Double Seven, p. 110

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.Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 229–231 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.Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 234–238 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.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, pp. 408–409 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. The squadron's loss rate by the end of the year was one in four killed or captured.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 370

File:No. 36 Squadron Korea 1953 (AWM JK0840).jpg, South Korea, August 1953.]]

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. Flight Lieutenant J.C. Smith, No. 91 Wing's armament officer, played a key role in developing "Flaming Onion", napalm-tipped air-to-ground rockets that were used in several operations in 1952 and 1953.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 375 No. 77 Squadron remained in Korea on garrison duty—initially at Kimpo, later at Kunsan—following the armistice in July 1953.Stephens, Going Solo, p. 242 It had lost forty-one pilots killed during the war.Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 240Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 207 A further seven pilots became prisoners of war.RAAF Historical Section, Fighter Units, p. 59Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 228 Aircraft losses totalled almost sixty, including over forty Meteors, mostly to ground fire.Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 230–232 The squadron flew 18,872 sorties, including 3,872 in Mustangs and 15,000 in Meteors.Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 224 It was credited with shooting down five MiG-15s and destroying 3,700 buildings, 1,408 vehicles, ninety-eight locomotives and carriages, and sixteen bridges.Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 231

No. 30 Communications Flight included Robertson's personal Dakota, operating under his direction. The unit's complement of two Dakotas and two Austers was soon augmented by two more Dakotas from Australia.Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 163–164 On 1 November 1950, No. 30 Communications Flight was renamed No. 30 Communications Unit.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 150 The same month, it received another four Dakotas from No. 38 Squadron, of No. 90 (Composite) Wing in Malaya, giving it a strength of eight Dakotas and two Austers.Stephens, Going Solo, p. 247 The unit supported all Australian forces in Korea. One of its key functions was medical evacuation, but it was also responsible for supply drops, search and rescue, reconnaissance, and mail delivery, as well as transporting cargo, troops, and VIPs. Unlike No. 77 Squadron, it was not tasked by Fifth Air Force but instead operated under Australian control, which was exercised through BCOF headquarters in Japan. No. 30 Communications Unit was re-formed as No. 30 Transport Unit on 5 November 1951, and as No. 36 (Transport) Squadron on 10 March 1953.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 152Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 169 During the war it transported around 100,000 passengers and over 6,000 tons of cargo. No. 91 Wing's records listed 12,762 medical evacuations from Korea to Japan, and over 2,000 from Japan to Australia or Britain.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, pp. 583–584 The transportation unit lost an Auster and a Wirraway to crashes, resulting in four deaths.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 151

File:No. 491 Sqn RAAF mechanics (AWM JK0999 cropped).JPG

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.O'Brien, Always There, p. 58 RAAF base squadrons were responsible for administrative, logistical, medical, communications and security functions.O'Brien, Always There, pp. 53–54Stephens, Going Solo, p. 71 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. 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.O'Brien, Always There, p. 59 Along with its RAAF responsibilities, No. 391 Squadron supported Australian Army and other UN personnel travelling through Iwakuni.O'Brien, Always There, p. 60 It ran No. 91 Wing's "Transit Hotel", which accommodated business people and entertainers, as well as military personnel.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78896684 |title=World's most unusual hotel |newspaper=Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser |date=18 September 1953 |access-date=22 October 2014 |page=11|via=National Library of Australia }} 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.O'Brien, Always There, p. 61

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.RAAF Historical Section, Maintenance Units, pp. 72–73 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.Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 124–125{{cite web|url=http://korean-war.commemoration.gov.au/support-base-in-japan/royal-australian-air-force-in-japan.php#no491-squadron|title=The RAAF in Japan|work=Australia's involvement in the Korean War|publisher=Department of Veterans' Affairs|access-date=22 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621135351/http://korean-war.commemoration.gov.au/support-base-in-japan/royal-australian-air-force-in-japan.php#no491-squadron|archive-date=21 June 2017|url-status=dead}} 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.Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 100 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.

File:Group Captain Chapman 91 Wing RAAF (AWM JK0871).JPG

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.O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 592 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.{{cite web|url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=74|title=77 Squadron home after 11 years away|publisher=Air Power Development Centre|access-date=22 October 2013}} No. 491 Squadron disbanded at Iwakuni on 13 December 1954. 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.RAAF Transport Flight (Japan), Unit History Sheet, 14 March 1955RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 58, 185 No. 391 Squadron and No. 91 Wing headquarters were disbanded at Iwakuni on 30 April 1955. 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.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 185

No. 91 Wing was commanded by the following officers:{{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U52119/|title=No. 91 (Composite) Wing|publisher=Australian War Memorial|access-date=18 June 2016}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=Eather| first=Steve| year=1996| title=Odd Jobs: RAAF Operations in Japan, the Berlin Airlift, Korea, Malaya and Malta, 1946–1960 |location=RAAF Williams, Victoria| publisher=RAAF Museum |url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publications/Details/237/Odd-Jobs---RAAF-Operations-in-Japan-The-Berlin-Airlift-Korea-Malaya-and-Malta-1946-1970.aspx|isbn=978-0-642-23482-7}}
• {{cite book | last = Helson | first = Peter | title = The Private Air Marshal | publisher = Air Power Development Centre | location=Canberra|year = 2010 | url = http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publications/Details/425/The-Private-Air-Marshal.aspx|isbn=978-1-920800-50-5}}

• {{cite book|last=Hurst|first=Doug|title=The Forgotten Few: 77 RAAF Squadron in Korea|year=2008|publisher=Allen & Unwin|location=Crows Nest, New South Wales|isbn=978-1-74175-500-8}}
• {{cite book|last=O'Brien|first=Graham|title=Always There: A History of Air Force Combat Support|year=2009|publisher=Air Power Development Centre|location=Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory|isbn=978-1-920800-45-1 |url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/admin/productfiles/publication/materials/390/always%20there1.pdf}}
• {{cite book|last=Odgers|first=George|author-link=George Odgers|title=Mr Double Seven: A Biography of Wing Commander Dick Cresswell, DFC|year=2008|publisher=Air Power Development Centre|location=Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory|isbn=978-1-920800-30-7 |url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publications/Details/228/Mr-Double-Seven.aspx}}
• {{cite book|last=O'Neill|first=Robert|author-link=Robert O'Neill (historian)|year=1985|title= Australia in the Korean War 1950–53. Volume 2: Combat Operations|location=Canberra|publisher=Australian War Memorial & Australian Government Publishing Service|isbn=978-0-642-04330-6|title-link=Australia in the Korean War 1950–53}}
• {{cite book|last=RAAF Historical Section|title=Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 2: Fighter Units|publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service|location=Canberra|year=1995|isbn=978-0-644-42794-4}}
• {{cite book|author=RAAF Historical Section|year=1995|title=Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 4: Maritime and Transport Units|location=Canberra| publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service|isbn=978-0-644-42796-8}}
• {{cite book|author=RAAF Historical Section|year=1995|title=Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 7: Maintenance Units|location=Canberra| publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service|isbn=978-0-644-42800-2}}
• {{cite book|author=RAAF Transport Flight (Japan)|title =Unit History Sheet (Form A50)| publisher=Australian War Memorial|date=1955–56}}
• {{cite book|last=Stephens| first=Alan| year=1995| title=Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946–1971|location=Canberra|publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service|url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publications/Details/214/Going-Solo-The-Royal-Australian-Air-Force-19461971.aspx|isbn=978-0-644-42803-3}}
• {{cite book|last=Stephens| first=Alan|orig-year=2001|year=2006| title=The Royal Australian Air Force: A History| location=London| publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-555541-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Wilson| first=David|year=2005| title=The Brotherhood of Airmen| location=Crows Nest, New South Wales| publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=978-1-74114-333-1}}

{{Military units and formations of the Royal Australian Air Force}}

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Category:Military aviation units and formations of the Korean War

Category:Military units and formations established in 1950

Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1955