Alan Rawlinson | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Flight Lieutenant Rawlinson in Palestine, June 1941 | |
| Born | 31 July 1918 Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Died | 27 August 2007(2007-08-27) (aged 89) Naracoorte, South Australia |
| Allegiance | Australia United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force (1938–46) Royal Air Force (1947–61) |
| Service years | 1938–61 |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Unit | No. 3 Squadron RAAF (1939–41) No. 2 OTU RAAF (1942) RAF Odiham Wing (1949–52) |
| Commands | No. 79 Squadron RAAF (1943) Paratroop Training Unit RAAF (1944–45) No. 78 Wing RAAF (1945–46) No. 54 Squadron RAF (1949) RAF Guided Weapons Trials Unit (1953–58) RAF Buchan (1960–61) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross &Bar Air Force Cross |
Alan Charles Rawlinson,OBE, DFC &Bar, AFC (31 July 1918 – 27 August 2007) was an Australian airman who became afighter ace in World War II. He was credited with at least eight aerial victories, as well as two aircraft probably destroyed, and another eight damaged.
Born inFremantle, Western Australia, Rawlinson joined theRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1938. He was posted to theMiddle East in July 1940 and saw action withNo. 3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, flyingGloster Gladiator andGauntlet biplanes initially, and laterHawker Hurricanes andP-40 Tomahawks. Twice credited with shooting down three enemy aircraft in a singlesortie, he was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in October 1941 and took command of No. 3 Squadron the next month. He received abar to his DFC in December 1941, and returned to Australia in March 1942. In May the following year, Rawlinson was posted to theSouth West Pacific as the inaugural commanding officer ofNo. 79 Squadron, flyingSupermarine Spitfires inNew Guinea. After serving as commanding officer of the RAAF'sParatroop Training Unit atRichmond, New South Wales, between April 1944 and May 1945, he returned to the Pacific to commandNo. 78 (Fighter) Wing, which operated P-40 Kittyhawks inBorneo. Promoted to actinggroup captain in July 1945, he held command of No. 78 Wing until his discharge from the RAAF in December 1946.
Rawlinson was commissioned into theRoyal Air Force (RAF) in March 1947. He flewde Havilland Vampire jet fighters as commanding officer ofNo. 54 Squadron in 1949, and then as commander of flying operations atRAF Odiham from 1949 to 1952. He was awarded theAir Force Cross in June 1952. Between 1953 and 1958 he was in charge of the RAF's Guided Weapons Trials Unit in the UK and Australia. Appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire in June 1958, he commandedRAF Buchan in 1960–61 before retiring from the military to live inSouth Australia.
Alan Charles Rawlinson was born on 31 July 1918 inFremantle, Western Australia.[1] He was the son of Arthur Rawlinson, who played forEast Fremantle in theWest Australian Football League. The Rawlinson family was among the earliest residents ofBeaconsfield, and gave its name to a street inO'Connor.[2][3] Moving toMelbourne when he was eight years old, Alan was educated atGeelong Road State School inFootscray and atWilliamstown High School, representing both schools infootball, swimming and athletics.[2][4] Before leaving high school with hisIntermediate Certificate, he joined the East MelbourneHarriers' Club, becoming its 1935–36 season champion.[4][5]
Rawlinson was living in the Melbourne suburb ofIvanhoe and had been working as aclerk for two-and-a-half years when he joined theRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 19 July 1938.[1][5] He underwent flying instruction as an air cadet atNo. 1 Flying Training School,Point Cook, and was granted a short-service commission as apilot officer on probation from 22 June 1939.[6][7] On 7 July he was posted toNo. 3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, which operatedHawker Demon biplane fighters out ofRAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales.[8][9] He spent much of the remainder of the year learning instrument flying on theLink Trainer, and undertaking a parachute training course.[6][10]
In April 1940, the RAAF confirmed Rawlinson's appointment as a pilot officer and his promotion to temporaryflying officer backdated to 22 November 1939.[6][11] He was posted in July 1940 to theMiddle East with No. 3 Squadron, which was to support the6th Division in theWestern Desert campaign againstItalian forces. Sailing viaBombay, the squadron arrived inSuez, Egypt, on 23 August 1940.[1][12] The next month it was equipped with aflight ofWestland Lysander high-wing monoplane reconnaissance aircraft and two flights ofGloster Gladiator biplane fighters, augmented by fourGloster Gauntlet biplanes to be used for dive bombing; Rawlinson initially trained on the Gauntlet.[13][14]
Rawlinson took part in No. 3 Squadron's first aerial combat on 19 November 1940. Flying a Gladiator, he was one of three pilots escorting Flight LieutenantBlake Pelly on a reconnaissance mission when they were engaged by eighteen ItalianFiat CR.42 biplanes near Rabia in western Egypt. The Australians claimed six CR.42s destroyed for the loss of one Gladiator.[15][16] Rawlinson has been variously credited with one CR.42 destroyed,[15] one probably destroyed,[17] or one damaged.[18] According to his biographer Lex McAulay, Rawlinson believed he destroyed a CR.42 in a head-on attack but did not see it crash, so his claim was downgraded to "damaged".[16] He flew Gauntlets on dive-bombing missions in December; the type was withdrawn from service mid-month.[1][19]
On 22 December 1940, as theAllies advanced along the Libyan coast toBardia, Rawlinson's rank of flying officer was madesubstantive; it was the highest permanent rank he received during the war.[20][21] Four days later, he was in a formation of eight Gladiators that attacked tenSavoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers and their escort of twenty-four CR.42s; the Australians claimed two CR.42s destroyed, and five damaged including one probably destroyed, which was credited to Rawlinson.[22][23] On 22 January 1941, Rawlinson and Flying OfficerWilfred Arthur were despatched in Gladiators to attack an Italianschooner offTobruk; they machine-gunned the vessel, setting it on fire.[24][25] Three days later, Rawlinson claimed twoFiat G.50 fighters damaged after five of the Italian monoplanes attacked five Gladiators patrolling nearMechili.[18][26] He was notified of his promotion to temporaryflight lieutenant, effective from New Year's Day, on 27 January.[26][27]
No. 3 Squadron began re-arming withHawker Hurricane fighters on 29 January 1941, and Rawlinson started his conversion on 3 February.[28][29] A week later, the squadron moved toRAF Station Benina to take over the air defence ofBenghazi, which had been occupied by the 6th Division.[30] German aircraft began appearing at this time, as theAfrika Korps and aLuftwaffe contingent under GeneralErwin Rommel arrived in North Africa to reinforce the Italians; the Germans launched their offensive in March, and Benina was evacuated on 3 April.[31][32] The same day, Rawlinson was credited with shooting down three GermanJunkers Ju 87Stuka dive bombers, and damaging another, during a single sortie in his Hurricane.[1][33]
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As the Allies retreated, No. 3 Squadron transferred toLydda inPalestine, and began re-equipping withP-40 Tomahawks on 14 May.[31][34] Rawlinson was appointed aflight commander the same month.[35] He became anace during theSyria–Lebanon campaign against theVichy French in June–July 1941. On 28 June, he was leading a patrol of nine Tomahawks nearPalmyra that came upon six FrenchMartin 167 bombers, and shot down all six; Rawlinson was credited with three victories, raising his total to six.[18][36] The squadron remained in Syria following thearmistice with the French on 14 July. Rawlinson was allocated a new Tomahawk, nicknamedSweet FA, which he shared with another No. 3 Squadron ace,Peter Turnbull.[37] On 22 August, Rawlinson was practising aerobatics inSweet FA when the righttailplane detached, damaging the tailfin in the process; he could only control the aircraft by flying at 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) but was able to bring it in for a landing, withoutflaps, at the higher-than-normal speed.[37][38]
No. 3 Squadron transferred toSidi Haneish in Egypt on 3 September 1941, to resume operations in the Western Desert.[39] On 10 October, Rawlinson was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for leading his flight with "determination and daring, pressing home attacks at close range"; the citation noted his six confirmed aerial victories in 121 sorties.[40][41] He was posted as an instructor toNo. 71 Operational Training Unit inthe Sudan on 19 October, ostensibly for a rest from operations, but was soon recalled to take over leadership of No. 3 Squadron fromPeter Jeffrey, who had been promoted towing commander.[18][42] Rawlinson was promoted actingsquadron leader on 9 November, and assumed command the next day.[11][35]
On 22 November 1941, duringOperation Crusader, Rawlinson led No. 3 Squadron on a bomber escort mission nearBir el Gubi inItalian Libya in the morning, and a fighter sweep south-east ofEl Adem in the afternoon.[43][44] GermanMesserschmitt Bf 109 fighters shot down three Tomahawks for the loss of two of their own in the first action, Rawlinson claiming a 109 damaged. In the second action, a drawn-out battle forair superiority, the squadron lost six Tomahawks against three 109s destroyed, one of which was claimed by Rawlinson along with one probable and two damaged.[18][43] He had also taken a shot at a distant 109 and, believing he had missed it, did not claim. After the war it was established that Rawlinson's bullets had damaged the 109 and wounded its pilot,Ernst Düllberg, who made a forced landing back at base.[18][44] Rawlinson was credited with his final victory on 30 November, when he downed an ItalianMacchi C.200 in an engagement that saw No. 3 Squadron's tally of claims rise to 106 aircraft destroyed.[45][46]
Rawlinson handed over command of No. 3 Squadron on 12 December 1941. After a brief posting toRAF Headquarters Middle East, he took command of the RAF Air Firing and Fighting School on 26 December.[47] The same day, he was awarded abar to his DFC, for having "fostered great keenness and a fine fighting spirit amongst pilots of his squadron".[48] He reverted to the rank of flight lieutenant on 12 February 1942, as he no longer held a squadron leader's position, and returned to Australia.[11][47] Rawlinson is generally credited with a total of eight victories in the Middle East, plus two probables and eight damaged (not counting Düllberg),[1][18][49][50] though the RAAF Historical Section gives him a score of ten victories.[51][52]
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Arriving in Melbourne on 28 March 1942, Rawlinson was re-raised to temporary squadron leader on 1 April and took charge of the newly formedNo. 2 Operational Training Unit (No. 2 OTU) on 13 April.[53][54] Peter Jeffrey assumed command two weeks later, Rawlinson becoming chief flying instructor.[54] Other instructors at the school included desert acesClive Caldwell and Wilf Arthur.[55] Rawlinson and Jeffrey had been dissatisfied with the flying standards of replacement pilots in the Middle East, and all the veterans were eager to get trainees "operational" before they posted to frontline units. Initially based atPort Pirie, South Australia, No. 2 OTU relocated toMildura, Victoria, on 14 May and shortly afterwards began receiving P-40 Kittyhawks.[54] In June 1942, Rawlinson, Arthur and aUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilot conducted comparative trials pitting the newCAC Boomerang against a Kittyhawk and aBell Airacobra, reporting favourably on the Boomerang's handling characteristics.[55]
On 21 September 1942, Rawlinson was posted to RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne, as an assistant at the office of theChief of the Air Staff.[56] There he was asked to lead the only RAAFSupermarine Spitfire squadron to be formed in Australia,No. 79 Squadron.[57] Rawlinson married Thora Doreen Buckland, aWomen's Auxiliary Australian Air Force officer, on 3 April 1943.[5]
No. 79 Squadron was formed on 26 April 1943 atLaverton, Victoria.[57] It received its firstSpitfire VCs on 3 May, and a fortnight later began moving toGoodenough Island, off New Guinea's east coast.[58][59] Along with two Kittyhawk units,Nos. 76 and77 Squadrons, No. 79 Squadron came under control ofNo. 73 Wing, which was part ofNo. 9 Operational Group, the RAAF's main mobile formation in theSouth West Pacific.[60][61] The Spitfires were to provide top cover for the Kittyhawks in theNew Guinea campaign against Japanese forces.[58][62] Rawlinson picked the squadron code letters UP, and his own aircraft's identifier U, to spell UP-U ("up you") on his Spitfire's fuselage.[63] After a quiet spell at Goodenough, in August the squadron moved toKiriwina, the closest Allied airfield to the major Japanese base atRabaul. This promised enemy raids but none occurred during the first weeks of the squadron's deployment, and the pilots saw no combat while patrolling in support of USAAF attacks on Rabaul; Rawlinson commented that it was "a disappointment to us. What a letdown." The Japanese began attacking Kiriwina in early October, and No. 79 Squadron claimed its first victory on 31 October, when one of the Spitfires shot down aKawasaki Ki-61 "Tony" fighter north of the airfield.[58]
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Having been promoted to temporary wing commander on 1 August 1943, Rawlinson handed over command of No. 79 Squadron on 7 November and was appointedwing leader of No. 73 Wing, headquartered at Kiriwina.[10][57] The wing leader was responsible for tactical command of the formation in the air.[64] Minimal offensive air activity by the Japanese meant that No. 79 Squadron's Spitfires saw relatively little action; the wing's Kittyhawks, with their ground-attack capability, were heavily engaged. On 15 December, the day of theAllied landings at Arawe, No. 76 Squadron Kittyhawks patrolled above the beaches while the Spitfires remained at Kiriwina in case of strikes by Japanese raiders, though none came.[65]
Rawlinson returned to Australia to undertake the War Staff Course at the RAAF Staff School inMount Martha, Victoria, from 4 January to 24 March 1944.[66] His health had suffered as a result of his service in the Pacific and he was judged unfit for operational flying.[67] His next posting was as commanding officer of the RAAF'sParatroop Training Unit, based at Richmond, from 1 April 1944 to 23 April 1945; the school was responsible for trainingAustralian Army personnel, including the1st Parachute Battalion andZ Special Forces.[18][68] Rawlinson's assessing officer at Richmond considered him "particularly keen and adaptable", having performed well despite the challenges of his "unique appointment".[67]
After a brief posting as Director of Air Staff Policy at RAAF Headquarters, Rawlinson succeeded Wilf Arthur as commander ofNo. 78 (Fighter) Wing atTarakan, Borneo, on 25 May 1945.[69][70] The wing came under the control of theFirst Tactical Air Force, which had taken over No. 9 Group's mobile role and was supporting Australian forces during theBorneo campaign.[61][71] No. 78 Wing's complement includedNos. 75,78 and80 Squadrons, operating Kittyhawks, and several ancillary units.[72][73] In June and July, the wing took part in theassaults on Labuan andBalikpapan, undertaking convoy escort in the former and, joined by Spitfires ofNo. 452 Squadron, ground-attack missions in support of the7th Division in the latter.[74][75] Rawlinson was raised to actinggroup captain on 24 July.[69] At the end of the war, No. 78 Wing departed Tarakan for Australia, arriving atRAAF Station Deniliquin, New South Wales, in December 1945.[76] It relocated in May–June toRAAF Station Schofields, and then in August toRAAF Station Williamtown, where it re-equipped withP-51 Mustangs.[77]
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Rawlinson retained command of No. 78 Wing until his commission was terminated on 19 December 1946.[35][78] "The peace-time RAAF was not to his liking", according to McAulay,[79] and on 21 March 1947, Rawlinson took a commission in Britain with theRoyal Air Force (RAF) as a substantive squadron leader (seniority from 1 June 1944) and temporary wing commander (seniority from 1 August 1943 until 1 November 1947).[80] His initial posting was atHeadquarters Fighter Command (HQFC).[79] Between June and October 1949 he was commanding officer ofNo. 54 Squadron, which operatedde Havilland Vampire jet fighters atRAF Odiham inHampshire.[81] He then served aswing commander (flying) for the Odiham Wing, comprising three Vampire units including Nos. 54,72 (replaced byNo. 421 Squadron RCAF in January 1951) and247 Squadrons, until May 1952.[82][83] Recalling training forCold War operations, he said: "The introduction of jet fighters meant, roughly, that speeds were doubled and endurances halved. Precision was the name of the game. [...] The aim was to achieve, as close as possible, the maximum effort with day operations in all-weather conditions against the nuclear threat". Reduced flying hours owing to "budgetary limitations" meant that "as much as possible of the HQFC syllabus was crammed into each sortie".[81]
On 26 May 1951, Rawlinson led the Odiham Wing and three formations ofGloster Meteors in a flypast overHyde Park, London, to mark the presentation of theKing's Colour to the RAF.[81] He was awarded theAir Force Cross on 5 June 1952, and promoted to substantive wing commander on 1 July.[84][85] Rawlinson's next command posting wasRAF Filton inBristol, where he controlled a Vampire wing consisting of twoRoyal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons,No. 501 (City of Gloucester) at Filton andNo. 614 (County of Glamorgan) atRAF Llandow in Wales.[18][86] In late 1953 he became the inaugural commanding officer of the RAF Guided Weapons Trials Unit, responsible for testingbeam-riding missiles for theMeteor NF.11; his duties took him from Wales toWoomera inSouth Australia, where he flew test aircraft in attacks againsttarget drones including unmannedFairey Fireflies and theGAF Jindivik.[18][87] Rawlinson's next posting, to commandRAF Patrington inYorkshire, was announced on 3 February 1958.[18][88] He was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire in theQueen's Birthday Honours promulgated on 12 June.[89] On 22 February 1960, he was raised to acting group captain and placed in charge ofRAF Buchan, a Fighter Command sector station in Scotland.[18][90]
At his own request, Rawlinson was discharged from the RAF as a group captain on 13 November 1961, and retired to South Australia.[18][91] By 2003, he was living inNaracoorte, where in October he was visited by No. 79 Squadron's commanding officer, Wing Commander Peter Campbell, as part of the unit's sixtieth anniversary celebrations. Two of the squadron'sHawk 127 fighter trainers later overflew the town in Rawlinson's honour.[92] Rawlinson died in Naracoorte on 27 August 2007, aged eighty-nine. He was survived by his wife and two sons, and cremated in a private ceremony.[93] His portrait, painted in 1944 by Flight Lieutenant Vernon Jones, is held by theState Library of Victoria.[94]
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