Morotai Mutiny

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

The "Morotai Mutiny" was an incident involving several senior flyers of the Australian First Tactical Air Force (1TAF) in April 1945. The pilots, including Australia's top-scoring ace, Group Captain Clive Caldwell, tendered their resignations in protest at what they saw as the relegation of RAAF fighter squadrons to strategically unimportant ground attack missions. Investigations resulted in three high-ranking officers, including the commander of 1TAF, being relieved of their posts.

[edit] Background

1TAF, commanded by Air Commodore Harry Cobby, was the main frontline unit of the RAAF in 1944–45. It came within the operational control of Lt Gen. George C. Kenney, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), Allied air commander in the South West Pacific Area under General Douglas MacArthur. Initially made up of one Beaufighter and two P-40 Kittyhawk wings, 1TAF was augmented in 1945 by No. 80 Wing, commanded by Caldwell. This force comprised three Spitfire squadrons, whose pilots included a number of veterans of the air war over Western Europe, the North African campaign and the defence of Northern Australia against Japanese air raids.

By early 1945, Japanese air power in the South West Pacific had been virtually destroyed. U.S. Army forces were concentrated on completing the recapture of the Philippines, as a stepping stone to an invasion of Japan. 1TAF was used increasingly in a close air support role, attacking Japanese bases on islands bypassed by MacArthur's forces.^[1] Chief of the Air Staff Air Vice Marshal George Jones would later contend that the RAAF, in the words of Air Force historian Alan Stephens, "was 'side-stepped' out of the final victory over Japan by Douglas MacArthur, who wanted all the glory for himself".^[2] This feeling was shared by the aviators of the United States Marine Corps, who formed the Air North Solomons command; they also believed that MacArthur's headquarters was favouring the USAAF in the assignment of combat duties.^[3]

The overall situation led to dissatisfaction and poor morale amongst 1TAF personnel based on Morotai, particularly the Spitfire pilots who had little opportunity for air-to-air combat and whose aircraft were ill-suited to ground attack missions.^[4] Group Captain Wilfred Arthur produced a "balance sheet" to demonstrate that unit losses were not justified by the damage inflicted on enemy targets, or by the relative importance of those targets.^[5] Arthur presented the balance sheet to Air Commodore Cobby, who reviewed it but did not take any action.^[6][7] Arthur then began discussing his concerns with Caldwell and a number of other senior pilots in 1TAF.

[edit] The "mutiny"

On 19 April 1945,^[1] Caldwell, Arthur and six other pilots, including two celebrated aces, Wing Commander Bobby Gibbes and Squadron Leader John Waddy,^[8] presented Cobby with identically-worded letters protesting the relegation of 1TAF to "senseless unimportant ground targets" and requesting permission to resign their commissions.^[7][9] Cobby refused to accept their resignations and contacted his immediate superior, Air Vice Marshal William Bostock, head of RAAF Command, the air force's main operational formation. Bostock interviewed the pilots and asked them to tear up the letters, without success.^[4]

Bostock signalled Jones, advising that he found morale in 1TAF to be at a "dangerously low level" and recommending that Jones fire Cobby and replace him with Air Commodore Frederick Scherger.^[4][5] Jones considered the pilots' action "absurd" due to the technicality that an officer could not legally resign during wartime, but he travelled to Morotai to investigate the matter personally. He also interviewed the pilots, later indicating that he believed they were acting honestly but out of a misguided concept of duty.^[4]

Kenney also became embroiled in the affair, insisting on speaking directly to the pilots himself, over Jones' protest that this was an RAAF disciplinary matter. Kenney tried to persuade the officers to drop the attempt to resign but again they refused. He agreed with Bostock that Cobby should be replaced by Scherger, and declared that if the pilots were court-martialled then he would appear in their defence. Jones dismissed not only Cobby but his staff officers, Group Captains Gibson and Simms, and Scherger later took over as Air Officer Commanding 1TAF.^[1]

[edit] Aftermath

In the event, no court-martial took place for any actions directly related to the "mutiny", and all the pilots except Caldwell continued on operations until the end of the war. An RAAF investigation found that Jones' removal of Cobby was justified.^[1] The Australian Government set up an inquiry into events on Morotai headed by Justice John Vincent Barry. Commencing on 16 May 1945,^[10] the inquiry focused on both the resignations and reports of illegal trafficking in alcohol between RAAF and U.S. service personnel on the island.^[1]

The complete findings of the inquiry were not published but a summary report was issued on 14 September 1945.^[10] Judge Barry vindicated Arthur's "balance sheet" and the stand taken by the pilots, finding that their motives in tendering their resignations were sincere.^[4][6][10] No further action was taken against them over the "mutiny" itself, but Caldwell was subsequently court martialled for his involvement in the alcohol racket and reduced to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.^[1][10] The "mutiny" did not change the RAAF's role in the dying days of the war in the Pacific but did improve the situation on Morotai as Air Commodore Scherger set about restoring morale.^[4]

Although news of the resignations, the alcohol racket, and Caldwell's court martial were widely reported, the action did not become popularly known as the "Morotai Mutiny" until years later. The phrase dated back to the earliest days of the incident, Group Captain Arthur having written it at the top of an aide memoire. Shortly after writing it he crossed out "Morotai" and added a question mark following "Mutiny". The term was not released to the public at the time but Arthur's original words have been credited as the source of the name by which the incident eventually became known.^[6]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Alexander, Kirsten (2006). Clive Caldwell: Air Ace. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1741147050. 
• Helson, Peter (2006). "Ten Years at the Top" (PDF). University of New South Wales. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
• Odgers, George (1984). The Royal Australian Air Force: An Illustrated History. Brookvale: Child & Henry. ISBN 0867773685. 
• Stephens, Alan [2001] (2006). The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195555414. 
• Watson, Jeffrey (2005). Killer Caldwell. Sydney: Hodder. ISBN 0733619290.