Frederick Scherger
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| Frederick Scherger | |
|---|---|
| 1904–1984 | |
 Air Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger |
|
| Nickname | "Scherg" |
| Allegiance |  Commonwealth of Australia |
| Service/branch |  Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1921–1966 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | AOC Malaya (1953–1955) Chief of the Air Staff (1957–1961) Chairman of COSC (1961–1966) |
| Battles/wars | World War II Malayan Emergency Vietnam War |
| Awards | KBE (June 1958) CB (May 1954) DSO (September 1944) AFC (July 1940) |
| Other work | Chairman Australian National Airlines Commission {1966-75} |
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE CB DSO AFC (1904–1984) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and one of only three officers to hold the rank of Air Chief Marshal in the RAAF.[1]
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[edit] Early career
Born in Ararat, Victoria, Frederick Scherger entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1921. However, just before he graduated in 1924, Scherger was selected for an Air Force secondment. His transfer was later made permanent.
In the late 1920s Scherger gained a reputation as a skilful if reckless pilot, once being berated in front of fellow officers by his flight commander for "inverted and very low flying".[2] By the 1930s, however, as a flying instructor and test pilot, he was considered "perhaps the RAAF's outstanding aviator".[3]
[edit] World War II
Scherger held training posts in the late 1930s and early war years, including Director of Training in 1938, and command of No. 2 Service Flying Training School in 1940 and the Empire Air Training Scheme in early 1941.
In October 1941 Group Captain Scherger took command of RAAF Station Darwin. The following January he was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer, North Western Area, covering Darwin and its satellite airfields. Praised for his "great courage and energy", he was one of the few senior Air Force officers in the region to emerge from the inquiry into the bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 with his career undamaged.[4]
Scherger was named commander of No. 10 Operational Group RAAF in November 1943. Promoted to Air Commodore, he led US and Australian air units in Operation Reckless, the assault on Aitape, New Guinea, in April 1944. This was followed by the attack on Noemfoor. For these actions he was awarded the DSO, the citation praising his personal courage in placing himself "in the forefront of the landing ... an inspiration to all personnel".[2]
A jeep accident in August 1944 saw Scherger relinquish command of No. 10 Operational Group to Air Commodore Harry Cobby; two months later the group was renamed the Australian First Tactical Air Force. In mid-1945 Scherger took over First Tactical Air Force following Cobby's dismissal in the wake of the "Morotai Mutiny".
[edit] Post-war appointments
After the war Scherger was posted to Washington, D.C. as Head of the Australian Joint Services Staff. From 1947 to 1951, now Air Vice-Marshal, he was Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.
In January 1953 Scherger became Air Officer Commanding Malaya, responsible for all Commonwealth air forces in the region. As Air Member for Personnel from January 1955, he influenced the decision to give cadets at RAAF College (reformed as RAAF Academy in 1960) a university degree, in line with practice in the other services.
Promoted Air Marshal, Scherger served as Chief of the Air Staff from March 1957 to May 1961. As CAS he investigated the feasibility of nuclear weaponry for the Air Force,[5] and overturned a publicly-announced decision to purchase the F-104 Starfighter as a replacement for the F-86 Sabre, in favour of the Dassault Mirage III.[2]
Scherger became Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), the senior Australian military position at that time, in May 1961. He was promoted Air Chief Marshal, the first RAAF officer to attain the rank, and remained as Chairman until his retirement in May 1966.
[edit] Legacy
As Chairman of COSC, Scherger played a leading role in the commitment of Australian forces to Vietnam;[6][7] in an address at the Australian War Memorial in 2005, journalist Paul Kelly referred to him as "Australia's most prominent military hawk" at the time.[8] Reflecting later on Australia's involvement, Scherger said, "If you want allies, you've got to support allies".[2]
Described by Air Force historian Dr Alan Stephens as "among the RAAF's better chiefs",[5] Scherger was an early advocate for "one Australian Defence Force" comprising three branches, under one Minister of Defence, rather than three competing services under five ministers.[9] He is also credited with developing the concept of a series of front-line air bases in Northern Australia, beginning with plans for RAAF Tindal in 1959.[10] The most recent of these bases, near Weipa in Cape York, was named RAAF Scherger in his honour.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Clark, Chris. Air Force Defence chiefs of the past. History. Air Force News. Retrieved on March 5, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Horner, The Commanders, pp.302-315
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p.254
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p.138
- ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp.221-225
- ^ Edwards, Crises and Commitments, pp.358-360
- ^ Woodward, Gary (May 30, 2003). Asian alternatives: Going to war in the 1960s (PDF). Frederick Watson Fellowship Papers. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved on March 5, 2007.
- ^ Kelly, Paul (11 November 2005). Vietnam – 30 years on. Talks and Speeches. Australian War Memorial website. Retrieved on February 5, 2007.
- ^ Andrews, The Department of Defence, p.183
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p.283
[edit] References
- Andrews, Eric (2001). Australian Centenary History of Defence. Volume V: The Department of Defence. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195541138.
- Edwards, Peter; with Pemberton, Gregory (1992). Crises and Commitments: Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948-1975. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1863731849.
- Rayner, Harry [1984] (1992). "Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger", in David Horner (ed.): The Commanders: Australian military leadership in the twentieth century. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1863731903.
- Horner, David (2002). The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements (
DOC). Command Papers. Centre for Defence Leadership Studies, Australian Defense College. Retrieved on March 5, 2007. - RAAF Historical Section (1995). "RAAF Base Darwin", Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 1: Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0644427922. OCLC 35296038.
- Stephens, Alan (1995). Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946-1971. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0644428031.
- Stephens, Alan [2001] (2006). The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195555414.
[edit] Further reading
- Rayner, Harry (1984). Scherger: A Biography of Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. ISBN 0642878544.
