Peter Raw
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Peter Frank Raw DSO
, DFC
, AFC
(born 5 June 1922) is a retired Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) pilot and officer. He joined the RAAF in 1941, and served as a flight instructor, bomber pilot and the commander of a communications unit during World War II
. After the war he became a specialist navigator. He was appointed the commander of No. 2 Squadron
in January 1953, but left this position for part of the year to participate the 1953 London to Christchurch air race
, and placed second when the race was conducted in October. He returned to lead No. 2 Squadron at the end of 1953 and held this position until 1955. Raw subsequently served in staff and diplomatic roles until 1965 when he took command of No. 82 Wing
. Between May 1966 and April 1967, Raw served in South Vietnam as the air support coordinator for the Australian forces in South Vietnam; his initial reluctance to commit RAAF helicopters to support the Australian Army
force which had been ambushed during the Battle of Long Tan
generated lasting controversy. Raw served in various staff and training positions until 1972 when he was appointed the commander of RAAF Base Butterworth. He returned to Australia in 1976 and retired from the RAAF two years later.
suburb of Carnegie
on 5 June 1922. By September 1939 he was working at Carlton & United Breweries
as a first-year electrical apprentice. He attempted to join the Royal Australian Navy
as an electrical artificer in 1941, but was rejected and told to reapply in twelve months time. Instead, he joined the RAAF on 15 August that year. He departed Sydney
bound for Rhodesia
in November 1941 to be trained as a pilot under the Empire Air Training Scheme
. Arriving in Rhodesia in January 1942, Raw completed his training and was commissioned as an officer in December that year. He remained in Rhodesia throughout 1943, where he served as a flying instructor.
In early 1944, Raw was transferred to Egypt and undertook an operational conversion course that prepared him to fly B-24 Liberator heavy bombers in combat. In July of that year he was posted to No. 178 Squadron RAF
, a British B-24 Liberator unit based near Foggia
in southern Italy. While serving with this squadron, Raw took part in operations in the eastern Mediterranean region as well as Hungary
, Romania
and Yugoslavia
. During August 1944 the long-range bomber units within No. 205 Group RAF
, including No. 178 Squadron, undertook a number of risky operations to supply the Polish Home Army
during the Warsaw Uprising
. Raw participated in three of these supply flights to Warsaw. One of these flights was made on 1 September, and Raw told a journalist that bad weather meant that he had been unable to see the city at the time he dropped his load of supplies.
During a raid on the northern Italian city of Verona on 12 October, Raw's aircraft was hit by two anti-aircraft shells that destroyed its hydraulics system and an engine, wounded the radio operator and opened 166 holes in the fuselage. Despite this damage, Raw was able to return the B-24 to its base and made a safe landing. He suffered frostbite
to his feet, however, as damage to the plane's nose caused icy winds to enter the cockpit
.
In December 1944, Raw was promoted to the rank of flight lieutenant
. He subsequently assumed command of No. 205 Group Communication Squadron RAF in 1945. In February that year he was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross
and the Polish Cross of Valour. The Polish medal was awarded in recognition of his supply-dropping flights to Warsaw. Following the end of the war, Raw returned to Australia in November 1945 and was demobilised in January 1946.
Raw rejoined the RAAF in May 1946, and retained his wartime rank of flight lieutenant. In 1947 he was posted to Britain to undertake specialist training in navigation and returned to Australia in October 1949. He then served as an instructor at the RAAF's School of Air Navigation, followed by training positions at No. 78 Wing
and No. 2 Operational Training Unit
.
, was appointed the commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron
. On 23 February he also became the initial commanding officer of No. 1 Long Range Flight
, which had been formed to participate in the 1953 London to Christchurch air race
. He handed this position to Wing Commander Derek Cuming in May, but remained a member of the flight. In July Raw temporarily vacated his position at No. 2 Squadron so he could focus on preparing for the air race. The Canberras piloted by Raw and Cuming departed Australia for the United Kingdom on 10 September, and the race began on 9 October. Raw's aircraft suffered damage to its nose wheel while landing to refuel at Woomera
, but was able to be repaired. Raw arrived at Christchurch at 04:32 on 10 October, and finished second behind a RAF Canberra piloted by Flight Lieutenant Roland (Monty) Burton
.
Raw returned to lead No. 2 Squadron on 18 December 1953. During this month the unit became the first RAAF's jet bomber squadron when it replaced its Avro Lincoln
aircraft with Canberras; in doing so the squadron was built around a nucleus of personnel who had served with No. 1 Long Range Flight. Later in December a Canberra piloted by Raw established a new speed record for flying between New Zealand and Australia, completing the crossing between Auckland
and Sydney in two hours and 49 minutes. On 31 December 1953 Raw was awarded the Air Force Cross
for his role in the London to Christchurch air race, and this medal was presented to him by Queen Elizabeth II at Brisbane on 10 March 1954.
Raw completed his term as commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron on 11 July 1955 and was posted to the UK to undertake training at the Royal Air Force Flying College
. Upon his return to Australia in January 1956, he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander
and posted to a planning role at RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne. From December that year he served as a liaison officer to the RAAF force supporting the British nuclear weapons tests in the Montebello Islands
off the coast of Western Australia. In 1957 Raw was posted to the Joint Planning staff. He subsequently completed a course at the RAAF Staff College and was a member of the directing staff until late 1962. In 1963 he undertook further training at the United States Armed Forces Staff College
, after which he assumed the position of assistant air attaché
in the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. In February 1965 Raw assumed command of No. 82 Wing
, which controlled all of the RAAF's bomber squadrons. He was raised to acting group captain
at this time, and was confirmed in this rank during May the next year.
In May 1966 Raw was posted to South Vietnam
as the air support commander for the 1st Australian Task Force
, which had recently arrived in the country as part of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War
. Although he did not have any background in air/land warfare, Raw's main responsibility in this position was to coordinate helicopter
support for the task force's two infantry
battalion
s. RAAF historian Alan Stephens has written that "Group Captain Raw's background as one of the RAAF's most respected bomber leaders was inappropriate for the job of task force air commander: too often he struggled to make the timely decisions demanded by tactical air/land operations" and that the RAAF's Air Board should have selected an officer with more relevant experience for this position. In addition to his role as air support commander, Raw was also the commander of the RAAF units stationed at Vũng Tàu
and the overall deputy commander of the RAAF force in South Vietnam. He regularly flew operational missions with the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter-equipped No. 9 Squadron
as well as No. 35 Squadron
, which operated DHC-4 Caribou
tactical transports.
During the Battle of Long Tan
on 18 August 1965, Raw initially refused to allow No. 9 Squadron to fly supplies to the hard-pressed Australian Army unit that had been ambushed, as he believed that the heavy rain at the time made flying too dangerous. The commander of the 1st Australian Task Force, Brigadier O.D. Jackson, was angered by this decision and argued that the risk of losing a small number of helicopters was unimportant compared to the possibility of having 200 infantry killed. Raw eventually agreed to allow the resupply flight to proceed after the most experienced of the helicopter pilots present stated that the mission needed to be flown regardless of its risk, and the ammunition which was delivered by the helicopters was important in preventing the Australian force from being overrun. As a result of his actions during the battle, the relationship between Raw and the senior Army commanders was "most difficult" throughout the remainder of his time in South Vietnam. In November Raw took part in Operation Hayman, which was conducted against Viet Cong forces on Long Sơn Island
. During this operation he flew in with the assault troops and remained on the island to direct air missions, including while under sniper fire. Raw completed his tour of duty in South Vietnam in April 1967 and returned to Australia. In November that year he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
for his role in the war.
Upon his return to Australia, Raw was appointed Director of Operational Requirements at the Department of Air
. He remained in this position until 1970 when he became the commandant of the RAAF Staff College. In 1972 he was promoted to the rank of air commodore
and appointed the commander of RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia. Raw held this position until 1976 when he returned to Australia and became the senior training and staff officer in the headquarters of the RAAF's Support Command. This was his final military position, as he retired from the RAAF on 28 February 1978.
In a newspaper interview shortly before his retirement, Raw identified the 1953 London to Christchurch air race as being a highlight of his career. He also observed that RAAF personnel needed higher levels of professional qualifications than had been the case when he joined the air force, and there was a greater specialisation in particular fields. Raw also stated that there was a need to improve the defences of northern Australia
on the grounds that "political situations can change overnight".
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Peter Frank Raw DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(born 5 June 1922) is a retired Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) pilot and officer. He joined the RAAF in 1941, and served as a flight instructor, bomber pilot and the commander of a communications unit during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war he became a specialist navigator. He was appointed the commander of No. 2 Squadron
No. 2 Squadron RAAF
No. 2 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. From its formation in 1916, it has operated a variety of aircraft types including fighters, bombers, and Airborne Early Warning & Control.-World War I:No...
in January 1953, but left this position for part of the year to participate the 1953 London to Christchurch air race
1953 London to Christchurch air race
The Last Great Air Race was long, from London to Christchurch and took place in 1953 after Christchurch took the decision to declare their airport as International in 1950.-Race description:...
, and placed second when the race was conducted in October. He returned to lead No. 2 Squadron at the end of 1953 and held this position until 1955. Raw subsequently served in staff and diplomatic roles until 1965 when he took command of No. 82 Wing
No. 82 Wing RAAF
No. 82 Wing is the Royal Australian Air Force's strike and reconnaissance wing. It is headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter and Pilatus PC-9 forward air control aircraft. The wing was formed in August 1944, flying B-24 Liberator...
. Between May 1966 and April 1967, Raw served in South Vietnam as the air support coordinator for the Australian forces in South Vietnam; his initial reluctance to commit RAAF helicopters to support the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
force which had been ambushed during the Battle of Long Tan
Battle of Long Tan
The Battle of Long Tân was fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong forces in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tân, about north east of Vũng Tàu, South Vietnam...
generated lasting controversy. Raw served in various staff and training positions until 1972 when he was appointed the commander of RAAF Base Butterworth. He returned to Australia in 1976 and retired from the RAAF two years later.
Early career
Raw was born in the MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Carnegie
Carnegie, Victoria
Carnegie is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2006 Census, Carnegie had a population of 15,084...
on 5 June 1922. By September 1939 he was working at Carlton & United Breweries
Carlton & United Breweries
Carlton & United Breweries is an Australian brewing company based in Abbotsford, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. In 1983 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Elders IXL and CUB was delisted. In 1990, Elders IXL renamed to the Foster's Group, and in July 2004, CUB changed its name to Carlton and...
as a first-year electrical apprentice. He attempted to join the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
as an electrical artificer in 1941, but was rejected and told to reapply in twelve months time. Instead, he joined the RAAF on 15 August that year. He departed Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
bound for Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
in November 1941 to be trained as a pilot under the Empire Air Training Scheme
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
. Arriving in Rhodesia in January 1942, Raw completed his training and was commissioned as an officer in December that year. He remained in Rhodesia throughout 1943, where he served as a flying instructor.
In early 1944, Raw was transferred to Egypt and undertook an operational conversion course that prepared him to fly B-24 Liberator heavy bombers in combat. In July of that year he was posted to No. 178 Squadron RAF
No. 178 Squadron RAF
No. 178 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a bomber unit based in Egypt, Libya and Italy in World War II.-Formation in World War II:...
, a British B-24 Liberator unit based near Foggia
Foggia
Foggia is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the "granary of Italy".-History:...
in southern Italy. While serving with this squadron, Raw took part in operations in the eastern Mediterranean region as well as Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. During August 1944 the long-range bomber units within No. 205 Group RAF
No. 205 Group RAF
No. 205 Group was a long-range, heavy bomber group of the Royal Air Force established on October 23, 1941 by boosting No. 257 Wing to Group status....
, including No. 178 Squadron, undertook a number of risky operations to supply the Polish Home Army
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
during the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. Raw participated in three of these supply flights to Warsaw. One of these flights was made on 1 September, and Raw told a journalist that bad weather meant that he had been unable to see the city at the time he dropped his load of supplies.
During a raid on the northern Italian city of Verona on 12 October, Raw's aircraft was hit by two anti-aircraft shells that destroyed its hydraulics system and an engine, wounded the radio operator and opened 166 holes in the fuselage. Despite this damage, Raw was able to return the B-24 to its base and made a safe landing. He suffered frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
to his feet, however, as damage to the plane's nose caused icy winds to enter the cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
.
In December 1944, Raw was promoted to the rank of flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
. He subsequently assumed command of No. 205 Group Communication Squadron RAF in 1945. In February that year he was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
The Distinguished Flying Cross may refer to:*Distinguished Flying Cross , including Commonwealth countries*Distinguished Flying Cross...
and the Polish Cross of Valour. The Polish medal was awarded in recognition of his supply-dropping flights to Warsaw. Following the end of the war, Raw returned to Australia in November 1945 and was demobilised in January 1946.
Raw rejoined the RAAF in May 1946, and retained his wartime rank of flight lieutenant. In 1947 he was posted to Britain to undertake specialist training in navigation and returned to Australia in October 1949. He then served as an instructor at the RAAF's School of Air Navigation, followed by training positions at No. 78 Wing
No. 78 Wing RAAF
No. 78 Wing is the Royal Australian Air Force's operational training wing. It is headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, and operates the BAE Hawk 127 lead-in fighter. The wing was formed in 1943 and operated P-40 Kittyhawk fighters in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II...
and No. 2 Operational Training Unit
No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit is a Royal Australian Air Force training unit located at RAAF Base Williamtown. 2OCU's main role is to train pilots to operate the F/A-18 Hornet. New RAAF pilots enter 2OCU for training after first qualifying to fly jet fighters in No. 76 Squadron...
.
Commanding officer
In January 1953 Raw, who was by now a squadron leaderSquadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, was appointed the commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron
No. 2 Squadron RAAF
No. 2 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. From its formation in 1916, it has operated a variety of aircraft types including fighters, bombers, and Airborne Early Warning & Control.-World War I:No...
. On 23 February he also became the initial commanding officer of No. 1 Long Range Flight
No. 1 Long Range Flight RAAF
No. 1 Long Range Flight was a temporary Royal Australian Air Force unit formed to participate in the 1953 London-to-Christchurch air race . The flight was established in February 1953 and was equipped with three Canberra bombers, specially modified between June and August...
, which had been formed to participate in the 1953 London to Christchurch air race
1953 London to Christchurch air race
The Last Great Air Race was long, from London to Christchurch and took place in 1953 after Christchurch took the decision to declare their airport as International in 1950.-Race description:...
. He handed this position to Wing Commander Derek Cuming in May, but remained a member of the flight. In July Raw temporarily vacated his position at No. 2 Squadron so he could focus on preparing for the air race. The Canberras piloted by Raw and Cuming departed Australia for the United Kingdom on 10 September, and the race began on 9 October. Raw's aircraft suffered damage to its nose wheel while landing to refuel at Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
, but was able to be repaired. Raw arrived at Christchurch at 04:32 on 10 October, and finished second behind a RAF Canberra piloted by Flight Lieutenant Roland (Monty) Burton
Roland (Monty) Burton
Flight Lieutenant Roland Louise Ernest Burton AFC and Bar Burton was born on May 18, 1918 and died in France in 1999.Monty Burton became the first man to fly from London to New Zealand in under 24 hours, when with his navigator Flight Lieutenant Don Gannon he won the 1953 London to Christchurch...
.
Raw returned to lead No. 2 Squadron on 18 December 1953. During this month the unit became the first RAAF's jet bomber squadron when it replaced its Avro Lincoln
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
aircraft with Canberras; in doing so the squadron was built around a nucleus of personnel who had served with No. 1 Long Range Flight. Later in December a Canberra piloted by Raw established a new speed record for flying between New Zealand and Australia, completing the crossing between Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Sydney in two hours and 49 minutes. On 31 December 1953 Raw was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
for his role in the London to Christchurch air race, and this medal was presented to him by Queen Elizabeth II at Brisbane on 10 March 1954.
Raw completed his term as commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron on 11 July 1955 and was posted to the UK to undertake training at the Royal Air Force Flying College
Royal Air Force College Cranwell
The Royal Air Force College is the Royal Air Force training and education academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with...
. Upon his return to Australia in January 1956, he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
and posted to a planning role at RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne. From December that year he served as a liaison officer to the RAAF force supporting the British nuclear weapons tests in the Montebello Islands
Montebello Islands
The Montebello Islands, also known as the Monte Bello Islands, are an archipelago of around 174 small islands lying north of Barrow Island and off the Pilbara coast of north-western Australia. Montebello is Italian for "beautiful mountain"...
off the coast of Western Australia. In 1957 Raw was posted to the Joint Planning staff. He subsequently completed a course at the RAAF Staff College and was a member of the directing staff until late 1962. In 1963 he undertook further training at the United States Armed Forces Staff College
Joint Forces Staff College
The Joint Forces Staff College located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinational warfighters to plan and lead at the operational level...
, after which he assumed the position of assistant air attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. In February 1965 Raw assumed command of No. 82 Wing
No. 82 Wing RAAF
No. 82 Wing is the Royal Australian Air Force's strike and reconnaissance wing. It is headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter and Pilatus PC-9 forward air control aircraft. The wing was formed in August 1944, flying B-24 Liberator...
, which controlled all of the RAAF's bomber squadrons. He was raised to acting group captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
at this time, and was confirmed in this rank during May the next year.
In May 1966 Raw was posted to South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
as the air support commander for the 1st Australian Task Force
1st Australian Task Force
The 1st Australian Task Force commanded the Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province...
, which had recently arrived in the country as part of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Although he did not have any background in air/land warfare, Raw's main responsibility in this position was to coordinate helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
support for the task force's two infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s. RAAF historian Alan Stephens has written that "Group Captain Raw's background as one of the RAAF's most respected bomber leaders was inappropriate for the job of task force air commander: too often he struggled to make the timely decisions demanded by tactical air/land operations" and that the RAAF's Air Board should have selected an officer with more relevant experience for this position. In addition to his role as air support commander, Raw was also the commander of the RAAF units stationed at Vũng Tàu
Vung Tàu
Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...
and the overall deputy commander of the RAAF force in South Vietnam. He regularly flew operational missions with the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter-equipped No. 9 Squadron
No. 9 Squadron RAAF
No. 9 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force. The Squadron saw active service in World War II and the Vietnam War before being disbanded in 1989.-Fleet co-operation:...
as well as No. 35 Squadron
No. 35 Squadron RAAF
No. 35 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force transport unit. First formed in 1942, No. 35 Squadron saw action in World War II and the Vietnam War.-History:...
, which operated DHC-4 Caribou
De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...
tactical transports.
During the Battle of Long Tan
Battle of Long Tan
The Battle of Long Tân was fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong forces in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tân, about north east of Vũng Tàu, South Vietnam...
on 18 August 1965, Raw initially refused to allow No. 9 Squadron to fly supplies to the hard-pressed Australian Army unit that had been ambushed, as he believed that the heavy rain at the time made flying too dangerous. The commander of the 1st Australian Task Force, Brigadier O.D. Jackson, was angered by this decision and argued that the risk of losing a small number of helicopters was unimportant compared to the possibility of having 200 infantry killed. Raw eventually agreed to allow the resupply flight to proceed after the most experienced of the helicopter pilots present stated that the mission needed to be flown regardless of its risk, and the ammunition which was delivered by the helicopters was important in preventing the Australian force from being overrun. As a result of his actions during the battle, the relationship between Raw and the senior Army commanders was "most difficult" throughout the remainder of his time in South Vietnam. In November Raw took part in Operation Hayman, which was conducted against Viet Cong forces on Long Sơn Island
Long Sơn Island
Long Sơn Island is an island off the coast of Vietnam near Vũng Tàu.The Nha Lon Long Son, the home of Ong Tran religion, is situated on the island....
. During this operation he flew in with the assault troops and remained on the island to direct air missions, including while under sniper fire. Raw completed his tour of duty in South Vietnam in April 1967 and returned to Australia. In November that year he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for his role in the war.
Upon his return to Australia, Raw was appointed Director of Operational Requirements at the Department of Air
Department of Defence (Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation along with the Australian Defence Force . The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests...
. He remained in this position until 1970 when he became the commandant of the RAAF Staff College. In 1972 he was promoted to the rank of air commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
and appointed the commander of RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia. Raw held this position until 1976 when he returned to Australia and became the senior training and staff officer in the headquarters of the RAAF's Support Command. This was his final military position, as he retired from the RAAF on 28 February 1978.
In a newspaper interview shortly before his retirement, Raw identified the 1953 London to Christchurch air race as being a highlight of his career. He also observed that RAAF personnel needed higher levels of professional qualifications than had been the case when he joined the air force, and there was a greater specialisation in particular fields. Raw also stated that there was a need to improve the defences of northern Australia
Northern Australia
The term northern Australia is generally known to include two State and Territories, being Queensland and the Northern Territory . The part of Western Australia north of latitude 26° south—a definition widely used in law and State government policy—is also usually included...
on the grounds that "political situations can change overnight".