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Air Vice Marshal Joseph Eric (Joe) Hewitt, CBE (13 April 1901 – 1 November 1985) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A Royal Australian Navy officer who transferred permanently to the Air Force in 1928, he commanded No. 101 (Fleet Cooperation) Flight in the early 1930s, and No. 104 (Bomber) Squadron RAF on exchange in Britain shortly before World War II. Appointed the RAAF's Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in 1941, Hewitt was posted the following year to Allied Air Forces Headquarters, South West Pacific Area, as Director of Intelligence. In 1943, he took command of No. 9 Operational Group, the RAAF's main mobile strike force, but was controversially sacked by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal George Jones, less than a year later over alleged morale and disciplinary issues. Described as a "small, dapper man" who was "outspoken, even 'cocky'",〔Stephens & Isaacs, ''High Fliers'', pp. 97–99〕〔Dennis et al., ''Oxford Military History of Australia'', p. 259〕 Hewitt overcame the setback to his career during the war and made his most significant contributions afterwards, as Air Member for Personnel from 1945 to 1948. Directly responsible for the demobilisation of thousands of wartime staff and the consolidation of what was then the world's fourth largest air force into a much smaller peacetime service, he also modernised education and training within the RAAF. Hewitt was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1951, the same year he became Air Member for Supply and Equipment. Retiring from the military in 1956, he went into business and later managed his own publishing house. He wrote two books including ''Adversity in Success'', a first-hand account of the South West Pacific air war, before his death in 1985 at the age of 84. ==Early career== Born on 13 April 1901 in Tylden, Victoria, Joe Hewitt was the son of Reverend J.H. Hewitt.〔Draper, ''Who's Who in Australia 1985'', p. 409〕 He attended Scotch College, Melbourne, before entering the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay in 1915, aged 13.〔 Graduating in 1919,〔Odgers, (''Air War Against Japan'', p. 100 )〕 Hewitt rose to lieutenant in the RAN before volunteering for secondment to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a flight lieutenant in January 1923.〔〔Gillison, (''Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 23–24 )〕 He undertook the pilots' course at No. 1 Flying Training School, Point Cook, and graduated at the end of the year.〔Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', p. 34〕 Hewitt was further seconded to the Royal Air Force on 4 May 1925, holding a temporary commission as a flying officer; this commission was cancelled on 25 September. He married Lorna Bishop on 10 November; they had three daughters.〔 Hewitt joined the newly formed No. 101 (Fleet Cooperation) Flight, operating Seagull III amphibians, in August 1926. Prior to the unit deploying to Queensland to survey the Great Barrier Reef with HMAS ''Moresby'', he practiced manoeuvres around the centre of Melbourne, landing in the Yarra River near Flinders Street Station. Media criticism of the escapade led to him being brought before the Chief of the Air Staff, Group Captain Richard Williams, who rather than upbraiding Hewitt expressed himself "reservedly pleased about the publicity". After completing its survey work in November 1928, the unit served aboard the seaplane carrier HMAS ''Albatross''.〔Coulthard-Clark, ''The Third Brother'', pp. 408–411〕 Hewitt's transfer to the Air Force had been made permanent in 1928.〔 He became commanding officer of No. 101 Flight in February 1931,〔Coulthard-Clark, ''The Third Brother'', p. 218〕 and supervised embarkation of the Seagull aboard the cruiser HMAS ''Australia'' in September–October 1932, by which time he had been promoted to squadron leader.〔Wilson, (''The Eagle and the Albatross'', p. 27 )〕 Finishing his tour with No. 101 Flight the following year, Hewitt was posted to Britain in 1934. He attended RAF Staff College, Andover, in his first year abroad, and served as Assistant Liaison Officer at Australia House, London, in 1935.〔 Although a specialist seaplane pilot, he converted to bombers while in England, flying Hawker Hinds and Bristol Blenheims as the commanding officer of No. 104 Squadron RAF from 1936.〔〔Wilson, (''The Eagle and the Albatross'', p. 51 )〕 Returning to Australia in 1938, Hewitt was appointed senior air staff officer at RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales,〔 and by July that year had been promoted wing commander. In May 1939, he was chosen to lead No. 10 Squadron, due to be formed on 1 July at the recently established RAAF Station Rathmines, near Lake Macquarie. Hewitt was preparing to depart for England to take delivery of the unit's planned complement of Short Sunderland flying boats when he broke his neck riding his motor cycle near Richmond, and had to forgo the assignment while he recovered. Fit for duty by August, he was given command of the Rathmines base to manage the deployment of No. 10 Squadron and its aircraft, but this was suspended due to the outbreak of World War II in September, and the Sunderlands and their RAAF crews remained in Britain for service alongside the RAF.〔Coulthard-Clark, ''The Third Brother'', p. 150〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Joe Hewitt (RAAF officer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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