R.N.Z.A.F. TASK FORCE

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27090, 13 July 1953, Page 10

R.N.Z.A.F. TASK FORCE

APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER GROUP CAPTAIN COHEN PROMOTED > r (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 11. Group Captain R. J. Cohen, who was ’ Deputy Chief of the Air Staff until > recently, has been promoted to the : rank of air commodore and has been > appointed to the Royal New Zealand Air Force Task Force Headquarters at Hobsonville. ’ Air Commodore Cohen will replace . Air Commodore S. Wallingford, whose . retirement from the R.N.Z.A.F. and the Hobsonville post next August was i announced a month ago. : Group Captain T. F. Gill succeeded [ Air Commodore Cohen last month as ; Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. I An announcement by the Air Board I today said that in his new post, Air

it Commodore Cohen would be responit sible to the Chief of the Air Staff (Air a Vice-Marshal D. V. Carnegie) for the :o administration of those units which in 'd the event of war would constitute an 'd R.N.Z.A.F. expeditionary task force. }f Air Commodore Cohen began his service career in 1929 when he joined -s the Royal Air Force. In 1935 he ■»- joined the R.N.Z.A.F. and was for some > e time an instructor at the Flying Trainse ing School at Wigram. When war broke out in 1939. he was 53 in Britain attending a navigation course. He returned to New Zealand IC J in 1940 and commanded the Advanced 11 Flying Training School at Blenheim.

In 1941, Air Commodore Cohen was awarded the Air Force Cross and was appointed commanding officer of No. 2 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron at Nelson. Between 1941 and 1944, he commanded in turn the R.N.Z.A.F. stations at Whenuapai, Gisborne, and Hobsonville, and the R.N.Z.A.F. Pacific Ferry service. Ip August, 1944, he became a group captain. Towards the end of 1945. Air Commodore Cohen was commanding officer at Lauthala Bay, Fiji. In March, 1946, he assumed command of the R.N.Z.A.F. station at Ohakea. He has been Deputy Chief of the Air Staff since the end of 1946.