Gordon Steege Military person

Air Commodore Gordon Henry Steege, DSO, DFC (31 October 1917 – 1 September 2013) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He became a fighter ace in World War II, credited with eight aerial victories. Joining the RAAF in July 1937, Steege first saw action with No. 3 Squadron in the Middle East, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after shooting down three German aircraft in a single sortie. He rose to command No. 450 Squadron in the Desert Air Force, before being posted to the South West Pacific, where he led Nos. 73 and 81 Wings. He earned the Distinguished Service Order for his "outstanding leadership", and finished the war a temporary group captain.Resigning his commission following the end of World War II, Steege rejoined the RAAF during the Korean War, and briefly took command of No. 77 Squadron late in 1951. Returning to Australia, he held senior administrative and training posts before taking charge of RAAF Base Canberra in 1957. In the 1960s he was appointed to various planning positions, followed by command of RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and later RAAF Base Butterworth, Malaysia. Having been raised to air commodore, his final appointment before retiring in 1972 was on the staff of Headquarters Operational Command (now Air Command) at RAAF Base Glenbrook, New South Wales. He subsequently became an aeronautical consultant, and died in Sydney in 2013, aged 95.

Personal facts

Gordon Steege
Birth dateOctober 31, 1917
Birth place
Chatswood New South Wales
Date of deathSeptember 01, 2013
Place of death
Palm Beach New South Wales

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Military person

allegianceAustralia
award
Mentioned in dispatches
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Distinguished Service Order
military operations
Korean War
North African Campaign
Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
New Britain campaign
Battle of Arawe
Admiralty Islands campaign
military branch
Royal Australian Air Force
military command
No. 14 Mobile Fighter Sector (1943)
No. 450 Squadron (1941–42)
No. 73 Wing (1943–44)
No. 77 Squadron (1951)
No. 81 Wing (1944)
RAAF Base Amberley (1964–67)
RAAF Base Butterworth (1967–70)
RAAF Base Canberra (1957–58)
military unit
No. 11 Squadron RAAF
No. 3 Squadron RAAF
service start1937
service end1937

Gordon Steege on Wikipedia

External resources

  1. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/AWMOHWW2/Air/Vol1
  2. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/AWMOHWW2/Air/Vol2
  3. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/AWMOHWW2/Air/Vol3
  4. http://www.awm.gov.au/transcripts/s01649_tran.htm