RAF Fighter Command

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RAF Fighter Command

active 07/14/1936 to 1968
Country United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Armed forces Royal Air Force
Branch of service Air defense
Type Functional command
Location RAF Bentley Priory
motto English "Offence Defense"
German "Attack, defend"
march Fighter Command March

The RAF Fighter Command was on 14 July 1936 to 1968, the command of the fighter fleet of the Royal Air Force . The most important other commands were the RAF Bomber Command and the RAF Coastal Command . The Fighter Command had its finest hour in the Battle of Britain , when the outnumbered British were able to successfully repel attacks by the German Air Force .

History of the Fighter Command

Emergence

On May 20, 1926, the predecessor organization was founded as a “Group” within the Homeland Security. On June 1, 1926, this was again placed under the air defense, and in 1932 upgraded to command. On May 1st, it was finally renamed Fighter Command. This command existed until November 17, 1943, when it was divided into a defensive (Air Defense Great Britain, ADGB) and an offensive component, which was later called the 2nd Tactical Air Fleet . ADGB was later renamed back to Fighter Command.

Second World War

When it was founded, the Fighter Command owned only biplanes, which were gradually replaced by the more modern Hawker Hurricane shortly before World War II . This was a step forward, but the agile Bf 109 was superior to it. It was not until 1938 that an equal opponent joined the troops in the form of the Spitfire , but the initially low numbers left something to be desired. At the start of the war, only nine squadrons were armed with the Spitfire, and when the Battle of Britain began, only 18 squadrons were armed with it. The Royal Air Force succeeded in fending off the outnumbered Air Force. German air superiority would have been the prerequisite for invading the British Isles. A major factor in its success was the radar and the centrally managed management of the fighters, also known as the dowding system . Other major battles that the Fighter Command was involved in were the Western Campaign and the Battle of Dunkirk . The Fighter Command suffered a heavy loss when on June 9, 1940 two squadrons on the HMS Glorious were to return from Norway to Great Britain. The carrier was sunk by the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau .

1945–1968

After the Second World War, the RAF greatly reduced the number of aircraft, so the number of fighters fell from 600 (1956) to the low of 140 (1962). Soviet long-range bombers were seen as a new threat, and advances in anti-aircraft missiles appeared to be displacing manned fighters. In the 1957 Defense White Paper , for example, it was required that expenditure on manned fighters should be reduced, and various aircraft manufacturers were urged to merge companies. Only the Lightning was still fully developed because it was already in an advanced stage. The first Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile unit was deployed in North Coast in 1958, and ten Bloodhound squadrons were operational by 1960. This guided missile, together with the Lightning, was the backbone of British air defense. In 1968, Fighter Command and Bomber Command were merged. The new institution was called " RAF Strike Command " and was stationed in High Wycombe .

organization

The individual "groups" were subordinate to the Fighter Command, to which the squadrons in turn were subordinate. Several squadrons stationed at the same location were also referred to as "Wing" (e.g. "Tangmere Wing").

year Groups Number of operational squadrons Total Fighter Command
July 1936 No.11 Group (Uxbridge) 13 13
September 1939 No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Hucknall)
No.13 Group (Newcastle)
No.22 (Army Co-Operation) Group (Farnborough)		 17
10
10
1		 38
August 1940 No.10 Group (Rudloe Manor)
No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Watnall)		 8
19
30		 57
February 1941 No.9 Group (Barton Hall)
No.10 Group (Rudloe Manor)
No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Watnall)
No.13 Group (Newcastle)
No.14 Group		 8
13
24
13
7
8		 73
April 1942 No.9 Group (Barton Hall)
No.10 Group (Rudloe Manor)
No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Watnall)
No.13 Group (Newcastle)
No.81 Group (Worcester)
No.82 Group (Belfast )		 12
23
39
20
19
- (training group)
6		 119
April 1943 No.9 Group (Barton Hall)
No.10 Group (Rudloe Manor)
No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Watnall)
No.13 Group (Newcastle)
No.14 Group
No.81 (training) Group		 9
25
39
15
11
5
-		 104
July 1944 No.9 Group (Barton Hall)
No.10 Group (Rudloe Manor)
No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Watnall)
No.13 Group (Inverness)
No.70 Group (Farnborough)		 - (training group)
12
27
3
2
-		 44
July 1945 No.11 Group (Uxbridge)
No.12 Group (Watnall)
No.13 Group (Inverness)
No.88 Group (Edinburgh)		 18
11
7
5		 41
April 1953 No.11 Group (Hillingdon)
No.12 Group (Newton)
No.81 Group (Pembrey)		 23
28
- (training group)		 51
January 1961 No.11 Group (Martlesham Heath)
No.12 Group (Horsham St. Faith)		 13
17		 30th
January 1968 No more group structure 8th 8th

Commanders

The following personalities led the Fighter Command in chronological order:

See also

literature

  • Ken Delve: Fighter Command, 1936-1968 - An operational and historical record. Pen & Sword, Barnsley 2007, ISBN 1-84415-613-3 .

Web links

Commons : Royal Air Force  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ken Delve: Fighter Command, 1936-1968 - An operational & historical record. Pen & Sword, Barnsley 2007, p. 99.
  2. ↑ Ken Delve: Fighter Command, 1936-1968 - An operational & historical record. Pen & Sword, Barnsley 2007, Annex DN.