List of Royal Air Force commands

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This is a list of Royal Air Force commands, both past and present.[1] Although the concept of a command dates back to the foundation of the Royal Air Force, the term command (as the name of a formation) was first used in purely RAF-context in 1936 when Bomber Command, Fighter Command, Coastal Command and Training Command were formed. Since that time the RAF has made considerable use of the term. Until early 2007, the RAF had two commands, Strike Command and Personnel and Training Command, which were co-located at RAF High Wycombe. On 1 April 2007, the two were merged to form Air Command.

Commands[edit]

Command Formation Disbandment Controlled Became
Air Command April 2007 present n/a[2]
Air Support Command August 1967 September 1972 No. 46 Group[3]
Army Cooperation Command December 1940 May 1943 No. 70 & 71 Groups [4]
Balloon Command November 1938 June 1945 Balloon Wing[5]
Bomber Command July 1936 April 1968 All UK based Bomber groups No. 1 (Bomber) Group[6]
Coastal Command May 1936 November 1969 All UK based Coastal groups No. 18 (Maritime) Group[7]
Ferry Command July 1941 March 1943 No. 45 Group[8]
Fighter Command July 1936
October 1944		 November 1943
April 1968		 All UK based Fighter groups Air Defence of Great Britain
No. 11 Group[9]
Flying Training Command May 1940 June 1968 All UK based training groups
No. 21, 23, 25, 50, 51, 54 Groups RAF		 [10]
Home Command August 1950 March 1959 [11]
Joint Helicopter Command October 1999 present n/a[12]
Logistics Command April 1994 April 2000 All Maintenance units [13]
Maintenance Command April 1938 August 1973 All UK based Maintenance groups [14]
RAF Northern Ireland August 1940 March 1950 All RAF units in Northern Ireland
No. 15 & 82 Groups RAF		 [15]
Personnel and Training Command April 1994 April 2007 [16]
Reserve Command February 1939
January 1946		 May 1940
August 1950		 No. 50, 51 & 54 Groups
Unknown		 Disbanded
Home Command[17]
Signals Command November 1958 January 1969 RAF Tangmere & RAF Watton No. 90 (Signals) Group[18]
Strike Command April 1968 April 2007 No. 1, 2, 11, 18, 11/18 & 38 Groups Air Command[19]
Support Command September 1973 April 1994 Personnel & Training Command
Logistics Command[20]
Technical Training Command May 1940 June 1968 No. 20, 22, 24, 26 & 72 Groups [21]
Training Command May 1936
June 1968		 May 1940
July 1977		 No. 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 Groups
No. 22, 23 & 24 Groups		 Split into Technical Training Command & Flying Training Command
Support Command[22]
Transport Command March 1943 August 1967 No. 44, 45 & 216 Groups Air Support Command[23]
Air Defence of Great Britain January 1925
November 1943		 July 1936
October 1944		 Wessex Bombing Area & Fighting Area
Unknown		 Disbanded
Fighter Command[24]
No. 1 Area April 1918 May 1918 No.1 - 5 Groups, No. 6 (Equipment) Group and Home Defence units within 27, 49 and 50 Wings South-Eastern Area[25]
No. 2 Area April 1918 May 1918 No. 7 - 10 Groups, No. 11 (Equipment) Group and Home Defence units at Gosport South-Western Area[25]
No. 3 Area April 1918 May 1918 No. 12 - 14 Groups, No. 15 (Equipment) Group and Home Defence units within 48 Wing Midland Area[25]
No. 4 Area April 1918 May 1918 No. 16 - 18 Groups, No. 19 (Equipment) Group and Home Defence units within 46 Wing North-Eastern Area[25]
No. 5 Area April 1918 May 1918 No. 20 - 22 Groups, No. 23 (Equipment) Group and units in Ireland North-Western Area[25]
Training Division RFC 1917 1918 Northern, Southern and Eastern Training Brigades
Coastal Area 1919 1936 No. 10, 29 Groups and RAF Felixstowe Coastal Command
Central Area 1933 1936 Bomber stations in Central England
Inland Area 1920 1936 No. 1, 3, 7, 21, 22 & 23 Groups and No. 7 & 8 Wings Training Command
North Eastern Area 1918 1919 No. 16 - 19 Groups North-Western Area
North Western Area 1918 1919 No. 20 - 23 Groups Northern Area
Northern Area 1919
1919		 1919
1920		 No. 16, 17, 18 & 20 Groups
No. 3, 12 & 16 Groups		 Disbanded
Inland Area
South Eastern Area 1918 1919 No. 1, 2, 4 & 10 Groups Southern Area
South Western Area 1918 1919 No. 7, 8, 9 & 10 Groups No. 7 Group
Southern Area 1919 1920 No. 1, 2 & 7 Groups Inland Area
Western Area 1933 1936 No. 3 (Bomber) Group
Allied Expeditionary Air Force 1943 1944 2nd TAF, ADGB, No. 38 & 82 Groups & USAAF 9th Air Force RAF Element, Forward Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Air Forces

Overseas Commands[edit]

Command Formation Disbandment Controlled Became
British Forces Aden April 1942 October 1959 British Forces Arabian Peninsula[26]
British Forces Arabian Peninsula October 1959 March 1961 Middle East Command[26]
Air Command Far East November 1946 June 1949 Far East Air Force[2]
Air Command South East Asia January 1944 November 1946 Air Command Far East[2]
Advanced Air Striking Force August 1939 June 1940 Disbanded[27]
British Air Forces in France January 1940 August 1940 All RAF units in France Disbanded[28]
Eastern Air Command September 1942
December 1943		 March 1943
June 1945		 Formed on the basis of No. 333 (Special Operations) Group, November 1942
3rd TAF and Strategical Air Force		 [29]Absorbed by Northwest African Air Forces
Disbanded
Far East Air Force June 1949 November 1971 AHQ Hong Kong & No. 224 Group RAF Disbanded[8]
Iraq Command October 1922 1938 All RAF units in Iraq Disbanded[12]
Mediterranean Air Command February 1943 December 1943 Northwest African Air Forces, Northwest African Tactical Air Force,
Northwest African Strategical Air Force, Northwest African Coastal Air Force,
Northwest African Training Command, Northwest African Air Service Command,
Northwest African Photo Reconnaissance Wing, Malta Air Command & Middle East Air Command		 Rear HQ Mediterranean Allied Air Forces[30]
Middle East Command December 1941 August 1945 No. 201 and 205 Groups RAF RAF Mediterranean and Middle East[31]
RAF Bengal and Burma December 1944 February 1945 AHQ Bengal, No. 221 and No. 224 Groups RAF Disbanded[32]
RAF Burma February 1945 September 1945 No. 221, 222, 229, 231 and 232 Groups RAF AHQ Burma[26]
RAF Germany January 1959 April 1993 All RAF units in Germany No. 2 Group RAF[33]
RAF Hong Kong September 1945 May 1946 AHQ Hong Kong[11]
RAF Iceland July 1941 July 1945 All RAF units in Iceland Disbanded[11]
RAF India May 1919
April 1922
November 1922		 January 1921
August 1922
December 1938		 All RAF units in India [34]Indian Group
Disbanded
HQ Air Forces in India
RAF Iraq April 1922 October 1922 All RAF units in Iraq Iraq Command[12]
RAF Ireland February 1922 February 1923 All RAF units In Ireland Disbanded[12]
RAF Mediterranean April 1922 December 1941 All RAF units in the Mediterranean area Disbanded into AHQ Malta[30]
RAF Mediterranean and Middle East February 1944
July 1945		 March 1944
June 1949		 All RAF units in the Mediterranean area [30]
Middle East Air Force June 1949 March 1961 All RAF units in the Middle East Near East Air Force[35]
RAF Rhine October 1919 June 1920 No. 12 Squadron RAF & 'Q' Unit RAF Disbanded[36]
Balkan Air Force June 1944 July 1945 All RAF units in the Balkans Disbanded[37]
Mediterranean Allied Air Forces December 1943 February 1944 All RAF units in the Mediterranean Disbanded[30]
Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force January 1944 August 1945 All RAF Coastal units in the Mediterranean [30]
Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force January 1944 August 1945 All RAF Strategic units in the Mediterranean [30]
Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force January 1944 July 1945 All RAF Tactical units in the Mediterranean [30]
Mediterranean Coastal Air Force January 1944
August 1945		 February 1944
October 1945		 All RAF Coastal units in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force
AHQ RAF Italy[30]
Near East Air Force March 1961 March 1976 All RAF units in the Eastern Mediterranean Disbanded[38]
Northwest African Coastal Air Force February 1943 January 1944 All RAF Coastal units in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Coastal Air Force[15]
Northwest African Tactical Air Force February 1943 January 1944 All RAF Tactical units in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force
Northwest African Strategic Air Force February 1943 January 1944 All RAF Strategic units in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force
First Tactical Air Force July 1943 June 1946 (Desert Air Force) Advanced AHQ Italy[39]
Second Tactical Air Force November 1943
September 1951		 July 1945
November 1959		 No. 2, 83, 84 Groups RAF and No. 34R & 85 Wings RAF
All RAF units in Germany		 Merged
RAF Germany[20]
Third Tactical Air Force December 1943 December 1944 No. 221 & 224 Groups RAF & Troop Carrier Command Disbanded[40]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation
  2. ^ a b c Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 39.
  3. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 59.
  4. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 67.
  5. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 71.
  6. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 79.
  7. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 92.
  8. ^ a b Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 109.
  9. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 112.
  10. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 134.
  11. ^ a b c Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 165.
  12. ^ a b c d Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 169.
  13. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 173.
  14. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 175.
  15. ^ a b Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 194.
  16. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 210.
  17. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 233.
  18. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 253.
  19. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 267.
  20. ^ a b Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 268.
  21. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 270.
  22. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 274.
  23. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 281.
  24. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 44.
  25. ^ a b c d e Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 64.
  26. ^ a b c Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 82.
  27. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 32.
  28. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 81.
  29. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 101.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 188.
  31. ^ "Commands - Med/Mid East_P". www.rafweb.org. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  32. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 78.
  33. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 142.
  34. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 167.
  35. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 190.
  36. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 224.
  37. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 70.
  38. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 193.
  39. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 100.
  40. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 2007, p. 269.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (2007). RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain Historians. ISBN 9780851303659.
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