The Royal Air Force (RAF) played a central role in the defence of Britain and in the fight against the Axis powers during the Second World War. The RAF was divided into three main commands: Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command, each of which had specific tasks and areas of responsibility. Fighter Command was responsible for the defence of British airspace and played a key role in countering the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. Bomber Command was responsible for strategic bombing raids on enemy infrastructure, industrial plants and cities, while Coastal Command was responsible for securing the sea lanes and fighting German submarines and ships. In addition to the operational units, the RAF relied on a complex network of support and training facilities. Flying schools, technical depots and logistics units ensured that the force was always combat-ready. Command, control and organization At the beginning of the war, supreme command of all three branches of the armed forces - army, navy and air force - lay with the War Cabinet. When Winston Churchill was elected Prime Minister in May 1940, he formed an additional Inner War Cabinet in which he could act directly with the military commanders, who together formed the Chief of Staffs Committee. The Air Council had supreme command of the Royal Air Force. It consisted of the following members.
Secretary of State for Air Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Air Chief of the Air Staff Air Member for Personnel Air Member for Development & Organization Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Air
Each Air Member was responsible for a specific department of the Air Ministry. These departments were in turn subdivided into various specific directorates corresponding to his appointment title. The rest of the Air Ministry was divided into directorates, departments and committees of civil service members. Command At the outbreak of the war, there were 7 air commands. Each of these commands was usually commanded by an air chief marshal. Bomber Command, formed in 1936, consisted of all bomber squadrons except those of Coastal Command, United Kingdom. These squadrons were organized into a number of divisions and were charged with carrying out the offensive bombing directives laid down by the Chief of the Air Staff. Fighter Command, established in 1936, was responsible for the air defence of the United Kingdom. It consisted of a staff at Bentley Priory and fighter groups, and also took operational control of Anti-Aircraft Command, which in turn ran the aircraft warning system and the searchlight and sound detection units. The fighter groups were distributed throughout the United Kingdom in the following four sectors:
South East England North of England, Scotland West of England South West England The Coastal Command, formed in 1936, was tasked with maritime reconnaissance using land-based aircraft. It also included land-based bombers, torpedo bombers and long-range fighters to counter attacks on shipping in the areas of focus. The sea area surrounding the United Kingdom was divided into three operational sectors: West and Northwest, North and East, and South and Southeast. Orders regarding the tasks and operational division of troops and plans were issued only by the Admiralty, personnel were provided by the RAF and equipment was supplied by the Ministry of Aircraft Production. Training Command, formed in 1936, was tasked with the flight training of pilots. Operational training was carried out in the Bomber, Fighter and Coastal Commands, with each command having the necessary operational training units. The Maintenance Command, formed in 1938, was responsible to all units for supplying and equipping them with aircraft (through the Ministry of Aircraft Production) and with ammunition, gasoline, oil, etc. It was also responsible for repair and maintenance. It was also responsible for the repair and recovery of equipment, the storage, packing and shipment of aircraft, engines, etc. used by the operational units, and the transfer of aircraft. Founded in 1938, Balloon Command was tasked with the organization, administration, training and supply of the UK's balloon defence system. Operational control lay with the commander-in-chief of the UK's air defence, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief.
Further commands were established during the course of the war. In 1940, the Army Co-operation Command, which was assigned to army units within the United Kingdom. Until its dissolution in 1943, it was responsible for the organization, testing and training in all forms of cooperation between air and land forces. Operational deployment was the responsibility of the commanders of the army units to which the wings of the command were assigned. Also in 1940, the Technical Training Command was established for the technical training of RAF personne.
Group, wing, squadron A group consisted of several subordinate units and was organized in such a way that it had a certain autonomy in its area of operations. A group consisted of several squadrons. The number of squadrons varied depending on the type and mission of the group. Typically, a group consisted of about 2 wings and was commanded by either an air commodore or a vice air marshal.
A wing usually consisted of three squadrons but could vary from 2 to 5 squadrons. Wings were usually commanded by a Group Captain. Single-engine fighter squadrons were commanded by a squadron leader and usually consisted of three flights, designated A, B, and C, which were subordinate to a flight lieutenant. Twin-engine night fighter, bomber, interceptor and Coastal Command fighter squadrons were commanded by a Wing Commander and the individual flights by a Squadron Leader. During the war, the number of aircraft in a squadron varied according to size. In 1939, a fighter squadron consisted of 12 aircraft, but in some cases was increased to 16 or even 24. Bomber squadrons initially had 12 aircraft, which were increased up to 24.
The squadrons were based at specific Royal Air Force bases, which were equipped with all the necessary support facilities. At the beginning of the war, each squadron had its own ground crew, which was responsible for the maintenance of the unit's aircraft, major repairs and other tasks that went beyond the capabilities of the squadron's own resources. These tasks were usually carried out by base personnel or maintenance units (MUs). By the end of the war, however, many squadrons had lost their autonomy and their ground crews were officially transferred to Squadron Servicing Echelons, which were “attached” to the respective squadrons. These squadrons usually included the squadron number in their “legal” title.
Each RAF squadron received official numbers as part of their designation. Most of the squadrons numbered 1 to 274 had originally been taken over from the Royal Flying Corps or the Royal Navy Air Arm. During the Second World War, the RAF experienced a significant increase in personnel, which led to the creation of many new squadrons. In response, the RAF's administrative departments assigned specific numbering sequences to the various squadrons, identifying their roles, origins and other characteristics. This system also applied to the numerous Commonwealth and other non-British units that eventually operated under RAF command. Due to changing wartime and operational conditions, some squadrons were disbanded, renamed or withdrawn from the front. As a result, not all squadrons were active at the same time.
While each squadron was primarily identified by its official number, an additional system of code letters was used to identify individual units. These code letters were painted on the fuselage flanks of the aircraft. These codes were used to identify individual aircraft within a squadron or unit, with the name of the squadron or unit indicated by the first two letters of the code. However, on 4 September 1939, all such codes were completely changed in the interests of safety. As the war progressed, several variations and additions to the code letter system were introduced.
This system was soon adopted by virtually all flying units, both operational and non-operational. Such code letter combinations were used in certain squadrons in the United Kingdom and in some overseas war zones. In early 1941, Fighter Command introduced the position of Wing Leader, an operational role that oversaw the coordination of fighter units in combat. To facilitate identification, Wing Leaders were authorized to use the initials of their name as their individual identifier. Normally a squadron operated as a unit, although at certain stages of the war it was common for squadrons to work with other squadrons of the same wing. However, it became common practice for individual squadrons of a squadron to be detached from the squadron's base to operate separately at another airfield to fulfill specific operational requirements.
Recruitment and training
Airmen At the beginning of the war, all training activities, both in the air and on the ground, were under the control of Training Command, based at Shinfield Park. In May 1940, Training Command was disbanded and replaced by separate commands overseeing technical training and flying training. At this time, the latter controlled 80 training schools, 31 of which were dedicated to pilot training, and had a fleet of 3,189 aircraft of 56 different types. The Flying Training Command retained its base at Shinfield Park, while the Technical Training Command was based at nearby Wantage Hall.
Most RAF and WAAF recruits, including officers and aircrew, came from the RAF Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR). At the start of the war, all opportunities for entry into regular RAF service were temporarily closed, with the exception of the Aircraft Apprenticeship Scheme. These included the Boy Entrant Scheme and the Cadet Training Course at Cranwell College. To create a pool of future pilots, the Air Training Corps was established in 1941. The program offered boys between the ages of 16 and 18 one to two years of training to prepare them for entry into the RAF.
In peacetime, RAF pilots received around 150 hours of training and practice before being assigned to squadrons. There they underwent additional 'continuation' training until they were deemed fully competent to carry out their assigned flying duties in the squadron. However, once the squadrons were mobilized for their wartime duties, they had neither the facilities nor the personnel to complete pilot training. This final phase was therefore initially carried out by Group Pool or Reserve Squadrons, i.e. units assigned to training duties within the respective group. From 1941, these advanced training units were known as Operational Training Units (OTUs). The training initially comprised eight weeks of theory and basic instruction in an Initial Training Wing (ITW), followed by ten weeks of flight and theory instruction in an Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). This was followed by up to 16 weeks of “advanced” flight training at a Service Flying Training School (SFTS). This was followed by another training session with an OTU for a period of four to six weeks, with the aim of familiarizing the pilots with the type of aircraft that would be used in their intended missions with the squadron.