Desert Air Force


The Desert Air Force, also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force, was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 Group RAF under RAF Middle East Command in North Africa in 1941 to provide close air support to the British Eighth Army against Axis forces. Throughout the Second World War, the DAF was made up of squadrons from the Royal Air Force, the South African Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces.
In October 1941, the Western Desert Air Forces had 16 squadrons of aircraft and fielded approximately 1,000 combat aircraft by late 1941. By the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein, the DAF fielded 29 squadrons flying Boston, Baltimore and Mitchell medium bombers; Hurricane, Kittyhawk, Tomahawk, Warhawk and Spitfire fighters and fighter-bombers. There were over 1,500 combat aircraft, more than double the number of aircraft the Axis could field.

History

Prior to the establishment of the Desert Air Force, several RAF formations operated in North Africa. On 3 September 1939, RAF Middle East Command—under Air Chief Marshal Sir William Mitchell, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East—comprised four separate commands: for Egypt, RAF Iraq, Mediterranean at Malta, and RAF Aden. Mitchell handed over to Air Vice Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore in early May 1940. When Italy declared war in June 1940, Longmore had just 29 squadrons numbering less than 300 aircraft in the four commands detailed above.

AHQ Egypt

On 10 June 1940, RAF bomber squadrons in AHQ Egypt—under the direction of No. 202 Group RAF—totalled five squadrons of Bristol Blenheims, one of Vickers Valentias and one of Bristol Bombays. The Valentia and Bombay could be used as troop transports or medium bombers.
  • HQ 202 Group, Ma'aten Bagush
  • * No. 250 Wing RAF, Ismailia
  • ** No. 30 Squadron RAF, Blenheim, Ismailia
  • ** No. 55 Squadron RAF, Blenheim, Fuka
  • ** No. 113 Squadron RAF, Blenheim, Ma'aten Bagush
  • * No. 253 Wing RAF, Advanced HQ Ma'aten Bagush
  • ** No. 45 Squadron RAF, Blenheim, Fuka
  • ** No. 211 Squadron RAF, Blenheim, Daba
  • * No. 70 Squadron RAF, Valentia, Helwan
  • * No. 216 Squadron RAF, Bombay, Heliopolis
AHQ Sudan had 254 Wing with No. 14, No. 223 and No. 47 squadrons, AHQ Aden had No. 8, No. 11, and No. 39 squadrons, and No. 84 Squadron RAF was at Shaibah in Iraq with Blenheims.
Prior to the Italian invasion of Egypt, under Air Commodore Raymond Collishaw, the RAF in Egypt—which comprised nine squadrons—focused its activities on ground support, reconnaissance, and only when necessary aerial combat with the Italian Regia Aeronautica. The force at Collishaw's disposal consisted of No. 33, No. 80, and No. 112 Squadrons with Gloster Gladiators, No. 208 Squadron RAF with Westland Lysanders, four Blenheim squadrons and No. 216 Squadron RAF with Bombays. With this small force, the RAF had to "equate its attempt to dominate the front line with avoidance of unnecessary losses". Aggressive actions induced a "defensive mentality among the Italians", aided by expedients such as using the single Hawker Hurricane in the Middle East, rapidly switched between landing grounds, to provide an exaggerated picture of British strength in the eyes of Italian reconnaissance aircraft. There were occasional single successes as well; on 17 August 1940, Gladiators covering the Mediterranean Fleet shot down eight Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers without loss.
The force in the Middle East was clearly too small, reinforcement by sea was a 14,000-mile trip that required three months to complete, and reinforcement via the Western Mediterranean was hardly practical due to the ranges involved, which only bombers could achieve. Thus, an alternate reinforcement route began to be pioneered via Takoradi in the Gold Coast, from which new aircraft were received by sea, assembled, test flown, and ferried across Africa to Khartoum, a route first pioneered by Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Coningham in 1925. By this and other means, by the end of November 1940 the RAF in Egypt had been bolstered by No. 73 and No. 274 Squadrons with Hurricanes and No. 37 and No. 38 Squadrons with Vickers Wellingtons, as well as several South African Air Force squadrons, ready for the beginning of Operation Compass. During Compass, "the squadrons of Hurricanes, Lysanders, and Blenheims... strove hard to keep pace , often landing after a combat sortie at a more advanced strip than from which they had set out."
On 19 April 1941, RAF No. 204 Group was created under the command of Air Commodore Raymond Collishaw and consisted of:
  • No. 73 Squadron at Tobruk
  • No. 274 Squadron at Gerawla
  • No. 14 Squadron at Burg el Arab
  • Detachment of No. 39 Squadron at Maaten Baggash
  • Detachment of No. 24 Squadron SAAF at Fuka
  • No. 45 Squadron at Fuka
  • No. 55 Squadron at Zimla
  • No. 6 Squadron at Tobruk.
On 30 July 1941, Collishaw handed over No. 204 Group to Coningham. Later that year, RAF Middle East Command came under the command of Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder. On 21 October 1941, Air Headquarters Western Desert was created by upgrading 204 Group to command status.
Three wings operated in North Africa at first, 258 and 269 Wings operated over the front line and 262 Wing defended the Nile Delta. On 20 January 1942, the command was renamed Air Headquarters Libya; however, on 3 February it reverted to its former name of the Air Headquarters Western Desert.

Western Desert Air Force

A.H.Q. Western Desert organisation from 18 November 1941 to 19 May 1942.
A.H.Q. Western Desert – Maaten Bagush
  • No. 30 Squadron
  • No. 33 Squadron
  • No. 60 Squadron SAAF
  • No. 80 Squadron
  • No. 113 Squadron
  • No. 223 Squadron
  • No. 272 Squadron
  • No. 805 Squadron FAA
  • No. 815 Squadron FAA
  • No. 826 Squadron FAA
253 Wing
  • No. 208 Squadron
  • No. 237 Squadron
  • No. 451 Squadron RAAF
258 Wing
261 Wing
262 Wing
  • No. 1 Squadron SAAF
  • No. 94 Squadron SAAF
  • No. 229 Squadron
  • No. 238 Squadron
  • No. 260 Squadron
  • No. 274 Squadron
270 Wing
  • No. 8 Squadron
  • No. 14 Squadron
  • No. 45 Squadron
  • No. 55 Squadron
  • No. 84 Squadron
  • French Squadron Lorraine
Western Desert Air Force was organised on 27 October 1942 as:
Subordinated to General Headquarters RAF Middle East
File:The Royal Air Force in Tunisia, May 1943 TR975.2.jpg|thumb|right|Kittyhawks of No. 112 Squadron RAF prepare to take off in Tunisia.
  • No. 211 Group
  • * 7 Squadron SAAF
  • * No. 6 Squadron RAF
  • * 64th Fighter Squadron USAAF
  • * 65th Fighter Squadron USAAF
  • * No. 233 Wing
  • ** 2 Squadron SAAF
  • ** 4 Squadron SAAF
  • ** 5 Squadron SAAF
  • ** No. 260 Squadron RAF
  • * No. 239 Wing
  • ** No. 3 Squadron RAAF
  • ** No. 112 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 250 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 450 Squadron RAAF
  • ** 66th Fighter Squadron USAAF
  • * No. 244 Wing
  • ** No. 145 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 601 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 73 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 92 Squadron RAF
  • No. 212 Group
  • * No. 243 Wing
  • ** 1 Squadron SAAF
  • ** No. 33 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 213 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 238 Squadron RAF
  • * No. 7 Wing
  • ** No. 80 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 127 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 335 Squadron RAF
  • ** No. 274 Squadron RAF
  • * Early in 1943 that squadron was renamed No. 462 Squadron RAAF despite mainly British personnel.
  • * The squadron was disbanded in June 1943 but a new Australian 462 Squadron was formed late in 1943 with mainly Australian personnel.
;US Desert Air Task Force
:
In January 1943, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and their staffs reorganised the Allied air forces in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations at the Casablanca Conference. The Western Desert Air Force became a sub-command of Coningham's Northwest African Tactical Air Force in February 1943 and Air Vice Marshal Harry Broadhurst became its Air Officer Commanding. On 18 February 1943, the Mediterranean Air Command was established with Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder in charge of all Allied air forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.
When the Allied forces invaded Sicily on 10 July 1943, Desert Air Force was created by simply renaming Western Desert Air Force. For Operation Husky, DAF contained Advanced and Rear elements.
Advanced Headquarters, Desert Air Force,
No. 211 Group with Spitfires:
No. 244 WingNo. 322 WingNo. 324 Wing
1 Squadron SAAFNo. 81 SquadronNo. 72 Squadron
No. 92 Squadron No. 154 Squadron No. 93 Squadron
No. 417 Squadron No. 232 Squadron No. 111 Squadron
No. 601 Squadron
Sqn. Ldr. Stanisław Skalski		No. 242 Squadron No. 152 Squadron
No. 145 Squadron Polish Fighting Team P.F.T. Flight "C" "Skalski Circus"No. 43 Squadron No. 243 Squadron

Other Advanced units included:
Rear Headquarters, Desert Air Force.
Operating from Tripoli Area
No. 239 Wing RAF 57th Fighter Group USAAF 79th Fighter Group USAAF
No. 3 Squadron RAAF64th Squadron85th Squadron
No. 112 Squadron RAF65th Squadron86th Squadron
No. 450 Squadron RAAF66th Squadron87th Squadron
No. 250 Squadron RAF-
No. 260 Squadron RAF--

  • No. 285 Wing RAF
  • * No. 1437 Flight RAF
  • * 60 Squadron SAAF
  • * No. 682 Squadron RAF
  • Other RAF units
  • * No. 6 Squadron
  • * No. 249 Air Transport Wing
DAF continued to provide close tactical support to the British Eighth Army as a subordinate element of NATAF. MAC was disbanded in December 1943 and reorganised into the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces which absorbed NAAF, RAFM, and possibly some units of RAFME. DAF, still under Broadhurst, became a component of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force under Major General John K. Cannon. The successful tactical air support of ground forces in Egypt and Libya pioneered by Tedder and Coningham was the model for the establishment of NAAF at the Casablanca Conference and the tri-force elements of this air interdiction model were retained in the new MAAF structure which generally persisted until the end of the Second World War. DAF existed until 30 June 1946, when it was renamed the Advanced AHQ Italy.