| Desert Air Force | |
|---|---|
 Ensign of the Royal Air Force | |
| Founded | 21 October 1941 |
| Country |  United Kingdom South Africa Australia |
| Role | Tactical air force |
| Size | over 1,500 combat aircraft (late 1942) |
| Part of | RAF Middle East Command |
| Engagements | Second World War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Arthur Coningham Harry Broadhurst William Dickson |
TheDesert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically asAir Headquarters Western Desert,Air Headquarters Libya, theWestern Desert Air Force, and theFirst Tactical Air Force (1TAF),[citation needed] was anAlliedtactical air force created from No. 204 Group RAF underRAF Middle East Command in North Africa in 1941 to provideclose air support to the BritishEighth Army againstAxis forces. Throughout theSecond World War, the DAF was made up ofsquadrons from theRoyal Air Force (RAF), theSouth African Air Force (SAAF), theRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF), theUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and other Allied air forces.
In October 1941, the Western Desert Air Forces had 16 squadrons of aircraft (nine fighter, six medium bomber and one tactical reconnaissance) and fielded approximately 1,000 combat aircraft by late 1941.[1] By the time of theSecond Battle of El Alamein, the DAF fielded 29 squadrons (including nine South African and three USAAF units) flyingBoston,Baltimore andMitchell medium bombers;Hurricane,Kittyhawk, Tomahawk, Warhawk andSpitfire fighters and fighter-bombers.[1] There were over 1,500 combat aircraft, more than double the number of aircraft the Axis could field.[citation needed]
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 SirWilliam Mitchell,Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East—comprised four separatecommands: forEgypt (designated Middle East),RAF Iraq,Mediterranean atMalta, andRAF Aden (No. 8,No. 203, andNo. 94 Squadrons).[2] Mitchell handed over to Air Vice Marshal SirArthur Longmore in early May 1940. WhenItaly declared war in June 1940, Longmore had just 29 squadrons numbering less than 300 aircraft in the four commands detailed above.
On 10 June 1940, RAF bomber squadrons in AHQ Egypt—under the direction ofNo. 202 Group RAF—totalled five squadrons ofBristol Blenheims, one ofVickers Valentias and one ofBristol Bombays.[3] The Valentia and Bombay could be used as troop transports or medium bombers.
AHQ Sudan had 254 Wing withNo. 14,No. 223 andNo. 47 squadrons, AHQ Aden hadNo. 8,No. 11, andNo. 39 squadrons, andNo. 84 Squadron RAF was atShaibah in Iraq with Blenheims.
Prior to theItalian invasion of Egypt, under Air CommodoreRaymond Collishaw, the RAF in Egypt—which comprised nine squadrons—focused its activities on ground support, reconnaissance, and only when necessary aerial combat with the ItalianRegia Aeronautica. The force at Collishaw's disposal consisted ofNo. 33,No. 80, andNo. 112 Squadrons withGloster Gladiators,No. 208 Squadron RAF withWestland Lysanders, fourBlenheim squadrons (No.s 30, 55, 113, and 211) 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".[4] Aggressive actions induced a "defensive mentality among the Italians", aided by expedients such as using the singleHawker 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 theMediterranean Fleet shot down eightSavoia-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 viaTakoradi in theGold Coast, from which new aircraft were received by sea, assembled, test flown, and ferried across Africa toKhartoum, a route first pioneered by Air Vice-MarshalArthur Coningham in 1925. By this and other means, by the end of November 1940 the RAF in Egypt had been bolstered byNo. 73 andNo. 274 Squadrons with Hurricanes andNo. 37 andNo. 38 Squadrons withVickers Wellingtons, as well as severalSouth African Air Force squadrons, ready for the beginning ofOperation Compass. During Compass, "the squadrons of Hurricanes, Lysanders, and Blenheims ... strove hard to keep pace [with the ground forces], often landing after a combat sortie at a more advanced strip than from which they had set out."[5]
On 19 April 1941, RAFNo. 204 Group was created under the command of Air Commodore Raymond Collishaw and consisted of:
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 SirArthur Tedder. On 21 October 1941,Air Headquarters Western Desert was created by upgrading204 Group to command status.
Three wings operated in North Africa at first,258 and269 Wings operated over the front line and262 Wing defended the Nile Delta.[7] On 20 January 1942, the command was renamedAir Headquarters Libya; however, on 3 February it reverted to its former name of the Air Headquarters Western Desert.
A.H.Q. Western Desert organisation from 18 November 1941 to 19 May 1942.[8]
A.H.Q. Western Desert –Maaten Bagush
253 Wing
258 Wing
261 Wing
262 Wing
270 Wing
Western Desert Air Force (WDAF) was organised on 27 October 1942 as:[9]
Subordinated to General Headquarters RAF Middle East (GHQ RAF Middle East)
(Part ofUnited States Army Middle East Air Force but with exception of 81st Bombardment Squadron, under WDAF operational control):
In January 1943, British Prime MinisterWinston Churchill, American PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, and their staffs reorganised theAllied air forces in the North African andMediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) at theCasablanca Conference. The Western Desert Air Force became a sub-command of Coningham'sNorthwest African Tactical Air Force (part ofNorthwest African Air Forces) in February 1943 and Air Vice MarshalHarry Broadhurst became its Air Officer Commanding.[10] On 18 February 1943, theMediterranean Air Command (MAC) was established with Air Chief MarshalSir Arthur Tedder in charge of all Allied air forces in theMediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO).[11]When the Allied forces invaded Sicily (Operation Husky) on 10 July 1943,Desert Air Force (DAF) was created by simply renaming Western Desert Air Force. For Operation Husky, DAF containedAdvanced andRear elements.
Advanced Headquarters, Desert Air Force,
No. 211 (Offensive Fighter) Group with Spitfires:
| No. 244 Wing | No. 322 Wing | No. 324 Wing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Squadron SAAF | No. 81 Squadron | No. 72 Squadron (RAF) |
| No. 92 Squadron (RAF) | No. 154 Squadron (RAF) | No. 93 Squadron (RAF) |
| No. 417 Squadron (RCAF) | No. 232 Squadron (RAF) | No. 111 Squadron (RAF) |
| No. 601 Squadron (RAF) Sqn. Ldr.Stanisław Skalski | No. 242 Squadron (RAF) | No. 152 Squadron (RAF) |
| No. 145 Squadron (RAF) Polish Fighting Team P.F.T. Flight "C" "Skalski Circus" | No. 43 Squadron (RAF) | No. 243 Squadron (RAF) |
OtherAdvanced units included:
Rear Headquarters, Desert Air Force.Operating from Tripoli Area
(60 and 682 were Photographic Reconnaissance (PR) squadrons assigned from theNorthwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing)
DAF continued to provide close tactical support to the BritishEighth Army as a subordinate element of NATAF. MAC was disbanded in December 1943 and reorganised into theMediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) which absorbed NAAF, RAFM, and possibly some units of RAFME. DAF, still under Broadhurst, became a component of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) under Major GeneralJohn 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 (strategic, coastal, tactical) 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.
The air defence of Britain always received priority and the DAF was generally equipped with older aircraft types. Initially equipped with obsolete types like theGloster Gladiator biplane fighter and theBristol Blenheim light bomber, the DAF made a good showing against the equally obsoleteItalian Air Force. After the direct threat to Britain receded, newer types were assigned to the DAF, such as theHawker Hurricane andDouglas Boston medium bomber in 1941.
US-built P-40 Tomahawks/Kittyhawks also went to the DAF as it was unsuited to European operations which were generally fought at much higher altitudes and against more formidable opposition. The P-40 was used initially as an air superiority fighter but it was also adapted (and found to be ideally suited) toground attack missions.
The DAF always outnumbered its Axis opponents and concentrated on long-range interdiction and direct tactical Eighth Army support. Unfortunately, these tactics meant that the fasterMesserschmitt Bf 109s ofJadgdeschwader 27 usually had the advantage of height and surprise over the low-level, slow-flying DAF fighters and losses were correspondingly high. In 1942, the DAF reorganised its tactics and introduced better aircraft. Spitfires were eventually used for air superiority, becoming operational in August 1942, which allowed the DAF to gain air superiority.
The DAF adapted theLuftwaffe concept of tactical air support by using fighter-bombers linked via radio to "Forward air controllers" attached to Army units. The DAF improved the concept by introducing "cab ranks" of fighter-bombers in the air waiting to be called on. The DAF provided air support to the Eighth Army until the end of the war, fighting overEgypt,Libya,Tunisia, Sicily and mainland Italy. The tactical concepts which had proven so successful in the latter part of the North African campaign were adopted with even greater success during theInvasion of Europe in 1944.
TheSAAF provided over a dozen squadrons to the DAF. This was their main theatre of operations, as the South African government had decided their military should not operate outside Africa. Between April 1941 and May 1943, the 11 squadrons of the SAAF flew almost 34,000 sorties and claimed 342 enemy aircraft destroyed.
The Australian contribution included fighter and bomber squadrons, includingNo. 3 Squadron RAAF, which arrived in North Africa in late 1940 and served with the DAF until the closing stages of the war in Europe. By that time, 3 Sqn had the most substantial service record of any DAF squadron, including the greatest number of kills (217 claims). Many Australian pilots also flew with RAF or SAAF squadrons in the DAF.
Many exiles fromOccupied Europe—especially Polish airmen— flew in DAF squadrons.No. 112 Squadron RAF was largely made up of Poles and in 1943, thePolish Fighting Team ("Skalski's Circus") was attached toNo. 145 Squadron RAF.
From July 1942, theUnited States Army Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF, Major-GeneralLewis H. Brereton) attached USAAF personnel from the57th Fighter Group and12th Bombardment Group to DAF fighter and bomber units, as "observers".[12] This was technically a violation of theArnold-Portal-Towers agreement, which included a stipulation that American personnel should serve only in US units.[13] From mid-September, the P-40 Warhawk squadrons of the 57th FG and theB-25 squadrons of the 12th BG were officially attached to DAF units.[14] On 12 November 1942, USAMEAF was dissolved and replaced by the9th Air Force, although some US units remained with Commonwealth formations for some time.
British and Commonwealth personnel who served with the DAF were awarded theAfrica Star campaign medal with the clasp 'North Africa 1942–43', denoted by a silver rosette when only ribbons were worn.
The following were the air officers commanding either the Air Headquarters Western Desert or the Desert Air Force:[15]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
