No. 11 Group RAAF
Encyclopedia
No. 11 Group was a Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) group
formed at Morotai
in the last weeks of World War II
to command the RAAF's garrison units in the region. The group was established at the end of July 1945, but was not yet fully active when the war ended on 14 August. It remained active at Morotai until being disbanded at the end of March 1946.
in the Netherlands East Indies on 16 July 1945 to free the Australian First Tactical Air Force
from garrison duties after most of its combat elements had moved forward from bases in Morotai and near New Guinea
to islands off Borneo
to support the Borneo Campaign
. No. 11 Group's commanding officer was Air Commodore
Raymond Brownell
, who had previously been Air Officer Commanding, Western Area.
No. 11 Group took over administrative control of all RAAF units on Morotai on 30 July. The group's initial area of responsibility was all Dutch territory north of latitude 7 degrees south
and east of longitude 108 degrees east
, British North Borneo and Sarawak
. The principal RAAF airfields in these areas were at Hollandia
, Biak
, Middleburg
, Morotai
, Labuan
and Tarakan
.
The group had three main responsibilities:
No. 11 Group was to be formed from elements of the RAAF's Northern Command and the First Tactical Air Force. It was planned that the group would initially consist of its headquarters and No. 79
, No. 452
, No. 457
and No. 120 squadrons, all of which were equipped with fighter aircraft. On 30 July No. 80 Wing's
headquarters was absorbed into No. 11 Group, with most of its personnel being transferred into the newly-formed group. No. 11 Telecommunications Unit was also formed on 1 August to provide communications services for the group.
The war ended before No. 11 Group was fully formed and assumed its full responsibilities, and its combat operations were limited to small strikes against Japanese positions on Halmahera
. No. 79 Squadron attacked Halmahera with its Spitfire fighters
on 30 and 31 July. These attacks were followed up by a larger attack on 4 August in which No. 11 Group commanded an attack on Halmahera by 12 B-24 Liberator
heavy bombers from the United States Thirteenth Air Force
and six No. 79 Squadron Spitfires. No. 79 Squadron continued daily operations against Halmahera until the end of the war. No. 11 Group also directed operations conducted by No. 82 Wing
on an unofficial basis in the last days of the war.
No. 11 Group celebrated Christmas 1945 with a formal dinner. It was disbanded at Morotai on 31 March 1946.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) group
Group (air force)
A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
formed at Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
in the last weeks of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to command the RAAF's garrison units in the region. The group was established at the end of July 1945, but was not yet fully active when the war ended on 14 August. It remained active at Morotai until being disbanded at the end of March 1946.
History
No. 11 Group was established at MorotaiMorotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
in the Netherlands East Indies on 16 July 1945 to free the Australian First Tactical Air Force
Australian First Tactical Air Force
The Australian First Tactical Air Force was formed on 25 October 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force . Its purpose was to provide a mobile force of fighter and ground attack aircraft that could support Allied army and naval units fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area...
from garrison duties after most of its combat elements had moved forward from bases in Morotai and near New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
to islands off Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
to support the Borneo Campaign
Borneo campaign (1945)
The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. Allied naval and...
. No. 11 Group's commanding officer was Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Raymond Brownell
Raymond Brownell
Air Commodore Raymond James Brownell CBE, MC, MM was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force and a First World War flying ace. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Brownell was working as a clerk with a firm of accountants when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the outbreak of the...
, who had previously been Air Officer Commanding, Western Area.
No. 11 Group took over administrative control of all RAAF units on Morotai on 30 July. The group's initial area of responsibility was all Dutch territory north of latitude 7 degrees south
7th parallel south
The 7th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 7 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
and east of longitude 108 degrees east
108th meridian east
The meridian 108° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
, British North Borneo and Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
. The principal RAAF airfields in these areas were at Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
, Middleburg
Middleburg
Middleburg may mean the following places in the United States of America:*Middleburg, Florida*Middleburg, Iowa*Middleburg, Kentucky*Middleburg, Maryland*Middleburgh , New York**Middleburgh , New York*Middleburg, Logan County, Ohio...
, Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
, Labuan
Labuan
Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...
and Tarakan
Tarakan Island
Tarakan is an island off the coast of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a marshy island situated in the eastern Celebes Sea, off the northeastern coast of Borneo. The island occupies an area of .-Petroleum:...
.
The group had three main responsibilities:
- Local air defence duties and sea lane protection
- Support of adjacent formations and offensive operations against Japanese targets within range
- Line of communication duties
No. 11 Group was to be formed from elements of the RAAF's Northern Command and the First Tactical Air Force. It was planned that the group would initially consist of its headquarters and No. 79
No. 79 Squadron RAAF
No. 79 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force flight training unit which has been formed on four occasions since 1943. The squadron was established in May 1943 as a fighter unit equipped with Supermarine Spitfires, and subsequently saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II...
, No. 452
No. 452 Squadron RAAF
No. 452 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force air traffic control unit. It was originally formed in 1941 fighter unit formed in accordance with Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme during World War II, in England. The squadron flew Supermarine Spitfires for the entire war, initially over...
, No. 457
No. 457 Squadron RAAF
No. 457 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England during June 1941 as an Article XV squadron equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters...
and No. 120 squadrons, all of which were equipped with fighter aircraft. On 30 July No. 80 Wing's
No. 80 Wing RAAF
No. 80 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force wing of World War II. The unit was formed on 15 May 1944 and eventually comprised three squadrons equipped with Spitfire fighter aircraft. The wing's headquarters was absorbed into the newly formed No...
headquarters was absorbed into No. 11 Group, with most of its personnel being transferred into the newly-formed group. No. 11 Telecommunications Unit was also formed on 1 August to provide communications services for the group.
The war ended before No. 11 Group was fully formed and assumed its full responsibilities, and its combat operations were limited to small strikes against Japanese positions on Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
. No. 79 Squadron attacked Halmahera with its Spitfire fighters
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
on 30 and 31 July. These attacks were followed up by a larger attack on 4 August in which No. 11 Group commanded an attack on Halmahera by 12 B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
heavy bombers from the United States Thirteenth Air Force
Thirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
and six No. 79 Squadron Spitfires. No. 79 Squadron continued daily operations against Halmahera until the end of the war. No. 11 Group also directed operations conducted by No. 82 Wing
No. 82 Wing RAAF
No. 82 Wing is the Royal Australian Air Force's strike and reconnaissance wing. It is headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter and Pilatus PC-9 forward air control aircraft. The wing was formed in August 1944, flying B-24 Liberator...
on an unofficial basis in the last days of the war.
No. 11 Group celebrated Christmas 1945 with a formal dinner. It was disbanded at Morotai on 31 March 1946.