No. 12 Group RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force
was a command organization
that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I
when it had a training function and from just prior to World War II
until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.
No. 12 Group was first formed in April 1918 at Cranwell
, Lincolnshire
, within No. 3 Area. It succeeded the Royal Navy
's Central Depot and Training Establishment which had been training naval avaitors at Cranwell since 1916. The first RAF General Officer Commanding was Brigadier-General H D Briggs who received the appointment on promotion from Captain
in the Royal Navy. On 8 May 1918 the group transferred to Midland Area, and then to Northern Area on 18 October 1919. On 1 November that year the Group ceased to exist when it became the RAF (Cadet) College.
The group was reformed on 1 April 1937 in Fighter Command
. It was the group responsible for aerial defence of the Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales. Construction of a purpose built site at RAF Watnall
was not completed until late 1940, after which operations were relocated from nearby RAF Hucknall. During World War II
this group was the second most important group of Fighter Command, and as such, it received its share of attacks from the German Luftwaffe
throughout the war.
The commander of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain
was Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
, who was a rather ambitious man. Despite his length of service in the RAF, he was passed over for being named the Air Officer Commanding
of the more vital 11 Group
in favour of Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
. Leigh-Mallory felt himself slighted over this and his relations with Park were poisoned thereafter.
As well as regional defence, 12 Group were also supposed to fly cover for 11 Group airfields during the Battle of Britain, but several times, these fields were left undefended. When Park complained about it, Leigh-Mallory responded that in order to test his Big Wing
theory (espoused by Squadron Leader
Douglas Bader
), more time was needed to get the necessary squadrons airborne.
The Big Wings met with mixed success, enough for the Air Ministry to use it as an excuse to oust Park and Air Chief Marshal
Hugh Dowding from their commands on the grounds that they had mismanaged the Battle of Britain.
After Park was ousted, Leigh-Mallory took over 11 Group. 12 Group still continued its assignment of defending the Midlands and supporting both 10 Group
and 11 Group.
12 Group remained in being after the war. It was renamed No. 12 (East Anglian) Sector on 31 March 1963. On 30 April 1968, as the new Strike Command
came into existence, 12 Group passed into history.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
was a command organization
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...
that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when it had a training function and from just prior to 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...
until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.
No. 12 Group was first formed in April 1918 at Cranwell
Cranwell
Cranwell is a village situated in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. It is part of the Civil Parish of Cranwell and Byard's Leap and is located 3.95 miles north-north-west of Sleaford and 16.3 miles south-east of the county town of Lincoln...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, within No. 3 Area. It succeeded the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Central Depot and Training Establishment which had been training naval avaitors at Cranwell since 1916. The first RAF General Officer Commanding was Brigadier-General H D Briggs who received the appointment on promotion from Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
in the Royal Navy. On 8 May 1918 the group transferred to Midland Area, and then to Northern Area on 18 October 1919. On 1 November that year the Group ceased to exist when it became the RAF (Cadet) College.
The group was reformed on 1 April 1937 in Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
. It was the group responsible for aerial defence of the Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales. Construction of a purpose built site at RAF Watnall
RAF Watnall
RAF Watnall was the Operational Headquarters of No. 12 Group, Fighter Command.-History:It opened in 1940 and closed in 1961.The station is now the Nottingham Weather Centre.-RAF units and aircraft:-See also:* Battle of Britain...
was not completed until late 1940, after which operations were relocated from nearby RAF Hucknall. During 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...
this group was the second most important group of Fighter Command, and as such, it received its share of attacks from the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
throughout the war.
The commander of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
was Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO & Bar was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. Leigh-Mallory served as a Royal Flying Corps pilot and squadron commander during World War I...
, who was a rather ambitious man. Despite his length of service in the RAF, he was passed over for being named the Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
of the more vital 11 Group
No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was...
in favour of Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
Keith Park
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander...
. Leigh-Mallory felt himself slighted over this and his relations with Park were poisoned thereafter.
As well as regional defence, 12 Group were also supposed to fly cover for 11 Group airfields during the Battle of Britain, but several times, these fields were left undefended. When Park complained about it, Leigh-Mallory responded that in order to test his Big Wing
Big Wing
The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was an air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain by 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader. In essence, the tactic involved meeting incoming Luftwaffe bombing raids in strength with a...
theory (espoused by Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
), more time was needed to get the necessary squadrons airborne.
The Big Wings met with mixed success, enough for the Air Ministry to use it as an excuse to oust Park and Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Hugh Dowding from their commands on the grounds that they had mismanaged the Battle of Britain.
After Park was ousted, Leigh-Mallory took over 11 Group. 12 Group still continued its assignment of defending the Midlands and supporting both 10 Group
No. 10 Group RAF
No. 10 Group of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 in No. 2 Area. On 8 May of the next year it was transferred to South-Western Area. In 1919 it was transferred to Coastal Area where it remained until it was disbanded on 18 January 1932....
and 11 Group.
12 Group remained in being after the war. It was renamed No. 12 (East Anglian) Sector on 31 March 1963. On 30 April 1968, as the new Strike Command
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
came into existence, 12 Group passed into history.
1918 to 1919
- 1 April 1918 Brigadier-General H D Briggs
- 1 May 1919 Brigadier-General F R ScarlettFrancis Rowland ScarlettAir Vice Marshal Francis Rowland Scarlett CB, DSO, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-Military career:Scarlett joined the Royal Navy in 1891 and in April 1913 he attended the Central Flying School, being awarded his Aviator's Certificate no. 468 on 4 April 1913...
1937 to 1963
- 1 April 1937 Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
J H S Tyssen - 4 December 1937 Air Vice-Marshal T L Leigh-MalloryTrafford Leigh-MalloryAir Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO & Bar was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. Leigh-Mallory served as a Royal Flying Corps pilot and squadron commander during World War I...
- 17 December 1940 Air Vice-Marshal R E Saul
- 29 November 1942 Air Vice-Marshal J O Andrews
- 1 June 1943 Air Vice-Marshal R M HillRoderic HillAir Chief Marshal Sir Roderic Maxwell Hill KCB, MC, AFC & Bar, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II, and a past Rector of Imperial College...
- 22 November 1943 Air Vice-Marshal M Henderson
- 1 January 1945 Air Vice-Marshal J W Baker
- 5 May 1946 Air Vice-Marshal T C TraillThomas TraillAir Vice-Marshal Thomas Cathcart Traill began his military career as a midshipman in the Royal Navy. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. He rose to the rank of Captain during World War I, becoming a flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. He remained in the newly formed Royal...
- 17 November 1948 Air Vice-Marshal G Harcourt-Smith
- 1 June 1951 Air Vice-Marshal R L R AtcherleyRichard AtcherleyAir Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley KBE, CB, AFC & Bar was a senior commander in the RAF who also served as chief of Air Staff for the Royal Pakistan Air Force.-Early life:...
- 13 November 1953 Air Vice-Marshal W J Crisham
- 25 June 1956 Air Vice-Marshal H P Fraser
- 1 August 1958 Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
C H Hartley (Chief of Staff as acting AOC) - 1 January 1959 Air Vice-Marshal J R A Embling
- 20 July 1959 Air Vice-Marshal C H HartleyChristopher Hartley (RAF officer)Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harold Hartley KCB CBE DFC AFC was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.-RAF career:...
- 1 June 1961 Air Vice-Marshal R N Bateson
See also
- RAF Fighter CommandRAF Fighter CommandRAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
- Battle of BritainBattle of BritainThe Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
- Battle of Britain AirfieldsBattle of Britain airfieldsDuring the Battle of Britain, the defence of the UK's airspace was divided up within RAF Fighter Command into four Groups, each comprising several airfields and squadrons....
- Battle of Britain Squadrons