RAF Far East Air Force
Encyclopedia
The former Royal Air Force Far East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Far East Air Force, was the Command
organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force
assets in the east of Asia
(Far East
). It was originally formed as Air Command, South East Asia in 1943. In 1946, this was renamed RAF Air Command Far East, and finally Far East Air Force in June 1949.
in 1930 as Royal Air Force Singapore. This was upgraded to Headquarters Air Force Far East Command in 1933. During the Second World War
, when Malaya
, Singapore, Burma and Hong Kong
were overrun by the Japanese, the command retreated to India
, there receiving the name Air Headquarters Bengal.
The true ancestor of the postwar Far East Air Force was formed in November 1943, under Lord Louis Mountbatten the supreme Allied commander South East Asia Command
(SEAC). It was called Air Command, South East Asia. In 1946, this was renamed RAF Air Command Far East, and finally Far East Air Force in June 1949.
During the war years, it was subordinate to Allied Forces South East Asia. The tri-service headquarters remained in place after the war over to coordinate re-occupation of territory within the bounds of the command that had not yet been liberated from the Japanese. That included parts of Burma; the other British colonies of Singapore, Malaya, British North Borneo and Brunei
; the independent nation of Siam, the French colony of French Indo-China up to the 16th parallel
, and most of the Dutch
colony of the Dutch East Indies
. After the completion of the re-occupation duties, SEAC was disestablished in November 1946.
However, the benefits of a supreme commander were not forgotten, and a tri-service headquarters was revived in 1962, when the Far East Command
was formed. The Far East Command was also disestablished in 1971.
, war ended very unexpectedly in the Far East. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, combined with the American blockade of Japan
, and the Soviet
entry into the war on 9 August 1945 finally shocked the Japanese into suing for peace. Once peace came, there was a period of euphoria within the RAF units, but the forces in the region came back down to earth with a bump a few days later.
Instead of the end to operations that a great many of the conscripts had naively thought would occur, if anything, operations in some parts of the forces increased in tempo. South-East Asia Command had been increased in size from the day after the surrender, taking in south French Indo-China, and much of the Dutch East Indies
. The command was now half as big again in area as it had been during the war. The strain imposed by the high operations tempo that occupation duties, when combined with the downsizing of the command due to demobilisation and return of American aircraft provided under lend-lease
aircraft was very great, and it manifested itself in a series of mutinies
around the command in early 1946.
The first of these was at Mauripur
in Karachi
, India. Enlisted airmen downed tools and refused to work until their grievances about demobilisation had been met. Given the nature of the times, this was impossible, although their complaints were passed up the chain of command. The stoppages were non-violent almost to a fault, and since the personnel involved were hostilities-only conscripts, rather than regular professional members of the RAF, the stoppages were not formally treated as mutinies. Had they been so, punishments up to and including execution by firing squad could have been imposed on those responsible. Other mutinies occurred in Ceylon, elsewhere in India and Singapore. They also spread to units of the Royal Indian Air Force for a short while.
, at Don Muang airfield, under Group Captain
D O Finlay on 9 September 1945. The headquarters was from No. 909 Wing RAF. The Wing left its previously controlled aircraft, P-47 Thunderbolt
s in Burma. Three squadrons were represented in Siam during the occupation, No. 20 Squadron RAF
with Spitfire VIII aircraft, No. 211 Squadron RAF
with de Havilland Mosquito
VI aircraft, and a detachment of No. 685 Squadron RAF with Mosquito photo-reconnaissance
aircraft. The airfield was defended by No. 2945 Squadron RAF Regiment
. In addition to the resident forces, C-47 Dakota transport aircraft were frequent users of Don Muang. They made supply runs to the airport, stopped over on trips to and from French Indo-China, and evacuated prisoners of war and internees who had been imprisoned in Siam at the end of the war. The job in Siam was completed very quickly, with almost all of the RAF personnel at Don Muang being gone by January 1946.
Sir Hugh Saunders
. At the end of the war, it had 28 squadrons under its control. This quickly reduced as the demobilisation really kicked in. Again, the transport squadrons saw the largest amount of work, evacuating POWs and internees and supplying garrisons and the civilian population. Second to the transport squadrons in workload were the photo reconnaissance aircraft. The opportunity was taken to complete the process of surveying SE Asia from the air, and using the survey to bring maps up to date. The survey was not completed until August 1947. After the clean-up immediately postwar, came the task of preparing Burma for independence. AHQ Burma moved out of Rangoon to Mingaladon on 1 January 1947. The headquarters was disbanded on 31 December 1947, and three months later Burma became independent.
.
The easier of the two was French Indo-China. Resentment against the French was strong, with Ho Chi Minh
's Viet Minh
movement beginning to become a real problem. British forces were responsible for the southern part of the country, south of the 16th parallel, whilst Chinese forces dealt with the north. An RAF headquarters was set up near Saigon on 8 September, at Tan Son Nhut airfield. However, the main occupation forces were slow to arrive, so Mountbatten had to use Japanese forces still in the area for internal security duties for a short while. One aspect of the occupation that was mercifully smaller in magnitude than in other areas of the command was prisoners of war. Only about 5,000 were in French Indo-China, and thus that part of the repatriation problem was small.
At Tan Son Nhut, a large amount of space was available for transport aircraft; hard standings for about 70 Dakotas. This was fortunate, since a great deal of transport aircraft effort was required in the country, despite the low numbers of POWs. The other aircraft at the airfield were Spitfires of No. 273 Squadron RAF
and yet again, a detachment of photo-reconnaissance Mosquitoes. The situation in French Indo-China and the Netherlands East Indies was particularly tricky because of the hostility of the locals to the returning colonial powers. French Indo-China was handed back to French control a great deal more quickly than the type were avoided was to provide some spare Spitfires in the command to Armée de l'Air pilots who were being sent to the colony, and had Netherlands East Indies to Dutch control, meaning that RAF aircraft did not have to get involved in suppressing any revolts in the area, apart from one occasion when Spitfires attacked enemy forces with cannon fire to support French ground troops. One way that more commitments of this flown the type in Europe. The main RAF presence was withdrawn in mid February 1946, when the Air Headquarters was disbanded. However, a small RAF presence was retained for a few more months to help direct military transport aircraft using the airfield.
Command (military formation)
A command in military terminology is an organisational unit that the individual in Military command has responsibility for. A Commander will normally be specifically appointed into the role in order to provide a legal framework for the authority bestowed...
organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force
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...
assets in the east of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
(Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
). It was originally formed as Air Command, South East Asia in 1943. In 1946, this was renamed RAF Air Command Far East, and finally Far East Air Force in June 1949.
Early history
The first organisation dedicated to this task was formed in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1930 as Royal Air Force Singapore. This was upgraded to Headquarters Air Force Far East Command in 1933. During the Second World War
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...
, when Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, Singapore, Burma and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
were overrun by the Japanese, the command retreated to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, there receiving the name Air Headquarters Bengal.
The true ancestor of the postwar Far East Air Force was formed in November 1943, under Lord Louis Mountbatten the supreme Allied commander South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
(SEAC). It was called Air Command, South East Asia. In 1946, this was renamed RAF Air Command Far East, and finally Far East Air Force in June 1949.
During the war years, it was subordinate to Allied Forces South East Asia. The tri-service headquarters remained in place after the war over to coordinate re-occupation of territory within the bounds of the command that had not yet been liberated from the Japanese. That included parts of Burma; the other British colonies of Singapore, Malaya, British North Borneo and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
; the independent nation of Siam, the French colony of French Indo-China up to the 16th parallel
16th parallel north
The 16th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 16 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, Central America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean....
, and most of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
colony of the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. After the completion of the re-occupation duties, SEAC was disestablished in November 1946.
However, the benefits of a supreme commander were not forgotten, and a tri-service headquarters was revived in 1962, when the Far East Command
British Far East Command
The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. These were firstly, 18 November 1940 – 7 January 1942 succeeded by the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command , and secondly, 1963 – 1971 succeeded by Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom Force...
was formed. The Far East Command was also disestablished in 1971.
Postwar Occupation Duties
Unlike in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, war ended very unexpectedly in the Far East. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki, combined with the American blockade of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
entry into the war on 9 August 1945 finally shocked the Japanese into suing for peace. Once peace came, there was a period of euphoria within the RAF units, but the forces in the region came back down to earth with a bump a few days later.
Instead of the end to operations that a great many of the conscripts had naively thought would occur, if anything, operations in some parts of the forces increased in tempo. South-East Asia Command had been increased in size from the day after the surrender, taking in south French Indo-China, and much of the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. The command was now half as big again in area as it had been during the war. The strain imposed by the high operations tempo that occupation duties, when combined with the downsizing of the command due to demobilisation and return of American aircraft provided under lend-lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft was very great, and it manifested itself in a series of mutinies
Royal Air Force Mutiny of 1946
The Royal Air Force Mutiny of 1946 was a mutiny on dozens of Royal Air Force stations in India and South Asia in January 1946 over conditions of slow demobilization and conditions of service following the end of World War II...
around the command in early 1946.
The first of these was at Mauripur
Masroor Airbase
PAF Base Masroor is the largest airbase of Pakistan Air Force. It is located in the Mauripur area of Karachi, Sindh. It was originally known as RPAF Station Mauripur and after 1956, as PAF Station Mauripur.-Name origin:...
in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, India. Enlisted airmen downed tools and refused to work until their grievances about demobilisation had been met. Given the nature of the times, this was impossible, although their complaints were passed up the chain of command. The stoppages were non-violent almost to a fault, and since the personnel involved were hostilities-only conscripts, rather than regular professional members of the RAF, the stoppages were not formally treated as mutinies. Had they been so, punishments up to and including execution by firing squad could have been imposed on those responsible. Other mutinies occurred in Ceylon, elsewhere in India and Singapore. They also spread to units of the Royal Indian Air Force for a short while.
Siam
The easiest of the occupation tasks was in Siam. Unlike elsewhere in the region, Siam had retained a functioning civil government throughout the war, and thus British troops did not have to deploy to restore order over most of the country. RAF forces set a headquarters in BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, at Don Muang airfield, under Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
D O Finlay on 9 September 1945. The headquarters was from No. 909 Wing RAF. The Wing left its previously controlled aircraft, P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s in Burma. Three squadrons were represented in Siam during the occupation, No. 20 Squadron RAF
No. 20 Squadron RAF
No. 20 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was until March 2010, the OCU for the BAE Harrier GR9, and T12, operating from RAF Wittering...
with Spitfire VIII aircraft, No. 211 Squadron RAF
No. 211 Squadron RAF
Active in the Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1919 and from 1937 to 1946, in World War II No 211 Squadron RAF operated as a medium bomber unit in the Middle East and Far East and later as a strike fighter unit in the Far East...
with de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
VI aircraft, and a detachment of No. 685 Squadron RAF with Mosquito photo-reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
aircraft. The airfield was defended by No. 2945 Squadron RAF Regiment
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
. In addition to the resident forces, C-47 Dakota transport aircraft were frequent users of Don Muang. They made supply runs to the airport, stopped over on trips to and from French Indo-China, and evacuated prisoners of war and internees who had been imprisoned in Siam at the end of the war. The job in Siam was completed very quickly, with almost all of the RAF personnel at Don Muang being gone by January 1946.
Burma
Burma was also relatively straightforward to deal with, although more complicated than Siam. Much of the colony had been conquered several months before the war ended, in the big British offensive of summer 1945. That gave ACSEA crucial breathing space to start getting the colony back on its feet before the massive increase in occupation duties postwar occurred. RAF Burma was well established under Air MarshalAir Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Hugh Saunders
Hugh Saunders
Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh William Lumsden Saunders GCB KBE MC DFC and Bar MM RAF was a South African who rose through the ranks to become a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
. At the end of the war, it had 28 squadrons under its control. This quickly reduced as the demobilisation really kicked in. Again, the transport squadrons saw the largest amount of work, evacuating POWs and internees and supplying garrisons and the civilian population. Second to the transport squadrons in workload were the photo reconnaissance aircraft. The opportunity was taken to complete the process of surveying SE Asia from the air, and using the survey to bring maps up to date. The survey was not completed until August 1947. After the clean-up immediately postwar, came the task of preparing Burma for independence. AHQ Burma moved out of Rangoon to Mingaladon on 1 January 1947. The headquarters was disbanded on 31 December 1947, and three months later Burma became independent.
French Indo-China
The most prickly tasks in the entire command were the temporary occupations of the colonies of other European powers. One was the occupation of part of French Indo-China, and the other the occupation of part of the Dutch East IndiesDutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
.
The easier of the two was French Indo-China. Resentment against the French was strong, with Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh
Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
's Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
movement beginning to become a real problem. British forces were responsible for the southern part of the country, south of the 16th parallel, whilst Chinese forces dealt with the north. An RAF headquarters was set up near Saigon on 8 September, at Tan Son Nhut airfield. However, the main occupation forces were slow to arrive, so Mountbatten had to use Japanese forces still in the area for internal security duties for a short while. One aspect of the occupation that was mercifully smaller in magnitude than in other areas of the command was prisoners of war. Only about 5,000 were in French Indo-China, and thus that part of the repatriation problem was small.
At Tan Son Nhut, a large amount of space was available for transport aircraft; hard standings for about 70 Dakotas. This was fortunate, since a great deal of transport aircraft effort was required in the country, despite the low numbers of POWs. The other aircraft at the airfield were Spitfires of No. 273 Squadron RAF
No. 273 Squadron RAF
No. 273 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as reconnaissance unit in World War I and a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
and yet again, a detachment of photo-reconnaissance Mosquitoes. The situation in French Indo-China and the Netherlands East Indies was particularly tricky because of the hostility of the locals to the returning colonial powers. French Indo-China was handed back to French control a great deal more quickly than the type were avoided was to provide some spare Spitfires in the command to Armée de l'Air pilots who were being sent to the colony, and had Netherlands East Indies to Dutch control, meaning that RAF aircraft did not have to get involved in suppressing any revolts in the area, apart from one occasion when Spitfires attacked enemy forces with cannon fire to support French ground troops. One way that more commitments of this flown the type in Europe. The main RAF presence was withdrawn in mid February 1946, when the Air Headquarters was disbanded. However, a small RAF presence was retained for a few more months to help direct military transport aircraft using the airfield.
Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation
Squadrons
- No. VIII Squadron RAF
- No. 10 Squadron RAFNo. 10 Squadron RAFNo. 10 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron. The squadron served in a variety of roles over its 90 year history...
- No. 11 Squadron RAF
- No. 17 Squadron RAF
- No. 20 Squadron RAFNo. 20 Squadron RAFNo. 20 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was until March 2010, the OCU for the BAE Harrier GR9, and T12, operating from RAF Wittering...
- No. 26 Squadron RAFNo. 26 Squadron RAFNo. 26 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1976.The squadron motto is N Wagter in die Lug , and the squadrons badge is a springbok's head couped.-1915 to 1918:...
- No. 27 Squadron RAFNo. 27 Squadron RAFNo. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham.-The Great War:27 Squadron formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 5 November 1915, soon being equipped with Martinsyde Elephant fighter aircraft, hence the use of an elephant for the squadron badge...
- No. 28 Squadron RAFNo. 28 Squadron RAFNo. 28 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Merlin HC3/HC3A from RAF Benson.-World War I:No. 28 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 7 November 1915. Initially a training squadron it became a fighter squadron equipped with the Sopwith Camel.After the end of World War I No. 28...
- No. 31 Squadron RAFNo. 31 Squadron RAFNo. 31 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, known as the 'Goldstars', currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Marham, Norfolk.-History:The squadron was formed at Farnborough on October 11, 1915. Its first deployment was to Risulpur, India with its BE2Cs and Farmans, and during this time it took...
- No. 33 Squadron RAFNo. 33 Squadron RAFNo. 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma HC.1 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.-Current role:The squadron is part of the RAF Support Helicopter force, which reports into the Joint Helicopter Command....
- No. 34 Squadron RAFNo. 34 Squadron RAFNo. 34 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance and bomber squadron, and in the 1930s operated light bombers...
- No. 36 Squadron RAFNo. 36 Squadron RAFNo. 36 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Cramlington on February 1, 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1975.-First World War:No...
- No. 39 Squadron RAFNo. 39 Squadron RAFNo. 39 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the MQ-9 Reaper since 2007, operating from Creech AFB, Nevada, USA.-World War I:39 Squadron was founded at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome in April 1916 with B.E.2s and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12s in an attempt to defend against German Zeppelin raids on...
- No. 45 Squadron RAFNo. 45 Squadron RAF-First World War:Formed during World War I at Gosport on 1 March 1916 as Number 45 Squadron, the unit was first equipped with Sopwith 1½ Strutters which it was to fly in the Scout role. Deployed to France in October of that year, the Squadron found itself suffering heavy losses due to the quality...
- No. 47 Squadron RAFNo. 47 Squadron RAFNo. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Hercules from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.-First formation:No. 47 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire on 1 March 1916 as a home defence unit, protecting Hull and East Yorkshire against attack by German...
- No. 48 Squadron RAFNo. 48 Squadron RAFNo. 48 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both World War I and World War II.-First World War:No. 48 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Netheravon, Wiltshire, on 15 April 1916. The squadron was posted to France in March 1917 and became the first fighter...
- No. 52 Squadron RAFNo. 52 Squadron RAFNo. 52 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both World War I and World War II.-First World War:No. 52 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed as a Corps Reconnaissance squadron at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 15 May 1916. It moved to France in November that year, being...
- No. 57 Squadron RAFNo. 57 Squadron RAF-History:57 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 8 June 1916 at Copmanthorpe, Yorkshire. In December 1916 the squadron was posted to France equipped with the FE2d. The squadron re-equipped with Airco DH4s in May 1917 and commenced long range bombing and reconnaissance operations near...
- No. 60 Squadron RAFNo. 60 Squadron RAFNo. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
- No. 62 Squadron RAFNo. 62 Squadron RAF-World War I:No. 62 Squadron RAF was formed on 8 August 1916, at Filton from No. 7 Training Squadron. In May 1917 it equipped with the Bristol F2B, before being posted to France in January 1918. The squadron operated as fighter-reconnaissance unit until disbanding on 31 July 1919. Its wartime...
- No. 64 Squadron RAFNo. 64 Squadron RAFNo. 64 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was first formed on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. It was last disbanded on 31 January 1991 at RAF Leuchars.- 1916 to 1919 :...
- No. 65 Squadron RAFNo. 65 Squadron RAFNo. 65 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.-World War I:The squadron was first formed at Wyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich. By the end of World War I, it had claimed over 200 victories...
- No. 66 Squadron RAFNo. 66 Squadron RAFNo. 66 Squadron was a Royal Flying Corps and eventually Royal Air Force aircraft squadron.-In World War I:It was first formed at Filton on 30 June 1916 as a Training Squadron equipped with BE2c,d & e, BE12 and Avroe 504A machines. The squadron received its first Sopwith Pup on 3 February 1917,...
- No. 70 Squadron RAF
- No. 74 Squadron RAFNo. 74 Squadron RAFNo. 74 Squadron RAF, also known as a "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger head motif, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s.-First World War:...
- No. 80 Squadron RAFNo. 80 Squadron RAFNo. 80 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1969. It was operative during both World War I and World War II.-Establishment and early service:...
- No. 81 Squadron RAFNo. 81 Squadron RAFNo 81 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew Fighter aircraft during the Second World War, and reconnaissance aircraft in the Far East after the war, but was disbanded in 1970.-First World War:No...
- No. 83 Squadron RAFNo. 83 Squadron RAFNo. 83 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1969. It was operative during both World War I and World War II.-Establishment and early service:...
- No. 84 Squadron RAFNo. 84 Squadron RAFNo. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently part of the RAF's Search and Rescue Force-History:...
- No. 88 Squadron RAFNo. 88 Squadron RAFNo 88 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917.-Involvement in World War I:The squadron was moved to France in April 1918 where it undertook fighter-reconnaissance duties...
- No. 89 Squadron RAFNo. 89 Squadron RAFNo. 89 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron, mainly active in the fighter role during its existence.-Formation and World War I:No. 89 squadron was formed on 1 September 1917 as a training unit at Netheravon. The squadron was not used for operations and remained a training unit...
- No. 96 Squadron RAFNo. 96 Squadron RAFNo. 96 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron. The squadron served on the Western Front during World War II and the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. No. 96 Squadron served in a variety of roles such as night fighter cover and transportation. It was disbanded in 1959,...
- No. 99 Squadron RAFNo. 99 Squadron RAFNo. 99 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a bomber squadron in both first and second world war. At present it operates the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from RAF Brize Norton, the RAF's air transport hub. The squadron was the first RAF unit to receive the Avro Aldershot, Handley Page Hyderabad,...
- No. 100 Squadron RAFNo. 100 Squadron RAFNo. 100 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK, and operates the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk.-World War I:No. 100 was established on 23 February 1917 at Hingham in Norfolk as the Royal Flying Corps' first squadron formed specifically as a night bombing unit and...
- No. 103 Squadron RAFNo. 103 Squadron RAFNo. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.-Formation in World War I:...
- No. 110 Squadron RAFNo. 110 Squadron RAF-Formation and World War I:No. 110 Squadron RFC was formed on 1 November 1917, at Rendcomb, Gloucestershire and was equipped with B.E.2c aircraft. The squadron moved to Kenley the following year and re-equipped with the DH.9A - the first squadron to employ this aircraft. Its original complement of...
- No. 120 Squadron RAFNo. 120 Squadron RAFNo. 120 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray, Scotland until the type's withdrawal in March 2010.-Formation in WWI:...
- No. 131 Squadron RAFNo. 131 Squadron RAFNo. 131 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a night bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
- No. 132 Squadron RAFNo. 132 Squadron RAFNo. 132 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
- No. 136 Squadron RAFNo. 136 Squadron RAFNo. 136 Squadron RAF was a short-lived RAF unit that saw no action in World War I, but upon reformation became the highest scoring unit in South East Asia Command during World War II. Shortly after the war the squadron was disbanded.-Formation in World War I:...
- No. 152 Squadron RAFNo. 152 Squadron RAFNo. 152 Squadron of the Royal Air Force .-History:No 152 Squadron was formed on 1 October 1918 at Rochford as a Camel night fighter unit. 30 June 1919, the squadron disbanded....
- No. 155 Squadron RAFNo. 155 Squadron RAFRAF No. 155 Squadron operated Westland Whirlwind HR4 at Kuala Lumpur approximately 1955–59....
- No. 160 Squadron RAFNo. 160 Squadron RAFNo. 160 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force unit during World War II, when it flew for four years in a number of roles including heavy bomber, minelaying, reconnaissance, special operations and transport unit in the Middle East and South-East Asian theatre of World War II.-World War I: False start:No...
- No. 194 Squadron RAFNo. 194 Squadron RAF194 Squadron RAF, though formed as a training unit in Egypt and ended as a casualty evacuation unit in Malaya, was for most of its active service life a RAF transport squadron that flew in South East Asia.-Formation and World War I:...
- No. 203 Squadron RAFNo. 203 Squadron RAFNo. 203 Squadron RAF was originally formed as No. 3 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service. It was renumbered No. 203 when the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918.-First World War:...
- No. 205 Squadron RAFNo. 205 Squadron RAFNo. 205 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit formed on 1 April 1918. Prior to this it had existed as No. 5 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service. In 1929, it became the first RAF squadron to be permanently based in Singapore, taking as its motto Pertama di Malaya . No...
- No. 206 Squadron RAFNo. 206 Squadron RAFNo. 206 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit employed, until 2005, in the maritime patrol role with the Nimrod MR.2 at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It was announced in December 2004 that 206 Squadron would disband on 1 April 2005, with half of its crews being redistributed to Nos. 120 and 201 Squadrons, also...
- No. 209 Squadron RAFNo. 209 Squadron RAFNo. 209 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force was originally formed from a nucleus of "Naval Eight" on 1 February 1917 at Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, France, as No. 9 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service and saw active service in both World Wars, the Korean War and in Malaya...
- No. 211 Squadron RAFNo. 211 Squadron RAFActive in the Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1919 and from 1937 to 1946, in World War II No 211 Squadron RAF operated as a medium bomber unit in the Middle East and Far East and later as a strike fighter unit in the Far East...
- No. 215 Squadron RAFNo. 215 Squadron RAFNo. 215 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron formed as a night bomber squadron in World War I and again in World War II, becoming a transport squadron near the end of the Second World War.-History:...
- No. 225 Squadron RAFNo. 225 Squadron RAFNo. 225 Squadron RAF was formed on 1 April 1918 at Alimini, Italy from part of No. 6 Wing RNAS, and was equipped with Sopwith Camels. The squadron disbanded on 18 December 1918....
- No. 230 Squadron RAFNo. 230 Squadron RAFNo. 230 Squadron is an RAF squadron, currently based at RAF Benson.The squadron was part of Royal Air Force Germany, operating the Puma HC.1 there from 1980. Following the drawdown at the end of the Cold War, the squadron disbanded on 30 April 1992...
- No. 240 Squadron RAFNo. 240 Squadron RAFNo. 240 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force flying boat and seaplane squadron during World War I, World War II and up to 1959. It was then reformed as a strategic missile squadron, serving thus till 1963.-Formation and World War I:No...
- No. 258 Squadron RAFNo. 258 Squadron RAFRAF 258 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron during World War I and World War II.No. 258 Squadron was first formed 25 July 1918 from 523, 525 and 529 Special Duties Flights at Luce Bay near Stranraer, Scotland under the control of No. 25 Group. It was equipped with De Havilland DH.6 biplanes and...
- No. 267 Squadron RAFNo. 267 Squadron RAFNo. 267 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force that served during World War I & World War II. The squadron has been formed a total of four times.The squadron was formed at RAF Kalafrana, Malta on 27 September 1918 from Nos...
- No. 273 Squadron RAFNo. 273 Squadron RAFNo. 273 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as reconnaissance unit in World War I and a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
- No. 321 Squadron RAFNo. 321 Squadron RAFNo. 321 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during World War II formed from the personnel of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service.-Formation:...
- No. 356 Squadron RAFNo. 356 Squadron RAFNo. 356 Squadron RAF was a short-lived long range bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force between 1944 and 1945.-History:The squadron was formed on 15 January 1944 at Salbani, Bengal, British India, as a long range bomber unit equipped with the Consolidated Liberator. The squadron attacked Japanese...
- No. 656 Squadron RAFNo. 656 Squadron RAFNo. 656 Squadron RAF was a Air Oberservation Post unit of the Royal Air Force in India and Burma during the Second World War and afterwards in British Malaya. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadron of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with British Army units in artillery spotting and...
- No. 681 Squadron RAFNo. 681 Squadron RAFNo. 681 Squadron RAF was a photo-reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.-History:It was first formed out of No. 3 PRU, at Dum Dum in India on 2 January 1943, as part of RAF Far East Air Force...
- No. 684 Squadron RAFNo. 684 Squadron RAFNo. 684 Squadron RAF was a photo-reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Air Force from 1943 to 1946.-History:The squadron was formed on 29 September 1943 at RAF Dum Dum near Calcutta, British India from the twin-engined elements of No. 681 Squadron RAF...
- No. 685 Squadron RAF
Stations
- RAF Butterworth
- RAF ChangiChangi Air BaseChangi Air Base or Changi Air Base ', formerly the RAF Changi, is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force located at Changi, in the eastern tip of Singapore...
- RAF Hmawbi
- RAF Kai TakRAF Kai TakRAF Kai Tak was a Royal Air Force station in Hong Kong. It was opened in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight operated a few land based aircraft as well as having spare aircraft for naval units.-History:...
- RAF KallangKallang AirportThe Kallang Airport , also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang, opened in 1937 as Singapore's first purpose-built civil airport, together with an anchorage for seaplanes. Land was reclaimed in the Kallang Basin to turn the swampy area into a circular-shaped airfield and...
- RAF Kuala LumpurRAF Kuala LumpurRAF Kuala Lumpur was an RAF station in the Federation of Malaya and saw extensive use during the Malayan Emergency.-Military:The airfield was home to:* No 155 Squadron operating Whirlwind Mk4 helicopters....
- RAF Kuantan
- RAF GanRAF GanThe former Royal Air Force Station Gan commonly known as RAF Gan, was a Royal Air Force military airbase on Gan Island, the southern-most island of Addu Atoll which is part of the larger groups of islands which form the Maldives, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.-History:The area was originally...
- RAF Sek Kong
- RAF Labuan
- RAF Meiktilla
- RAF Mingaladon
- RAF Pegu
- RAF SeletarSeletar Airport"RAF Seletar" & "Seletar Airbase/Airfield" redirects here.Seletar Airport is a civilian airport located at Seletar, in the northeastern region of Singapore, and is managed by the Changi Airport Group...
- RAF Tengah
Air Command South East Asia
- Air Chief MarshalAir Chief MarshalAir chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Richard PeirseRichard PeirseAir Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse KCB DSO AFC , was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
(16 November 1943 - 26 November 1944) - Air MarshalAir MarshalAir marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Guy GarrodGuy GarrodAir Chief Marshal Sir Alfred Guy Roland Garrod GBE, KCB, MC, DFC was a senior British Royal Air Force officer.-RAF career:...
(26 November 1944 - 25 February 1945) - Temporary appointment - Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith ParkKeith ParkAir 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...
(25 February 1945 - 30 April 1946) - Air Marshal Sir George PirieGeorge Pirie (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir George Clark Pirie KCB KBE MC DFC LLD RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II and the immediate post-War years. During World War I Pirie initially served as an infantry officer before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps where he took up...
(30 April - 30 September 1946)
Air Command Far East
- Air Marshal Sir George Pirie (30 September 1946 - 18 November 1947)
- Air Marshal Sir Hugh Lloyd (18 November 1947 - 1 June 1949)
Far East Air Force
- Air Marshal Sir Hugh Lloyd (1 June—26 November 1949)
- Air Marshal Sir Francis FogartyFrancis FogartyAir Chief Marshal Sir Francis Joseph Fogarty GBE KCB DFC AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II and also in the post-War years. During World War I he served as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps...
(26 November 1949—11 June 1952) - Air Marshal Sir Clifford SandersonClifford SandersonAir Marshal Sir Clifford Sanderson KBE, CB, DFC was a British Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding Far East Air Force.-RAF career:...
(11 June 1952—12 November 1954) - Air Marshal Sir Francis FressangesFrancis FressangesAir Marshal Sir Francis Joseph Fressanges KBE CB was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Far East Air Force.-RAF career:...
(12 November 1954—13 July 1957) - Air Marshal The Earl of BandonPercy Bernard, 5th Earl of BandonAir Chief Marshal Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon, GBE, CB, CVO, DSO, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the mid-20th century. He was a squadron, station and group commander during World War II and the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps after the War...
(13 July 1957—30 June 1960) - Air Marshal Sir Anthony SelwayAnthony SelwayAir Marshal Sir Anthony Dunkerton 'Mark' Selway KCB DFC was a Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Coastal Command.-RAF career:...
(30 June 1960—31 May 1962) - Air Marshal Sir Hector McGregorHector McGregorAir Marshal Sir Hector Douglas McGregor, KCB, CBE, DSO, RAF, was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
(31 May 1962—10 June 1964) - Air Marshal Sir Peter WykehamPeter WykehamAir Marshal Sir Peter Guy Wykeham KCB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DFC & Bar, AFC, RAF , born Peter Guy Wykeham-Barnes was a World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot and squadron commander.-RAF career:...
(10 June 1964—8 August 1966) - Air Marshal Sir Rochford HughesRochford HughesAir Marshal Sir Sidney Weetman Rochford Hughes KCB, CBE, AFC was a British Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding Far East Air Force.-RAF career:...
(8 August 1966—11 February 1969) - Air Marshal Sir Neil WheelerNeil WheelerAir Chief Marshal Sir Henry Neil George Wheeler, GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC and bar, AFC was a British Royal Air Force officer.-Military career:...
(11 February 1969—1 October 1970) - Air Vice Marshal N M MaynardNigel MaynardAir Chief Marshal Sir Nigel Martin Maynard KCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
(1 October 1970—31 October 1971)
Subordinate Formations
- AHQ Burma - disbanded 31 December 1947
- AHQ Ceylon - disbanded 1 November 1957
- AHQ Hong Kong - included as part of British Forces, Hong Kong in 1967
- AHQ India - disbanded 15 August 1947
- AHQ Malaya - formed 30 September 1945, disbanded 31 August 1957
- AHQ Netherlands East Indies - disbanded 28 November 1946
- AHQ Saigon - disbanded 14 February 1946
- AHQ Siam
- No. 224 Group RAF - disbanded 30 September 1945, reformed 31 August 1957, disbanded again 1 October 1968