1.
Royal Air Force
–
The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdoms aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. The RAF describe its mission statement as, an agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission. The mission statement is supported by the RAFs definition of air power, Air power is defined as the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events. Today the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of various types of aircraft. The majority of the RAFs rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces, most of the RAFs aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations or at long-established overseas bases. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps, at that time it was the largest air force in the world. The RAFs naval aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm, was founded in 1924, the RAF developed the doctrine of strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became its main bombing strategy in the Second World War. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed Article XV squadrons for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from countries, and exiles from occupied Europe. By the end of the war the Royal Canadian Air Force had contributed more than 30 squadrons to serve in RAF formations, additionally, the Royal Australian Air Force represented around nine percent of all RAF personnel who served in the European and Mediterranean theatres. In the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the numerically superior German Luftwaffe, the largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. Following victory in the Second World War, the RAF underwent significant re-organisation, during the early stages of the Cold War, one of the first major operations undertaken by the Royal Air Force was in 1948 and the Berlin Airlift, codenamed Operation Plainfire. Before Britain developed its own nuclear weapons the RAF was provided with American nuclear weapons under Project E and these were initially armed with nuclear gravity bombs, later being equipped with the Blue Steel missile. Following the development of the Royal Navys Polaris submarines, the nuclear deterrent passed to the navys submarines on 30 June 1969. With the introduction of Polaris, the RAFs strategic nuclear role was reduced to a tactical one and this tactical role was continued by the V bombers into the 1980s and until 1998 by Tornado GR1s. For much of the Cold War the primary role of the RAF was the defence of Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union, with many squadrons based in West Germany. With the decline of the British Empire, global operations were scaled back, despite this, the RAF fought in many battles in the Cold War period
2.
British Armed Forces
–
They also promote Britains wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts, and provide humanitarian aid. Repeatedly emerging victorious from conflicts has allowed Britain to establish itself as one of the leading military. The Commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the armed forces by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, as required by the Bill of Rights 1689. The armed forces are managed by the Defence Council of the Ministry of Defence, with the Acts of Union 1707, the armed forces of England and Scotland were merged into the armed forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Britain feared that Russian expansionism in the region would eventually threaten the Empire in India and this ultimately led to British involvement in the Crimean War against the Russian Empire. The beginning of the twentieth century served to reduce tensions between Britain and the Russian Empire, partly due to the emergence of a unified German Empire. Allied victory resulted in the defeat of the Central Powers, the end of the German Empire, the Treaty of Versailles, once again tensions accumulated in European relations, and following Germanys invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Second World War began. The conflict was the most widespread in British history, with British Empire and Commonwealth troops fighting in campaigns from Europe and North Africa, to the Middle East, approximately 390,000 British Empire and Commonwealth troops lost their lives. Allied victory resulted in the defeat of the Axis powers and the establishment of the United Nations, reflecting Britains new role in the world and the escalation of the Cold War, the country became a founding member of the NATO military alliance in 1949. By the mid-1970s, the forces had reconfigured to focus on the responsibilities allocated to them by NATO. While NATO obligations took increased prominence, Britain nonetheless found itself engaged in a number of low-intensity conflicts, however the Dhofar Rebellion and The Troubles emerged as the primary operational concerns of the armed forces. Perhaps the most important conflict during the Cold War, at least in the context of British defence policy, was the Falklands War. Since the end of the Cold War, an international role for the armed forces has been pursued, with re-structuring to deliver a greater focus on expeditionary warfare. In addition to the campaign, the British Army has trained and supplied allies on the ground. Figures released by the Ministry of Defence on 31 March 2016 show that 7,185 British Armed Forces personnel have lost their lives in medal earning theatres since the end of the Second World War. As Sovereign and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is Head of the Armed Forces, the Queen, however, remains the ultimate authority of the military, with officers and personnel swearing allegiance to the monarch. It has been claimed that this includes the power to prevent unconstitutional use of the armed forces, responsibility for the management of the forces is delegated to a number of committees, the Defence Council, Chiefs of Staff Committee, Defence Management Board and three single-service boards. The Defence Council, composed of representatives of the services
3.
RAF Regiment
–
The Royal Air Force Regiment is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. The RAF Regiment is trained in CBRN defence, and equipped with advanced vehicles, RAF Regiment instructors are responsible for training all Royal Air Force personnel in basic force protection such as first aid, weapon handling and CBRN skills. The regiment and its members are known within the RAF as The Regiment, RAF Regiment squadrons use aggressive defence tactics whereby they actively seek out infiltrators in a large area surrounding airfields. These were equipped with Rolls-Royce armoured cars and were successful in ground combat operations throughout the Middle East in the 1920s and 1930s. The RAF Regiment came into existence, in name, on 1 February 1942, from the start it had 66,000 personnel drawn from the former Defence Squadrons No. s 701-850. The new regiment was made up of both squadrons and light anti-aircraft squadrons, the latter originally armed with Hispano 20mm cannon. Its role was to seize, secure and defend airfields to enable air operations to take place, several parachute squadrons were formed to assist in the seizing of airfields and No. 284 Field Squadron was the first RAF unit to arrive in West Berlin in 1945 to secure RAF Gatow. During the Second World War, with its first headquarters established at RAF Belton Park, Grantham, Squadrons usually consisted of a headquarters flight, three rifle flights, an air defence flight, and an armoured car flight. The flights were grouped together into wings as needed and it also operated six armoured car squadrons to provide an area response capability to several RAF stations. They proved to be of high quality. This was overcome by holding defensive boxes mainly or entirely supplied by air, the defence of forward airfields close to the main army concentrations was vital to this strategy. A training school and depot for the RAF Regiment was established at Secunderabad in October 1942 to retrain former ground defence airmen and it had an assault course considered tougher than anything the army had in India. Six field squadrons and seventy AA flights were initially formed containing 160 officers and 4,000 other ranks, until mid-1944 the AA flights were equipped only with light machine guns, then with Hispano 20 mm cannon for the rest of the war. Regiment units defended airfields and forward mobile radar units in Arakan in the Allied offensive in late 1942, during the Battle of Imphal all supplies and reinforcements had to be flown in between 29 March and 22 June 1944 with RAF Regiment units providing vital airfield defence. Units of 1307 Wing were flown into the captured and strategically vital Meiktila airfield on 1 March 1945. As one of the RAF Regiments proudest battle honours this three week battle destroyed the Japanese hold on northern Burma, on 26 November 1944, a Me 262A-2a Sturmvogel of III/KG51 based at Hopsten/Rheine near Osnabruck was the first confirmed ground-to-air kill of a jet combat aircraft. The 262 was shot down by a 40/L60 40mm Bofors gun of B.11 Detachment of 2875 Squadron RAF Regiment at the RAF forward airfield of Helmond, near Eindhoven
4.
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
–
It also forms the working elements of the University Air Squadrons and the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme. Unlike the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the RAF Volunteer Reserve is not a reserve from which members may be drawn to supplement the regular air force. Personnel involved in a function of the RAF Volunteer Reserve are commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve for service with the Air Cadet Organisation. The RAF Volunteer Reserve was formed in July 1936 to provide individuals to supplement the Royal Auxiliary Air Force which had formed in 1925 by the local Territorial Associations. The AAF was organised on a Squadron basis, with local recruitment similar to the Territorial Army Regiments, navigation instructors were mainly former master mariners without any air experience. Recruits were confined to men of between 18 and 25 years of age who had been accepted for training as Pilots, Observers. The object was to provide a reserve of aircrew for use in the event of war, a civilian volunteer on being accepted for aircrew training took an oath of allegiance and was then inducted into the RAFVR. Normally he returned to his job for several months until he was called up for aircrew training. During this waiting period he could wear a silver RAFVR lapel badge to indicate his status, by the end of 1941 more than half of Bomber Command aircrew were members of the RAFVR. Most of the pilot and observer NCO aircrew had been commissioned. Eventually of the RAF aircrew in the Command probably more than 95% were serving members of the RAFVR, no similar order was raised for members of the Auxiliary Air Force, who retained their As on uniforms at that time. The association with the Air Cadet Organisation began informally during the 1930s as members of the RAF VR would arrange and implement the cadets training. During the Second World War, all called up for Air Force Service with the RAF. Following the end of conscription in 1962/63, the war-appointable RAFVR diminished in size down to a number of specialist support flights which were absorbed into the RAuxAF in 1997. The original function to provide a source of aircrew is no longer necessary in a professional, the association with the Air Cadet Organisation has been maintained by members of the RAFVR who coordinate and administer at various levels of the command structure. This includes CCF and ATC Squadron Officers, some CCF Contingent Commanders, ATC Wing & Regional Staff Officers, VGS & Air Experience Flight Pilots, RAFVR Officer Cadets and APOs within the UAS continue in their capacity as members of the University Air Squadrons. This is evidenced by a Certificate of Efficiency signed off by the Commanding Officer of the individual concerned
5.
Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service
–
Princess Marys Royal Air Force Nursing Service is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force. It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service in 1918 and it received the Royal prefix after Princess Mary agreed to become its Patron in June 1923. It was a branch until 1980, when men were also permitted to join. Until the Second World War, it was open to unmarried women. There was also a Princess Marys Royal Air Force Nursing Service to supplement the service during times of war or emergencies. A history of the service was commissioned from the writer Mary Mackie, an updated and extended edition covering subsequent decades was published in September 2014. The initial ranking system used by the PMRAFNS was as follows, from 1 June 1943, PMRAFNS personnel were granted emergency Commissions, and wore rank insignia corresponding to their equivalent Royal Air Force officer rank. On 1 February 1949, the forces were integrated into the Armed Forces. Other Ranks were introduced in 1956, although unqualified Nursing Orderlies had previously served in the Womens Auxiliary Air Force, officers used the separate ranking system until 1980, when they too adopted RAF ranks
6.
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
–
The Royal Auxiliary Air Force, formerly the Auxiliary Air Force, together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of Her Majestys Reserve Air Forces. Its current mission is to trained personnel in support of the regular RAF. Queen Elizabeth II is Air Commodore-in-Chief of the RAuxAF, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force owes its origin to Lord Trenchards vision of an elite corps of civilians who would serve their country in flying squadrons in their spare time. Instituted by Order in Council on 9 October 1924, the first Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were formed the following year, unlike members of the Royal Air Force Reserve which had been trained in the RAF and left, but were obliged to return to service if required. Pilots of the AAF were expected to join for a period of no less than five years, each squadron was provided with a town base for training, and facilities at an aerodrome. All serving members were required to wear the letter A on their uniforms, by March 1939,21 flying squadrons had been formed, the 20 surviving units being embodied with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of war. Notably, all enlisted men continued to serve under their conditions of service until they expired when they were required to transfer to the RAFVR. The squadrons were equipped with a variety of aircraft which included Hurricanes and Spitfires. In the Battle of Britain, the AAF provided 14 of the 62 Squadrons in RAF Fighter Commands Order of Battle and accounted for approximately 30% of the accredited enemy kills. Indeed, in 11 Group Fighter Command, that saw the heaviest fighting over South East England in 1940, of the 15 top scoring squadrons, the losses sustained during the Battle of Britain, as with all other squadrons, were replaced by drafting in regular and RAFVR pilots. The Tactical Air Force squadrons were chosen to carry out several successful ultra low-level raids on key pin-point targets in occupied Europe, the Balloon Squadrons also played their part, downing and deterring many hostile aircraft and were accredited with the destruction of 279 V1 flying bombs. The Auxiliary Air Force was also responsible for the anti-aircraft balloon defences of the UK, at the outbreak of war in 1939 there were about 42 Squadrons operating barrage balloons, with the number of squadrons peaking at about 102 in 1944. These achievements were honoured by the prefix Royal conferred by King George VI in 1947, twenty of the pre-war squadrons were reformed postwar as fighter units. Events after the Second World War heralded a time of danger for the UK. The onset of the Cold War with the Communist Bloc leading to the Berlin Air Lift, in 1951, at the height of the Korean War, all 20 RAuxAF fighter squadrons were called up for three months full-time service. They were required for defence in place of regular squadrons earmarked for deployment to Korea. In the event RAF fighter squadrons were not needed in Korea, in the following two years or so, the Auxiliary Fighter Control Units associated with them were also disbanded. All were given the letter from the Air Commodore-in-Chief, The renaissance of the RAuxAF began in 1959 with the formation of three Maritime Headquarters Units and one Maritime Support Unit
7.
Royal Air Force Police
–
The Royal Air Force Police is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force, headed by the Provost Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Its headquarters are at RAF Honington and it deploys throughout the world to support RAF, the RAFP was formed on 1 April 1918, when the RAF was formed by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. By the end of World War II there were 500 officers &20,000 NCOs in the RAFP, in January 1947, the RAF Provost Branch became a Specialist Branch within the RAF. In December 1950, George VI approved the crest and motto Fiat Justitia, by 2009, the RAFP had served in 66 countries around the globe. RAFP non-commissioned officers and warrant officers are noticeable by their caps, which they have worn since 1945. RAFP commissioned officers wear the peaked cap of all RAF officers, with the red. In dress uniform, all RAFP wear a red and black brassard on the left arm, in tactical dress, RAFP personnel wear red MP badges, the internationally recognised symbol for military police. To deliver focused Police, counter-intelligence and protective security services to commanders in support of Defence outputs, the RAFP are responsible for the policing and security of all service personnel, much like their Royal Navy and British Army counterparts. The RAFP Special Investigation Branch investigate serious and complex crimes within the Defence community, up to, counter Intelligence Operations Squadron investigate serious security breaches and support the RAF through the gathering of intelligence and protective security based activities. These specialist capabilities are supported by forensic and intelligence units, members of all wings are used for operations overseas, deploying as individuals, with the aircraft they support, or as a formed unit drawn together under the Tactical Police Squadrons. Members of the RAFP may also specialise in close protection duties, ensuring the safety of VIPs, the RAFP are the only branch of the Service Police who operate police dogs within the UK military. They manage all RAF military working dogs, with detachments at many RAF stations, RAFP dogs and their handlers support overseas operations. Recently, this has included Iraq and Afghanistan, in patrol and specialist search roles. The RAFP is subject to inspection by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, office of the Provost Marshal is the HQ of the Provost Marshal, who holds the rank of group captain. A component of the RAFs Force Protection Force, the RAFP is organised into three wings that operate both within the UK and internationally. No 1 RAF Police Wing covers the north of the UK and Northern Ireland, No.2 RAF Police Wing covers the south of the UK and supports overseas non-operational detachments, this Wing incorporates No 6 and No 7 RAF Police Squadrons. 1 and 2 Police Wings each have a Special Investigation Branch, No.3 RAF Police Wing provides deployable and specialist support worldwide. It incorporates No.1 Tactical Provost Squadron which forms the RAF Polices tactical, deployable capability, their role is to conduct forward policing and security of RAF personnel
8.
History of the Royal Air Force
–
The history of the Royal Air Force, the air force of the United Kingdom, spans nearly a century of British military aviation. The RAF was founded in 1918, toward the end of World War I by merging the Royal Flying Corps, after the war, the RAF was greatly reduced in size and during the inter-war years it was used to police the British Empire. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War, during the war it was responsible for the aerial defence of Great Britain, the strategic bombing campaign against Germany and tactical support to the British Army around the world. After the Cold War, the RAF was involved in large scale operations, including the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, the War in Afghanistan. The Royal Flying Corps had been out of the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers and was under the control of the British Army. The Royal Naval Air Service was its equivalent and was controlled by the Admiralty. The decision to merge the two services and create an independent air force was a response to the events of World War I, the creation of the new force was based on the Smuts Report prepared by Field Marshal Jan Smuts for the Imperial War Cabinet on which he served. The newly created RAF was the most powerful air force in the world on its creation, with over 20,000 aircraft, the squadrons of the RFC kept their numerals while those of the RNAS were renumbered from 201 onwards. At the time of the merger, the Navys air service had 55,066 officers, the remaining personnel and aircraft came from the RFC. A memorial to the RAF was commissioned after the war in central London, the RAFs last known surviving founder member was the World War I veteran Henry Allingham who died in 2009 aged 113. Following the end of World War I and the accompanying British defence cuts,6,500 officers, all holding temporary commissions or seconded from the Army and Navy, applied for permanent commissions. The Cabinet sanctioned a maximum of 1,500 and the Air Ministry offered 1,065 to the applicants, publishing the first list on 1 August 1919, the service as a whole had been reduced in strength to 35,000. The RAF took up the task of policing the British Empire from the air and it was argued that the use of air power would prove to be a more cost-effective way of controlling large areas than by using conventional land forces. The following year, in 1921, the RAF was given responsibility for all British forces in Iraq with the task of policing the tribal unrest, the operation to rescue them, the Kabul Airlift, was the first evacuation of civilians by air. It was during the years that the RAF had to fight for its survival - some questioned the need for a separate air force. In 1936, a reorganisation of RAF command saw the creation of Fighter Command, Bomber Command, the creation of the RAF removed all aircraft and flying personnel from the Navy, although the Admiralty remained in control of aircraft carriers. On 1 April 1924, the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force was formed under Air Ministry control and it consisted of those RAF units that were normally embarked on aircraft carriers and fighting ships. The Chief of the Air Staff, Lord Trenchard, his air staff and his successors argued that air is one and indivisible, the Admiralty took the opposite view and, during the first half of the 1920s, pressed hard for the return of naval aviation to their control
9.
Timeline of the Royal Air Force
–
190129 October - The Aero Club of Great Britain is established. In the following years many early military pilots were trained by members of the Club,190527 April - Sapper Moreton of the British Armys Balloon Section is lifted 2,600 ft by a kite at Aldershot under the supervision of the kites designer, Samuel Cody. 1908 Samuel Cody completes the first powered flight in the UK at Farnborough,1909 The Aero Club establishes the first British flying ground near Leysdown in Kent. 2 May - John Moore-Brabazon becomes the first Englishman to make an officially recognized aeroplane flight in England,1910 The Aero Club moves its flying from Leysdown to the nearby Eastchurch. June - Charles Rolls becomes the first Englishman to fly across the Channel,19111 April - Air Battalion, Royal Engineers formed at Larkhill. December - The Royal Naval Flying School formed at Eastchurch, Kent,191213 April - The Royal Flying Corps is established by Royal Warrant. An Air Committee to liaise between the Admiralty and the War Office is also created,13 May - RFC assume control of Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers and the Naval Air Service. 19 June- Central Flying School is formed at Upavon,19141 July - Royal Naval Air Service formed by splitting airship squadrons away from the RFC September - The first RNAS aircraft squadrons formed. 1 Squadron RNAS at Antwerp,2 Squadron RNAS at Eastchurch,3 Squadron RNAS at St. Pol,191615 February - The Joint War Air Committee is established to co-ordinate the activities of the RFC and RNAS. 15 May - The Air Board replaces the ineffective Joint War Air Committee,12 December - RFC expands to 106 front-line squadrons and 95 reserve and training squadrons. 191729 November - The Air Force Act passed, providing for creation of an Air Force,19182 January - The Air Ministry comes into being with Lord Rothermere as Secretary of State for Air. Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard becomes the first Chief of the Air Staff,1 April The Royal Air Force is formed by amalgamating the RFC and RNAS. First operational mission by the RAF carried out by 22 Squadron Womens Royal Air Force formed,3 June - The Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Cross, Distinguished Flying Medal, Air Force Medal are constituted. 6 June - The Independent Air Force, the RAFs strategic bombing force, is formed, June - Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service formed. 19 September to 1 October - Battle of Megiddo, the RAFs Palestine Brigade plays a key role in the British victory over the Ottoman Empire, including the destruction of the Ottoman Seventh Army. 1919 August - RAF officer ranks are introduced,1920 January to February - The defeat of the Mad Mullah. The beginnings of air control as RAF aircraft acting with the Somaliland Camel Corps in British Somaliland overthrow the Dervish leader. 5 February - The RAF College Cranwell is established,19211 October - RAF military control of Mesopotamia begins
,_Wiltshire,_showing_WAAF_plotters_and_duty_officers_at_work,_1943._CH11887.jpg)
_repair_and_pack_parachutes_for_use_by_airborne_troops_during_the_Normandy_invasion,_31_May_1944._TR1783.jpg)
