No. 11 Group RAAF
No. 11 Group RAAF | |
---|---|
Active | 1945–46 |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Curtiss P-40 |
No. 11 Group was a
History
Establishment
During 1944 and 1945, the RAAF's
In order to free No. 1 TAF from its garrison duties and enable it to focus on future offensives, the RAAF proposed to the Commonwealth Government that a static command be established. It was intended that this command would comprise elements of No. 1 TAF and Northern Command.[2] In recommending its establishment (initially as "No. 1 Air Garrison Force"), Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock explained that while it shared the static characteristic of an area command, it differed in that the area commands were part of the RAAF's permanent structure and situated within the borders of Australia's mainland and overseas territories, whereas the new formation was a temporary wartime measure, headquartered on foreign territory.[3] The Government agreed to the proposal, and No. 11 Group was established at Morotai on 16 July 1945.[2][4] The group's inaugural commanding officer was Air Commodore Raymond Brownell, who had previously been Air Officer Commanding, Western Area.[2][5]
Operations
No. 11 Group took over administrative control of all RAAF units on Morotai on 30 July. Its initial area of responsibility was all Dutch territory north of latitude
The group had three main responsibilities:[2]
- Local air defence duties and sea lane protection
- Support of adjacent formations and offensive operations against Japanese targets within range
- Line of communication duties
It was planned that No. 11 Group would initially consist of its headquarters and
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
No. 11 Group celebrated Christmas 1945 with a formal dinner.[8] It was disbanded at Morotai on 31 March 1946.[9]
References
Citations
- ^ Odgers (1968), p. 477
- ^ a b c d e f Odgers (1968), p. 478.
- ^ "RAAF organisation". National Archives of Australia. 1943–45. pp. 18–23. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ Ashworth (1999), p. xxiii
- OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ a b Odgers (1968), pp. 478–479.
- ^ Hall (1978), p. 160
- ^ "The Amenities at Morotai". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1946. p. 9. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ Australian War Memorial (1995), p. 32.
Works consulted
- Ashworth, Norman (1999). How Not To Run An Air Force Volume 1. Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0-642-26550-X.
- Australian War Memorial (1995). Squadrons, Formations & Units of the Royal Australian Air Force and Their Deployment. Canberra: Unpublished monograph held by the AWM Research Centre.
- Hall, E.R. (1978). A Saga of Achievement: A Story of the Men and Women who Maintained and Operated Radio and Radar Systems of the RAAF Over 50 Years. Bonall. ISBN 0-9595927-0-9.
- Odgers, George (1968). Air War Against Japan 1943–1945. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air (reprint ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.