| Channel Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1939 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lancelot Holland |
The Channel Force was a temporary squadron of the British Royal Navy during the Second World War that was based at Portland, England from September to October 1939.
It was under the command of Rear-Admiral Lancelot Holland throughout the period. [1]
The Channel Force was a powerful squadron established at Portland on 3 September 1939 to deal with any attempt by the Germans to operate light forces in the southern part of the North Sea, certain cruisers and destroyers were detached from the Home Fleet to be based on the Humber. It was under direct operational control by the Admiralty until 7 October 1939 when it was dispersed.
The force was formed with ships from both Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. [2]
| Unit | Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3rd Battle Squadron | 3 September - 7 October 1939 | 2 battleships [1] |
| 2 | Aircraft Carriers | 3 September - 7 October 1939 | 2 aircraft carriers, HMS Hermes - HMS Courageous, [2] [1] |
| 3 | Cruisers | 3 September - 7 October 1939 | 2 CL, HMS Ceres, HMS Caradoc - 1 CAA, HMS Cairo [2] [1] |
| 4 | 12th Destroyer Flotilla | 3 September - 7 October 1939 | 10 destroyers [2] |
| 5 | 18th Destroyer Flotilla | 3 September - 7 October 1939 | 2 Destroyer Divisions 35 and 36 [2] [1] |
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five RN fighting arms. As of 2023 it is a predominantly "rotary" force, with helicopters undertaking roles once performed by biplanes such as the Fairey Swordfish. It operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike and the AW159 Wildcat and AW101 Merlin for commando and anti-submarine warfare.
The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet.
The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between the United Kingdom and the majority of the British Empire in the Eastern Hemisphere. The first Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean Fleet was the appointment of General at Sea Robert Blake in September 1654. The Fleet was in existence until 1967.
Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, was a Royal Navy officer. He was in command of the submarine HMS E13 when, under attack from German vessels, it ran aground off the Danish coast during the First World War. Despite this incident, he rose to senior command in the Second World War and retired in 1947. His final appointment had been as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary and River Medway. In due course the Commander-in-Chief became responsible for sub-commands at Chatham, London, Sheerness, Harwich and the Humber.
The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies.
The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967.
The 2nd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 2nd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to its original name, the Atlantic Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
The 3rd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships and other vessels, active from at least 1914 to 1945. The 3rd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During the First World War, the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. During the Second World War, the squadron covered Atlantic convoys.
No. 18 Group of the Royal Air Force was a group active from 1918 to 1919, and from 1938 to 1996.
No. 237 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron. During the Second World War the unit was formed from No. 1 Squadron Southern Rhodesian Air Force for operations in North Africa.
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his successor, Sir Philip Durham, being the first to move into Admiralty House at the Royal Navy Dockyard, where subsequent holders of the office were based until 1969. Prior to World War I the officer holder was sometimes referred to in official dispatches as the Commander-in-Chief, Spithead.
The Yugoslav order of battle before the invasion of Yugoslavia includes a listing of all operational formations of the Royal Yugoslav Army, Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force and Royal Yugoslav Navy immediately prior to the World War II invasion of that country in April 1941.
The Axis order of battle for the invasion of Yugoslavia was made up of the various operational formations of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, Italian Armed Forces and Hungarian Armed Forces that participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II, commencing on 6 April 1941. It involved the German 2nd Army, with elements of the 12th Army and a panzer group combined with overwhelming Luftwaffe support. The eighteen German divisions included five panzer divisions, two motorised infantry divisions and two mountain divisions. The German force also included two well-equipped independent motorised regiments and was supported by over 800 aircraft. The Italian 2nd Army and 9th Army committed a total of 22 divisions, and the Royal Italian Air Force had over 650 aircraft available to support the invasion. The Hungarian 3rd Army also participated, with support from the Royal Hungarian Air Force.
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) operated the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 fighter aircraft from August 1939 to April 1941. During that period, the VVKJ obtained 73 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s from Germany, marking the second-largest export sale of the model. When the country was drawn into World War II by the German-led Axis invasion of April 1941, a total of 46 Yugoslav Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s were serviceable. They achieved some successes against Luftwaffe aircraft, but all Yugoslav Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s were destroyed or captured during the 11-day invasion.
The Commander in Chief, Dover was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Dover Command.
The Commander-in-Chief, Levant was a senior administrative shore commander of the Royal Navy. The post was established in February 1943 when the British Chiefs of Staff Committee ordered the Mediterranean Fleet to be divided into two commands. One was responsible for naval operations involving ships, and the other, administrative and support, was responsible for shore establishments. His subordinate establishments and staff were sometimes informally known as the Levant Command or Levant Station. In December 1943 the title was changed to Flag Officer, Levant and East Mediterranean. In January 1944 the two separate commands were re-unified into a single command merging back into Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet.
The Naval Officer-in-Charge, Aden, was an administrative appointment of British Royal Navy originally established in 1839 as the Senior Naval Officer, Aden. He was responsible for HMS Sheba. It was a sub-command of the Flag Officer, Middle East.