| Royal Air Force Near East Air Force RAF NEAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1961–31 March 1976 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | RAF Command |
| Headquarters | RAF Episkopi |
| Motto(s) | Wings in the Sun [1] |
The former Royal Air Force Near East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Near East Air Force (RAF NEAF), was the Command organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force (RAF) assets in the Eastern Mediterranean (the Near East).
The Command was originally formed as RAF Mediterranean and Middle East (MEDME) on 10 December 1943 to control RAF elements in the Eastern Mediterranean under the command of Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. [2] HQ MEDME was originally located at Caserta in Italy, where HQ MAAF had been located, but by October 1945 had moved to Cairo. It originally comprised nine subordinate Air Headquarters (AHQs) and four group headquarters. No. 212 (Fighter) Group RAF, subordinate to AHQ Egypt, was disbanded on 31 January 1946. AHQ Eastern Mediterranean was absorbed into No. 219 Group RAF on 28 February 1946. As post-war reductions continued, the command was reduced to six AHQs (AHQ Italy, AHQ Iraq, AHQ East Africa, AHQ Greece (under Air Commodore Geoffrey Tuttle in 1944-45), [3] [4] AHQ Levant, AHQ Malta), plus HQ British Forces Aden and No. 205 Group RAF at Heliopolis. [5] AHQ Italy was closed in October 1947, and AHQ Greece on 11 January 1947. [6] In Egypt, after the immediate post-war run-down, Nos 6 and 213 Squadrons remained flying Tempests at RAF Shallufa, No. 13 Squadron RAF remained at RAF Fayid flying Mosquitos, and five transport squadrons with Dakotas (Nos 78, 114, 204, 215, and 216) were at RAF Kabrit. [7]
On 31 July 1945, HQ MEDME was expanded to absorb RAF Middle East Command, and on 1 June 1949 it was renamed Middle East Air Force. [2] In May 1948 at Kabrit, No. 215 Squadron was disbanded by being renumbered No. 70 Squadron RAF. 78 Squadron left Kabrit in 1950, and 114 Squadron was not present after 1951. A Special Communication Squadron was formed at Kabrit in January 1951, but disbanded at Fayid in September 1952. No. 78 Squadron RAF converted to Vickers Valettas in April 1950, before being disbanded at RAF Fayid in Egypt on 30 September 1954. [8] [9] In 1955, No. 216 Squadron RAF moved from RAF Fayid in Egypt to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, England.
On arrival by ship at Malta in July 1952, No. 78 Wing RAAF, flying Vampires with two additional Meteor Mk.7s, became part of the MEAF. Wing Commander, later Group Captain Brian Eaton commanded the wing. Soon after arrival, the wing came under the Air Officer Commanding Malta. The Wing was at RAF Hal Far (HMS Falcon), and then spent 18 months at RAF Ta Kali, moving there in June 1953. As the RAF had previously vacated the station, Takali was 'run like an RAAF base in Australia'. At the end of 1954, the leased aircraft were handed back to the RAF, and the ships back to Australia left in January 1955. [10] At the same time, No. 14 Squadron RNZAF equipped with sixteen de Havilland Vampire jets in 1952, was based in Cyprus from 1952 to 1955. There is a colourful account of Squadron Leader Max Hope, OC 14 Squadron, being cryptically told that the unit was being deployed to Cyprus by the Chief of the Air Staff via National Geographic Magazine, reported in Bentley's RNZAF - A Short History. [11]
On 1 March 1961, the Southern Group of Middle East Air Force became Near East Air Force, and was based in Cyprus. [2] During 1956, the UK had offered to provide a light bomber wing to the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO), and with the acceptance of that offer what was originally known as the MEAF Strike Wing was established at Akrotiri in 1957. [12]
During the 1960s, NEAF included the NEAF Strike Wing at RAF Akrotiri (four Canberra strike squadrons and No. 13 Squadron RAF flying Canberra PR Mk7s), No. 3 (LAA) Wing RAF Regiment (Nos 27, 37, 194 Squadrons), No. 70 Squadron RAF at RAF Nicosia flying Hastings, and No. 103 Squadron RAF flying Sycamores. [13] 103 Squadron's Bristol Sycamore HR14 helicopters operated in search and rescue (SAR), casualty evacuation, and internal security roles. There was also HQ No. 5 Wing RAF Regiment, HQ No. 8 Wing RAF Regiment, and three RAF Regiment squadrons at Nicosia (Nos 26, 28, and 34 Squadrons).
No. 103 Squadron was disbanded on 31 July 1963, by breaking the squadron up into Nos. 1563 (at Nicosia) and 1564 (at El Adem) flights. [14] [15] In 1964, No. 29 Squadron RAF arrived in the fighter role, to be replaced in 1967 by No. 56 Squadron RAF. Later, No. 112 Squadron RAF arrived in the surface-to-air missile role. Equipped with Bristol Bloodhounds, the squadron was based at Paramali West, but administered from RAF Episkopi. [16] In 1969, the Canberras were retired, with Nos. 6, 32, 73, and 249 Squadrons were all disbanded on parade on 10 January 1969. They were replaced by 9 and 35 Squadrons flying Avro Vulcans, which arrived respectively in March and January 1969.
With the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, it was decided that the CENTO nuclear strike role could not be continued from Cyprus, and so in January 1975, 9 and 35 Squadrons were withdrawn back to the UK. [17] All other fixed-wing aircraft also left that same month, with the only flying squadron remaining at Akrotiri being No. 84 Squadron RAF flying Westland Whirlwinds.
The Command was disbanded and replaced by Air Headquarters Cyprus on 31 March 1976. [2]
Commanders-in-Chief included: [2]
The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 Group RAF under RAF Middle East Command in North Africa in 1941 to provide close air support to the British Eighth Army against Axis forces. Throughout the Second World War, the DAF was made up of squadrons from the Royal Air Force (RAF), the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and other Allied air forces.
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. It was originally formed as Air Command, South East Asia in 1943 during the Second World War. In 1946, this was renamed RAF Air Command Far East, and finally Far East Air Force in June 1949.
Royal Air Force Akrotiri, commonly abbreviated RAF Akrotiri is a large Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory, administered as a Sovereign Base Area.
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.
The RAF Third Tactical Air Force, which was formed in South Asia in December 1943, was one of three tactical air forces formed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the air forces of other Commonwealth countries. Third TAF was formed shortly after the establishment of South East Asia Command to provide close air support to the Fourteenth Army.
RAF Gibraltar is a Royal Air Force station on Gibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but RAF, Commonwealth and aircraft of other NATO nations will periodically arrive for transient stopovers, exercises, or other temporary duty. Administered by British Forces Gibraltar, the station is a joint civil-military facility that also functions as the Rock's civilian airport – Gibraltar Airport, with the civilian airport's passenger terminal building and apron facilities located on the north side of the runway while the apron and hangar of RAF Gibraltar are located on the south side of the runway.
British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus and at a number of related 'retained sites' in the Republic of Cyprus. The United Kingdom retains a military presence on the island in order to keep a strategic location at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, for use as a staging point for forces sent to locations in the Middle East and Asia. BFC is a tri-service command, with all three services based on the island reporting to it.
No. 454 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) that served during World War II. The squadron was raised in Australia under the Empire Air Training Scheme in mid-1941, but was disbanded shortly afterwards. It was re-formed later in 1941 from mainly British personnel and subsequently took part in the fighting in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre before being disbanded in August 1945.
British Forces Aden was the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the Aden Protectorate during part of the 20th century. Their purpose was to preserve the security of the Protectorate from both internal threats and external aggression.
No. 205 Group was a long-range, heavy bomber group of the Royal Air Force (RAF) established on 23 October 1941 by boosting No. 257 Wing to Group status.
Air Headquarters Malta was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was established on 28 December 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd. Lloyd was named Air Officer Commanding in Malta on 1 June 1941.
Air Headquarters Air Defences Eastern Mediterranean was a sub-command of RAF Middle East Command which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command during World War II. Air H.Q. Air Defences Eastern Mediterranean was established on 4 March 1943, by renaming the RAF command known as AHQ Egypt. Air Vice Marshal Richard Saul was the only commander of Air HQ Air Defences Eastern Mediterranean which was renamed Air HQ Eastern Mediterranean on 1 February 1944.
Air Headquarters East Africa was a command of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) formed on 19 October 1940 by expanding AHQ RAF Nairobi. On 15 December 1941, the command was reduced to Group status as No. 207 Group. On 16 November 1942, Air H.Q. East Africa was reformed by raising No. 207 Group back to Command status again.
Air Headquarters Levant was a command of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) established on 1 December 1941, by renaming the command known as H.Q. RAF Palestine and Transjordan. It controlled RAF units in the Mandate of Palestine and in the Emirate of Transjordan. Prior to being disbanded on 27 July 1948, Air H.Q. Levant was a sub-command of RAF Middle East Command and its successors. RAF Middle East Command became a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command in February 1943.
AHQ Iraq was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Middle East Command was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active during the Second World War. It had been preceded by RAF Middle East, which was established in 1918 by the redesignation of HQ Royal Flying Corps Middle East that had been activated in 1917 although a small Royal Flying Corps presence had been operational in the region since 1914.
Air Vice-Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton, was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Tasmania and raised in Victoria, he joined the RAAF in 1936 and was promoted to flight lieutenant on the outbreak of World War II. He held training positions before being posted to No. 3 Squadron at the beginning of 1943, flying P-40 Kittyhawk fighter-bombers in North Africa. Despite being shot down three times within ten days soon after arriving, Eaton quickly rose to become the unit's commanding officer, and by year's end had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. His leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Order and Bar in 1944–45, and command of No. 239 Wing RAF in Italy, with the temporary rank of group captain. He was also awarded the US Silver Star in 1946 in recognition of his war service.
No. 224 Group of the Royal Air Force was established during World War II and was operational during the Cold War.
RAF India, later called Air Forces in India (1938–47) was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active from 1918 until Indian independence and partition in 1947. It was the air force counterpart of the British Army in India.
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