| Maintenance Command | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 April 1938–31 August 1973 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Andover |
| Motto(s) | Service [1] |
RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973.
Maintenance Command was formed in 1938. [2] No. 40 Group RAF was formed within the command on 3 January 1939, and responsible for all equipment except bombs and explosives. [3] No. 42 Group RAF was made responsible for fuel and ammunition storage.
In 1940, technical control (but not administrative control) of No. 41 Group and No. 43 Group of Maintenance Command passed to the Ministry of Aircraft Production. [2] One important change made within days of the Ministry's creation was it taking over the RAF aircraft storage Maintenance Units which were found to have accepted 1,000 aircraft from industry, but issued only 650 to squadrons. These management and organisational changes bore results almost immediately: in the first four months of 1940, 2,729 aircraft were produced of which 638 were fighters, while in the following four months crucial to the Battle of Britain combat during May to August 1940, production rose to 4,578 aircraft, of which 1,875 were fighters. [4] This production rate was two and a half times Germany's fighter production at the time. The ministry was additionally able to repair and return to service nearly 1,900 aircraft. [5]
From 7 October 1940, operational control of salvage was administered by a section of No. 43 Group RAF (Maintenance), known as No. 43 Group Salvage, with a headquarters at the Morris Motor Works in Cowley. The administrative headquarters later moved to Magdalen College, Oxford. [6] Maintenance units responsible for salvage were responsible for vast areas of the country.
Responsibility for these Groups returned to Maintenance Command after World War II following the absorption of the Ministry of Aircraft Production into the Ministry of Supply (MoS). [2] The foundation stone for a new Command Headquarters at RAF Andover was laid in November 1960. [7]
When the RAF took delivery of the Blue Danube nuclear weapon (in sections) the HCCL plant near Leeds was one of only four places from where 40 Group organised armed escorted road convoys direct to RAF Wittering. The others were AWRE Aldermaston, ROF Burghfield, ROF Chorley (Lancashire), and Woolwich Arsenal.
No. 40 Group was disbanded on 28 July 1961. Maintenance Command was absorbed into Support Command in August 1973. [2]
As of 1940 the Command was organised as a headquarters and four Groups:
Nos 42 and 43 Groups disbanded on 2 January 1956; No. 41 Group on 21 July 1961; and No. 40 Group a week later on 28 July 1961. [9]
Maintenance Units included:
Commanders-in-Chief included: [10]
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 Abingdon, or more simply RAF Abingdon, is a former Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps.
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No. 3 Group of the Royal Air Force was an RAF group first active in 1918, again in 1923–26, part of RAF Bomber Command from 1936 to 1967, and part of RAF Strike Command from 2000 until it disbanded on 1 April 2006.
Support Command was a command of the Royal Air Force between 1973 and 1994. The headquarters was located at RAF Brampton in Cambridgeshire.
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Training Command was the Royal Air Force's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977. Training Command was formed from RAF Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977. From 27 May 1940 to 1 June 1968, Training Command did not exist as its functions were split into Flying Training Command and Technical Training Command.
No. 22 Group Royal Air Force is one of six groups currently active in the Royal Air Force (RAF), falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Personnel) in Air Command. Its previous title up until 2018 was No. 22 (Training) Group. The group is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College and the RAF's training stations. As such, it is the direct successor to Training Group. 22 Group provides training to all three service branches of the British Armed Forces; namely the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, and the British Army.
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Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rosier, was a senior Royal Air Force commander.
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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.
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At the end of the Cold War in 1989, the Royal Air Force (RAF) structure was as follows:
No. 23 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force, first established in 1918, and finally disbanded in 1975.
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