RAF Fighter Command

• 1. Origins And Formation

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  On the 1st of May 1936, the Air Defence of Great Britain officially became Fighter Command. This change marked a shift from earlier air defence groups to a more specialized control structure for fighter aircraft. The command had its roots in a group established within Inland Area on the 20th of May 1926. Fighting Area was transferred to the Air Defence of Great Britain on the 1st of June that same year. By 1932, Fighting Area had been raised to command status before the final renaming occurred. No. 60 Group RAF was established on the 23rd of February 1940 to manage Chain Home radar detection units. These early organizational changes laid the groundwork for the massive expansion that would follow.

• 2. Battle Of Britain Campaign

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  During the summer of 1940, the German Luftwaffe launched an offensive aimed at attaining air superiority over the Channel and the UK. Fighter Command faced this challenge with squadrons equipped with Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters. 11 Group took the brunt of the attack while controlling southeast England and London. It received reinforcement from 10 Group covering southwest England, 12 Group handling the Midlands and East Anglia, and 13 Group protecting northern England and Scotland. 14 Group was established on the 26th of June 1940 to cover additional areas. Foreign fighter squadrons began forming in July 1940, including the Polish 303 Squadron. The Germans failed to attain air superiority despite severe losses to their own reserves. The battle tested every aspect of the command's defensive capabilities during those critical months.

• 3. Offensive Operations 1941 To 1945

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  By May 1941, squadrons based at all main fighter airfields operated in wings under the tactical control of wing leaders. These commanders were survivors of 1940 holding the rank of wing commander. Fighter Command began a campaign to gain air superiority over northwestern France using short-penetration operations. Large Spitfire formations flew with medium bombers to lure German fighters into combat after Operation Barbarossa started in June 1941. The Luftwaffe left Jagdgeschwader 2 and Jagdgeschwader 26 in western Europe comprising 180 fighters at most. On the 19th of August 1942, RAF squadrons engaged large numbers of aircraft during the Dieppe Raid. They claimed 106 victories while preventing interference in ground and sea battles. Postwar analysis showed the RAF lost 106 aircraft including 88 fighters and 18 bombers. In February 1944, Fighter Command split into Air Defence of Great Britain and Second Tactical Air Force to support ground forces after the invasion of Europe.

• 4. Cold War Interception Duties

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  In the aftermath of World War II, the threat shifted from Germany to the Soviet Union. A Canadian fighter wing known as No. 1 Wing arrived at RAF North Luffenham in late 1951 to bolster NATO strength. After 1949, Soviet bombers could carry nuclear weapons making interception crucial for UK survival. A long succession of aircraft saw service including the Gloster Meteor, Hawker Hunter, Gloster Javelin and English Electric Lightning. The Lightning was the only purely British supersonic aircraft to enter service. On the 1st of May 1961, Air Marshal Sir Hector McGregor assumed the title of Commander United Kingdom Air Defence Region. The region stretched hundreds of miles north, west and south of the country almost reaching the continental coastline in the east. Nos 11 and 12 Groups continued in almost unbroken service until 1963 while No. 13 Group reformed on the 16th of May 1955 before disbanding on the 31st of December 1961.

• 5. Technological Obsolescence And Review

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  During the mid-1950s, surface-to-air missiles improved quickly enough to threaten any manned aircraft. Duncan Sandys served as Minister of Defence when he needed to find cuts in the British defence budget. The UK faced serious danger of bankruptcy due to its defence spending levels. The rate of improvement in missile technology indicated that manned aircraft would soon become obsolete. Consequently, the 1957 Defence White Paper declared all programmes for manned aircraft cancelled unless too far along. This decision ended many fighter development projects across the RAF. The cancellation of these programmes fundamentally changed how air defence would be conducted moving forward into the 1960s.

• 6. Amalgamation Into Strike Command

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  As the 1960s dawned, the Royal Air Force continued to shrink significantly. Three functional commands including Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command had formed in 1936 to help reorganize an expanding force. It became clear the RAF was too small to justify their continued existence as separate entities. In 1968, Fighter Command and Bomber Command were amalgamated to form Strike Command becoming groups within the new structure. Coastal Command disbanded and subsumed into Strike Command in November 1969. Fighter Command itself was disbanded for the second time in 1968 when it was subsumed by the new command. Responsibility for the Royal Observer Corps transferred to Strike Command on the 31st of March 1968 after remaining under Fighter Command administration until that date.