No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) 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.

Tri-force model

During the North Africa Campaign in Egypt and Libya, No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group under Air Commodore Alan P. Ritchie was coordinated successfully with No. 201 (Naval Co-operation) Group under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd, and Air Headquarters (H.Q.) Western Desert under Air Vice Marshal Arthur Coningham. This model which separated the command into strategic, coastal, and tactical air forces was presented to the Casablanca planners by Tedder who along with primarily Ritchie, Lloyd, and especially Coningham, implemented and developed the ''tri-force'' model in Egypt and Libya during 1942. No. 205 Group contributed significantly to these developments. At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, British Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and their staffs reorganized the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

air forces in the North African and

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...

on this model. The result of this reorganization was the

Mediterranean Air Command The Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) was a World War II Allied air-force command that was active in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) between February 18 and December 10, 1943 . MAC was under the command of Air Chie ...

commanded by Air Chief Marshal Sir

Arthur Tedder Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, (11 July 1890 – 3 June 1967) was a senior Royal Air Force commander. He was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and he went o ...

and its major sub-command, the

Northwest African Air Forces Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) was a component of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) during February–December 1943. It was responsible primarily for air operations during the Tunisian Campaign and bombing of Italy. Its command ...

(NAAF) under Lieutenant General

Carl Spaatz Carl Andrew Spaatz (born Spatz; June 28, 1891 – July 14, 1974), nicknamed "Tooey", was an American World War II general. As commander of Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, he successfully pressed for the bombing of the enemy's oil product ...

, was structured according to the ''tri-force'' model. No. 205 Group units were part of the attempted resupply of the Polish Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising Airlift.

Order of battle

In the MAC organization following the Casablanca Conference, No. 205 Group was part of the

Northwest African Strategic Air Force The Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) was a sub-command of the Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Cas ...

(NASAF), an Allied command under Major General

James H. Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

consisting of American (daytime) and British (primarily nighttime) long-range heavy bomber units. NASAF, along with the Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF) and the

Northwest African Tactical Air Force The Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) was a component of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself reported to the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casablanca Conference in ...

(NATAF), formed a complete ''tri-force'' under a single unified command (NAAF). The components of No. 205 Group at various times during World War II are illustrated below. Unfortunately, many of the records of No. 205 Group are apparently unavailable for the period prior to the air force reorganization in February 1943 (

). Notes: :A/Cdre = Air Commodore :RAAF = Royal Australian Air Force :RCAF = Royal Canadian Air Force :SAAF = South African Air Force :MASAF =

Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the eas ...

under Major General

Nathan Twining Nathan Twining may refer to: * Nathan F. Twining, United States Air Force general * Nathan Crook Twining, United States Navy admiral {{hndis, Twining, Nathan ...

was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. It is not absolutely certain which RAF squadrons were operating in No. 205 Group during the summer of 1942. American heavy bomber units began arriving in the Middle East at this time. The first was Colonel

Harry A. Halverson Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

's detachment of

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s known as the Halverson Project (HALPRO). On 12 June 1942, thirteen B-24s of the Halverson Detachment bombed the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania. This was the first strategic bombing mission by an American unit in World War II. On 28 June 1942, Major General

Lewis H. Brereton Lewis Hyde Brereton (June 21, 1890 – July 20, 1967) was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. A 1911 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he began his military career as a United States Army o ...

arrived from India with the

9th Bombardment Squadron 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 * ...

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

es. The Halverson Detachment and the 9th Bombardment Squadron were both under control of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group for target selection and operations. :"Between 26 June and 5 July, nine missions were flown, all but one against Tobruk. The B-17's of the 9th Squadron participated in two attacks, one by night, and the B-24's ''(Halverson's Detachment)'', sometimes in company with the RAF's Liberator squadron ''( No. 160 Squadron)'', also operated both by day and by night." RAF operational control of the American heavy bomber units continued even after Halverson's Detachment of B-24s and Brereton's 9th Bombardment Squadron of B-17s were consolidated to form the 1st Provisional Bombardment Group on 20 July 1942 under Halverson's command. When the American 98th Bombardment Group with four squadrons of B-24s arrived and began flying combat missions in August 1942, the RAF selected its mission targets as well. This situation caused some concern among officers of the 9th Air Force's IX Bomber Command and the United States Army Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF). When MAC was disbanded on 10 December 1943, No. 205 Group was assigned to the

. No. 205 Group eventually converted to Consolidated

aircraft, and remained under Simpson's command for the duration of the Second World War.

Postwar

Immediately as the war ended the group headquarters was at Heliopolis, and it appears to have included the Lancasters which at that time formed MEDME's strike force. The squadrons concerned appear to have been Nos 37 and 38 Squadrons, both located at Ein Shemer in Palestine. Both squadrons appear to have been moved to Malta as the final withdrawal from Palestine began after October 1947. Commanders from 1945 were: *30 April 1945 : AVM Andrew McKee *1 February 1947 : AVM

George Stacey Hodson Air Vice Marshal George Stacey Hodson , (2 May 1899 – 1 October 1976) was an air officer of the British Royal Air Force who began his military career as a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. In the course of his 34 year ...

*20 October 1949 : AVM

Victor Groom Air Marshal Sir Victor Emmanuel Groom, (4 August 1898 – 6 December 1990) was a senior officer in the British Royal Air Force and a flying ace of the First World War credited with eight aerial victories. He rose to become a consequential part ...

*6 February 1952 : No appointment *6 July 1952 : AVM Harold Vivian Satterley *30 June 1954 : AVM

Denis Barnett Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Hensley Fulton Barnett, (11 February 1906 – 31 December 1992) was a squadron commander and senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. In the post war years he held high command, serving as th ...

The group headquarters was established at

RAF Fayid RAF Fayid (LG-211) is a former military airfield in Egypt, approximately south of Ismailia (Al Isma`iliyah) and northeast of Cairo. It was formerly a major Royal Air Force airfield built before World War II, and later used by the Egyptia ...

in 1947, and appears to have included Nos 13, 39, and

208 Year 208 ( CCVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 961 ''Ab urbe condita' ...

Squadrons, respectively flying Spitfire XVIIIs, photo-reconnaissance Mosquitos, and night-fighter Mosquitos, at that time.

No. 78 Wing RAAF No. 78 Wing is a Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversarie ...

(Nos 75 and 76 Squadrons) with Vickers Vampires operated under the group's control from RAF Hal Far, Malta during the early 1950s. On 7 June 1952, the AOC 205 Group, Air Vice Marshal

David Atcherley Air Vice Marshal David Francis William Atcherley, (12 January 1904 – 8 June 1952) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. Early life David Atcherley and his twin Richard were born on 12 January 1904, and were the sons of Major General Sir Lle ...

disappeared during a flight over the eastern Mediterranean. No. 205 Group was made responsible for supervising the evacuation programme for the RAF from the Canal Zone from 1953. Air Vice Marshal Barnett moved his rear headquarters over to Cyprus in October 1955, and

Abu Sueir Abu or ABU may refer to: Places * Abu (volcano), a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan * Abu, Yamaguchi, a town in Japan * Ahmadu Bello University, a university located in Zaria, Nigeria * Atlantic Baptist University, a Christian university ...

was the last station to be handed over to the Egyptians. This was despite the fact that Abu Sueir and Fanara were the two bases to be retained, to be maintained by civilian contractors. Abu Sueir was handed over to Egypt on 14 April 1956, and the group was disbanded at Ismaila (Lee FFME 29) the following day.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:205 Royal Air Force groups

205 Year 205 ( CCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 958 '' Ab urbe condita' ...

Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1956