No. 2 (Training) Group RAAF was a

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF)

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

. It was formed in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in August 1941 as part of a reorganisation of the air force, and was disbanded after the war in March 1946.

History

Prior to World War II, the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

was small enough for all its elements to be directly controlled by RAAF Headquarters in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. After war broke out in September 1939, the RAAF began to decentralise its command structure, commensurate with expected increases in manpower and units.Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 111–112 Its initial move in this direction was to create Nos. 1 and 2 Groups to control units in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, respectively. Then, between March 1940 and May 1941, the RAAF divided Australia and New Guinea into four geographically based command-and-control zones: Central Area, Southern Area,

Western Area The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula (formerly the Colony of Sierra Leone) is one of five principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the oldest city and national capital Freetown and its surrounding towns and countryside. It covers an a ...

, and Northern Area.Gillison
''Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 91–92
Each was led by an Air Officer Commanding (AOC) responsible for the administration and operations of all air bases and units within his boundary. No. 2 Group, which had been established on 20 November 1939, was re-formed as Central Area Command on 7 March 1940. Headquartered in

, Central Area controlled all Air Force units in New South Wales except those in the southern

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

and the north of the state. By mid-1941, the RAAF's expanding instructional program necessitated the establishment of overarching training organisations on a semi-functional, semi-geographical basis. Accordingly, on 2 August, No. 2 (Training) Group was formed in Sydney to assume responsibility for training units then under Central Area Command, which was disbanded.Gillison
''Royal Australian Air Force'', p. 112
Ashworth, ''How Not to Run an Air Force'', pp. xx, 38 Three other training groups were envisaged, but in the event only No. 1 in

was formed. No. 2 (Training) Group moved headquarters from Sydney to Wagga, New South Wales, on 22 May 1942. As of early 1943, both active training groups reported directly to RAAF Headquarters.Ashworth, ''How Not to Run an Air Force'', p. 286 Group Captain

Frederick Scherger Air Chief Marshal (Australia), Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger, (18 May 190416 January 1984) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of Air Force (Australia), Chief ...

commanded No. 2 (Training) Group from July to November 1943.Dennis et al., ''Oxford Military History of Australia'', pp. 530–531 Air Commodore

Frank Lukis Air Commodore Francis William Fellowes (Frank) Lukis, CBE (27 July 1896 – 18 February 1966) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A veteran of World War I, he first saw combat as a soldier in th ...

took command in April 1945, and held the post for the remainder of the Pacific War.Ashworth, ''How Not to Run an Air Force!'', pp. 303–304 Following the end of the war, No. 2 (Training) Group was disbanded at Wagga on 26 March 1946.

References

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