No. 5 (Maintenance) 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 ...

of World War II. It was formed in June 1942 as part of a reorganisation of the air force that saw maintenance functions transferred from area commands to dedicated functional groups. No. 5 (Maintenance) Group was disbanded following the war in January 1946.

History

On 23 May 1942, Australian Prime Minister

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...

agreed to a proposal made by Air Vice-Marshal

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

, the RAAF Chief of the Air Staff, to establish up to five maintenance groups as part of a broader reorganisation of the air force along semi-functional, semi-geographical lines. These groups were to be tasked with supporting the RAAF's five operational area commands. No. 5 (Maintenance) Group was the first of these groups to be established, and was formed on 1 June 1942. Its inaugural commanding officer was Group Captain D.E.L. Wilson, and the group's headquarters was located in the

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 ...

suburb of

Darling Point Darling Point is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Woollahra Council. Darling Point is bounded by Sydney Harbour to t ...

.Ashworth (2000), p. 135 In the event, the only other maintenance group to be formed was No. 4, which was established on 14 September 1942. No. 5 Group was responsible for administering the RAAF maintenance units located in the Australian states of

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and

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, as well as the city of Noumea in New Caledonia.Gillison (1962), p. 479 As of early 1943, the group reported directly to RAAF Headquarters.Ashworth (2000), p. 286 Following the end of the war, No. 5 Group was disbanded at Sydney on 13 January 1946.

References

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