No. 201 (General Reconnaissance) Group was a

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 ide ...

of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

History

No. 201 Group RAF was formed on 18 September 1939 from General Reconnaissance Group, Middle East of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The group was initially commanded by

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

H.W.G. Penderel. On 11 May 1940, Group Captain G. M. Bryer assumed command, followed by Air Vice Marshal

Leonard Slatter Air Marshal Sir Leonard Horatio Slatter, (8 December 1894 – 14 April 1961) was a naval aviator during the First World War and a senior Royal Air Force commander during the Second World War. Slatter ended his career as the Air Officer Commandi ...

in July 1941. On 3 October 1941, the group was renamed No. 201 (Naval Co-operation) Group and Air Vice Marshal

Hugh Lloyd Hugh Lewis Lloyd (22 April 1923 – 14 July 2008) was an English actor who made his name in film and television comedy from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was best known for appearances in ''Hancock's Half Hour'', ''Hugh and I'' and other sit ...

, previously Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of Air Headquarters, Malta, took over No. 201 (Naval Co-operation) Group in mid-July 1942. During the North African Campaign in 1942, the successful coordination of No. 201 (Naval Co-operation) Group under Slatter and Lloyd with No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group under Air Commodores Lachlan L. MacLean and Alan P. Ritchie, and Air Headquarters (H.Q.) Western Desert under Air Vice Marshal Arthur Coningham, provided the practical model upon which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, American President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As th ...

, and their staffs reorganized the Allied air forces in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) at the

Casablanca Conference The Casablanca Conference (codenamed SYMBOL) or Anfa Conference was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, French Morocco, from January 14 to 24, 1943, to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II. In attendance were ...

in January 1943. 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 Chi ...

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 on ...

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 comman ...

(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 produc ...

, was structured according to the ''tri-force'' model. The air interdiction model consisting of ''coastal'', ''strategic'', and ''tactical'' air forces was presented to the Casablanca planners by Tedder who along with primarily Lloyd, Ritchie, and especially Coningham, implemented and developed the model during the successful campaigns in Egypt and Libya. No. 201 Group, as the ''coastal'' component of the original ''tri-force'', contributed significantly to the organization of the

established on 18 February 1943,

Mediterranean Allied Air Forces The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) was the major Allied air force command organization in the Mediterranean theater from mid-December 1943 until the end of the Second World War. Formation The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) be ...

(MAAF) in December 1943, Allied Expeditionary Air Forces (AEAF) of the

Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the No ...

, and even today's air forces. Throughout this important period of World War II during which air interdiction was practiced and developed, Tedder was always at the forefront as Air Commander-in-Chief of

RAF Middle East Command Middle East Command was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active during the Second World War. It had been preceded by RAF Middle East, which was established in 1918 by the redesignation of HQ Royal Flying Corps Middle East that ...

(MAC),

, and as General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for planning the air operations for D-Day Normandy. Ironically, in the MAC organization following the Casablanca Conference, No. 201 Group was not part of the

Northwest African Coastal Air Force The Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF) was a specialized functional command of the combined Northwest African Air Forces. The Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) oversaw the combined air forces until superseded by the MAAF. The NACAF had re ...

(NACAF), but remained in RAF Middle East Command under its new commander, Air Chief Marshal Sir

Sholto Douglas Sholto Douglas was the mythical progenitor of Clan Douglas, a powerful and warlike family in medieval Scotland. A mythical battle took place: "in 767, between King '' Solvathius'' rightful king of Scotland and a pretender ''Donald Bane''. The vic ...

. On 5 March 1943, Air Vice Marshal Thomas Langsford-Sainsbury took over command of No. 201 Group. Appropriately, 201 group's previous commander during the campaigns in Egypt and Libya, Hugh Lloyd, took command of the ''coastal'' component (NACAF), which along with 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) and the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF), formed the complete ''tri-force'' of NAAF. Notes:
RAF=Royal Air Force; RAAF=Royal Australian Air Force; SAAF=South African Air Force; FAA=Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy); Det.=Detachment On 1 February 1944 No. 201 group was absorbed into Air Defences Eastern Mediterranean. RAF Web Groups, accessed August 2009

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