The VIII Brigade or 8th Brigade of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and from 1 April 1918,

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, was a bomber formation which carried out air raids against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The VIII Brigade of the Royal Flying Corps was created on 28 December 1917 by raising the 41st Wing to

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

status. The 41st Wing continued to exist as a subordinate formation of the VIII Brigade. The VIII Brigade's only Commander was Brigadier-General C. L. N. Newall. Although the VIII Brigade had been established in December 1917 it did not exercise command authority until 1 February 1918, when Newall took command. The following month, on 1 April 1918, the VII Brigade was transferred to the Royal Air Force. With the British Government seeking to expand the bombing raids against Germany, the VIII Brigade itself was subsumed into a larger formation, becoming part of the

Independent Air Force The Independent Air Force (IAF), also known as the Independent Force or the Independent Bombing Force and later known as the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force, was a First World War strategic bombing force which was part of Britain's Royal Air ...

on 6 June 1918.

References

Royal Flying Corps Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War I Military units and formations established in 1917 Brigades of the United Kingdom 1917 establishments in the United Kingdom {{RAF-stub