Air Headquarters Levant (AHQ Levant) was a command of the British

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) an ...

(RAF) established on 1 December 1941, by renaming the command known as H.Q. RAF Palestine and Transjordan. It controlled RAF units in the Mandate of Palestine and in the

Emirate of Transjordan The Emirate of Transjordan ( ar, إمارة شرق الأردن, Imārat Sharq al-Urdun, Emirate of East Jordan), officially known as the Amirate of Trans-Jordan, was a British protectorate established on 11 April 1921,

. Prior to being disbanded on 27 July 1948, Air H.Q. Levant was a sub-command of RAF

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

and its successors. RAF Web Mediterranean Commands RAF Middle East Command became a sub-command of 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 ...

in February 1943. An AHQ Levant was reformed on 1 May 1955 when

AHQ Iraq AHQ Iraq (Air Headquarters Iraq or Air H.Q. Iraq) was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF). History The command was formed on 1 November 1941 by renaming HQ British Forces in Iraq, the former RAF Iraq Command. AHQ Iraq was renamed AHQ Iraq an ...

was renamed AHQ Levant as an interim measure following a new agreement with the

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Government for the defence of

and use by the

RAF 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 ...

of bases in

. On 1 December 1955 AHQ Levant started to transfer from RAF Habbaniya to Cyprus (probably

RAF Nicosia Royal Air Force Station Nicosia or RAF Nicosia was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station on the island of Cyprus, built in the 1930s. The station served as Headquarters Royal Air Force Cyprus from 8 June to 29 July 1941. The original principal air ...

) and on 15 January 1956, when the move was complete, AHQ Cyprus and AHQ Levant were amalgamated as AHQ Levant. AHQ Levant was disbanded, 1 Apr 1958.

Orders of battle (1941-1945)

;H.Q RAF Palestine and Transjordan 11 November 1941 Air Commodore Leslie Brown * No. 259 Wing * No. 263 Wing ;Air H.Q. Levant 27 October 1942 Group Capt Herbert Mermagen * No. 1438 Flight,

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

s * No. 1413 Flight (Met.),

Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed private ...

s *

No. 2 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit RAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...

(Detachment),

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...

s * No. 213 Group * No. 241 Wing **

No. 451 Squadron RAAF No. 451 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force army cooperation and fighter squadron of World War II. It was formed at Bankstown, New South Wales, on 12 February 1941 and began flying operations on 1 July as part of the North African Campa ...

, Hurricane ;Air H.Q. Levant 10 July 1943 A/Cdre Bernard McEntegart * No. 208 Squadron, Hurricane * No. 1413 Flight (Meteorological), Gladiator ;Air H.Q. Levant June, 1944 Air Commodore John Coleman ;Air H.Q. Levant January, 1945 Air Commodore

Hector McGregor Air Marshal Sir Hector Douglas McGregor, (15 February 1910 – 11 April 1973) was a senior Royal Air Force commander. RAF career Born in New Zealand and educated at Napier Boys' High School,RNZAF The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeal ...

) ;Reformation of Air H.Q. Levant 1 May 1955 *1 May 1955 - April 1956, on renaming of A.H.Q. Iraq, A.V.M.

Hugh Hamilton Brookes Air vice-marshal Hugh Hamilton Brookes (14 October 1904 – 16 March 1988) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. Biography Born on 14 October 1904, Hugh Hamilton Brookes was educated at Bedford School and at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell ...

Met.= Meteorological Det.=Detachment;RAAF=Royal Australian Air Force.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* David Lee, Flight from the Middle East: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent territories 1945-1972, HMSO 1980 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahq Levant Royal Air Force overseas commands Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1958 Military units and formations in Mandatory Palestine in World War II