Timeline Index 2

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

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RAF Timeline 1939 - 1945

To view further details of each main Command development click on the Command title on the right of the timeline

For a summary click here

January 1939		Vickers Wellington and North American Harvard enter service
February 1939


May 1939		20 - Last Empire Air Day. Lockheed Hudson entered service
June 1939		WAAF formed

August 1939		21 - Russo-German Pact announced. 24 - Mobilisation notices sent out to AuxAF and RAFVR.
September 1939		1 - Germany invades Poland. 1- RAFVR and AuxAF mobilised. 2 - Advanced Air Striking Force and Air Component of BEF move to France. 3 - UK declares war on Germany.
October 1939		Operational trials of VHF radio begun. Bristol Beaufort entered service

December 1939		17 - Ottawa agreement signed bringing into existence the Empire Air Training Scheme. Boulton Paul Defiant and Saro Lerwick entered service.
January 1940		IFF and VHF radio introduced. PDU formed at Heston. 31 - ASV radar fitted to a few Coastal Command aircraft


April 1940		14 - British forces land in Norway. 22 - RAF units arrive in Norway. 29 - EATS training began in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
May 1940		10 - Germany invades Holland, Belgium and France. 17 - Ministry of Aircraft Production formed. 26 - Dunkirk evacuation ordered to begin (Operation Dynamo). 27 - Training Command split into FTC and TTC
June 1940		4 - Completion of the evacuation of the BEF. 10 - Italy declares war on Britain. 10 - RAF carries out first attacks against Italian forces in Lybia. 22 - Parachute Training School formed at Ringway
July 1940		Battle of Britain starts. 14 - G/C Thorold arrives at Takoradi in West Africa to establish an aircraft ferrying service to Egypt. Westland Whirlwind entered service
August 1940		Short Stirling entered service
September 1940		Bristol Beaufighters equipped with AI radar entered service.
October 1940		Battle of Britain ends, but the night 'Blitz' begins. 28th - Italy invades Greece, RAF units dispatched to assist. Martin Maryland entered service.
November 1940		Avro Manchester and Handley Page Halifax entered service.
December 1940		1 - Army Co-operation Command formed.
January 1941
February 1941		5 - Air Training Corps formed from Air Defence Cadet Corps. Douglas Boston/Havoc entered service

April 1941		24 - Last RAF fighters left Greece. 30 - Iraqi troops move against RAF Habbaniya. Consolidated Catalina entered service.
May 1941		Evacuation of Greece completed. 20 - Germans invade Crete. 31 - Battle of Habbaniya ends. Observer Corps became Royal Observer Corps. Boeing Fortress entered service.
June 1941		8 - Allied forces invade Syria. 22 - Free French take control of Syria. 22 - Germany attacks USSR (Operation Barbarossa). Consolidated Liberator entered service.
July 1941		Ferry Command formed
August 1941		Curtiss Tomahawk and De Havilland Mosquito entered service
September 1941		Hawker Typhoon entered service
October 1941		9 - WDAF formed. 22 - AHQ West Africa formed.

December 1941		Singapore and Pearl Harbour attacked by Japanese, USA enters the war on Allied side. Avro Lancaster entered service
January 1942		Japan invades Java and Burma. Martin Baltimore entered service.
February 1942		15 - Japan captures Singapore. RAF Regiment formed.

April 1942		Navigator and Air Bomber categories introduced. North American Mustang entered service.
May 1942		30/31 - First 'Thousand Bomber' Raid
June 1942		Douglas Dakota entered service
July 1942		Martin Marauder entered service
August 1942		15 - Pathfinder Force formed. Vultee Vengence entered service
September 1942		North American Mitchell entered service.
October 1942		Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle and Lockheed Ventura entered service.
November 1942		2 - Eastern Air Command formed. Allies invade North Africa (Operation Torch)

January 1943		8 - Pathfinder Force became No 8 Group
February 1943		2 - Mediterranean Air Command formed.
March 1943		Transport Command formed from Ferry Command.
April 1943		King George VI announces he is to award Standards to Squadrons with 25 years service after the war.
May 1943		Axis forces in North Africa surrender. 16/17 - No 617 Squadron breach Ruhr dams (Operation Chastise)
June 1943		1 - 2nd Tactical Air Force formed. Allies invade Pantellaria (Operation Corkscrew)
July 1943		Allies invade Sicily (Operation Husky)

September 1943		Allies invade Italy. Italy surrenders.
October 1943		10 - No 38 Group formed. 23 - Mediterranean Allied strategic Air Force formed. Vicker Warwick entered service.
November 1943		15 - Allies Expeditionary Air Force formed. 16 - Air Command South-East Asia formed. 23 - No 100 Group formed.
December 1943		Mediterranean Allied Air Forces formed.
January 1944		Hawker Tempest entered service

March 1944		Siege of Imphal begins.

May 1944		Republic Thunderbolt entered service
June 1944		1 - Balkan Air Force formed. 6 - Allies land in Normandy (Operation Overlord).
July 1944		Gloster Meteor enters service (RAF's first jet fighter)
August 1944		Allies invade Southern France (Operation Dragoon)
September 1944		17 - Airborne assault on Arnhem (Operation Market)



January 1945		RAF Helicopter Training School formed.

March 1945		24 - Rhine crossing (Operation Varsity)
April 1945		Air dropping of food to Dutch civilians (Operation Manna)
May 1945		8 - Germany surrenders. Allies forces land south of Rangoon

July 1945		15 - British Air Forces of Occupation formed.
August 1945		6 - First Atomic bomb dropped. 14/15 - Japan surrenders. Avro Lincoln entered service.


November 1945		World Air Speed set at 606.25 mph by Gp Capt H J Wilson in a Meteor F4

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