No. 1 Group RAF
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
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Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the three groups in RAF Strike Command.
The group is today refered to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier aircraft which perform the air defence and offensive roles. The group is based alongside Strike Command at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
As of 2005, the following stations and squadrons are under the command of 1 Group.
- RAF Coningsby: 17 and 29 Squadrons and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
- RAF Coltishall 6 and 41(F) Squadrons
- RAF Cottesmore 1(F), 3(F) and IV(AC) Squadrons
- RAF Leeming 11(F), 25(F) and 100 Squadrons
- RAF Leuchars 43(F, 56(R) and 111(F) Squadrons
- RAF Lossiemouth 12, 14, 15(R) and 617 Squadrons
- RAF Marham II(AC), IX(B), 13, 31 and 39 Squadrons
- RAF Wittering 20(R) Squadron
History
No. 1 Group was originally formed on 1 April 1918 in No. 1 Area. It was transferred to South-Eastern Area on 18 May 1918, Southern Area on 20 September 1919 and Inland Area on 1 April 1920.
The Group was renumbered as No. 6 Group on 19 May 1924 at Kenley, and was reformed on the same day at Kidbrooke. Two years later on 12 April 1926 the Group disappeared from the order of battle by being renumbered as No. 21 Group.
The next year the Group was reformed on 25 August 1937 by the renaming of Air Defence Group. This designation lasted until 1936 when it became No. 6 Group again. As in 1924 the Group was reformed the same day, this time as a bomber formation.
As war approached in 1939 the Group was redesignated the Advanced Air Striking Force and designated to command the British bomber forces to be sent to France. The Group re-emerged a few days later within Bomber Command on 12 September, but only lasted just over three months, being dropped on 22 December 1939.
It was reformed on 22 June 1940 and has been continuously active in the RAF since. When Bomber Command was subsumed into the new Strike Command in 1 April 1968, No. 1 Group took on the old role of the command, holding the bomber and strike aircraft of Strike Command. In January 2000 the RAF was restructured and the Group took on its present role.
References
No. 1 Group at the Strike Command Website (http://www.raf.mod.uk/stc/1grp.html)
