Western Desert Air Force

Western Desert Air Force (WDAF), formed from the RAF's Middle East 204 Group (Air HQ, Western Desert) in October 1941 after the unsuccessful BATTLEAXE offensive, launched during the Western Desert campaigns, had made it clear that greater ground-air co-operation was needed.

It was initially commanded by Air Marshal Coningham who set up his HQ with the commander of Eighth Army (to which WDAF gave close support for much of the war), and as a tactical formation it quickly became known for its mobility and ability to work closely with ground troops. It comprised personnel of several nations, but predominantly South African, and initially had sixteen squadrons of aircraft (nine fighter, six medium bomber, one for tactical reconnaissance). At first losses were high, for no Allied fighter was then the equal of the German Messerschmitt 109F; and in a six-month period during 1941 one squadron commander lost 120% of his pilot strength. But during the summer of 1942 the WDAF began to be supplied with the Spitfire Mk5, and in August 1942 three USAAF squadrons, flying Warhawks, joined it, and the Allies began to gain the upper hand. By the second El Alamein battle in October 1942 the WDAF had grown to 29 squadrons (including nine South African) which were equipped with Boston, Mitchell, and Baltimore bombers and Hurricane, Kittyhawk, Tomahawk, Warhawk, and Spitfire fighters, or fighter-bombers.

During the North African campaign, in which Air Vice-Marshal Harry Broadhurst commanded it from 1 February 1943, the WDAF became, from 23 February 1943, part of the North West Africa Tactical Air Force; and then, for the Sicilian campaign which started in July 1943, part of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force. On 21 July 1943 it was renamed the Desert Air Force. It took part in the Salerno and Anzio landings; and in the rest of the Italian campaign, where it developed new methods of close support bombing, it helped the Balkan Air Force supply Italian and Yugoslav partisans, operating over the Adriatic Sea west of a line drawn between Fiume and Ancona. Air Vice-Marshal W. Dickson commanded it from April 1944 and Air Vice-Marshal R. Foster from December 1944.