No. 12 Group RAF

No. 12 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force group, a formation-level command rather than a commercial brand. It existed in two principal periods: briefly at the end of the First World War as a training organisation, and from 1937 until 1963 as a major Fighter Command formation responsible for the air defence of a broad area of Britain. Its historical importance is closely associated with the Battle of Britain, when it defended the Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales while also being expected to support the more heavily engaged No. 11 Group in southeastern England. The group was first created on 1 April 1918 at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, shortly after the Royal Air Force itself was established. It inherited the training role of the Royal Navy’s Central Depot and Training Establishment at Cranwell, which had been preparing naval aviators since 1916. Under Brigadier-General Harold Briggs, the new group formed part of the RAF’s early organisational structure. It transferred to Midland Area in May 1918 and Northern Area in October 1919. On 1 November 1919 it ceased to exist as a group when its functions were absorbed into the RAF (Cadet) College. No. 12 Group was re-formed on 1 April 1937 within Fighter Command as No. 12 (Fighter) Group. Its area included the Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales, making it a central component of the United Kingdom’s pre-war and wartime fighter-defence system. Headquarters initially operated from RAF Uxbridge. A purpose-built operations site was constructed at RAF Watnall in Nottinghamshire, although the site was not completed until late 1940; operations were conducted from nearby RAF Hucknall during the transition. During the Battle of Britain, the group was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. No. 12 Group was expected not only to protect its own region but also to provide fighter cover for airfields belonging to No. 11 Group. The two formations became associated with contrasting approaches to fighter operations. Leigh-Mallory supported the use of large formations known as “Big Wings,” an approach advocated in operational discussions by Squadron Leader Douglas Bader. Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, commanding No. 11 Group, generally required more immediate and flexible responses to attacks. The resulting disputes concerned the timing and concentration of fighter forces, particularly when No. 11 Group airfields were attacked without receiving the support it expected. The controversy contributed to wider command changes after the Battle of Britain. Park and Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding were removed from their commands, while Leigh-Mallory subsequently succeeded Park at No. 11 Group. No. 12 Group nevertheless continued its regional air-defence duties and supported operations affecting both No. 10 and No. 11 Groups. Its wartime responsibilities made it one of Fighter Command’s most important formations, and its stations and personnel were exposed to German Luftwaffe attacks. After the war, the group remained part of Britain’s changing air-defence system. Its operations block at RAF Watnall closed in December 1946, and group headquarters moved to RAF Newton later that month. In August 1959 headquarters transferred to RAF Horsham St Faith. By the early 1960s the group coordinated a mixed defensive network involving interceptor squadrons, fighter-development activities, communications aircraft, and Bloodhound surface-to-air missile units. Aircraft types associated with its final period included the Gloster Javelin, English Electric Lightning, Hawker Hunter, Avro Anson, de Havilland Vampire and de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk. No. 12 Group RAF was disbanded on 1 April 1963 and replaced by No. 12 (East Anglian) Sector, which moved to RAF Neatishead in Norfolk in May of that year. On 1 April 1968, the sector itself was absorbed into the restructured air-defence organisation as Sector North within No. 11 Group. The group therefore survives as a historical designation associated with the development of RAF training, the Battle of Britain command system, and the transition from wartime fighter defence to the post-war missile-and-interceptor network.

No. 12 Group RAF was established at RAF Cranwell on 1 April 1918 as part of the Royal Air Force’s early training structure. It succeeded the Royal Navy’s Central Depot and Training Establishment, which had operated at Cranwell since 1916. The group initially trained aviation personnel and was led by Brigadier-General Harold Briggs. It moved between RAF administrative areas during 1918 and 1919 before being dissolved on 1 November 1919 and replaced in function by the RAF (Cadet) College. The formation returned on 1 April 1937 as No. 12 (Fighter) Group within Fighter Command. Its assigned defensive region covered the Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales. Headquarters began at RAF Uxbridge, while a permanent operations centre was built at RAF Watnall in Nottinghamshire. Because the Watnall facility was unfinished until late 1940, operations initially used RAF Hucknall. During the Second World War, No. 12 Group ranked among Fighter Command’s principal formations and faced German attacks against its airfields and infrastructure. The group’s best-known commander was Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, who led it during the Battle of Britain. No. 12 Group had to defend its own territory while also supplying fighter support to No. 11 Group, whose area in southeastern England was under particularly intense attack. Disagreements between Leigh-Mallory and No. 11 Group commander Keith Park centred on the use of concentrated formations, or Big Wings, and the timing of support for threatened airfields. The controversy formed part of the command debate that followed the Battle of Britain and preceded the removal of Park and Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding from their posts. Leigh-Mallory later became commander of No. 11 Group. No. 12 Group remained active after the Battle of Britain, continuing its regional defence mission and supporting neighbouring groups. After the war, its headquarters moved to RAF Newton in December 1946, while the Watnall operations block closed. The headquarters moved again to RAF Horsham St Faith in August 1959. By 1962 the group controlled or coordinated a diverse order of battle that included Javelin and Lightning interceptor squadrons, Bloodhound surface-to-air missile squadrons, communications aircraft, and fighter-development and training establishments. The group was disbanded on 1 April 1963 and replaced by No. 12 (East Anglian) Sector. That sector moved to RAF Neatishead in May 1963 and was ultimately absorbed into Sector North of No. 11 Group in April 1968.

• 1968

  Successor structure absorbed into No. 11 Group

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 12 Sector passed into history when it became Sector North within No. 11 Group.

• 1963

  Disbandment and replacement by East Anglian Sector

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 12 Group was disbanded on 1 April and replaced by No. 12 (East Anglian) Sector.

• 1959

  Headquarters moved to RAF Horsham St Faith

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The group headquarters transferred from RAF Newton to RAF Horsham St Faith on 14 August.

• 1946

  Post-war headquarters relocation

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The Watnall operations block closed in December, and group headquarters moved to RAF Newton on 20 December.

• 1940

  Watnall operations site completed

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The purpose-built operations site at RAF Watnall became available late in the year after operations had initially been conducted from RAF Hucknall.

• 1937

  Re-formed as a Fighter Command group

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 12 (Fighter) Group was re-established on 1 April at RAF Uxbridge to defend central and eastern areas of England and North Wales.

• 1919

  First incarnation dissolved

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 November, the group ceased to exist as a separate organisation and became the RAF (Cadet) College.

• 1918

  Formation at RAF Cranwell

  [1]No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 12 Group was formed on 1 April as a Royal Air Force training formation succeeding the Royal Navy’s aviation training establishment at Cranwell.

A Royal Air Force command formation focused on aviation training in its First World War incarnation and regional air defence, fighter control and support coordination in its 1937–1963 incarnation.

• 1940Battle of Britain

  United Kingdom

  No. 12 Group defended the Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales during the air campaign and was also tasked with supporting No. 11 Group’s airfields in southeastern England. Its use of concentrated fighter formations became part of the wider debate over Fighter Command tactics.

  Outcome. The group continued its regional defence role after the campaign, while the dispute over operational methods contributed to subsequent changes in senior Fighter Command leadership.

  Source

• 1940

  Use of concentrated fighter formationsStrategy

  Background

  During the Battle of Britain, No. 12 Group was expected to defend its own area and assist No. 11 Group. Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory supported the development of large fighter formations known as Big Wings.

  Action taken

  The group concentrated squadrons for larger-scale interceptions and at times prioritised assembling those formations over immediate cover for No. 11 Group airfields.

  Aftermath

  The approach produced mixed results and intensified the disagreement between Leigh-Mallory and Keith Park. The controversy contributed to post-Battle of Britain command changes, although it was only one factor in the wider restructuring.

  • No. 11 Group RAF — Commander Keith Park objected when airfields in his group’s area were left without the expected fighter support.

  Source

1. 1No. 12 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org