No. 15 Group RAF

No. 15 Group RAF, commonly abbreviated as 15 Group, was a Royal Air Force group that existed in several forms between the final year of the First World War and the end of the Second World War. It was not a commercial brand but a military command organization within the RAF. Its responsibilities, subordinate units and geographic footprint changed considerably over time, reflecting the changing structure of British air operations. The group was first created on 1 April 1918 as No. 15 (Equipment) Group in No. 3 Area, an administrative formation that became the Midland Area in May of that year. It was later disbanded and reconstituted on 27 September 1918 as No. 15 (Aegean) Group. In this form it controlled Wings 62 and 63 in the Aegean theatre. The First World War-era group was finally disbanded on 1 September 1919. The organization was re-established on 15 March 1939 as No. 15 (Reconnaissance) Group within RAF Coastal Command. Initially headquartered at RAF Lee-on-Solent, it moved to Mount Wise in Plymouth in June 1939 and later to Egg Buckland Keep before transferring in early 1941 to Derby House in Liverpool. The Liverpool headquarters was co-located with the naval command responsible for the Western Approaches, an arrangement that reflected the group’s close relationship with maritime and naval operations. At the beginning of the Second World War, No. 15 Group controlled RAF squadrons and temporarily attached Fleet Air Arm units operating under RAF authority. Its forces flew a broad range of aircraft, including Short Sunderland and other flying boats, Avro Anson patrol aircraft, Lockheed Hudsons, Catalinas, Whitleys, Wellingtons, Liberators and Fortresses. The group’s principal functions included maritime reconnaissance, convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare, patrols over the Irish Sea and the Western Approaches, and support for operations in the South West of Britain and around Ireland. The command expanded during the early war. By late 1939 it controlled ten units distributed across six stations, including Sunderland squadrons at Pembroke Dock and Mount Batten, Anson units at Aldergrove and St Eval, and local patrol flights using light aircraft. On 9 April 1941 it also assumed responsibility for RAF units in Iceland. As the war progressed, its headquarters remained in Liverpool while subordinate squadrons and specialist detachments moved among bases in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, southwest England and the Hebrides. No. 15 Group also supervised specialist capabilities. These included the Coastal Command Development Unit, which conducted service trials of radar equipment, meteorological flights, armament practice organizations, communications elements and anti-submarine device training. Its Group Communications Flight operated a varied collection of training, liaison, transport and communications aircraft, including Miles, Avro, de Havilland, Percival, Airspeed and Hawker types. By 1943 the group’s order of battle included several Sunderland, Catalina, Fortress and Liberator units. By 1944 and 1945 it had contracted, with its remaining units concentrated at a smaller number of stations. In its final months it controlled maritime reconnaissance, air-sea rescue, meteorological, armament-training and anti-submarine organizations, including units equipped with Halifax, Sunderland, Liberator, Warwick, Sea Otter and Wellington aircraft. No. 15 Group was disbanded on 1 August 1945 and absorbed into RAF Northern Ireland.

No. 15 Group’s history spans two world wars and several different organizational identities. It originated within the administrative structure of the newly independent Royal Air Force in 1918. The first formation, No. 15 (Equipment) Group, was established on 1 April in No. 3 Area, which became the Midland Area on 8 May. After being disbanded, the group was recreated on 27 September as No. 15 (Aegean) Group. Its wartime role in the Aegean involved control of Wings 62 and 63, but this formation was disbanded on 1 September 1919. The group returned on 15 March 1939 as No. 15 (Reconnaissance) Group, part of Coastal Command. It was formed at Lee-on-Solent and moved to Mount Wise, Plymouth, on 6 June. By November it had grown to ten units at six stations. Its early force included Sunderland flying-boat squadrons, Anson reconnaissance units and small patrol flights using light aircraft. These units provided maritime surveillance and prepared the command for the intensive convoy and anti-submarine responsibilities that followed the outbreak of war. In August 1940 the headquarters moved to Egg Buckland Keep. Early in 1941 it moved again, this time to Derby House in Liverpool, where it operated alongside the naval command for the Western Approaches. This location supported close coordination between air and naval authorities. On 9 April 1941 the group took control of RAF units in Iceland, extending its responsibilities into the North Atlantic. During this period its subordinate formations operated from bases across Northern Ireland, western Scotland, Wales, southwest England and the Hebrides. The group’s equipment and organization evolved with the maritime war. Sunderland and Catalina flying boats conducted long-range patrols, while Hudson, Wellington, Liberator and Fortress units contributed to reconnaissance, convoy escort and anti-submarine operations. The group also controlled specialist organizations, including the Coastal Command Development Unit at RAF Ballykelly, which undertook operational trials of radar equipment. Communications flights, meteorological flights and armament-practice units provided supporting capabilities that were essential to sustained maritime operations. In 1943 the group controlled five Sunderland squadrons and additional Catalina, Fortress, Liberator and support units. Its bases included Castle Archdale, Port Ellen, Oban, Benbecula, Aldergrove and other stations. By 1944 the organization had become smaller, with a reduced number of units operating from five principal stations. Its remaining formations included Sunderland, Liberator, Halifax, Warwick and training or support units. In June and July 1945, after Germany’s defeat, No. 15 Group still controlled seven units at seven stations. Its responsibilities included maritime patrol, air-sea rescue, meteorological work, armament training, communications and anti-submarine-device instruction. The group was disbanded on 1 August 1945 and its residual responsibilities and units were absorbed into RAF Northern Ireland. The associated No. 15 Group Communications Flight, formed at RAF Roborough in June 1939 and later based at Hooton Park and Speke, was disbanded on the same date.

• 1945

  Final disbandment

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 15 Group and its communications flight were disbanded on 1 August and absorbed into RAF Northern Ireland.

• 1941

  Assumed responsibility for RAF units in Iceland

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  On 9 April the group expanded its area of responsibility to include RAF forces in Iceland.

• 1939

  Reformed within Coastal Command

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 15 (Reconnaissance) Group was re-established on 15 March at Lee-on-Solent.

• 1939

  Headquarters moved to Plymouth

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The headquarters transferred to Mount Wise, Plymouth, on 6 June.

• 1919

  First disbandment

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The First World War-era formation was disbanded on 1 September.

• 1918

  Formation as No. 15 (Equipment) Group

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The group was established on 1 April 1918 in No. 3 Area, later renamed the Midland Area.

• 1918

  Reconstitution as No. 15 (Aegean) Group

  [1]No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  On 27 September the group was reformed to control Wings 62 and 63 in the Aegean theatre.

A wartime RAF command for maritime reconnaissance, convoy protection, anti-submarine warfare, air-sea rescue, communications and related operational development.

• 1945

  Absorption into RAF Northern IrelandOther

  Background

  The end of the European war led to the reorganization and reduction of Coastal Command structures.

  Action taken

  No. 15 Group was disbanded on 1 August and its remaining functions were absorbed into RAF Northern Ireland.

  Aftermath

  The group ceased to exist as an independent RAF formation.

  Source

• 1941

  Transfer of headquarters to LiverpoolStrategy

  Background

  The group’s maritime responsibilities required close coordination with naval authorities directing operations in the Western Approaches.

  Action taken

  The headquarters moved to Derby House in Liverpool in early 1941, where it was co-located with the Navy’s Western Approaches command.

  Aftermath

  The Liverpool headquarters remained the group’s base for the rest of the Second World War.

  Source

1. 1No. 15 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org