No. 85 Group RAF

No. 85 Group RAF was a wartime Royal Air Force group created during the Second World War to support Allied operations in north-west Europe. Formed on 17 December 1943 within the 2nd Tactical Air Force from elements of the RAF Airfield Construction Service, it was reorganised and designated No. 85 (Base) Group in February 1944 under Air Vice-Marshal John Cole-Hamilton. Its principal task was to protect the beachhead and the expanding base area of 21st Army Group and the 2nd Tactical Air Force after the Allied landings in Normandy. The formation combined several functions that were normally divided between different commands. Its day-fighter units were operationally connected with the 2nd Tactical Air Force, its night-fighter force worked jointly with No. 11 Group and the Air Defence of Great Britain, and its construction units operated under the direction of the Commander, Allied Ground Forces Royal Engineers. This unusual structure reflected the practical demands of the invasion: Allied aircraft needed usable airfields close to the front, while the newly established bases, ports, supply dumps and beach installations required protection from German aircraft and later from V-1 flying bombs. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, the group's fighter squadrons were assigned defensive and interception duties over the landing area. Day fighters helped prevent German reconnaissance aircraft from observing the invasion fleet and beachhead, while Mosquito night fighters patrolled against German attacks, including operations by aircraft attempting to use guided weapons against the invasion anchorage. The group also supported the development of ground-controlled interception facilities in Normandy and sought to coordinate searchlights and anti-aircraft defences with its night-fighter operations. Airfield construction became the formation's most distinctive contribution. Its engineers and construction squadrons prepared emergency strips, refuelling and rearming sites, and more substantial Advanced Landing Grounds for fighters and fighter-bombers. The first emergency strip was completed at Asnelles on 7 June, and the first Advanced Landing Ground, at Bazenville, became available on 13 June. By early July, British forces had established a network of airfields in Normandy. By the end of August, RAF construction personnel and associated Royal Engineers had built or repaired 23 airfields, enabling tactical aircraft to operate much nearer the advancing armies. During the Allied breakout from Normandy, the group's construction units moved rapidly through northern France and Belgium. In six weeks they provided approximately 30 additional airfields, combining new runways with the repair of former Luftwaffe facilities. The most demanding episode came during Operation Market Garden, when No. 85 Group's construction forces worked under combat conditions to restore Eindhoven airfield. Despite cratering, enemy activity and limited local protection, the strip was made operational on 22 September 1944. Aircraft using Eindhoven subsequently helped resist a major German air attack on the Nijmegen bridges. The group also contributed to the defence of Antwerp and Brussels against V-1 flying bombs. Its wireless observer network formed the outer warning layer of the Antwerp X and Brussels X systems, passing early reports of approaching missiles to anti-aircraft control centres. The arrangements required coordination among RAF controllers, Royal Artillery units, observation posts, radar stations, balloons and fighter operations. Although the system initially encountered delays and conflicts over the use of the airspace, its effectiveness improved substantially. Of 5,442 V-1s approaching the Brussels and Antwerp areas, 43.2 percent were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire, with the success rate rising sharply during the final week of the campaign. After Victory in Europe, No. 85 Group remained within the 2nd Tactical Air Force, which became the British Air Forces of Occupation in Germany in July 1945. It was reduced to wing status in July 1946, re-formed as a group in December 1948 and finally disbanded on 1 July 1950. As a military formation rather than a commercial brand, it had no consumer products, commercial ownership, stock-market listing or conventional corporate headquarters.

No. 85 Group RAF was established on 17 December 1943 as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. It was assembled from wings of the RAF Airfield Construction Service and was intended to solve two linked problems associated with the forthcoming invasion of continental Europe: the need to create forward airfields quickly and the need to defend those bases and the surrounding beachhead. On 14 February 1944 it received the designation No. 85 (Base) Group and came under Air Vice-Marshal John Cole-Hamilton. The group's command arrangements were deliberately pragmatic. Its single-engine fighter units operated under the 2nd Tactical Air Force, while its night fighters worked in cooperation with No. 11 Group and the Air Defence of Great Britain. Construction activity was directed through the Royal Engineers organisation supporting 21st Army Group. This gave the formation responsibility for a mixture of aviation, engineering, warning and defensive duties rather than a conventional single-purpose combat role. For the Normandy landings, No. 85 Group's day fighters were allocated to readiness and reconnaissance-denial tasks. Squadrons operating Spitfires were prepared to respond if the Luftwaffe attacked the invasion, while other fighters were tasked with preventing German reconnaissance over the landing zone. Mosquito night fighters conducted continuous patrols once a ground-controlled interception station was established at Arromanches. On the first night they claimed several successes against German aircraft approaching the beachhead, including aircraft associated with attacks using guided bombs. The group planned an extensive searchlight system to assist its night fighters. The proposal called for belts of searchlights across the Normandy bridgehead, linked to fighter controllers and orbit beacons. However, coordination with American ground forces and the practical difficulties of deploying the necessary anti-aircraft formations meant that much of the proposed system was not implemented immediately. Anti-aircraft units still protected the beaches, Mulberry harbour, supply areas and airfields, but restrictions were placed on firing so RAF aircraft could operate safely, creating friction between air and ground commands. Construction was central to the group's operational value. Sites had been selected using advance surveys of terrain and geology. Emergency Landing Strips, refuelling and rearming strips, and Advanced Landing Grounds were built according to different length and support requirements. The emergency strip at Asnelles was ready on 7 June 1944, one day after the landings, and the Advanced Landing Ground at Bazenville became operational on 13 June. The rapid construction of these fields shortened the distance flown by tactical aircraft and increased their time over the battlefield. By early July, 12 British airfields had been built in Normandy, although enemy shelling temporarily prevented use of some. By late August, RAF construction wings and Royal Engineers had built or repaired 23 airfields. As the Allied armies advanced, construction units followed them across northern France and Belgium. During the movement from Normandy to Brussels, about 30 airfields were made available in six weeks. Some received entirely new runways; others were repaired from facilities abandoned or damaged by the Luftwaffe. Operation Market Garden placed particular pressure on the group's mobile engineering capability. No. 85 Group's 5357 Airfield Construction Wing was assigned to restore Eindhoven airfield for Allied operations. A reconnaissance party reached the damaged field on 19 September 1944, encountering craters, nearby enemy forces and inadequate protection. Construction proceeded alongside defensive patrols and the arrival of additional equipment. The airstrip was completed on 22 September. Subsequent repairs and improvements continued through the winter, although frost, thaw and material failures repeatedly threatened the field's serviceability. The group also helped organise the defence of Antwerp and Brussels against V-1 flying bombs. Wireless Observer Units placed well forward of the cities provided warning of incoming missiles and relayed information through control centres to anti-aircraft formations. Radar, visual posts, balloons and anti-aircraft guns completed the layered system. The first response was slowed by uncertainty over how RAF aircraft should operate above the gun zones, but the rules were clarified and the defences became increasingly effective. The V-1 threat declined after Allied forces captured most launch areas by March 1945. Following VE Day, No. 85 Group continued under the 2nd Tactical Air Force as that organisation became the British Air Forces of Occupation in Germany. The formation was reduced to No. 85 Wing on 1 July 1946, re-formed as a group on 1 December 1948 and disbanded on 1 July 1950.

• 1950

  Final disbandment

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 85 Group was disbanded on 1 July.

• 1948

  Re-formed

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The formation was re-established as a group on 1 December.

• 1946

  Reduced to wing status

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 85 Group was reduced to No. 85 Wing on 1 July.

• 1944

  Renamed No. 85 (Base) Group

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The formation received its base-group designation on 14 February under Air Vice-Marshal John Cole-Hamilton.

• 1944

  First Normandy emergency strip completed

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  The emergency landing strip at Asnelles was completed on 7 June, the day after the Allied landings.

• 1944

  First Advanced Landing Ground opened

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  Advanced Landing Ground B2 at Bazenville became available on 13 June.

• 1944

  Eindhoven airstrip restored

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  Construction forces completed the Eindhoven airstrip on 22 September during Operation Market Garden.

• 1943

  Formation

  [1]No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org

  No. 85 Group was formed on 17 December within the 2nd Tactical Air Force from RAF airfield-construction formations.

A specialised RAF wartime support and air-defence formation combining tactical aviation, airfield engineering and protection of Allied forward bases.

• Military engineering · 1944

  Airfield construction

  The group built emergency landing strips, refuelling and rearming strips, and Advanced Landing Grounds for Allied tactical aircraft. Its construction personnel also repaired damaged Luftwaffe fields and developed more permanent runways, taxiways, dispersal areas and support facilities as the front moved east.

• Military aviation · 1944

  Air defence and fighter operations

  No. 85 Group coordinated Spitfire, Tempest and Mosquito units for beachhead defence, reconnaissance denial, night patrols and long-range interception. Its responsibilities were shared across the 2nd Tactical Air Force and the Air Defence of Great Britain.

• Air-warning system · 1944

  V-1 warning network

  Wireless Observer Units and related communications formed the outer warning layer of the Antwerp X and Brussels X defences. The network passed information on approaching V-1s to anti-aircraft control centres and supported the integration of radar, observation posts and balloon barrages.

• 1944Operation Overlord

  Normandy

  The group defended the Allied beachhead, provided fighter and night-fighter cover, denied German reconnaissance and rapidly built forward airfields after D-Day.

  Outcome. The airfield network allowed 2nd Tactical Air Force aircraft to operate progressively closer to the battlefield and supported the Allied advance out of Normandy.

  Source
• 1944Operation Market Garden

  Netherlands

  No. 85 Group construction units worked to restore Eindhoven airfield while Allied ground forces advanced through the Netherlands.

  Outcome. The airstrip was completed on 22 September despite damage and enemy activity, enabling tactical air operations from the field.

  Source
• 1944Antwerp X and Brussels X

  Belgium

  The group supplied the outer warning layer for defences against V-1 flying bombs aimed at Antwerp and Brussels.

  Outcome. The layered defence system improved over time and remained in operation until Allied advances overran most V-1 launch sites.

  Source

• 1944

  Forward airfield strategyStrategy

  Background

  Aircraft operating from southern England could remain over the Normandy bridgehead only for limited periods, creating an urgent need for airfields close to the advancing armies.

  Action taken

  The group organised mobile construction forces to establish emergency strips and Advanced Landing Grounds immediately after the landings and to repair captured airfields during the advance.

  Aftermath

  Tactical aircraft progressively moved closer to the front, increasing their available time over battlefield targets.

  Source

• 1944

  V-1 defence coordinationStrategy

  Background

  The appearance of V-1 flying bombs created a need for early detection and coordination between RAF air operations and Royal Artillery anti-aircraft defences.

  Action taken

  No. 85 Group provided forward Wireless Observer Units and linked their reports to control centres supporting the Antwerp X and Brussels X systems.

  Aftermath

  The integrated warning and gun-defence system became increasingly effective as procedures were clarified and Allied forces captured launch areas.

  Source

1. 1No. 85 Group RAFen.wikipedia.org