No. 2 Group RAF - History

History

No. 2 Group was originally formed as No. 2 (Training) Group on 1 April 1918 at Oxford. The unit was disbanded at RAF Uxbridge on 31 March 1920 as the need for training had lessened following the armistice.

The Group was reformed as No. 2 (Bombing) Group on 20 March 1936, with it headquarters base at Abingdon. By the outbreak of war Group Headquarters were at Wyton and composed of the following squadrons and Wings; Nos. 18 and 57 Squadrons (composing 70 Wing at Upper Heyford) ; Nos. 21 and 82 Squadrons (79 Wing, Watton) Nos. 90 and 101 Squadrons (81 Wing, West Raynham), Nos. 114 and 139 Squadrons (82 Wing, Wyton) and Nos. 107 and 110 Squadrons (83 Wing, Wattisham)

79, 81, 82 and 83 Wings formed part of the Advanced Air Striking Force, and 70 Wing was earmarked for service with the Field Force in France. The force consisted of Bristol Blenheim Mk. IVs and the Blenheim Mk. I.

On 3 September 1939, the day war broke out, a Blenheim from 2 Group made the first British operational sortie to cross the German frontier in the Second World War. The following day saw the Group's Blenheims make the first British bombing attack of the war.

In April 1940, Norway was invaded by the Germans. In response to a request for air support two Blenheim squadrons, Nos. 110 and 107, were placed on temporary detachment to RAF Lossiemouth, from where they could attack shipping and the German held airfield at Stavanger in southern Norway.

The Group carried out intensive operations against the advancing Germans following their breakthrough of 10 May 1940, suffering heavy losses.On 17 May, twelve crews of No. 82 Squadron left Watton to attack enemy columns near Gembloux. A severe flak barrage split the formation up, allowing Bf 109s to attack. Only one Blenheim, managed to return to Watton, the rest shot down. No.82 Squadron was again operational just three days later. During June, Blenheims began a new phase by bombing Luftwaffe airfields in France. In July the twelve Blenheim squadrons of 2 Group lost 31 aircraft, along with three Wing Commanders.

During the summer the light bomber force also supported defensive operations during the Battle of Britain, bombing German invasion barges concentrated in the Channel ports.

By mid 1941 the Group was engaged in daylight raids on coastal shipping and heavily defended objectives in Occupied Europe. At that stage stage of the war the Group’s Blenheims were near obsolete and sustaining heavy operational casualties. Nevertheless,operations continued unabated under Air Vice-Marshal D F Stevenson. No. 2 Group carried out a low-level attack on Bremen in 2 July 1941 in which the leader, Wing Commander Hughie Edwards of No. 105 Squadron, won the Victoria Cross.

In December 1942 Edwards led a combined force of Mosquitoes, Bostons and Venturas on ‘Operation Oyster’, a pin-point daylight raid on the Philips electrical works at Eindhoven in Holland. RAF losses were 14 aircraft brought down by flak and fighters. Substantial damage was inflicted on the factory, but with few casualties suffered by the Dutch workers and civilian population.

2 group supported the ill-fated Commando raid on Dieppe in August 1942. Mosquitoes Mk IV's also made the first daylight attack on Berlin.

At the end of May 1943 the Group left RAF Bomber Command to join the new Second Tactical Air Force, and came under Fighter Command control until the formation of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force five months later

2 Group Mosquitoes also made the famous wall-breaching operation against Amiens gaol in early 1944 which cost Group Captain Percy Pickard (of Target for Tonight film fame) his life. By the D-day landings, No. 2 Group consisted of four wings of Douglas Bostons, Mitchells, and Mosquito light and medium bombers.

During Operation Market Garden in September 1944 it the Group included 136, 138, & 140 Wings, flying Mosquitos. and 137 & 139 Wings, flying the B-25 Mitchell.

No. 2 Group flew just over 57,000 operational sorties at a cost of 2,671 men killed or missing and 396 wounded.

It was disbanded on 1 May 1947 and reformed on 1 December 1948 within the British Air Force of Occupation. It was transferred again to Second Tactical Air Force on 1 September 1951.

No. 2 Group was disbanded on 15 November 1958.

It was reformed 1 April 1993 by renaming RAF Germany and was then disbanded on 1 April 1996 with absorption into No. 1 Group RAF. It was reformed on 7 January 2000 to take control of air transport, air-to-air refuelling and airborne early warning within the RAF. The AOC's two principal subordinates were Air Commodore AT/AAR & C3I (directing air transport, AAR, and C3I) and Air Commodore Regiment & Survive to Operate. On 1 April 2006 it took over the responsibilities of No. 3 Group RAF, which was disbanded.