The Desert Air Force in World War II

[edwest]

Scheduled for this month.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Desert-Air-F.../dp/1844158179




Usual disclaimer,
Ed

[Jim Oxley]

The 1st Tactical Air Force?

Can't say I've ever heard of the Desert Air Force ever referred to in this manner before. Is this just an example of an author trying to make his book appear different? Or was the DAF actually officially classed as the 1st Tactical AF? And Desert Air Force simply became the 'popular' name?

[Nick Beale]

"Desert Air Force" is used consistently in RAF documents of the time. 1st TAF was the name given to the US/French forces operating on the the southern sector of the Western Front in 1944-45.

Perhaps the book's title should have been "the first tactical air force" (without the capital letters), i.e. the original one?

[Jim Oxley]

Been doing a little more digging, and perhaps Delve is, to a degree, correct.

This from the chapter Formation in "The 2nd Tactical Air Force" by Shores and Thomas:

"However, the campaign in North Africa had provided abundant experience of tactical operations in direct support of ground forces, backed up by highly mobile supporting echelons. Following the end of fighting in Tunisia, the highly-experienced Western Desert Air Force, which had supported the Eighth Army, and the North-West African Air Force, which had supported the First Army, were welded together to form the Desert Air Force, or First Tactical Air Force, for further operations involving the invasion of southern Europe. At home, moves were afoot to organise a second Tactical Air Force, similar in concept to the First, in preparation for the planned operations in Western Europe.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Guys

Both Jim and Nick are correct, but the Air Force containing USAAF and French Air Units is written as First TACAF (provisional).

No idea why these two seperate forces had basically the same designation. The First TACAF (provisional) seems to have formed officially on October 20th, 1944.

Have you Nick any idea if the designation for the Air Force in Italy by that time was "dead"? Why I ask is because at the end of the war it seems to have the official designation: Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force, Dessert Air Force.

Cheers
Stig

[Nick Beale]

I'm sure I've posted this at length in the past, so I hope I don't contradict myself.

Mediterranean Allied Air Forces or MAAF consisted of ...

A joint USAAF/RAF Photo Reconnaissance Unit

Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force or MASAF (US 15th AF and No. 205 Group RAF*)

Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (US 12th AF and RAF Desert Air Force**)

Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force or MACAF

Balkan Air Force

Co-Belligerent Air Force (Italian formations)

* 205 Group included South African AF Squadrons
** DAF included SAAF Squadrons and US 79th FG

[Amrit1]

Even in 1945, the two needed clarification:

It was supported by the 1st Tactical Air Force, an American formation, not the old British 1st T.A.F., which fought all through the final Libyan advance, with Air Marshal Coningham as its A.O.C.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchi...%20Air%20Force

The change came just before Alamein, when the 1st Tactical Air Force was formed.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchi...%20Air%20Force

[Amrit1]

Amazon have jumped the gun a bit. Just talked to Pen & Sword and they say that the book is on hold - it hasn't even been sent to the printers yet. And they have no new release date set yet