Author Topic: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939  (Read 27915 times)

Offline jcf

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #50 on: May 02, 2016, 01:44:00 PM »
A ground-attack Spearfish or two-seat Firebrand perhaps.  ;D  :icon_fsm:


More like a Firecrest than a Firebrand.  ;)

 ;D Just need to figure out an important operational reason to retain the funky wingfold.  ;D


Transporting it by road from one improvised operating site to another?  ;)


Perhaps even self-transporting with appropriate add-on wheels and propeller guard?  ;D



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Offline Kelmola

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #51 on: May 02, 2016, 07:09:56 PM »
;D Just need to figure out an important operational reason to retain the funky wingfold.  ;D
Smaller footprint, so easier to camouflage and/or shelter. Especially useful if the AAC operates from temporary airstrips and roadways, doubly so if wingfold allows the plane to be hidden in barns and warehouses and other suitable civilian buildings appropriated for Army use.

Offline Weaver

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #52 on: May 02, 2016, 11:19:36 PM »
A ground-attack Spearfish or two-seat Firebrand perhaps.  ;D  :icon_fsm:

More like a Firecrest than a Firebrand.  ;)
;D Just need to figure out an important operational reason to retain the funky wingfold.  ;D

Transporting it by road from one improvised operating site to another?  ;)

Perhaps even self-transporting with appropriate add-on wheels and propeller guard?  ;D


Why bother with the propeller guard? It could be the ultimate in ultra-slow, ultra-low-altitude close air support: if you can't bomb them and strafe them, just run them over and/or chop them up.... ;)
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Offline Volkodav

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #53 on: January 16, 2017, 03:19:06 PM »
Started rereading Power Plus Attitude: Ideas Strategy and Doctrine in the Royal Australian Air Force 1921-1991, by Alan Stephens, for the first time in over two decades and picking up on things I had overlooked or forgotten from my first read.  The Book is OOP but available as a PDF from the RAAF site.

Of particular interest and relevant to this topic is Chapter Two : A Matter of Survival 1921-1938 and especially the section A Theoretical Basis : The Wriggly Note Books, describing the RAAFs early years, the reasoning behind, not just its creation but that of the RAF as well, and of course, its fight for survival.  I knew one of the reasons for the creation of the RAF as a separate service was as a response to the bombing of London i.e. the Smuts Committee, but I wasn't aware that another key factor was that the need to determine who should control and decide the deployment of aircraft surplus to the requirements of the Army and RN. 

Basically by 1917 the operational needs of the Army and Navy for aircraft had been met and surplus were being produced and could be made available for other roles, including national air defence and strategic bombing etc.  The question was who was best suited to develop the required doctrine and effectively deploy the capability, the answer being the most experienced people available, those who operated them in war.  The end result was that as their requirements for aircraft had been met and there was a growing surplus that they had no requirement for the Army and Navy lost control of their aircraft and the capability they provided and it was given to a new service who's role was primarily to do the things that Army and RN didn't to do, ironic.

I was quite interested to also read in this section that in Stephens opinion that even had the established services retained control of their aircraft, similar doctrine would have evolved none the less as it was virtually impossible for it not to, it therefore made sense to save money and resources by combining existing aviation capability into a new but (in Australia's case at least) subordinate service.  He outlined the Australian Armys and the RANs views and stated needs for airpower at the time and made it clear that the senior sirs were in fact quite air minded and definitely saw not just the need but had quite clear requirements for airpower:
Quote
In addition to surveillance, the Navy and Army had their own tasks for the air service. Navy requirements covered three major roles. The first was 'attacking enemy ships', for which torpedo bombers were needed; second was patrolling, scouting and protecting warships, for which flying boats and seaplanes were needed; and finally, 'ordinary fighting squadrons' were required 'for the protection of special points'. The force structure recommended to meet those objectives consisted of one fighting squadron, one torpedo bomber squadron, one ships' seaplane squadron, and 12i flying boat squadrons. Those squadrons required a total of 198 aircraft, with the standard 50 per cent reserve bringing the sum to 297.
Army air requirements encompassed three distinct roles. 'Fighting planes' for 'dealing with enemy aircraft' were listed first, a priority which perhaps unconsciously acknowledged the concept of 'control of the air' as the prime air power campaign. Reconnaissance machines were required for a variety of observation duties, while 'bombing planes' were necessary for 'operating directly against the enemy'; again, there were clear connotations of independent operations in that role. Implicit recognition of independent air power was even more pronounced in the Army's recommended establishment. Only six of the proposed 21 squadrons were intended for direct army support in the reconnaissance role. Of the others, eight were to be fighting (air superiority) squadrons and six bombing squadrons, with the remaining unit responsible for training. Satisfying those roles would require 669 aircraft, including the 50 per cent reserve

While totally unaffordable it is quite apparent to me that the leadership of the army and RAN saw and understood the need for airpower leaving the question in my mind whether creating a separate service actually damaged the building of airpower and evolution of doctrine between the wars?  If for instance if the army decided on one multi role squadron per division, or even a regiment (as was the case with cavalry etc.) then there is the distinct possibility Australia would have entered WWII with more not less airpower.  If the RAN owned their own aircraft would that have gone for a light carrier instead of a seaplane carrier and would they have had an operational torpedo bomber capability, as well as an established long range surveillance capability?

Stephens mentions that Jellicos discussions on the potential of air power and the danger of air attack on ships should have provided warning to Australia and reinforced the idea of a separate air force but he misses the point that Jellico recommended that Australia acquire multiple carriers, i.e. naval operated aircraft.

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #54 on: May 27, 2020, 02:35:17 AM »
Random idea for this:  fixed undercarriage (with spats obviously) Skua.
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Offline Geoff

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #55 on: July 06, 2020, 07:57:28 PM »
Would a Defiant be an option? Trainable guns/observer, perhaps a small underwing load, or centreline bomb rack similar to the Germans' fitting on the Bf-109?

Offline Geoff

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #56 on: July 07, 2020, 05:16:50 AM »
Turns out the Defiant was assessed for it's suitability for army co-op duties in 1942 after being withdrawn as a night fighter.

Would they have been low altitude recce pink??
« Last Edit: July 07, 2020, 05:22:52 AM by Geoff »

Offline apophenia

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #57 on: July 08, 2020, 04:39:01 AM »
The Defiant was originally trialled for the army co-operation role with No.2 Squadron RAF back in Aug.-Nov. 1940. According to raf-in-combat.com, No.2 received only a single Defiant Mk I to test the types suitability as a Lysander replacement for Army Co-operation squadrons.

https://www.raf-in-combat.com/downloads/july-2015-bp-defiant-the-early-days-22-photos/

For anyone interested, 1/72 scale decals are available for Defiant (N1572/KO-I) of No.2 Sqn, Clifton, Sept. 1940.

http://www.printscale.org/product_343.html
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Offline Geoff

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Re: British Army Aviation is split from the RAF in 1939
« Reply #58 on: July 09, 2020, 01:53:02 AM »
Thanks