_ SOUVENIR BOOK 1971 EDITIONRTH RUN eae ied CRC mc mest ce med Catster eae tts Pero Front line squadrons are now equipped PCR et ues Ron "@ HAWKER SIDDELEY AVIATION 22 Duke Street, St. James's, London S.W.1 such as the Hawker Siddeley Harrier — the world’s first operational V/STOL fighter, Ree ume eee gt) DT ude Une eas EMail hate ac ERRTraffic bollards. every day. The BMW 2002's superior manoeuvrability can be as vital as synchromesh. Its 5-bearing overhead-cam engine winds you confidently round the hazards. While the indepen- unbeatable _ One-way sy becomes more like an obstacle tr: systems. Driving 1 course ‘And don’t let the 2002’s top speed of 113 mph leave the impression it’s purely a long-distance runner. 0—50 mph acceleration in 6-8 seconds sees you quickly past the hurdles too. Commanda 2002 test drive. Y ou’ll havea field day! To: BMW Concessionaires GB Ltd. Export Division, 56 Park Lane, London W1. 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BREGUET AVIATIONTHE MACHINERY OF COMMAND CAS outnes the poey Behind the new Commend structure THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE IN BRITAIN FIFTY YEARS OF SERVICE The sar) of how NAAFI haz cerved the RAF ove half century MAINTENANCE COMMAND 4 an count by the CoC. 19 of the supply and engineering organisation ofthe RAF PLANNING RAF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE 80s 23 of Stakes» lang look sheed 3 terns of command and conta! FLYING THE JAGUAR 4 Boscomse Down 2 rec test plot. evlvating Jaguar. describes ow she handles THE JAGUARS ARE COMING 16 PAGE COLOUR SUPPLEMENT Gorden Swanborough describes the RAF’ next combat onerat in detail THE RAF AND THE INDUSTRY. Jobo Tayler sveses 29 the vital importance of maintaining this ery ruccessl team IT'S A GREAT COMFORT 10 jain te RAFA 34 TRAINING COMMAND. The C:in.C describes the 35 ‘many funeions of Service taining in the Command's new guise SAIL RAF. The Vce-Cofe of RAFSA will rai 42 ‘Our cover featuring MRC A. specially painted for us by Derek Bunce, is reproduced by courtesy of Gibson, Gilbert, White, “This joint-Europer aircraft is one of the most in the world, destined to ‘A REMARKABLE SCHOOL. Si Anu Brant visits Vanbrugh Castle AIR PUBS, RAF MOUNTAIN RESCUE ~ sate in wartime a et tl 82 Inns and Hoxteies with RAF connotations a7 THIS YEAR'S ‘AT HOME’ DAYS @ OTHER COUPONS 54 RA, German and Contents ‘THE ROYAL AIR FORCE, ever since its creation in 1918 — with rare exceptions —has relied mainly on British Industry t0 provide its aircraft and associated equipment; while for its part, the British ‘Aircraft Industry has always regarded the RAF as its first and most ‘essential customer, to be given absolute priority at all times. Thus the Service and the Industry grew up and developed together, became largely inter-dependent, and formed a strong community of interest which soon led toa close efficient and generally cordial relationship. From every essential, national point of view ~ strategic, economic and technological ~ this was a sound, intelligent and wholly beneficial arrangement to both sides. But a few years ago this situation began to erode, o the mutual disadvantage of both the RAF and the British ‘Acrospace Industry (as we now cal it), and to the grave danger of the country asa whole. The reasons fr this erosion need not concern, tos here, but pinpointing past mistakes is vital to formulating less mistaken polices for the future, ‘The White Paper of Feb 1971 defines our basic defence objectives 1 To enable Britain to rewume, within her resources, a proper share of responsibility for the presereation of peace and stability in the world 2 To.improve the capabilities of the Armed Forces, to overcome their manpower difficulties, and to enhance their role in the comity 3. To establish and maintain a sound financial bass on rhich to develop and carry out defence policy and plans in the years ahead =. and states that our basic security depends on the strength of NATO, the North Adntic alliance to which much of Britain's forces is committed, but our interests and commitments elsewhere ‘must not be disregarded, as they flourish only in stable conditions. In order to continue to safeguard our interests (and those of our friends and allies) Britain simply cannot afford from either an ‘economic of strategic viewpoint ~to let her capacity 10 develop and produce the bulk of her defence equipment from her own technical fand economic resources decay, and this demands continual strength and stability within the industries producing such equipment. In ‘Royal as Force Benevotant Fund and the Royal Ae Fates Assoeation {© Ful copytioht i claimed by the RAF Benevolent Fund and ails snd itstratons may aniy be reproduce wth tha writen songant a he or “ Copies may be obtained by post rom RAFA Cental Hesdauortes. 42 ‘Benfund Poste Bargains and Fre st Home’ Day Coupons by Dr-Ing John P Milford Reid, BSc Eng(Hons), C Eng, AFRAeS, MSAE, MIAS, Editor and Publisher Royal Air Force Souvenir Book fother words, we cannot fulfil our defence and economic objectives if the RAF were obliged to become dependent upon ‘holly foreign sources of supply for its weapon systems. Nonetheless, af oUr strategy and economy become progressively more orientated towards Europe, there must be a closer integration and standardisation of military aircraft and equipments with our European allies, and this ppoints to the joint development and production of weapon systems ‘with our European alles in order to spread today’s buge development costs and generate larger and more elficient production runs: such collaborative projects have become much more feasible in recent years due to close compatibility between RAF operational require- ‘ments and those of other European Ait Forces This is the rationale behind the two major European collaborative military aeroplanes destined to play a vital part in the RAF’s future frder of battle ~ the Anglo-French Jaguar and the Anglo-German- Italian multi-role combat aircraft’ (MRCA). Jaguar ~the first internationally specified and developed aeroplane ever to enter UK, service will reach the RAF next year, and is thus described in some detail in this year's Souvenir Book: MRCA, specially painted bby Derek Bunce for our front cover, will come later. (Derek Bunce, of Gibson, Gilbert, White, is also the painter of this year’s centre spread picture.) Such projects as these should strengthen the close inter-dependence between the RAF and the Industry which is proud, to support it: they should also remind all concemed ~ politicians, Air Marshals, Civil Servants and Industrial managers that_the fundamental basis of the prosperity and stability of any aerospace industry lies in its main aeroplane and weapon programmes, whether purely national, such as Harrier and Nimrod, or internationally collaborative like Jaguar and MRCA\ and that if these programmes flourish, then the producers of all forms of associated equipment — including aero engines — will flourish also, ‘The financial tragedy which has recently overtaken the great Aero- engine company of Rolls-Royce threatens the destruction of one of Britain's greatest aviation assets, and a firm and lasting solution must Grove Park Rosa, London WE (Te! 01-994 8504) 1309 (nel 9) Opinions expressed by our contributors are thet own and do ot necessarily ‘present thoe ofthe Benoit Fund the Ar Bordo he aor Designed by Jonn titra Red and printed on Tuebade paper by Gared and Lotthovse Intemational Limited. Catrhom and Crowleya BATTLE OF BRITAIN VICTORY TROPHIES Our craftsmen are making 1,000 only | of these elogant swords, designed to commemorate the great conflict fought ‘and won by the Royal Air Force in English skies in 1940, ‘These 46-inch long Crusader - type ‘swords embody distinctive symbols and other decorative markings appropriate to this commemoration, and versions are available with pommets and crossguards plated with bronze silver or gold. or of Solid silver, silver gilt and solid gold. A Battle of Britain commemorative poignard is also available These historical and valuable trophies are ideal for the Service Mess or home. Prices range from £27-50 for the Poignard Set to £ 1000-00 for the solid {gold hilt version of the Sword, exclusive of Purchase Tax. 12 BRUNE RoaD, cmon eo PLT LI THE PRINCE OF WALES ithe mot dtingihed new taut tothe HAF, snd cure te RAR Colege wr Coe °° i f © Mies 76) ® ° MRAF VISCOUNT PORTAL OF HUNG ° RFORD retired last vember after 23 years as Deputy Chairman of the RAF Benevolent Pind Council Hin aaviee 2 CAS torment of WWII coned ne a permanent place in history, recognised by his Knighthood of the Garter in 1946. He is senior Marshal of the RAF and holds the coveted Order of Merit; his DSO and MC for gallantry were won in WIWI and he was made Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1942 atthe height of WWII. Te has long been the Benevolent 1's policy to appoint a distinguished banker or businessman a8 Council Chairman with a very senior RAF officer as Deputy, and Lord Portal has thus served with Lord Riverdale of Shefield, Viscount Knollys and Mr Harald Peake. ‘The picture shows him with Lady Portal as guests of honour at Speech Day at the Renevolent Fund’s residential school at Vanbrugh Castle, Blackheath (ste p 45). Lady Portal was a member of the School Committe for 24 years until 1969 and helped guide its development into a first class prep school. In Editorial concluded on page 51FO TT oe SS The Machinery by Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Spotswood, of Command Oe, ChE DD, De AG . | an N HIS LAST TWO CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOUVENIR BOOK, my predecessor looked forward to the next 50 years for the RAF and surveyed the tasks and challenges likely to confront us during the 70s. He pointed to the re-equipment programmes now well under way, and drew attention to the even more advanced equipments being developed for service in the latter part of this decade, and this edition reports progress on the development of some of these. This year — my first as CAS ~ I have decided to write something of the machinery of command ; that vital and delicate mechanism of men, women and equipment upon which we rely to develop and maintain the full operational capability of our weapons systems, RAF organisation has always been a matter of evolution, to meet the demands of the time and the state of aviation art, and a major step was taken in 36, when four functional Commands were set up in UK - Bomber, Fighter, Coastal and Training - while Forces overseas remained under geographical command, their Units being trained functionally in UK. This basic functional organisation in UK admirably met the demands of WWII, although it was realised even then, as the war situation changed and the capabilities of aircraft and crews advanced, that air power should be exploited beyond strictly functional boundaries; ie aircraft developed as bombers, together with their crews, could be adapted to, say, reconnaissance and sea warfare, fighters to ground attack, bombers to air transports, etc. This is well known now ~ eg Battle of Britain fighter squadrons became those which took a major part in the offensive leading to the recapture of Europe, with roughly the same aircraft . Before being appointed Chief of the Air Staff on April 1 Sit Denis Spotswood became C-in-C Stike Command in 1968 following appointments as C-in-C 2nd ATAF Germany in 68, AOC 3 Gp Bomber Cd (64-66) and Commandant RAF College, as well as senior planning staff posts in SE Asia during the Burma campaign and later with the Ministy, USAF, and SHAPE as ACOS Ait Defence in WWII the ACM commanded 500 (County of Kent) ‘Sqn and later, Fighter Ca Stations at Horsham St Faith, Coltshall and Linton-on-Ouse, and won the DSO and DFC and two ‘mentions. In 64 he completed a study of the long-term requiroments ofthe size and structure of the RAF. and was thus largely responsible for the creation of Strike Command. ‘Sir Denis holds the US Legion of Ment and became Air ADC to the Queen in 1970,Even carlier, the RAF grasped quickly the now accepted principle of command (or management if you prefer) ~ that there should be three levels of control: first, the policy-making level - the Air Council in the old Air Ministry; next, the top level management, the Commands; and finally the operating Units ~ the Stations, Wings or Squadrons, as the situation demanded. Admittedly, Group HQ were also introduced, originally to alleviate Command problems when the Service was very large and, latterly, to provide for role expertise Advances in our aviation have, of course, continued ~ made possible, I believe, by the imagination, ingenuity and skills of our personnel . . . our most successful aircraft have been those which have proved to be widely flexible, whose inherent capabilities have in fact matched those of the people who operate them. Hg in the last decade the necessary transition from high- to low-level operations exemplifies the trends today in many cases we have learned to operate most effectively our expensive weapons systems in ways and for purposes which differ almost completely from anything the designers hhad in mind originally. Nor will that change: from the Phantoms and Harriers we have now to the MRCAs we shall get towards the end of the decade, our new aircraft are potentially even more flexible than the Mosquitoes, Canberras and Hunters proved to be. And so, with intermediate adapta- tions intervening, it was decided by the middle 60s. that we had reached the point where the old functional UK Com- mands, which had served so famously, no longer met the reeds of the time . . . needs themselves changing rapidly as a result of national and Allied policy and strategy. Consequently, it was decided in 68 to merge progressively four Home ‘Commands - Bomber, Fighter, Coastal and Signals to form Strike Command, and to regularise the position of Transport Command, which became Air Support Command, This reorganisation was preceded by the merger of Flying and Technical Training Commands, while Main- tenance Command, with its engineering and supply responsibilitis, has also been given a new look in recent years and, in Whitehall jargon, has become far more cost- affective in the process, despite the increasing complexity of its functions and equipments. Although the creation of a single Training Command was also primarily for reasons of economy, those leading to the formation of the two new Operational Commands, whilst in themselves. resulting in substantial economies in personnel and real estate, were brought about with operational considerations predominating. Not only, in the 60s, had there been further significant reductions in the size of the Service but, more important in the context of this article, our aircraft were becoming pro- gressively more capable of fulfilling more than one role; and modern technology had also begun to provide us with the means to control our resources effectively, unhindered by geographical spread, formerly significant even in an arca as restricted as the UK. Data handling has been one such provision. Moreover, it was becoming more than ever necessary to safeguard the two principal characteristics of ait Power ~ its operational flexibility and the speed with which it ccan be concentrated. I do not think I can do better than quote the late Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder who, in his book Air Poceer in War, made these two statements: The flexibility of air force is indeed one of its dominant characteristics, Givon comeralised control of air forces, this flexibility brings with it an immense power of concentration which is rmequalled in any other form of eoarfare.” “Air warfare cannot be separated into litle packets; it knots no boundaries on land or sea other than thoke imposed by the radius of action of the aircraft; it is a unity and demande unity of Command.” The essence of these two statements applies now as never before, With much smaller forces, yet with very wide-ranging responsibilities ~ indeed we are responsible now for even more roles than when Tedder wrote —it is essential to have command organisation to exploit air power to the maximum. 1 am convinced that the decision to form Strike and Air ‘Support Commands was a major step in this direction which is already paying great dividends; without it, it would have been more difficult for our people to develop a ‘multi-role? concept and to practise it as they now are more than ever before, with great and growing effectiveness, In itself, this has had a testing effect on the Machinery of Command. Previously, so much peacetime inter-role training had to be ‘set-piece’, and close co-ordination between separate Commands having different priorities was a pre-requisite. Now, with all types of operational aircraft in only two Home ‘Commands, each with clearly defined responsibilities, yet with considerable interdependence, we can follow Tedder’s dicta. ‘More than ever Commanders and staffs, as well as air- and sground-crews, have to react immediately to different situations and commitments almost at no-notice. In all this they show themselves as complete masters and revel in its we can indeed bring composite ‘air force’ to bear at great speed and with high effectiveness. Here I come to the core of this article: the essential element of the Royal Air Force is a human one. Whatever the organisation, it will be effective only through the skill, experience and imagination of those serving in it. ‘The aim of all Commanders at every level is to utilise and develop these characteristics in those serving under them. Our Command organisation plays a vital part in helping to achieve this aim and in meeting the challenges which lie aheads like the RAF of which itis a part, a Command must be dynamic in character, alert and responsive to the needs of the moment, and sufficiently flexible to meet the wide spectrum of its ‘operational tasks, [And clearly we do not lack diversity! “The present division of responsibilities between the four Home Commands, and between them and those overseas, is now working very satisfactorily; but, while some period of consolidation is obviously desirable before we can decide on any further steps, the need for these must remain under continuous review, in the spirit of our belief that command must match needs. What- ever these steps may be, they will be made in the light of our understanding and experience of the use of air power - con- centration and flexibility being paramount -and_ in our knowledge of the high qualities of those serving in the RAF. ©by Major General John H Bell, TheSUSAF — in Britain vans A ‘T MAY SURPRISE YOU TO LEARN that USAF aircraft have been flying from airfields in Great Britain for over a quarter of a century. Our failure to realise this partially be attributed to the common acceptance of the long-s intimate partnership in military aviation our countries have shared ' from the turn of the century. It has survived two great wars, and for the past two decades has served to strengthen the foundation upon which the defence of the whole European community of Free World nations is based . . . Return from Mission - Donald Hedin, courtesy of USAF art collectionDeane poner ett) S THE 24th AND PRESENT COMMANDER of A: ‘organisation that has evloved into the US Third Air Force in Britain, [ see daily that this partnership four air forces share is a splendid example of what can be achieved between peoples of two nations through tolerance, understanding, and close co-operation, With all due respect a strong Anglo-American alliance, it is doubtful that ~ under normal peacetime circumstances ~ more than 22,000 servicemen and five major Operational Wings of assorted tactical aircraft, which we now have in Britain, could casily avoid becoming a source of irritation without British tolerance fof our presence, an understanding of why it is mutually necessary for us to be here, and the excellent co-operation we receive from the civilian communities as well as the British defence establishment. Moreover, our countries have shared ‘a mutual interest in aviation technology since the first powered flight made by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, North 16 ‘John Bell, Cdr US drd Air Force and sunior USAF officer in UK, born Lewiston, Penn, began his career as aviation cadet at Kelly Field, Texas, in WWII, he was assigned to the China-India-Burma Theate, Later assignments won him great experience in ops, engineering, logistics, supply plans, policies amd personnel, With 6,000 fiying hours on fighters, Gen Bell, qualified Phantom pilot, ties regularly with 81 Tactical Fighter Wg at RAF Bentwaters, Suttolk Previous commands include 328 Fighter Gp at Richards Gebaur Air Base, Missouri, and 61 Fighter Interceptor Wa at Naha, Okinawa. Graduate of Air War College ana Command and Staff School, he qualified in advanced business at Harvard. Awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Mert, Air Medal AF Commendation Medal with two oak leat clusters and the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leat cluste Carolina on 17 December 1903. In fact, the British Govern. ment was 30 interested that it sent a representative to the United States seeking co buy the plane. world war one Bur the cornerstone of this partnership was laid in 1915 almost two years before America entered World War I~ when American volunteers were being trained by the British. After America entered the war on 6 April 1917, Britain officially accepted and trained 500 US pilots and observers, along with numerous aircraft mechanics and other ground personnel at airfields and factories all over the country. During the seven, months the US took part in WWI aerial combat, its Air Service crews — using British Sopwith Camels and de Havil- land 4s and French Salmsons, Spads, and Breguet A-2 air craft — flew 35,000 combat hours for @ total of 13,000 pursuit Fellow Workers - Frank Beresford, courtesy of USAF ant collection >Fe flights, 6,600 observer flights, and 1,100 bombing missions, during which they dropped a total of 225,000 pounds of explosives on the enemy. the second world war The next chapter in the history of our Anglo-American air forces partnership began some 20 years later as war clouds ‘again collected on the horizons of Europe, and this second ‘major conflict of the 20th century imminently became the ‘most severe test for the mortar that held it together. Tt also brought American pilots back to British airfields where, with their RAF contemporaries, they helped to prove for all times the intrinsic value of aerial warfare, or more accurately, of Airpower. ‘The crucial test for Britain and its Royal Air Force tame all to0 soon, but the foresight of the British aircraft industry had prepared it better to begin wartime aircraft production than its American counterpart, Britain’s aviation industry had expanded in 1938 from the production of 150 to oo planes per month by the time the country declared war on Germany, 3 September 1939. American military aircraft production was also substantially increased from 100 a month in 1938 to 4o2 @ month by April 1940, and it was rapidly preparing to double that rate. Although Britain and France had ordered 2,500 aircraft from the US by March 1940, delivery had scarcely begun when the RAF had to face its ‘most critical challenge in a desperate battle to save the nation and ultimately to change the whole course of World War II history ‘and what a magnificent display of dedicated, professional airmanship was shown by RAF pilots in the Battle of Britain! ‘They courageously waged and won the air war over Britain against the overwhelming odds of the German, Luftwaffe between August and September 1940 From April 1940 to December 1941, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour forced the US to declare war on F-101 VOODOO replaced F-84 Thunderjet tactical fighter in 1958. Flown by 81 Wing at Bentwaters, Suffolk until 1969 SABRE, tactical jot fighter, flew from Manston, Kent with 406 Intercepter Wing, 1954-8 Japan and the Axis powers, America delivered 6,756 aircraft to Britain. When the US entered the war, the Army Air Force~as it had been named in mid-1 had expanded to 16,000 cadets, 23,000 officers, and 275,000 enlisted men with an aircraft inventory of 12,000 planes, ‘The first few months ‘of American participation in the war saw the USAAF acting in a defensive role, but by December 1942, 882 aircraft - mostly B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers and C-47 Dakota transport aircraft — had been deployed to Britain. They were assigned to the US Eighth Air Force, organised in the UK under the command of Maj Gen Carl Spaatz. ‘These aircraft were based on RAF airfields in East Anglia where most of the US Third Air Force operational units are still located. At that time, Third Air Force was located in the South-castern US, where it was busy training and equipping Eighth Air Force for the big battle ahead, daylight bombing raids ‘The first wartime mission flown by the AAF from British soil came on 4 July 1942- American Independence Day ~ when six erews of the 15th Bombardment Sqn who had been training in Britain joined the RAF to strike at German airfields in Holland using RAF Douglas Boston bombers. This was followed on August 17 by a dozen B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, commanded by Colonel Frank A Armstrong Jr, and escorted by RAF Spichires, as they raided marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville, France, ‘This was the first all AAF bombing mission, and the initial trial for daylight precision bombing techniques in which the AAF was to place so much Eighth Air Force bombers continued to fly several faith, small missions during the successive weeks as'a prelude to the strategic bombing offensive that was used by the RAF and AAF to destroy the German industrial capability-66 DESTROYER tactical bomber replaced in 1958, Continued on reconnaissance here until replaced by RF-4C Phantom Il in 1965 45 Tornado in UK. » Eighth Air Force was unable 10 accomplish @ sgreat deal until the spring of 1943, since much of its strength ‘was being sapped to build up the US Twelfth Air Force under Brigadier Jimmy Doolittle for its role in Operation Torch, the invasion of N Africa. Meanwhile, some two-thirds of Eighth Air Force’s aircraft were employed on concentrated strikes against German submarine bases and yards in an attempt to reduce high Allied shipping losses resulting from German U-boat attacks on the Atlantic shipping lanes. Flying Forts continued to pound targets in France and the Low Countries until the summer of 43 when Eighth Air Force and the RAF launched their massive strikes aimed at Germany’s industrial belt. American planners of the aerial offensive against Germany had decided to use the concept of strategic daylight bombing, while the RAF chose similar tactics for night strikes. losses and escorts ‘Thus, in one of the early attempts to prove the merits of its strategic daylight bombing concept, Eighth Air Force launched from bases in Britain on August 17, 146 heavy bombers on a mission against the Messerschmitt factory that produced about half of the single engined fighters for the Luftwatfe at Regensburg, some 300 miles inside Germany. The success of the mission was encouraging, but it resulted in the loss of 24 Flying Forts. A few hours later, 230 B-175 flew a similar strike against the vital ball bearing plant at Schweinfurt, again requiring deep penetration into Germany. ‘The raid sustained a heavier loss of 36 Flying Forts, and such losses ultimately led to the development and introduction of long-range fighter escorts to furnish cover for the bombers against the heavy German air defences. With this protective cover provided by P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts, and esr Mustangs, Eighth Air Force bombers - mostly B-17 Flying Forts and B-24 Liberators ~ were able to hammer relentlessly at Germany’s production capacity in 1944, and together with the efforts of RAF Bomber Command, the industrial life of the Ruhr was effectively destroyed. Nothing ‘im the German heartland that could contribute to the war effort ‘was safe from attack. Raids involving more than 1,000 bombers were not uncommon. British-based Eighth Air Force planes flew as many as 3,300 sorties in late February alone, and simultaneously, the RAF continued with its ‘massive night attacks, leaving the Germans little time to rest. ‘To press home to the Germans the gravity of their situation, 1,000 heavy bombers conducted the first of many successive raids on Berlin on March 6-8, by which time, long-range P-st ‘Mustang fighters ~ switching from a defensive to an offensive role ~ were able to precede the bombers, seek out Luftwaffe fighters and destroy them, often before they left the ground. ‘The back of the German Air Force was gradually being broken, Meanwhile, Brigadier Elwood R Quesada brought the nucleus of the US Ninth Air Force from the Mediterranean to England. Composed of medium bombers, fighter-bombers, and troop carriers, it was expanded into one of the largest 2 tactical air forces in history. ‘The combined strength of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces and the British Second Tactical Air Force was then directed to support Overlord, the Allied invasion of Europe. Using rail centres and bridges as prime targets, the airpower of these Units was successful in mini- mising the number of reserve troops the Germans were able to muster against the Allied invasion when it began on 6 June 1944. Once the beachheads were established and the Allied armies moved forward, Ninth Air Force moved across the English Channel to Normandy to resume its invasion support efforts. In addition to supporting the ground campaign, heavy bombers of Eighth Air Force and the RAF Bomber Com- ‘mand pressed on with the bombing of strategic targets within Germany. In spite of heavy losses, they were able to rob Germany of its vital production of fuel and lubricants as the Allied Armies raced across France and into Germany. While not to detract from the vital roles played by ground armies and naval operations, post-war studies proved that Allied Air- power was a decisive factor in the war. ‘The result was a ‘major strategic victory. When the Germans surrendered t0 the Allies on 7 May 1945, the US Army Air Force had flown 750,000 bombing sorties and a million fighter sorties and had dropped 1'5 million tons of bombs on the Axis powers, the cold peace Weary of war and jubilant with the prospects of world peace at last, both Britain and America proceeded in 1945-46 ‘with the dismantling and complete withdrawal of US air operations in the UK and demobilisation. —Apprehensions brought on by a gradual chilling of post-war relations between the Russian-dominated countries of Eastern Europe and the ‘West gave some Allied military leaders cause for concern. Among them was British Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, and wartime Eighth Air Force Commander General Carl Spaatz, who were making farewell visits about that time to US bases in Britain. It was they who decided informally to prepare four East Anglian RAF bases to accommodate, if necessary, US B-29 heavy bombers, and the necessity for doing so was not long in coming. While world attention focussed in 1948 on the massive Anglo-American air forces’ airlift to relieve the blockaded city of Berlin, RAF Scampton, Marham, Wadding- ton and Lakenheath began to receive the first US Air Force B-29s. (On 18 September 1947, the AAF became the US Air Force, independent of the Army and a separate Service.) ‘The USAF soth Air Depot Wing also was established at RAF Burtonwood, Lancs, to perform maintenance on trans port aircraft involved in the Berlin Airlift. Initially, it was intended that the 60 B-29 bombers brought to Britain as a result of tensions over Berlin would remain only for a 30-60 day period of temporary duty. To control and support these Units operationally, a Provisional HQ for Third Air Division was created at RAF Marham, but when it became obvious that the presence of the B-29sFrance with 48 Tactical Wing in 1960 ‘was t0 be more than temporary, the ‘provisional’ title was dropped from Third Air Division's official designation, and it transferred on 8 September 1948 to Bushy Park near London. It did not move to the location now occupied by Third Air Force HQ at South Ruislip Air Station until 15 April 1949. Throughout 1948 the B-29 Operational Units~part of USAF's Strategic Air Command (SAC) -continued to ‘conduct exercises with the RAF to test the bombers for their wartime roles. As East-West tensions continued to mount, planners added RAF Sculthorpe in Norfolk to the four original B-29 bases, and plans were developed to use four more, with the US and Britain sharing the reconstruction costs, Thus, RAF Fairford, Greenham Common, Brize Norton and Upper Heyford were added to the growing list of US bomber bases. An ‘Ambassadors Agreement’ was signed in April 1950 by the then US Ambassador Lewis Douglas and UK Under Secretary for Air Aidan Crawley to cover the reconstruction programme for these bases. Tensions relaxed, somewhat after the East Germans and the Soviets ended the Berlin Blockade in September 1949, by which time, RAF ‘and USAF planes had flown more than 2-3 million tons of food and supplies into the troubled city. far eastern conflict Eruption of the Korean conflict in June 1950 caused a further strengthening of Western defences in Europe, and with this came the signing of an agreement between the US and Britain for a special airfield construction programme. It was designed to provide a total of 30 UK bases from which both, strategic and tactical USAF air operations would be con- ducted. To control these increased activities, Third Air Division was disbanded and replaced by Third Air Force at South Ruislip on 1 May 1951, under the control of United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) with its HQ at Wiesbaden, Germany, under whose control it remains in peacetime. Third Air Force has been commanded by many distinguished Air Force officers, among them the then Maj Gen John P McConnell, who later became US Air Force Chief of Staff, Major changes in the concept of USAF air ‘operations in Britain followed; up to this point, emphasis had. ‘been placed exclusively on a strategic operation. A tactical ‘mission was now added. SAC had already taken steps toward this end with the organisation of Seventh Air Division HQ at South Ruislip to attend to the strategic bomber force on rotational duty in the UK from various SAC units in the US. ‘Third Air Force, on the other hand, was to receive Tactical Fighter Units to support the newly acquired tactical mission, as well as assuming responsibility for logistical support for the USAF and other US Forces elements in UK. The Joint ‘Transfer Agreement delineating responsibilities of the two ‘Commands was signed on 16 May 1951 ‘Third Air Force strength - in both aircraft and people ~ grew rapidly until by June 1952, it had acquired Operational control over an Air Division, a Light Tactical Bomb Wing, and three Tactical Fighter Wings that had been moved to the UK. These included the 4gth Air Division and its 47th Bom- bbardment Wing and 20th Fighter-Bomber Wing, the 81st Fighter Interceptor Wing and the 123rd_ Fighter-Bomber Wing. The 2oth and 81st Wings are still part of Third Air Force today, under slightly modified titles. ‘The Fighter Wings were equipped with the F-84 Thunderjet aircraft and the Bombardment Wing employed the B-g5 Tornado tactical bomber, and the total US military strength including Air Force and Army personnel in UK rose to more than 45,000. common defence arrangement ‘With such a considerable increase in the size of the US ‘commitment in Britain, it was apparent that a comparable expansion in facilities would be necessary. To sustain the expense, a joint US-UK cost sharing agreement, signed in September 53, consolidated all previous agreements and established the cost to cach nation. Britain agreed to provide 63 million dollars, and the US would pay the remainder, ‘estimated at the time at 300 million dollars. The programme included preparation of facilities to accommodate US per sonnel at 43 major Stations and airfields, which allowed for a ‘major wartime overseas deployment af SAC bombers. The construction programme agreement followed an earlier meeting between Britain's Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and resident Harry $ ‘Truman, when they agreed upon ‘arrange- ments to be made for the common defence’ of both the US and Britain, ‘Consequently, the period 1954-58 caused a major change in military strategy and considerable reductions were made in the number of US personnel in Britain where strengths had reached an all-time high of more than $5,000. Ten bases were returned to Air Ministry control, among them the large supply depot at RAF Burtonwood (by now employing 10,000 people) fas a result of a streamlined supply system enabling support to bbe given direct from depots in the US. ‘The switch from ince 1965, err€-130 HERCULES transports have operated from Mildenhall since 1966, whon 513 Tactical Airlift Wing transferred from France Fings of B-47 bombers to a much allowed Seventh Air Division to { half in 1955, and SAC eventually terminated all ofits bomber operations in the UK. US Army anti-aircraft and smoke generating Units which had been deployed to Britain for the protection of US bases left in 1956, and the number of US bases in Britain was cut to 26. Despite this reduction in the combat force, the USAF and RAF stood alerts in the face of several international crises during that time. These included Indo-China in 1954, Hungary in 1956 and Lebanon in 1958. An up-to-date force was maintained by exchanging F-84s and F-86s for F-100 Super Sabre and F-10r Voodoo tactical jet fighters, and ageing B-45 Tornadoes for B and RB-6 Destroyer reconnaissance and tactical bombers. ‘As a stop-gap measure pending the development and testing of an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) force, the US placed at the disposal of the RAF 60 Thor intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM) to bolster the West's deterrent posture in the late 19508. Third Air Force, acting under a joint government agreement signed in February 1958, assisted in the construction of the Thor sites and helped deliver the missiles to the RAF who maintained and controlled them. ‘This interim programme was discontinued in 1963 when the US had developed and installed un Atlas and Titan ICBM force capable of countering the Soviet threat. Third Air Force also assisted in the construction of a site at RAE Fylingdales Moor in Yorkshire that completed the network F-111 SWING WING tactical fighter at Upper Heyford, Herts. Latest replacement for F-100 Super Sabres in 20 Tactical Fighter Wing arrived UK late 1970 ‘go-day rotational tours shorter post-strike ope reduce its strength by of a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS). Construction began in 1960, and the Station was completed and opened by the RAF on 17 September 1964, as the third in a link of three such installations to provide early warning against a ballistic missile attack on either the UK or N America, the other two sites being in Greenland and Alaska. ‘Another major test of the solidarity of the Anglo- American air forces partnership came in 1959 when France and America faced a dispute over the control of US tactical forces based in France, As a result, the US withdrew two USAF Tactical Wings - the roth Tactical Reconnaissance Wing of RB-66 aircraft and the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing of F-100 Super Sabres ~ and moved them to RAF Alconbury and Lakenheath respectively. However, this was only a beginning of the complete US departure from France. In March 66 France withdrew all military participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and sub- sequently, two more USAF Wings moved to Britain. By mid-66, the 513th Troop Carrier Wing was moved to RAF Mildenhall and the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing of RF-101 aircraft to Upper Heyford, with one of the 66th Wing's three Squadrons transferring 10 Alconbury. Another Unit, the Military Airlift Command’s (MAC) 32nd Air Division went to High Wycombe Air Station, but was later re-located at Rhein/Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, Since its arrival back in Britain in 1948, the USAF has thus sustained many changes in its organisational structure, bbut working in close co-operation with the RAF, it has con- tinued through the years to be a formidable muscle in the Tactical Air Arm of NATO. The principal mission of Third Air Force and the USAF in Britain is to prepare for and conduct tactical air operations to include ground attack, interdiction, reconnaissance, close air support and tactical airlift in the fulfilment of the US NATO commitment. To accomplish its tactical combat mission, Third Air Force employs three tactical fighter Wings, a tactical reconnaissance Wing, and a tactical airlift Wing. ' These include the roth Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RF-sC Phantom IIs) at Aleonbury; the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing (now converting from the F-100 Super Sabre to the swing-wing F-r11 at Upper Heyford); the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing of F-109 Super Sabres at Lakenheath; the S1st Tactical Fighter Wing of F-4C Phantom Ils at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge; and the 513th Tactical Airlift Wing composed of two rotational 1-130 Hercules transport Squadrons at Mildenhall T would place strong emphasis on that portion of our mission responsibilities that requires us to prepare. Under our present deterrent posture, it is the preparation ~ or practice ~ that keeps our force fit and fully occupied. Practice is essential if we are 10 carry out our wartime role of tactical Article concluded ‘on page 46AAFI STARTED OPER, Rome eae Ratt Soca ary Aether ttn eom ott caages sie controlled ty regimental canteen committee: De a RRC URES ere Git Ne te Rese icad fs = of Servicemen united Capt Lionel Fortescue (who had NCREASING CONCERN FOR THE WELL BEING. NAAFI Mobile on a WWII bomber base, ‘somewhere in England’ LS ero aisle i ret RR Seccmcromnure tremens Rosie een id eee eres remained, and two years later all contractors supplying the army at home and in permanent overseas Stations were absorbed into the Army Canteen Committee, registered as a company trading not for profit. ‘The EFC continued to supply forces in the field, and the central organisation was renamed the Navy and Army Canteen Board when naval contractors were absorbed: the RAF, formed in April 1918, used the NACE facilities from the start. Tn March 1920, Winston Churchill, then y of State for War, appointed an inter-departmental committee t0 ‘consider a permanent Forces canteen service, and by December the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes was incorporated. In its first year, NAAFT’s resources reached across the British Empire, which then comprised a quarter of the world. ‘The two years after the Great War, were difficult times large establishments were maintained in occupied Germany and Egypt, and then in Turkey as well, and NAAFI accor panied the Forces on policing missions in trouble spots such as the Saar, Palestine, and China: troops faced an Arab revolt in Mesopotamia and rebellion in Ireland. ‘At home, prices had risen by 0% ina year, and unemploy- ment rose {0 2,500,000 in 1921. RAF recruiting slogans offered ‘easly the most alluring career open to the adi minded young Briton’. At such a time, free food, lodging and uniform were useful inducements, but the guaranteed minimum, pay, although better than that offered by the other Services, was only 3s a day. NAAFT’s first year, when it catered for 1448.000 Servicemen and their families, produced @ turnover of over £8 million: a surplus trading profit of £500,000 was returned t6 the Forces, It had inherited the bare wooden boards, uncomfortable seats and lack of decoration of previous contractors. One model canteen was set up in each Command, and after a trial period the improved pattern was extended (0 cover the UK, involving, amongst other costly items, 30 acres of floor covering and over 59 miles of curtaining. In Germany, the corporation ran two Rhine steamers to provide outings for ‘oops, while in Palestine NAAFI supplies had to be collected by mule train and stored in a cave. A base supplying the RAF in Amman was linked to desert outposts by camel twain, while in Britain NAAFI reorganised catering in the Royal Houscholds and provided a midnight breakfast for the Press who went to see Amy Johnson and other famous flyers set off at dawn to race to Australia, ‘The readiness and ability of NAAFI to adapt to any given situation proved invaluable during WWII. In 1939 there were 482,000 Servicemen, and NAAFI staff numbered about 8,000. By the following year, the corporation was catering for well over 2 million and turnover jumped to neatly £34 million. By the end of the war, Service strength stood at ‘over 4 million, served by 120,000 NAAFI staff, half of them women, and turnover reached an all time high of almost £182 million, and this rapid expansion was achieved in spite Of the fact that NAAFI was originally denied the necessary quantity and quality of manpower. The fortunes of war, which NAAFI shared with its customers, proved costly the collapse of Norway and France alone put NAAFI £1} million in the red; soo NAAFI men and women were killed, and many more wounded or captured. Over 100 were decorated for gallantry. But NAAFI remained solvent, and at the end of the war was able to repay 10} million lent by the Treasury to finance the wartime service ‘The end of the WWIT brought no prolonged peace NAAFI men went back into uniform to serve in Kore: and today in Anguilla, while civilian staff have seen’ active service in Malaysia, Cyprus, Kenya, and Aden. But peace, such as it was, brought further problems. From 1945-48 NAAFI customers were reduced by four-fifths ~ a swingeing ccut-back still reflected in the steady run-down in Service strength over the past 20 years, NAAFI’s geographical sphere has also shrunk ... as one country after another became independent, more and more of NAAFT's operations have been confined to the r less profitable home territory To remain viable, the corporation had to invest in improving the scope and standard of its services and in streamlining its ‘own internal organisation. An carly sign of NAAFT’s pioncering competitive spirit came in 1953, when a shop in is Contract cat ring by NAAFI in one of the Mesos at RAF Swinderby Egypt was turned over to self-service; another landmark was the introduction of NAAF Y-Symbol goods. Although bby no means the first retail organisation to develop own-label products, the corporation has been consistently successful in this field, with many of the N-symbol lines regularly outselling, the previous brand leader ~ sometimes by as much as six to one! Intensive study of the market and rationalisation of shop routines has resulted in a pricing poliey which often beats the multiple stores even before the deduction of discount or dividend. To the normal supermarket wade, NAAFI has, during the past decade, added many features which the grocery chains have not been able to emulate ~ deliveries, instalment credit, deposit accounts and mail order. The entitled customer can buy 2 car and insure it through NAAFI, purchase a life assurance policy, invest in unit trusts, send flowers by Inter flora, build up a wardrobe of off-the-peg or bespoke suits, or send a gift parcel to a distant friend. NAAFI also sells petrol, ccar accessories, books, records and even, in certain places, postage stamps. NAAFT’s recognition of the status of the Serviceman today has led to improvements in Servicemen’s clubs which make them a far ery from the spartan pre-war Progress is now being made in the development of the concept of the social club ~ particularly in the RAFAbove Wartime aircrew call at the NAAFI before an “op” Right Typical wartime scene in NAAFI Canteen Top right Vending machines in modern NAAFI Club ‘at RAF Benson & where the conversion programme is almost complete. The corporation has also led the way in automated cafeterias, which can offer the nan snacks, beverages, sweets, and cigarettes, 24 hours a day. Automation in other departments has helped to transform NAAFI from a Services’ ‘canteen organisation into a large and varied business: the first ‘computer was installed in Germany in 1956, and successive ‘generations of computers are now at workin London, Germany, and Nottingham. Here again, NAAFI led the retail field, land streamlined working methods have introduced increased efficiency in almost every sphere, from distribution of stores to the mundane task of filling shelves in shops. NAAFI's deputy chairman, Sir Charles Hardie, who is on the boards of lover a dozen companies, stated quite simply in a newspaper interview: "NAAFI is the best run business I am connected with, without question.” The development of NAAFI over its first 50 years has benefited the Serviceman in two ways; not only is he offered a range of goods and services unparalleled in the history of the farmed forces, but his use of those services has enabled NAAFI to distribute a total trading surplus of £170 million xr the full fifty year Tn addition to a share in the normal rebate and an average of over £9,000 per day ~ 0 period. Wartime NAAFI Mobi ‘the Western Desert NAAFI ATS EFI girls on the larch during WWI NAAFI provides catering services at beach and yacht clubs such as the snack ber at Akrotiri, ea discount allowed on purchases in NAAFI, which amounted to well over £133 million between 1921 and 1970, the RAF also benefits from the extra rebate which NAAFI returns to the Services from profits at the end of each trading year. Since 1967, the RAF Central Fund has received £642,512 from NAAFI extra rebate - amounting to about one-third of the Fund's income. NAAFI can look back over its first fifty years with a sense of achievement, but this is no time for resting on laurels. “T see no easy road ahead for NAAFI,’ states Sir Humphrey Prideaux, the chairman, in the soth annual report. ‘At home we are caught up in the wage cost explosion which threatens the whole country’s economy. ‘The extent of our overseas operations is diminishing. On the other hand, our per~ formance in efficient and imaginative merchandising and in cost control continues steadily to improve; and we are con- centrating all our efforts on these essentials. The NAAFI of today owes much to the achievements of earlier generations and the traditions of service which they established; but the modern generation can be proud too of the way in which it thas adapted itself to the many changes of the recent past, and T have no doubt that it will acquit itself well in whatever the future may bring.” °Hercules C.MK.1 is the RAF’s latest military strategic transport aircraft. It is capable of carrying a crew of five and 92 troops, 62 paratroops, or 74 casualty stretchers plus two medical attendants. The Lockheed-Georgia Company is proud to have manufactured these aircraft for service with Air Support Command, and the RAF overseas LOCKHEED Lockheed. Georgia Com) 'A Division of Lockheed Aireralt Corpoby Air Marshal J S Rowlands, Maintenance Command “22 OPERATIONAL UNITS OF THE RAF would “a Prams reenactment eemes tess Peeters om Ur ee errs Rennearerdton ari nit ce te sane cy pg eee Meret Cite Scene tea teces tr needs of the Operational Commands. ‘This support task is eaten cre Vane mcm erste y pee eet seashore acetic ae Poe ky CMM Renna em Ethic BOL cae eta Ce ecieaeg a wee ikcn nmenn beam eid PrCissstinitca cet meni mand ROYAL AIR Force! STAFFORD, cua eee eum PENN Part ee aeslogistic support and, viewed from any angle, it is big business. For example, each year we service or repair about 800 fixed and rotary wing aircraft and some 15,000 items of electronic equipment. Our aircraft and component servicing capability is the largest of its kind, Service or civilian, in the United Kingdom. ‘The ever-expanding catalogue of equip- ‘ment supplied by Maintenance Command now lists over 1,000,000 different items, and easily outstrips the combined inventories of all the UK motor manufacturers. The equip- ‘ment held in our Supply Depots is valued at several hundreds of millions of pounds and occupies more storage space than that of the biggest chain stores group in the country. Ad~ ministratively, we are responsible for over 70 units, about 110,000 Servicemen and 16,000 civilians at nearly 200 locations in UK alone. T= TASK OF MAINTENANCE COMMAND is diversified engineering So much for scale: now a closer look at the Command's engineering activities. ‘The range is great and includes the servicing, repair, reconditioning, modification and salvage of aircraft, components and other equipments, large and small, used by the Royal Air Force. ‘The main engineering commit- Servicing an engine in a LIGHTNING VULCANS being serviced at Aircraft Engineoring Unit ment naturally concerns aircraft. We carry out all this work ‘on types ranging from large bombers such as the Victor and Vulcan, through transports like the Argosy and Andover, fighters and ground attack aircraft such as the Lightning and Phantom to light machines like the Chipmunk and Beaver. ‘We also work on helicopters, many from the Army and Royal Navy, and even gliders are occasionally dealt with. After servicing, aircraft are flight checked by our test pilots, who are all RAF officers. “The re-painting of RAF aircraft is almost exclusively done in Maintenance Command by experts in modern paints and finishes and their work must be done in a properly heated, dust-free environment, Another important function of th Command is to store and maintain, at various states of readi ness, aircraft held in reserve for the flying Units, A further task is the salvage of crashed or damaged aircraft, and their repair as necessary. The Servicemen employed on this duty ‘possess great expertise and they are required to travel widely both at home and overseas, ‘On the avionic side we service and repair the whole range of airborne electrical instrument and radio components for the Royal Air Force on a direct exchange basis~ ie we collect unserviceable items and replace them with serviceable ones, rather like the part-exchange schemes operated by the motor ‘Air Marshal J § Rowlands became AO C-in-C Maintenance Command in April 1970. He joined the RAF in 1939 and was awarded the George Cross in 1943. He has filled senior appointments at the Armament Design Establish: ment (1944), the Royal Aircraft Establishment (1946), the ‘Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (1948 and 1958) land at Stations in Bomber Command. In 1961 he became an Attaché at the British Embassy in Washington as the Representative of the Chief Scientific Advisor, Ministry of Defence. In 1964 he attended the Imperial Defence College, he was the first Assistant Commandant (Engineer ing) at the RAF College Cranwell (1965), and was the first Director General of Training for the RAF in MoD (1968) bofore moving to Maintenance CommandPHANTOM engines boing tested after installation using a noise attenuator manufacturers for car components. Some of the items are of great complexity, and in order to diagnose their faults and repair and test them, we have extensive electronic facilities Staffed by large numbers of expert technical personnel. Some items are s0 delicate and sensitive that they are repaired in ‘lean room’ conditions by technicians in white coats and hats looking just like surgeons, and indeed the environment has 10 be controlled every bit as closely as an operating theatre. “There are many other enginecring aspects of the work of Maintenance Command that do not normally attract attention ~ cg we have extremely good manufacturing facilities including 2 wide range of advanced machine tools, heat treatment plant, land gold, silver and other plating facilities to meet the urgent rneeds of the Operational Commands. We also manufacture compressed gases in considerable quantities; of especial interest is breathing oxygen, which we produce at an extremely high degree of purity because aircraft of the three Services depend ‘on it, Bomb disposal is a continuing commitment of Main- tenance Command entailing the clearance of ranges and explosives areas, and the disposal of dangerous or unserviceable explosives, Some of these items are in a sensitive state and heed specialist treatment and the work is often hazardous, worldwide supply In the Supply field our task is to receive, store and issue to Units throughout the world equipment ranging from aircraft, ‘weapons, and components to knives and forks. Our Supply Depots handle about 3,000,000 transactions annually, whilst the road transport fleet moves about 150,000 tons each year, covering about 12,000,000 route miles in the process. In addition to our own transport, we make very extensive use of rail, air, sea and civilian toad transport services and we also have an overall responsibility for RAF surface movements in this country. ‘The Depots have large and specialist packaging sections which keep abreast of modern techniques, and package ‘equipment of varying sizes, weights and fragility to meet the needs of the different methods of storage and transportation. Royal Air Force equipment aircraft, missiles and electronic equipment is very costly and it is vital that we obtain the maximum value and use from it. If it becomes unserviceable, spares must be supplied quickly in whatever part of the world they are needed. To do this we have a priority system for handling the thousands of demands which pour into the Depots each day, segregating the more urgently required items for delivery by Early Bird, a twice daily road delivery service to Units in the United Kingdom or to an airfield for overseas issues. An alert and efficient supply “organisation is essential to maintain this high speed response. ‘Over recent years we have progressively reorganised the equipment storage methods in our Depots. We have regrouped items according to size, weight and frequency of issue so that the small items which generate most of the workload are concentrated in high density storage. This regrouping is a mammoth undertaking involving the physical movement of ‘many millions of individual items, large and small. All this hhas become practicable only because we now use powerful digital computers, but more of this later; the result is increased efficiency, a saving in the number of men and women needed to run the Depots, and a reduction in the warehouse space required, ‘No summary of the Supply tasks of the Command would be complete without mentioning two specialised supply responsibilities: Ammunition Supply Depots hold our explosive stocks, including many items in everyday use such as engine starter cartridges, and we also have a large number of Petroleum Supply Depots holding considerable reserves of aviation fuel, a PHANTOMS being prey 10 front, fed for issue 1e squadrons, Raxdio repair workshop at avior {© component repair unit