raf servicing commandos

The unit personnel were nearly all volunteers. They were mostly Group 1 tradesmen who were not only experts in their own jobs but had learnt a variety of jobs other than their own.. They were trained to work on a wide variety of aircraft - Typhoons, Hurricanes, Spitfires, Thunderbolts, Mustangs, Beaufighters and Mosquitos.

As well as the battle training they had accustomed themselves to meeting sudden urgent demands for technical assistance on airfields all over Britain. They were rushed to these airfields at a moments notice not knowing in advance whether they were to stay for hours, days weeks or what sort of job they were to tackle.

The whole unit was completely mobile and self contained with its own medical service, field kitchen. The lorries were fitted out as workshops e.g. each flight had an armourers truck.

Battle training.

Although their main job was to service front line aircraft all units received training along Commando lines. Battle training was supervised by Army Officers seconded to the R.A.F. Regiment. "There were special weapon training courses and all had been toughened up by 30 mile cross country route marches and schemes. We've practiced loading on tank landing craft and disembarked on to beaches in the night . We've fought for long periods without food, worked without food - just to toughen us up to get us in trim".

Normandy D-Day 1944.

A step forward was taken when the first Airfield, made by the Royal Air Force Servicing Commandos and Construction Wings, of which 3207 and 3209 Commandos came ashore on 7th June, was finished at St. Croix-sur-Mer. When the commandos arrived at St. Croix there was not a gallon of petrol or a round of ammunition to be had.

Flight Lieutenant W.J.F.Fenton said " We went ourslves to the beach dumps or waylaid "Dukws" on the road until we had everything we wanted". They first had to dig themselves in, a task the old soldiers performed automatically and the young as soon as the shells began to fall near them. The airfield was operational on 10th June 1944.

THE RAF SERVICING COMMANDOS

On the 22nd January 1942 Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, when he was Commodore Combined operations, recommended that a number of Servicing Commandos be created within the R.A.F. In due course 12 units were formed in the United Kingdom, together with a further 3 units in the Middle East Command. They comprised a total of some 2400 Officers, N.C.O's and other ranks, mostly volunteers, and all of them skilled tradesmen capable of working on all types of aircraft to keep them flying under all kinds of conditions.

These Commando Units were trained on similar lines to the Army and Royal Marine Commandos. Their prime purpose was to accompany the invasion forces, either to make enemy airfields serviceable, or to make operational the new airstrips built by the Army Airfield Construction Units. On occasion three or four squadrons of aircraft were kept serviceable for several days until their own ground crews arrive to take over.

A Servicing Commando Unit comprised between 150 and 170 other ranks with two or three Technical Officers, one appointed as Commanding Officer. It would normally be equipped with about 15 three ton trucks, a jeep for the officers and two or more motorcycles. Most of the time the men lived like nomads, sleeping in tents or their own bivouacs, moving often at short notice. Mobility was the order of the day. Units were involved in the major invasion landings, either going in with the initial invasion forces or giving active support in other ways to keep the aircraft flying.

Three small units were also formed in India and trained on Commando lines: these were called Servicing Parties and each comprised one Technical Officer and 30 aircraft tradesmen. These units units were part of the R.A.F. Support Group that was assigned to help Major-General Wingate's Chindit forces involved in Operation Thursday where landing strips were constructed behind Japanese front line troops in Burma to service Allied and U.S.A.A.F. fighter and transport aircraft. After the surrender of the Japanese Forces in August 1945 Units took over Japanese held airfields, assisted in the evacuation of Allied prisoners of war and undertook other peace keeping duties in Java, Thailand and French Indo China.

Countries of Service

North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy, Southern France, Burma, Akyab, Malaya, Indonesia, Thailand, Indo-China

THE UNITS

UNIT COMMAND FORMED TRAINING OPERATIONS

3201* 3202 3203 Fighter March 1942 UK North Africa, Sicily, Italy *South France

3225 3226 Army Cooperation August 1942 UK Sicily, Italy

3204 Fighter February 1943 UK North Africa

3206 Army Cooperation April 1943 UK Europe

3205 3207 3209 3210 Fighter April 1943 UK Normandy, India, Burma, Indo-China, Malaya, Thailand, Java

3208 Fighter April 1943 UK Europe

3230 3231 3232 Middle East April 1943 Palestine Sicily, Italy