This is a list of all the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm groups that were either formed or planned. There were Carrier Air Groups which administered squadrons which operated on carriers and Training Air Groups which administered squadrons that operated from land bases.

Carrier air groups

The Fleet Air Arm squadrons, embarked on the Fleet and Light Fleet aircraft carriers, were placed into Air Groups to align with US Navy policy, once World War II in Europe had ended, to support operations in the Pacific War against the Japanese, in 1945. They were designed with 100% spare groups for Fleet carriers, and 50% spare groups for Light Fleet carriers.[1]

The carrier air groups were divided up based on the aircraft carrier class and using a standardised strength approach of Fleet Air Arm squadrons and aircraft type. Nine of the twenty two groups planned formed up on the 30 June 1945 based on available squadrons, however, one formed as a spare in August 1945, and a number did form post-World War II, or were reactivated at a later date.[2]

Carrier air groupAircraft carrier typeGroup strengthDate of formation
1st Carrier Air GroupIllustrious-class fleet carrier2 x Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
June 1945
2nd Carrier Air Group2 x Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
June 1945
3rd Carrier Air Group2 x Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
August 1945
4th Carrier Air Group2 x Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
not formed
5th Carrier Air Group2 x Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
not formed
6th Carrier Air Group2 x Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
not formed
7th Carrier Air GroupImplacable-class fleet carrier2 x Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
1 x Firefly of 15 aircraft
June 1945
8th Carrier Air Group2 x Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
1 x Firefly squadron of 15 aircraft
June 1945
9th Carrier Air Group2 x Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
1 x Firefly squadron of 15 aircraft
not formed
10th Carrier Air Group2 x Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
1 x Firefly squadron of 15 aircraft
not formed
11th Carrier Air GroupHMS Indomitable2 x Hellcat squadrons of 24 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
1 x Firefly squadron of 12 aircraft
June 1945
12th Carrier Air GroupHMS Indomitable2 x Hellcat squadrons of 24 aircraft each
1 x Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
1 x Firefly squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed
13th Carrier Air GroupColossus-class light fleet carrier1 x Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
June 1945
14th Carrier Air Group1 x Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
June 1945
15th Carrier Air Group1 x Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
June 1945
16th Carrier Air Group1 x Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
June 1945
17th Carrier Air Group1 x Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed
18th Carrier Air Group1 x Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed
19th Carrier Air Group1 x Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed
20th Carrier Air Group1 x Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed
21st Carrier Air Group1 x Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed
22nd Carrier Air Group1 x Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft
1 x Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
not formed

World War II - 1945

During World War II the creation of a 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Carrier Air Group also was planned. The surrender of Japan rendered these new carrier air groups unnecessary, and they were never formed.[2] However, the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st were formed post-war, with 18 and 19 allocated to the Royal Canadian Navy, and 21 a Royal Australian Navy Air Group[5]

Post World War II

Royal Canadian Navy

  • 19th Carrier Air Group - was initially allocated to the Royal Canadian Navy and was formed at Dartmouth in May 1947. It was made up of 803 Naval Air Squadron, operating Seafires, and 825 Naval Air Squadron which was equipped with Fireflys.[6]

Royal Australian Navy

  • 20th Carrier Air Group - Initially a Royal Navy group, it reformed on the 28 August 1948 at RNAS Eglinton, with 805 Naval Air Squadron (Seafires) and 816 Naval Air Squadron (Fireflys), as a RAN air group, for HMAS Sydney. In June 1951, the group disbanded at Nowra.[6]

Not formed

Training Air Groups

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ballance 2016, p. 305.
  2. 1 2 3 Wragg 2019, p. 202.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wragg 2019, p. 203.
  4. "14th CAG". Archived from the original on 7 April 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  5. Ballance 2016, p. 307-308.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Ballance 2016, p. 307.
  7. 1 2 Ballance 2016, p. 308.
  8. 1 2 3 Ballance 2016, p. 306.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 439.

Bibliography

  • Ballance, Theo (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air-Britain. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
  • Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
  • Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.
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