# No. 38 Group RAF

No. 38 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force which disbanded on 31 December 2020. It was formed on 6 November 1943 from the former 38 Wing with nine squadrons as part of RAF Transport Command. It was disbanded on 31 January 1951, but re-formed on 1 January 1960, became part of RAF Air Support Command in 1967 and then, in 1972, the air support group within RAF Strike Command. It was temporarily disbanded from 18 Nov 1983 to 31 Oct 1992 and from 1 April 2000 to 1 July 2014. It subsequently became part of RAF Air Command, bringing together the Royal Air Force’s Engineering, Logistics, Communications and Medical Operations units. Air Officer Commanding No. 38 Group was also responsible for UK-based United States Visiting Forces (USVF) units and for RAF personnel attached to other global armed forces.

## History

The predecessor of 38 Group was No. 38 Wing RAF, initially formed on 15 January 1942 from 296 and 297 Squadrons and based at RAF Netheravon in Wiltshire under Group Captain Sir Nigel Norman. 295 Squadron was additionally formed at Netheravon on 3 August 1942. To these were added 570, 298, 299, 190, 196, 620 Squadrons to form No. 38 Group on 11 October 1943. At that time four squadrons were equipped with Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles (295, 296, 297, 570), one with Handley Page Halifaxes (298) and four with Short Stirlings (299, 190, 196, 620). A further Halifax unit, 644 Squadron, was added in February 1944.
During 1943, changes of all aircraft types and operational bases were made. Nevertheless 295, 296 and 297 Squadrons were heavily involved that year in operations Beggar, Ladbroke and Fustian, during the invasion of Sicily. From February 1944 many sorties were made over mainland Europe in support of Special Operations Executive and detachments of the Special Air Service.
But by 5 June 1944 the group’s updated resources had been fully redeployed between RAF Brize Norton, RAF Fairford, RAF Harwell, RAF Keevil and RAF Tarrant Rushton in preparation for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Europe. From then to 16 June the Group was fully involved in operations Tonga (the delivery of paratroop-filled gliders at the onset of Overlord) and Mallard (the delivery of the main airborne forces and their equipment by glider).
In September 1944 the group was called upon to ferry airborne troops for Operation Market Garden, the abortive attempt to capture the Rhine bridge at Arnhem. Following that operation there was further reorganisation; the Group Headquarters moved to Marks Hall, Essex in October 1944 and the squadrons were redeployed to RAF Earls Colne (296 and 297), RAF Rivenhall (295 and 570), RAF Great Dunmow (190 and 620), RAF Wethersfield (later to RAF Shepherds Grove) (196 and 299) and RAF Woodbridge (298 and 644). 190 Squadron remained temporarily at RAF Fairford. On 10 March 1945 161 Squadron at RAF Tempsford also came under 38 Group control.
On 24 March 1945 the squadrons were fully employed in delivering airborne troops to the far bank of the Rhine as part of Operation Varsity, an operation which proved costly in terms of aircrew lives lost.
After the war most 38 Group squadrons were either disbanded or relocated to the Far East and the HQ moved to RAF Upavon. 295 and 297 Squadrons merged and moved to Fairford. 38 Group became part of RAF Transport Command on 1 June 1945.
In 1972, Headquarters 38 Group moved from RAF Odiham, Hants, where it had been since 1960, to RAF Benson, Oxon. Also that year, on 1 July 1972, it became part of the new RAF Strike Command. No. 46 Group RAF was merged into 38 Group on 1 January 1976. On 17 November 1983, 38 Group was subsumed within Headquarters No. 1 Group RAF at RAF Upavon in Wiltshire.
38 Group was again active during the 1990s from 1 November 1992 to 2000.
From 2014, the reformed group had units at RAF Wittering, RAF Brize Norton, RAF High Wycombe and RAF Leeming. The reformed group now includes RAF A4 Force Elements (deployable engineering and logistic units), Tactical Medical Wing at Brize Norton, and Tactical Communications Wing RAF at RAF Leeming. On 1 April 2015 38 Group assumed responsibility for the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) with its three teams at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Leeming and RAF Valley where it is co-located with the MRS Headquarters.
38 Group was disbanded on 31 December 2020, with the units under its command dispersed to other groups and areas of the RAF, including the newly formed integrated Support Force.

## Orders of battle
### 1944

Order of battle for No. 38 Group RAF, 6 June 1944 :
| Station | Squadron | Aircraft | No Operational |
| RAF Brize Norton | 296 297 | Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle | 37 36 |
| RAF Fairford | 190 620 | Short Stirling Short Stirling | 33 30 |
| RAF Harwell | 295 570 | Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle | 34 36 |
| RAF Keevil | 196 299 | Short Stirling Short Stirling | 36 35 |
| RAF Tarrant Rushton | 298 644 | Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halifax | 30 21 |

### 1945

Order of battle for No. 38 Group RAF, July 1945 :
| Station | Squadron | Aircraft |
| RAF Earls Colne | 296 297 | Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halifax |
| RAF Great Dunmow | 190 620 | Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halifax |
| RAF Rivenhall | 295 570 | Short Stirling Short Stirling |
| RAF Shepherds Grove | 196 299 | Short Stirling Short Stirling |
| RAF Tarrant Rushton | 298 644 | Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halifax |

### 1962

Order of battle for No. 38 Group RAF, April 1962 :
| Station | Squadron | Aircraft |
| RAF Abingdon | 47 53 | Blackburn Beverley Blackburn Beverley |
| RAF Aldergrove | 118 | Bristol Sycamore |
| RAF Colerne | 24 36 | Handley Page Hastings Handley Page Hastings |
| RAF Odiham | 66 72 225 230 | Bristol Belvedere Bristol Belvedere Bristol Sycamore/Westland Whirlwind Scottish Aviation Pioneer |
| RAF Waterbeach | 1 54 64 | Hawker Hunter Hawker Hunter Gloster Javelin |

### 1982

Order of battle for No. 38 Group RAF, January 1982 :
| Station | Squadron | Aircraft |
| RAF Aldergrove | 72 | Westland Wessex |
| Ladyville, Belize | 1417 Flt. | Hawker Siddeley Harrier |
| RAF Brize Norton | 10 115 | Vickers VC10 Hawker Siddeley Andover |
| RAF Coltishall | 6 41 54 | SEPECAT Jaguar SEPECAT Jaguar SEPECAT Jaguar |
| RAF Lyneham | 24 30 47 70 | Lockheed C-130 Hercules Lockheed C-130 Hercules Lockheed C-130 Hercules Lockheed C-130 Hercules |
| RAF Northolt | 32 207 | Hawker Siddeley Andover/Westland Gazelle/British Aerospace 125/Westland Whirlwind de Havilland Devon |
| RAF Odiham | 18 33 | Boeing Chinook Westland Puma |
| RAF Wittering | 1 | Hawker Siddeley Harrier |

### 2016

Order of Battle for No. 38 Group RAF, December 2016
| Formation | Unit | Sub-unit | Role | Location |
| RAF Wittering | Operations Wing | Operations Wing | Aerodrome Management | Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire |
| RAF Wittering | Support Wing | Support Wing | Service Support | Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 1 Air Mobility Wing | Operations Squadron | Movements | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 1 Air Mobility Wing | Air Movements Squadron | Movements | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 1 Air Mobility Wing | UK Mobile Air Movements Squadron | Movements | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing | No 71 (Inspection and Repair) Squadron | Aircraft engineering | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing | No 93 (Expeditionary Armaments) Squadron | Weapons engineering | RAF Marham |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing | No 5001 Squadron | Ground engineering | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing | No. 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron | Explosive Ordnance Disposal | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | No 1 Expeditionary Logistics Squadron | Supply | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron | Transport | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | No 3 Mobile Catering Squadron | Catering and accommodation management | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | Logistics | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | No 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | Logistics | RAF Wittering |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | No 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | Logistics | RAF Cosford |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | RAF Mountain Rescue Service | RAF Mountain Rescue Service | RAF Valley; RAF Leeming; RAF Lossiemouth |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing | Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron | Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron | MOD Boscombe Down |
| RAF A4 Force Elements | No 4624 (County of Oxford) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | No 4624 (County of Oxford) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | Movements | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF Music Services | The Central Band of the Royal Air Force | The Central Band of the Royal Air Force | Ceremonial | RAF Northolt |
| RAF Northolt ||
| RAF Northolt ||
| RAF Music Services | The Band of the Royal Air Force College | The Band of the Royal Air Force College | Ceremonial | RAF College Cranwell |
| RAF College Cranwell ||
| RAF High Wycombe | RAF High Wycombe | RAF High Wycombe | Support to collocated headquarters | Buckinghamshire |
| No. 90 Signals Unit | Tactical Communications Wing | No 2 Field Communications Squadron | Communications | RAF Leeming |
| No. 90 Signals Unit | Tactical Communications Wing | No 3 Field Communications Squadron | Communications | RAF Leeming |
| No. 90 Signals Unit | Tactical Communications Wing | No 4 Field Communications Squadron | Communications | RAF Leeming |
| No. 90 Signals Unit | Operational Information Services Wing | No 1 (Engineering Support) Squadron | Communications | RAF Leeming |
| No. 90 Signals Unit | Operational Information Services Wing | No 5 (Information Services) Squadron | Communications | RAF Leeming |
| No. 90 Signals Unit | Operational Information Services Wing | Capability and Innovation Squadron | Communications | RAF Leeming |
| RAF Medical Operations | RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine | RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine | Medical Support | RAF Henlow |
| RAF Medical Operations | Tactical Medical Wing | Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron | Medical Support | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF Medical Operations | Tactical Medical Wing | Operations Squadron | Medical Support | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF Medical Operations | Tactical Medical Wing | Capability and Sustainment Squadron | Medical Support | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF Medical Operations | Tactical Medical Wing | Training Squadron | Medical Support | RAF Brize Norton |
| RAF Medical Operations | No 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | No 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | Air Transportable Surgical | Leuchars Station |
| RAF Medical Operations | No 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | No 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force | Aeromedical Evacuation | RAF Brize Norton |

## Commanding officers
### 38 Wing

Commanding officers no. 38 Wing RAF :
| Date | Name |
| 19 January 1942 | Air Commodore Sir Nigel Norman (Killed on duty 19 May 1943) |
| 29 April 1943 | Air Commodore William H Primrose |

### 38 Group

Commanding officers no. 38 Group RAF :
| Date | Name |
| 6 November 1943 | Air Vice-Marshal Leslie Norman Hollinghurst |
| 18 October 1944 | Air Vice-Marshal James Rowland Scarlett-Streatfield |
| 1 June 1945 | Air Commodore Noel Christie Singer |
| 1 August 1945 | Air Vice-Marshal Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman |
| 5 November 1946 | Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Leonard Fiddament |
| 17 January 1949 | Air Vice-Marshal Alfred Charles Henry Sharp |
| 25 January 1950 | Air Vice-Marshal Edgar James Kingston-McClaughry |
| 1 January 1960 | Air Vice-Marshal Peter Wykeham |
| 27 July 1962 | Air Vice-Marshal T W Piper |
| 1 January 1965 | Air Vice-Marshal Leslie Mavor |
| 1 March 1966 | Air Vice-Marshal Peter C Fletcher |
| 1 August 1967 | Air Vice-Marshal Harold Brownlow Martin |
| 24 June 1970 | Air Vice-Marshal Denis Crowley-Milling |
| 21 February 1972 | Air Vice-Marshal Frederick S Hazlewood |
| 2 November 1974 | Air Vice-Marshal Peter G K Williamson |
| 10 December 1977 | Air Vice-Marshal Joseph A Gilbert |
| 27 February 1980 | Air Vice-Marshal Donald P Hall |
| 1984–1985 | Air Vice-Marshal David Parry-Evans |
| 15 January 1993 | Air Vice-Marshal J A G May |
| 1994 | Air Vice-Marshal David Cousins |
| 21 April 1995 | Air Vice-Marshal David A Hurrell |
| 30 January 1998 | Air Vice-Marshal Philip Sturley |
| 2 July 2014 | Air Vice-Marshal Tim Bishop |
| 16 June 2016 | Air Vice-Marshal Susan C Gray |
| December 2018 | Air Vice-Marshal Simon D Ellard |