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Date(s)
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1943 (Creation)
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1 file of textual records
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Administrative history
During the Second World War the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Middle East Command was based in Cairo with responsibilities for the Middle East theater which included North Africa, East Africa, Persia, the Middle East and the British forces in the Balkans and Greece. When Italy began contemplating aggressive expansionism in North and Northeastern Africa and the Mediterranean leading up to their involvement in the Second World War, the need arose for stronger and more centralized control over the region. In 1938, Middle East Command took wartime control over all air forces in the Palestine-Transjordan, Iraq, Aden, and Malta Commands as well as those it had previously overseen. A sizeable force of fighter planes was established in the region to counter Axis aggression with Air Marshal Sir William Mitchell taking charge in 1939 as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fond consists of a Royal Air Force (RAF) booklet entitled "Analysis of 360 Fighter Victories gained by 90 Western Desert Pilots with Training and Combat hints suggested by them". The pilots were under Middle East Command and the victories took place from June to December 1942. The booklet draws on the analysis of 360 fighter victories gained by 90 Western Desert pilots to make technical and tactical suggestions for an improvement in unsatisfactory fighter results. A number of appendices provide charts detailing numbers of kills made, statistics concerning aircraft weaponry, and diagrams of enemy planes. The booklet concludes with a summary of the main flaws in strategy and suggested remedies.
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The immediate source of acquisition is unknown.
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- English
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Unclassified
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None
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None
Associated materials
The following related material in the Document Collection should be consulted:
[AIR 23/ 908] Correspondence with Air Ministry re tactics for tank-busting Hawker Hurricane IID’s. 14-19. June 1942.
[AIR 23/ 1008] Biographical sketch for press release of F/L William Weir Campbell, D.F.C., who sank two Italian submarines in June 1940 while pilot of an RAF Short Sunderland. 27 Sep [1940?]
[AIR 23/1281] Middle East tactical memoranda. 24 June 1941 – Sep 1942.
[AIR 23/1009] Two drafts for press releases concerning the RAF in the “Crusader” battles and aircraft anti-tank operations 25 Nov – 2 Dec 1941.
The following related material in the Kardex should be consulted:
[181.003 (D4513)] Reports by RCAF Staff Officers – with lists of officers serving in Mid-East – 24 Jun 1944 to 7 Aug 1945.
[181.009 (D2221)] Percentage of Aircrew as against RAF in Middle East Air Force – 30 June 1944 to 30 May 1945.
[181.009 (D1638)] RCAF Matters Concerning Correspondence – 9 Jun to 21 Dec 44.
[181.009 (D1639)] RCAF Matters Concerning and Correspondence. 19 Jun 44 to 30 Dec 44.
[181.009 (D1640)] Release of RCAF Personnel from Units in Middle East Command – 11 Nov 44 to 24 Dec 44.
The following associated material should be consulted at Library and Archives Canada:
181.009 (D1770) Release of RCAF Personnel from Units in Middle East Command – 8 July to 8 Nov 1944. (RG 24 Vol 20, 610)
181.009 (D1772) RCAF Matters Concerning Personnel and Correspondence – 23 July 1944 to 19 Nov 1944. (RG 24 Vol 20, 610)
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.