Air Headquarters East Africa

Air Headquarters East Africa (or AHQ East Africa) was a command of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) formed on 19 October 1940 by expanding Air H.Q. RAF Nairobi. On 15 December 1941, the command was reduced to Group status as No. 207 (General Purpose) Group. On 16 November 1942, Air H.Q. East Africa was reformed by raising No. 207 Group back to Command status again.^[1]

Commanders^[1] & Squadron Assignments^[2] (1941–1945)

11 November 1941 Air H.Q. East Africa A/Cdre William Sowrey	27 October 1942 No. 207 Group A/Cdre Malcolm Taylor	10 July 1943 Air H.Q. East Africa AVM Harold Kerby	June 1944 Air H.Q. East Africa AVM Harold Kerby	January 1945 Air H.Q. East Africa AVM Brian Baker
3 Squadron SAAF Mohawk	No. 246 Wing No. 209 Squadron Catalina - -	No. 246 Wing No. 209 Squadron Catalina No. 265 Squadron Catalina	No. 246 Wing General Reconnaissance	No. 246 Wing General Reconnaissance
15 Squadron SAAF Battle	1433 Flight SAAF Lysander 1414 Flight SAAF Gladiator	No. 258 Wing No. 1414 Flight Lysander, Anson	No. 258 Wing General Reconnaissance	No. 258 Wing General Reconnaissance
16 Squadron SAAF Junkers 86, Maryland	16 Squadron SAAF Beaufort, Maryland	No. 259 Squadron Catalina
41 Squadron SAAF Hartebeeste	41 Squadron SAAF Hartebeeste, Hurricane	No. 262 Squadron Catalina
51 Flight SAAF Anson	No. 321 Squadron Catalina	No. 321 Squadron Det. Catalina
34 Flight SAAF Junkers 86	34 Flight SAAF Anson
35 Flight SAAF Junkers 52	35 Flight SAAF Blenheim

Notes: A/Cdre=Air Commodore; AVM=Air Vice Marshal; Det.=Detachment

In January 1943, Air H.Q. East Africa became a sub-command of the RAF Middle East Command, itself a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command.^[2]

Postwar, Air H.Q. East Africa was disbanded on 15 September 1951, reformed on 1 February 1961, and disbanded on 11 December 1964.^[1] In the 1950s and 1960s the RAF in East Africa was reduced to a single station, RAF Eastleigh, and about 500 personnel. RAF stations at Kisumu, Thika, and Mombasa were thus eventually closed. No. 214 Squadron RAF made a six-month detachment to Eastleigh in 1951, during the Mau Mau Uprising.^[3] No. 1340 Flight used the Harvard in Kenya against the Mau Mau in the 1950s, where they operated with 20 lb bombs and machine guns against the gangs.

The Air Officer Commanding served as air advisor to a number of former British territories in the region.^[4]

References

1. "Overseas Commands - Middle East & Mediterranean". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
2. Richards, D.; Saunders, H. (1953). The Royal Air Force 1939–1945. 2 & 3. HMSO.
3. http://www.214squadron.org.uk/Squadron%20Association/Nightjar/Nightjar_August_2012/Nightjar_August_2012.pdf
4. David Lee (RAF officer), Flight from the Middle East: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent territories 1945–1972, HMSO 1980.