List of Fleet Air Arm groups

This is a list of Fleet Air Arm groups of the Royal Navy, that were either formed or planned. There were two types of groups: there were Carrier Air Groups that administered squadrons which operated on aircraft carriers, and there were Training Air Groups which administered squadrons that operated from airbases.

Carrier air groups

The squadrons and aircraft wings of the Fleet Air Arm, stationed on Fleet and Light Fleet aircraft carriers, were organized into Air Groups in accordance with United States Navy policy following the conclusion of World War II in Europe. This reorganisation aimed to facilitate operations in the Pacific Theater against Japan in 1945. The structure included complete spare groups for Fleet carriers and half spare groups for Light Fleet carriers.^[1]

The carrier air groups were organised according to the classification of aircraft carriers and a standardised strength model that considered the squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm and the types of aircraft. By 30 June 1945, nine out of the planned twenty-two groups had been established based on the squadrons that were available. Additionally, one group was created as a reserve in August 1945, while several others were either formed after World War II or reactivated at a subsequent time.^[2]

Carrier Air Groups one to six were designated for the three carriers of the Illustrious-class, with each group comprising two squadrons of Vought Corsair and one squadron of Grumman Avenger, with each squadron containing fifteen aircraft. The two ships belonging to the Implacable-class were assigned Carrier Air Groups seven to ten, with each ship featuring two squadrons of twenty-four Supermarine Seafire, one squadron of fifteen Grumman Avenger, and one squadron of fifteen Fairey Firefly. HMS Indomitable, the sole representative of her class, was allocated Carrier Air Groups eleven and twelve, each consisting of two squadrons of twenty-four Grumman Hellcat, one squadron of fifteen Grumman Avenger, and one squadron of twelve Fairey Firefly.^[1]

The first four carriers of the Colossus-class were planned to have Carrier Air Groups numbered thirteen to eighteen, with each group including a Vought Corsair squadron of twenty-one aircraft and a squadron of twelve Fairey Barracuda. The subsequent ships in the Colossus-class were assigned Carrier Air Groups nineteen to twenty-two, with number nineteen to be crewed by the Royal Canadian Navy; each of these groups would comprise one squadron of twenty-one Supermarine Seafire and one squadron of twelve Fairey Barracuda.^[1]

Allocation of Carrier Air Groups of the Royal Navy. The proposed alignment of Fleet Air Arm squadrons aboard aircraft carriers for the British Pacific Fleet
Carrier Air Group	Aircraft carrier type	Carrier	Group strength
1st Carrier Air Group	Illustrious-class fleet carrier	HMS Victorious	2 x Vought Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
2nd Carrier Air Group		HMS Formidable	2 x Vought Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
3rd Carrier Air Group		reserve group	2 x Vought Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
4th Carrier Air Group		HMS Illustrious	2 x Vought Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
5th Carrier Air Group		spare	2 x Vought Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
6th Carrier Air Group		spare	2 x Vought Corsair squadrons of 15 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft
7th Carrier Air Group	Implacable-class fleet carrier	HMS Indefatigable	2 x Supermarine Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft 1 x Fairey Firefly of 15 aircraft
8th Carrier Air Group		HMS Implacable	2 x Supermarine Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft 1 x Fairey Firefly squadron of 15 aircraft
9th Carrier Air Group		spare	2 x Supermarine Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft 1 x Fairey Firefly squadron of 15 aircraft
10th Carrier Air Group		spare	2 x Supermarine Seafire squadrons of 24 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft 1 x Fairey Firefly squadron of 15 aircraft
11th Carrier Air Group	modified Illustrious-class aircraft carrier	HMS Indomitable	2 x Grumman Hellcat squadrons of 24 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft 1 x Fairey Firefly squadron of 12 aircraft
12th Carrier Air Group	modified Illustrious-class aircraft carrier	spare	2 x Grumman Hellcat squadrons of 24 aircraft each 1 x Grumman Avenger squadron of 15 aircraft 1 x Fairey Firefly squadron of 12 aircraft
13th Carrier Air Group	Colossus-class light fleet carrier	HMS Vengeance	1 x Vought Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
14th Carrier Air Group		HMS Colossus	1 x Vought Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
15th Carrier Air Group		HMS Venerable	1 x Vought Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
16th Carrier Air Group		HMS Glory	1 x Vought Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
17th Carrier Air Group		spare	1 x Vought Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
18th Carrier Air Group		spare	1 x Vought Corsair squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
19th Carrier Air Group		not allocated (Royal Canadian Navy)	1 x Supermarine Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
20th Carrier Air Group		not allocated	1 x Supermarine Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
21st Carrier Air Group		not allocated	1 x Supermarine Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft
22nd Carrier Air Group		not allocated	1 x Supermarine Seafire squadron of 21 aircraft 1 x Fairey Barracuda squadron of 12 aircraft

World War II - 1945

The table below shows the nine carrier air groups created and allocated to an aircraft carrier during the latter part of World War II and the subsequent reserve carrier air group:

World War II Carrier Air Groups of the Royal Navy. Nine out of the twenty-two planned groups were established during World War II. An additional reserve group was created in August 1945.
Carrier Air Group		Summary	Notes
1st Carrier Air Group	1st CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious for service in the British Pacific Fleet and comprised 849 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers, 1834 Naval Air Squadron and 1836 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair fighter aircraft. It was disbanded on 8 September 1945 when HMS Victorious returned to the United Kingdom.	^[2]
2nd Carrier Air Group	2nd CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 848 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Avenger, 1841 Naval Air Squadron and 1842 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair. It was disbanded on 31 October 1945 when HMS Formidable returned to the United Kingdom.	^[3]
3rd Carrier Air Group	3rd CAG	Formed on 2 August 1945. It was a reserve air group for the British Pacific Fleet based at HMS Nabbington. It was formed too late for service in the war, and it contained 854 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Avenger with 1843 Naval Air Squadron and 1845 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair. It was disbanded on 20 October 1945, and its personnel returned to the United Kingdom onboard a merchant ship.	^[3]
7th Carrier Air Group	7th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 820 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Avenger, 887 Naval Air Squadron and 894 Naval Air Squadron flying Supermarine Seafire and 1770 Naval Air Squadron flying Fairey Firefly. It was disbanded in March 1946.	^[3]
8th Carrier Air Group	8th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 828 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Avenger, along with 801 Naval Air Squadron and 880 Naval Air Squadron flying Supermarine Seafire and 1771 Naval Air Squadron flying Fairey Firefly. It was disbanded in April 1946, but some of its squadrons disbanded earlier.	^[3]
11th Carrier Air Group	11th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 857 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Avenger, 1839 Naval Air Squadron and 1844 Naval Air Squadron flying Grumman Hellcat. It was disbanded on 30 November 1945.	^[3]
13th Carrier Air Group	13th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Vengeance for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 812 Naval Air Squadron flying the Fairey Barracuda and 1850 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair. It was disbanded in August 1946.	^[3]
14th Carrier Air Group	14th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Colossus for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 827 Naval Air Squadron flying Fairey Barracuda and 1846 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair. It was disbanded on 23 July 1946.	^[4]
15th Carrier Air Group	15th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Venerable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 814 Naval Air Squadron flying Fairey Barracuda and 1851 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair. It was disbanded in 1947.	^[3]
16th Carrier Air Group	16th CAG	Formed on 30 June 1945. It was for the aircraft carrier HMS Glory for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 837 Naval Air Squadron flying Fairey Barracuda and 1831 Naval Air Squadron flying Vought Corsair. It was disbanded in 1947.	^[3]

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

17th Carrier Air Group - was intended to be formed for a Colossus-class aircraft carrier, with 824 Naval Air Squadron operating Barracuda aircraft and 1835 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Corsair aircraft. The formation never happened following V-J Day. Instead it was active three times, 1947 to 1949, 1949 to 1950 and in 1952. Initially at the shore base RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) for HMS Theseus, then solely Theseus, formed of Hawker Sea Fury aircraft with 807 Naval Air Squadron and Firefly aircraft with 810 Naval Air Squadron. Third time at RNAS Hal Far for HMS Ocean, formed of Sea Fury aircraft with 802 Naval Air Squadron and Firefly aircraft with 825 Naval Air Squadron.^[6]

20th Carrier Air Group - was intended to be formed for a Colossus-class aircraft carrier, with 816 Naval Air Squadron operating Barracuda aircraft and 805 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Seafire aircraft. However, it eventually formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), in March 1946, for HMS Ocean. At this point 816 NAS had swapped its Barracudas for Fireflys. After operating in the Mediterranean, the group disbanded upon returning to Lee-on Solent, in July 1948. It reformed the same year as a Royal Australian Navy Air Group for HMAS Sydney.^[6]

Royal Canadian Navy

18th Carrier Air Group - was intended to be formed for a Colossus-class aircraft carrier, with 822 Naval Air Squadron operating Barracuda aircraft and 1855 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Corsair aircraft. This never happened due to the end of the war with Japan. It was reallocated to the RCN, and formed at Dartmouth on the 15 May 1947.^[6]

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]

21st Carrier Air Group - was intended to be formed for a Colossus-class aircraft carrier, with 817 Naval Air Squadron operating Barracuda aircraft and 806 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Seafires, in 1946. It eventually formed at RNAS St Merryn as a RAN Air Group in March 1950, made up of 808 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Sea Fury aircraft and 817 Naval Air Squadron, operating with Firefly aircraft, for HMAS Sydney.^[7]

Not formed

4th Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed for the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious for service in the British Pacific Fleet. It was to comprise 846 Naval Air Squadron operating the Avenger, 1837 Naval Air Squadron and 1853 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the Corsair. The plan to form was cancelled following the Japanese surrender^[1]
5th Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed as a spare group for an Illustrious-class aircraft carrier. It was to be made up of 852 Naval Air Squadron operating the Avenger, 1832 Naval Air Squadron and 1838 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the Corsair. The plan to form was cancelled following V-J Day.^[1]
6th Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed as a spare group for an Illustrious-class aircraft carrier. It was to consist of 853 Naval Air Squadron operating the Avenger, 882 Naval Air Squadron and 1830 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the Corsair. Planned to depart the United Kingdom in January 1946, when 882 NAS re-equipped from Wildcat aircraft. The plan to form was cancelled following V-J Day.^[1]
9th Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed as a spare group for an Implacable-class aircraft carrier. It was to consist of 802 Naval Air Squadron and 899 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the Supermarine Seafire, 851 Naval Air Squadron with Avenger and a planned 1773 Naval Air Squadron with the Firefly. The formation was cancelled following V-J Day.^[8]
10th Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed as a spare group for an Implacable-class aircraft carrier. It was to be made up of 883 Naval Air Squadron and 1833 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the Supermarine Seafire, 856 Naval Air Squadron with Avenger and a planned 1775 Naval Air Squadron with Fireflys. The plan was cancelled following V-J Day.^[8]
12th Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed as a spare group for the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable. It was to contain 845 Naval Air Squadron with Avenger aircraft, 881 Naval Air Squadron and 885 Naval Air Squadron with Hellcat aircraft and a planned 1774 Naval Air Squadron with Firefly aircraft. This was cancelled following V-J Day.^[8]
22nd Carrier Air Group - was planned to be formed in service for a Colossus-class aircraft carrier. It was to be formed of 818 Naval Air Squadron operating Barracuda aircraft and 884 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Seafire aircraft. The formation never happened following V-J Day.^[7]

Training air groups

50th Training Air Group - formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) on 13 May 1948. Administered second line units at Yeovilton including 700 Naval Air Squadron (until August 1949), 767 Naval Air Squadron (until January 1952) and 799 Naval Air Squadron (until December 1951). It was disbanded during January 1952.^[9]
51st Training Air Group - Formed at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) during May 1946. Administered second line units at Eglinton such as 718 Naval Air Squadron and 719 Naval Air Squadron. It was disbanded on 13 November 1946.^[9]
51st Miscellaneous Air Group - Formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) during July 1948. Administered 771 Naval Air Squadron and 783 Naval Air Squadron at Lee-on-Solent. Disbanded during 1950.^[9]
52nd Training Air Group - Formed at RNAS Eglinton. Administered 718, 794 and 795 Naval Air Squadrons at Eglinton. Disbanded during March 1947. Reformed at RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) on 1 February 1950. Administered 736 and 738 Naval Air Squadrons. Disbanded there on 16 August 1951.^[9]
53rd Training Air Group - formed at Eglinton on 14 June 1950. Administered 719 and 737 Naval Air Squadrons. Disbanded there on 31 January 1952.^[9]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ballance 2016, p. 305.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wragg 2019, p. 202.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Wragg 2019, p. 203.
^ "14th CAG". Archived from the original on 7 April 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
^ Ballance 2016, p. 307-308.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ballance 2016, p. 307.
^ ^a ^b Ballance 2016, p. 308.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ballance 2016, p. 306.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 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.

[FOOTNOTEBallance2016305-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ballance 2016, p. 305.

[FOOTNOTEWragg2019202-2] Wragg 2019, p. 202.

[FOOTNOTEWragg2019203-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Wragg 2019, p. 203.

[4] "14th CAG". Archived from the original on 7 April 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.

[FOOTNOTEBallance2016307-308-5] Ballance 2016, p. 307-308.

[FOOTNOTEBallance2016307-6] Ballance 2016, p. 307.

[FOOTNOTEBallance2016308-7] Ballance 2016, p. 308.

[FOOTNOTEBallance2016306-8] Ballance 2016, p. 306.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantBallance1994439-9] Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 439.

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