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| No. 91 Group RAF | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | No. 91 Group RAF |
| Dates | 1942–1947 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Training and Control |
No. 91 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force group formed during World War II to supervise advanced flying training and conversion units, coordinating operational training for bomber and fighter crews across multiple stations. It operated within the wartime RAF organizational structure, interacting with strategic institutions and establishments involved in aviation, air tactics, and logistics. The group influenced training doctrine that linked operational squadrons, aircraft factories, and aircrew welfare organisations during the later stages of the conflict.
No. 91 Group RAF was established in 1942 amid broader reorganisation across the RAF, aligning with directives issued by senior leadership including figures associated with Air Ministry policy and wartime committees such as the Air Council and Combined Chiefs of Staff. Its inception occurred alongside expansions in RAF Training Command and adjustments related to Battle of Britain lessons and Operation Overlord preparations. Throughout 1943–1944 the group coordinated with institutions like Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Empire Air Training Scheme, and Allied training contingents from Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force. Interaction with manufacturing establishments such as Avro, Handley Page, Vickers-Armstrongs, and Hawker Siddeley affected aircraft allocation for conversion units. Key wartime events including the Frankfurt raids, Big Week, and the strategic bombing campaign influenced its priorities and scheduling. Post-1945 demobilisation, the group adapted to peacetime restructuring tied to the Yalta Conference aftermath and changes in Anglo-American defence relations, before disbanding in 1947.
The group's primary mission was to administer advanced flying training, operational training units, and conversion flights for bomber and fighter aircrew, liaising with establishments like Central Flying School, Fighter Command, and Bomber Command. It managed curricula influenced by doctrines debated at AOC-in-C conferences and tactical studies from Air Ministry Operational Research sections, coordinating with logistics branches such as Aeronautical Inspection Directorate and Parachute Test Flight personnel. Operationally, it scheduled training sorties, bombing practice, formation flying, night navigation, and gunnery exercises in cooperation with ranges overseen by RAF Boscombe Down, RAF Wittering, and Mynachdy Range-linked facilities. The group also supported experimental conversions involving aircraft from manufacturers like Supermarine, Gloster, De Havilland, and Bristol Aeroplane Company to meet evolving combat requirements.
Under the group's control were numerous Operational Training Units, Conversion Units, and Advanced Flying Schools that flew types including the Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Bristol Blenheim, Vickers Wellington, Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, De Havilland Mosquito, Fairey Battle, Gloster Gladiator, Beaufighter, Bristol Beaufighter, Consolidated Liberator, Short Stirling, Lockheed Hudson, Westland Lysander, Vickers Wellington X, Blenheim IV, Spitfire Mk IX, Hurricane Mk II, and Mosquito FB.VI. Training and support squadrons included units similar in role to those at No. 1 Group RAF conversion establishments and facilities mirrored in No. 5 Group RAF training elements. The group's aircraft inventory and unit list evolved with inputs from Air Materials Board allocations and priorities set by Ministry of Aircraft Production planners.
The group's headquarters and subordinate stations operated across multiple RAF stations and satellite fields linked to the Eastern Air Command and RAF Coastal Command training ranges. Key RAF stations coordinated with the group included RAF Cranfield, RAF Upwood, RAF Aston Down, RAF Hixon, RAF Finningley, RAF Dishforth, RAF Scampton, RAF Waddington, RAF Leeming, RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Syerston, RAF Lindholme, RAF Snaith, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF North Luffenham, RAF Honington, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Wyton, RAF Valley, RAF Shawbury, RAF Kinloss, RAF Benson, RAF Chilbolton, RAF Lichfield, RAF Moreton-in-Marsh, RAF Long Marston, RAF Little Rissington, RAF South Cerney, RAF Abingdon, RAF Digby, RAF West Raynham, RAF Tempsford, RAF Hemswell, RAF Sturgate, RAF Snaith Range, and others supporting dispersed training operations and ranges.
Command leadership reflected RAF senior officer rotations drawn from experienced commanders who served in operational theatres and training establishments associated with RAF Training Command and Fighter Command. Commanding officers liaised with high-level figures connected to Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Portal, and staff from the Air Ministry and Joint Intelligence Committee. Senior staff included group captains and air commodores seconded from squadrons and staff colleges such as RAF Staff College, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, and exchange officers from the United States Army Air Forces and Royal Canadian Air Force.
Insignia and traditions within the group drew on heraldic practices used across RAF formations, with squadron badges, mottos, and ceremonial customs mirrored from institutions like College of Air Warfare, Central Flying School, and RAF Regiment drill traditions. Training standards and esprit de corps were influenced by honours and awards such as the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Order, and campaign recognitions tied to the King's Birthday Honours lists. Ceremonial flypasts, graduation parades, and inter-unit competitions echoed events held at Royal International Air Tattoo precursor gatherings and station open days attended by representatives of Ministry of Defence predecessor departments.
The group was disbanded in 1947 during postwar downsizing and reorganisation connected to broader reforms following the Second World War and peacetime defence reviews influenced by Marshall Plan era realignments. Its functions were redistributed among remaining training commands, colleges, and centralised conversion units within structures that included RAF Flying Training Command and successor organisations. The group's legacy persists in RAF training doctrine, station lineages, and the institutional memory preserved at museums and archives such as RAF Museum London, Imperial War Museum, and regimental collections at National Archives (United Kingdom). Category:Royal Air Force groups