No. 40 Wing RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 40 Wing was a wing
that formed part of the Royal Air Force
(RAF) Palestine Brigade
during World War I
and immediately after. It was established in October 1917 as 40th (Army) Wing, Royal Flying Corps
(RFC), and become part of the RAF in April 1918, when the RFC merged with the Royal Naval Air Service
. The wing played a major part in the Battle of Megiddo
, the last great offensive against the Ottoman Empire
, in September 1918. It was disbanded in April 1920.
work. Another formation under the Palestine Brigade, 5th (Corps) Wing
, performed air cooperation and close air support
tasks. 40th Wing's first Officer Commanding
was Lieutenant Colonel Amyas Borton
; he was succeeded by Alexander Shekleton in late 1917. In June 1918, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams of the Australian Flying Corps
(AFC) took command of the wing, with No. 1 Squadron AFC
and three RFC squadrons—Nos. 111
, 144
, and 145
—at his disposal. No. 145 Squadron was also commanded by an Australian, Captain Roy Drummond
. Based at Ramleh
, the wing's inventory consisted of Bristol F.2B
and S.E.5
fighters
and DH.9
light bomber
s.
Augmented by a giant Handley Page bomber
, No. 40 Wing took part in the Battle of Megiddo
, General Allenby's
final offensive in Palestine, where its units inflicted "wholesale destruction" on Turkish
columns through sustained aerial assaults. At Wadi Fara
on 21 September 1918, the Palestine Brigade, including the 40th Wing's four squadrons, destroyed the bulk of the Turkish Seventh Army
as it attempted to cross the Jordan River along an old Roman road leading from Nablus
, an early demonstration of the effects of concentrated air attack on ground troops. Williams wrote: "The Turkish Seventh Army ceased to exist and it must be noted that this was entirely the result of attack from the air." A detachment from No. 1 Squadron also aided Major T. E. Lawrence
's Arab army north of Amman
when it was harassed by German aircraft operating from Deraa.
While the wing's actions during the Battle of Megiddo "assured Allenby's victory" according to historian Lawrence James
, the new method of waging war by inflicting "sickening slaughter" from the air provoked a strong reaction from Lieutenant General Edward Bulfin
, commander of the British XXI Corps. He confronted Major General Geoffrey Salmond
, Air Officer Commanding
RAF Middle East, with the comment, "You are a butcher—you call that fighting?"
No. 40 Wing was based at RAF Ismailia
in Egypt from 1919, and disbanded on 1 April 1920.
Prior to the Battle of Megiddo
in September 1918, No. 40 Wing consisted of the following units and equipment:
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
that formed part of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) Palestine Brigade
Palestine Brigade RAF
The Palestine Brigade of the Royal Flying Corps, and later Royal Air Force, was formed 5 October 1917 in respose to General Allenby's request for an air formation for his planned offensive against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine.-Background:...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and immediately after. It was established in October 1917 as 40th (Army) Wing, Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC), and become part of the RAF in April 1918, when the RFC merged with the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
. The wing played a major part in the Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)
The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
, the last great offensive against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, in September 1918. It was disbanded in April 1920.
History
40th (Army) Wing RFC was formed on 5 October 1917, under the control of the RFC's Palestine Brigade. Its primary roles were counter-air operations and attacks on enemy infrastructure. It also undertook extensive photo-reconnaissanceReconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
work. Another formation under the Palestine Brigade, 5th (Corps) Wing
No. 5 Wing RAF
Number 5 Wing of the Royal Air Force was a wing of aircraft squadrons which was originally established as the Fifth Wing of the Royal Flying Corps. Currently inactive, the wing has been formed and disbanded five times over the course of its history....
, performed air cooperation and close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
tasks. 40th Wing's first Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
was Lieutenant Colonel Amyas Borton
Amyas Borton
Air Vice-Marshal Amyas Eden Borton CB, CMG, DSO, AFC was a pilot and commander in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1920s. He saw active service on the Western Front, in Palestine and in Iraq...
; he was succeeded by Alexander Shekleton in late 1917. In June 1918, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams of the Australian Flying Corps
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(AFC) took command of the wing, with No. 1 Squadron AFC
No. 1 Squadron RAAF
No. 1 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron based at RAAF Amberley. The squadron is currently being re-equipped with F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighters.-World War I:...
and three RFC squadrons—Nos. 111
No. 111 Squadron RAF
No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland until March 2011, when the squadron was disbanded, ending the Tornado F3's RAF service.-In World War I:...
, 144
No. 144 Squadron RAF
No. 144 Squadron, RAF, was a British aviation and missle squadron during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.-World War I:No. 144 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Port Said, Egypt, on 20th March 1918...
, and 145
No. 145 Squadron RAF
No. 145 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that operated during World War I, World War II and the Cold War. Its motto was Diu noctuque pugnamus .-History:...
—at his disposal. No. 145 Squadron was also commanded by an Australian, Captain Roy Drummond
Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond
Air Marshal Sir Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond KCB, DSO & Bar, OBE, MC was an Australian-born commander in the Royal Air Force . He rose from private soldier in World War I to Air Marshal in World War II. Drummond enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1914 and saw action during the Gallipoli...
. Based at Ramleh
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
, the wing's inventory consisted of Bristol F.2B
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
and S.E.5
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly the geared-output H-S...
fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
and DH.9
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
light bomber
Light bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast class of military bomber aircraft which were primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance....
s.
Augmented by a giant Handley Page bomber
Handley Page Type O
The Handley Page Type O was an early biplane bomber used by Britain during the First World War. At the time, it was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world...
, No. 40 Wing took part in the Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)
The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
, General Allenby's
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
final offensive in Palestine, where its units inflicted "wholesale destruction" on Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
columns through sustained aerial assaults. At Wadi Fara
Wadi al-Far'a
Wadi al-Far'a is a Palestinian village in the Tubas Governorate in the northeastern West Bank located five kilometers southwest of Tubas. It has a land area of 12,000 dunams, of which 337 is built-up and 10,500 are for agricultural purposes. It is under the complete control of the Palestinian...
on 21 September 1918, the Palestine Brigade, including the 40th Wing's four squadrons, destroyed the bulk of the Turkish Seventh Army
Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)
The Ottoman Seventh Army was a large military formation of Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although designated as an army, at least by 1918, it was only of corps strength....
as it attempted to cross the Jordan River along an old Roman road leading from Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, an early demonstration of the effects of concentrated air attack on ground troops. Williams wrote: "The Turkish Seventh Army ceased to exist and it must be noted that this was entirely the result of attack from the air." A detachment from No. 1 Squadron also aided Major T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
's Arab army north of Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
when it was harassed by German aircraft operating from Deraa.
While the wing's actions during the Battle of Megiddo "assured Allenby's victory" according to historian Lawrence James
Lawrence James
Edwin James Lawrence , most commonly known as Lawrence James, is an English academic, notable for his works as a writer and historian. He has written several works of popular history about the British Empire...
, the new method of waging war by inflicting "sickening slaughter" from the air provoked a strong reaction from Lieutenant General Edward Bulfin
Edward Bulfin
Lieutenant General Sir Edward Stanislaus Bulfin KCB CVO was a British general during World War I, where he established a reputation as an excellent commander at the brigade, divisional and corps levels...
, commander of the British XXI Corps. He confronted Major General Geoffrey Salmond
Geoffrey Salmond
Air Chief Marshal Sir William Geoffrey Hanson Salmond KCB, KCMG, DSO , commonly known as Sir Geoffrey Salmond, was a senior commander in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Remaining in the Royal Air Force after the War, he held senior appointments in the Middle East, Great Britain and India...
, Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
RAF Middle East, with the comment, "You are a butcher—you call that fighting?"
No. 40 Wing was based at RAF Ismailia
Ismaïlia
-Notable natives:*Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917....
in Egypt from 1919, and disbanded on 1 April 1920.
Order of battle
Battle of Megiddo (1918)
The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
in September 1918, No. 40 Wing consisted of the following units and equipment:
- Headquarters – RamlehRamlaRamla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
- No. 1 Squadron AFCNo. 1 Squadron RAAFNo. 1 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron based at RAAF Amberley. The squadron is currently being re-equipped with F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighters.-World War I:...
(Bristol F.2BBristol F.2 FighterThe Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
, Handley Page Type OHandley Page Type OThe Handley Page Type O was an early biplane bomber used by Britain during the First World War. At the time, it was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world...
) - No. 111 Squadron RAFNo. 111 Squadron RAFNo. 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland until March 2011, when the squadron was disbanded, ending the Tornado F3's RAF service.-In World War I:...
(S.E.5Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly the geared-output H-S...
) - No. 144 Squadron RAFNo. 144 Squadron RAFNo. 144 Squadron, RAF, was a British aviation and missle squadron during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.-World War I:No. 144 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Port Said, Egypt, on 20th March 1918...
(DH.9Airco DH.9The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
) - No. 145 Squadron RAFNo. 145 Squadron RAFNo. 145 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that operated during World War I, World War II and the Cold War. Its motto was Diu noctuque pugnamus .-History:...
(S.E.5)