| Unit Name: | RAF Third Tactical Air Force |
| End Date: | --> |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Branch: | Royal Air Force |
| Specialization: | --> |
| Colours: | --> |
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The RAF Third Tactical Air Force (Third TAF), which was formed in South Asia in December 1943, was one of three tactical air forces formed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the air forces of other Commonwealth countries. Third TAF was formed shortly after the establishment of South East Asia Command to provide close air support to the Fourteenth Army.
It was first formed on 19 December 1943 designated the Tactical Air Force (Burma) and renamed as the Third TAF on 28 December 1943. Along with parts of the USAAF Tenth Air Force, it was subordinate to Joint Allied Eastern Air Command which was also formed in December 1943.[1]
As the Air Force was formed, it was felt that at last British forces could go over to the offensive against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign. A start was made towards establishing a general offensive in Arakan in early 1943, but this was forestalled by a Japanese offensive. The Japanese were decisively beaten, but they shifted the focus of their attack to central Burma. Third TAF gave sterling service to Fourteenth Army during the Battle of Kohima and the Battle of Imphal, strafing and bombing the besieging Japanese troops, often at very low level.
After the defeat of the Japanese by IV Corps and XXXIII Corps in Assam, the monsoon intervened before many counterattacks could take place. After the enforced period of reduced operations, the Third TAF supported the advance of Fourteenth Army against the Japanese forces. However, command arrangement changes at the end of 1944 cutting short the life of the Third TAF. It was redesignated HQ RAF Bengal and Burma on 4 December 1944.
The Third TAF had two commanders, Air Marshal John Baldwin up until 15 August 1944, and then Air Marshal Sir Alec Coryton.
The Third TAF comprised the following Groups:
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane IIc. | ||||
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane IIc. | ||||
| 224 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane IIc. | ||||
| 224 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane IIc. | ||||
| 224 | Hawker Hurricane FR.IIb specialist reconnaissance to support the Fourteenth Army on this front, earning the name "The Eyes of the Fourteenth Army" | ||||
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Vultee Vengeance and later Hawker Hurricane IIc. | ||||
| 224 | Vultee Vengeance and later Spitfire. | ||||
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane IIc | ||||
| 221 | in 1942 they received American-built Mohawks and became escorts to Blenheim bombers over north west Burma. These were replaced in turn by Hawker Hurricanes and later American-built Thunderbolts. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane IIc. | ||||
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC | ||||
| 222 | Equipped with Beaufighters, undertook anti-shipping rocket attacks. A month after the Japanese surrender, No. 22 Squadron disbanded. | ||||
| 221 | Flew the Lysander and from December 1942 the Hawker Hurricane fighter-bomber. By 1943 the squadron was operating in Burma until 1945 when it started to re-equip with the Supermarine Spitfire. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Flew Blenheim IVs. These carried out bombing raids on Japanese bases in Burma until April 1943. The Squadron converted to Hawker Hurricanes and then began fighter-bomber operations from November. It switched to Thunderbolts in March 1945. Fought in the battle of Imphal | ||||
| 221 | Fought in the battle of Imphal. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC | ||||
| 221 | Blenhiem Mk IV then re-equipped with Hawker Hurricane MK II and in May 1945 with Republic Thunderbolts. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Arrived at Alipore, India in December 1943, equipped with more modern Spitfire VIII, starting operations in January. It flew fighter and ground attack missions in support of the Second Battle of Arakan and fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Flew the Vultee Vengeance then the squadron was re-equipped with Mosquitoes in July 1944. Fought in the battle of Imphal | ||||
| 221 | Flew the Vultee Vengeance then the squadron re-equipped with the Mosquito in February 1945. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Flew the Vultee Vengeance then the squadron re-equipped with the DH Mosquito. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Flew Blenhiem Mk IV and then converted to Hurricanes in March 1943. These were used for ground-attack duties being replaced by Thunderbolts in April 1945. Fought in the battle of Imphal | ||||
| 221 | Flew Hurricanes into 1944 when it was moved again to India in the Chittagong area until June 1944 it re-equipped with the Republic Thunderbolt. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | Flew Hurricanes till October 1943 and then Spitfires. Fought in the battle of Imphal | ||||
| 221 | 19 December 1943 | Duration | Fought in the battle of Imphal, operated Spitfires from front-line strips and supported the Fourteenth Army during its final conquest of Burma. | ||
| 221 | Equipped with Beaufighters and Hurricanes to provide night defence for Calcutta. Detachments of the squadron were then based at Chittagong Burma, Ratmalana Ceylon, Baigachi and Mingaladon where the Beaufighters were replaced with Mosquitoes in June 1945. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 224 | Equipped with Beaufighters, twin-engined, long range, ground attack fighters, Canadians formed a significant percentage of the pilots. During its two year of operations in Burma, it destroyed or damaged 266 locomotives and trains, 673 vehicles, a score of river and ocean-going vessels and nine aircraft on the ground. | ||||
| 8 January 1944 | Duration | Bristol Beaufighter X (October 1943 to May 1945)de Havilland Mosquito FB VI (June 1945 to March 1946) | |||
| 221 | Flew Hurricanes and then Spitfires. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| 221 | flew Spitfires and was re-equipped with Republic Thunderbolts when the squadron was renumbered to No. 615 squadron on that same day and began training for the invasion of Malaya. Fought in the battle of Imphal. | ||||
| No. 684 Squadron RAF | 231 | Photo-reconnaissance unit, it was disbanded on 1 September 1946 at RAF Seletar, Singapore by being renumbered to No. 81 Squadron RAF. |
A Third TAF Communications Squadron was established on 28 December 1943, but disestablished on 4 December 1944 at RAF Comilla.
Burma was relatively straightforward to deal with, although more complicated than Siam. Much of the colony had been conquered several months before the war ended, in the big British offensive of summer 1945. That gave Air Command, South East Asia, crucial breathing space to start getting the colony back on its feet before the massive increase in occupation duties postwar occurred. At the end of the war, it had 28 squadrons under its control. This quickly reduced as the demobilisation really kicked in. Again, the transport squadrons saw the largest amount of work, evacuating prisoners of war and internees and supplying garrisons and the civilian population. Second to the transport squadrons in workload were the photo reconnaissance aircraft. The opportunity was taken to complete the process of surveying SE Asia from the air, and using the survey to bring maps up to date. The survey was not completed until August 1947.
A light transport and liaison squadron, Air Headquarters Burma Communication Squadron, was established on 20 September 1945 at Baigachi, but disbanded within two months, on 14 November 1945 at RAF Mingaladon (now Yangon International Airport), by being downgraded to Air Headquarters Burma Communication Flight RAF.
After the clean-up immediately postwar, came the task of preparing Burma for independence. AHQ Burma moved out of Rangoon to Mingaladon on 1 January 1947. The Burmese Air Force was established on 16 January 1947 with former British aircraft. AHQ Burma was disbanded on 31 December 1947, and three months later Burma became independent.