Wing leader

Wing leader, or wing commander (flying), denotes the tactical commander of a

wing commander. The position was also distinct from the commanding officer

of the wing, generally a higher-ranked officer. The first wing leaders were appointed in 1941, and the position remained in use until the 1960s.

History

The role of wing leader originated in the

RAF Biggin Hill.^[1]^[2] Each led a wing of three Supermarine Spitfire squadrons.^[5]

Several of the early wing leader appointees were, like Bader and Malan, veterans of the Battle of Britain. Their average age in 1941 was twenty-eight to twenty-nine; in 1942 it was twenty-six to twenty-seven. Norman Franks has contended that, to be successful, appointees had to possess "clear fighting ability and an equally tactical ability to command more than one squadron in the air".^[2] Wing leaders did not have administrative or command responsibility for their formations; that role was reserved for a more senior officer, generally a group captain.^[6]^[7] According to Johnnie Johnson, wing leader at RAF Kenley and, later, of No. 144 (Royal Canadian Air Force) Wing:^[3]

The Wing Leader's job was every fighter pilot's dream, as the Wing Commander (Flying) responsible for his wing's performance in the air. The logistics were left to the Station Commander, usually a Group Captain, and the wing's three squadron commanders.

Wing leaders were permitted to use their initials on their aircraft in place of the usual squadron codes, to help identify them to their formation. Johnson, who displayed his initials JE-J on the fuselage of his Spitfire Mk IX, thought this was "really something, you really knew then that you had made it", though he had to override his intelligence officer's fear that it made him an attractive target for the enemy.^[6]

Members of other Commonwealth air forces who led RAF wings included New Zealander

Howard Blatchford at RAF Coltishall, also in 1943.^[8] RAF wing leaders in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre included wing commanders Ian Gleed and "Cocky" Dundas, who led No. 244 Wing in North Africa in 1943 and in Italy in 1944, respectively.^[9] The Royal Navy also employed wing leaders—generally lieutenant commanders or majors in the Royal Marines—to control Fleet Air Arm (FAA) wings, which could comprise up to five naval air squadrons.^[10] Among the FAA's wing leaders was Lieutenant Commander Dickie Cork, who was appointed to lead a Vought F4U Corsair wing aboard HMS Illustrious in 1943.^[11]

The

Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk squadrons led by Wing Commander Dick Cresswell in 1944–45.^[12]

The RAF continued to employ wing commanders (flying) during the early years of the

RAF Fassberg in 1951.^[13] RAF Bomber Command also appointed wing leaders during the early Cold War period, although the title was modified to wing commander (operations) and the role encompassed training as well as air operations.^[14] The position of wing commander (flying) was still in use in the RAF in the early 1960s.^[15]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Bowyer, Fighter Pilots of the RAF, p. 151
^ ^a ^b ^c Franks, Fighter Command's Air War, "Chapter 1: What will the New Year bring?"
^ ^a ^b Sarkar, The Spitfire Manual, "Introduction: Spitfire!"
^ ^a ^b Cooper, Darwin Spitfires, pp. 100–101
^ Sarkar, Spitfire Ace of Aces, "The Bader factor: Tangmere Wing"
^ ^a ^b Sarkar, Spitfire Ace of Aces, "Wing commander (flying): Greycap Leader"
^ ^a ^b Cooper, Darwin Spitfires, pp. 20–21
^ Shores; Williams, Aces High, p. 133, 216
^ Shores; Williams, Aces High, p. 238, 286
^ Barber, The British Fleet Air Arm in World War II, p. 24
^ Shores; Williams, Aces High, p. 191
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 380, 389
^ Watkins, History of the de Havilland Vampire, "RAF Fighter Command"; "Vampires in Germany"
^ "Bomber Command". Flight. 28 June 1957. p. 866. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
^ "Service Aviation". Flight. 9 November 1961. p. 739. Retrieved 22 November 2016.