AHQ Iraq
AHQ Iraq (Air Headquarters Iraq or Air H.Q. Iraq) was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
| Air Headquarters Iraq (1941-1943) Air Headquarters Iraq and Persia (1943-1946) Air Headquarters Iraq (1946-1955) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941 - 1955 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Headquarters | RAF Habbaniya (1941-43, 1946-55) |
| Royal Air Force Ensign |  |
History
The command was formed on 1 November 1941 by renaming HQ British Forces in Iraq, the former RAF Iraq Command. AHQ Iraq was renamed AHQ Iraq and Persia on 1 January 1943.[1] AHQ Iraq and Persia was a sub-command of Middle East Command which at the time was a sub-command of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command.[2] AHQ Iraq was reformed by renaming AHQ Iraq and Persia on 1 March 1946.[1][3] The Headquarters (A.H.Q.) were situated in RAF Habbaniya.
No. 6 Squadron RAF flew out to Shaibah during a period of high tensions with Iran - the Abadan crisis over oil nationalisation in June 1951.[4]
In April 1955 a new agreement was made with the Iraq Government for the defence of Iraq and the use of bases by the RAF with the result that AHQ Iraq was disbanded by being renamed AHQ Levant on 1 May 1955. On 1 December 1955 AHQ Levant started to transfer from RAF Habbaniya to Cyprus and, on 15 January 1956 when the move was complete, AHQ Cyprus and AHQ Levant were amalgamated as AHQ Levant.[5]
One of the two main stations in Iraq, RAF Shaibah, was handed over to Iraqi control on 1 March 1956.[6] The RAF maintained a presence in Iraq until May 1959, when RAF Habbaniya and RAF Basrah were closed. The long-present Iraq Levies had been disbanded in May 1955.[7]
Order of battle
Some of the units and commanders assigned to these commands for four different dates during World War II are illustrated below.
| AHQ Iraq 27 October 1942 |
AHQ Iraq and Persia 10 July 1943 |
|---|---|
No. 215 Group
|
No. 215 Group
|
No. 214 Group
|
- Notes
- Det.=Detachment, Met.=Meteorological
- On 10 July 1943, when the Allies invaded Sicily (Operation Husky), it's not clear whether Air Vice Marshal Hugh Champion de Crespigny or Air Vice Marshal Robert Willock was in command of AHQ Iraq and Persia.
Commanders
Commanders included:[1]
AHQ Iraq
- 1942 Air Vice Marshal H V Champion de Crespigny (19 February 1942)
AHQ Iraq & Persia
- 1943 Air Vice Marshal H V Champion de Crespigny (1 January 1943)
- 1943 Air Vice Marshal R P Willock
- 1944 Air Vice Marshal R A George
- 1945 Air Vice Marshal S C Strafford
AHQ Iraq
- 1946 Air Vice Marshal S C Strafford
- 1947 Air Vice Marshal A Gray
- 2 Sep 1950 - 1 Oct 1952 Air Vice Marshal George Beamish (AOC, AHQ Iraq)
- 20 Aug 1952 - Oct 1954 Air Vice Marshal John Gosset Hawtrey (died in San Remo on 26 Oct 1954 returning overland from Iraq)[8][9]
- Oct 1954 - Apr 1956 Air Vice Marshal Hugh Hamilton Brookes[10]
References
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Overseas Commands - Iraq, India and the Far East Archived 2008-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Richards, D. and H. Saunders, The Royal Air Force 1939–1945 (Volumes 2-3, HMSO, 1953).
- Air Chief Marshal Sir David Lee, Flight From The Middle East, pg. 8 (H.M.S.O. London, UK, 1980, ISBN 0117723568)
- "Page 7". Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- David Lee, FLIGHT FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, pg. 105
- Tony Fairbairn, ACTION STATIONS OVERSEAS, pg. 165
- Solomon (Sawa) Solomon, The Assyrian Levies, The Final Chapter, Nineveh Magazine 4Q,93,V16,No4.
- http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Hawtrey.htm
- Death Certificate, British Consulate General, Genoa, Italy
- http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Brookes.htm
Further reading
- David Lee, Flight from the Middle East: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent territories 1945–1972, HMSO 1980
Bibliography
- Tony Fairbairn: ACTION STATIONS OVERSEAS (Patrick Stephens Limited, UK, 1991, ISBN 978-1-85260-319-9).