No. 11 Group RAAF
| No. 11 Group RAAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1945–46 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Air Commodore Raymond Brownell |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Supermarine Spitfire, Curtiss P-40 |
No. 11 Group was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) group formed at Morotai in the last weeks of World War II to command the RAAF's garrison units in the region. The group was established at the end of July 1945, but was not yet fully active when the war ended on 14 August. It remained active at Morotai until being disbanded at the end of March 1946.
During 1944 and 1945 the RAAF's Australian First Tactical Air Force (No. 1 TAF) took part in the advance of Allied forces along the northern coast of New Guinea, followed by the invasions of Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies and several locations on or around Borneo. While No. 1 TAF was intended to operate as a highly mobile striking force, by mid-1945 these operations had left it operating a string of bases outside of the main combat zones. These bases required air garrisons to protect them from remnant Japanese forces, as well as administrative units to maintain a supply chain back to Australia.
In order to free No. 1 TAF from its garrison duties and enable it to focus on future offensives, the RAAF proposed to the Commonwealth Government that a static command be established. It was intended that this command would comprise elements of No. 1 TAF and Northern Command. In recommending its establishment (initially as "No. 1 Air Garrison Force"), Air Vice Marshal explained that while it shared the static characteristic of an area command, it differed in that the area commands were part of the RAAF's permanent structure and situated within the borders of Australia's mainland and overseas territories, whereas the new formation was a temporary wartime measure, headquartered on foreign territory. The Government agreed to the proposal, and No. 11 Group was established at Morotai on 16 July 1945. The group's inaugural commanding officer was Air Commodore Raymond Brownell, who had previously been Air Officer Commanding, Western Area.
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