Raymond Collishaw, the Royal Air Force and the Western Desert Campaign, 1940-1941
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Raymond Collishaw, the Royal Air Force and the Western Desert Campaign, 1940-1941 Mike Bechthold Hons BA, MA (Wilfrid Laurier University) This thesis is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities and Social Sciences UNSW@ADFA 2014 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Bechthold First name: Blain Other name/s: Michael Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: UNSW@ADFA Faculty: HASS Title: Raymond Collishaw, the Royal Air Force and the Western Desert Campaign, 1940-1941 Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This dissertation examines the origins of the British system of tactical air support which significantly contributed to the defeat of Germany during the Second World War. Poor relations between the Royal Air Force and Army early in the war hindered the success of operations. The RAF air campaign during Operation Compass demonstrated the fundamental tenets of the formal Allied tactical air doctrine that would emerge later in the war. The central figure was Air Commodore Raymond Collishaw who directed his small force to overwhelm the Italian air force and dislocate enemy logistics to make a substantial contribution to the first major British victory of the war. Collishaw’s career prepared him well for this campaign. Known primarily as a Great War ace, he was also one of the first specialists in close air support during the Hundred Days campaign. After the war he fought campaigns in South Russia and Mesopotamia, served aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous, policed riots in Palestine and deployed to Sudan during the Abyssinian crisis. This experience primed him for senior command and taught him much about the application of air power, especially how to work effectively with the Army and the Royal Navy. The failure of Operation Battleaxe in June 1941, fought according to Army doctrine, led Prime Minister Winston Churchill to consider the higher level direction of future air campaigns. He identified and codified the elements of a successful tactical air campaign in a directive which confirmed the RAF view of mission and target selection. The pattern of operations outlined by Churchill rejected the army’s preference to use the RAF for the close defence of its troops. Rather, Churchill’s directive reflected the basic principles of Collishaw’s air plan employed during Operation Compass. This study is based on a close reading of Collishaw’s papers as well as the documentary records of the RAF, British Army and the British Cabinet. Operational Record Books, War Diaries and Cabinet minutes along with the personal letters and diaries of the main actors form the primary body of evidence for understanding the events in the Western Desert in 1940-1941. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). 22 November 2013 …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: THIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS COPYRIGHT STATEMENT 'l hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all fonns of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is appl:cable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained pennission to use copyright material; where pennission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of ::::sis.:;/i.~· · ··· · · · ·· · ······· Date 1!J?t .. .....l1 .. ~.t?..1:1. .. .'.. ..................... ......... .. AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT 'I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.' Signed ····~-~ .............................. .. Date '...... .1.f.. .... l!.~~ .. l.::~11. .. ........................... .. ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed: Date: 22 November 2013 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... ii Note on conventions ................................................................................................................. iii List of Maps .............................................................................................................................. iv Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 – The First World War ..................................................................................................29 Chapter 2 – South Russia and Mesopotamia ................................................................................61 Chapter 3 – RAF Staff College, HMS Courageous and the Sudan ..............................................90 Chapter 4 – The Western Desert 1939-1940 ...............................................................................124 Chapter 5 – The Western Desert and the Start of the War ..........................................................151 Chapter 6 – Operation Compass I: The Battle of the Camps and Bardia ...................................180 Chapter 7 – Operation Compass II: Tobruk and Beda Fomm ....................................................212 Chapter 8 – Reversal of Fortune: The Retreat to the Frontier ....................................................252 Chapter 9 – The Siege of Tobruk, Operation Brevity and Crete ................................................291 Chapter 10 – Operation Battleaxe ...............................................................................................323 Chapter 11 – After Battleaxe ......................................................................................................358 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................389 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................406 Appendix 1 – A Note by the Minister of Defence, 7 October 1941 ............................................433 Appendix 2 – Talk by Air Vice-Marshal Sir A. Coningham, 16 February 1943 ........................436 i Acknowledgments [to be inserted at a later date.] ii Note on conventions The question of individuals’ ranks is a confusing matter as many of the officers mentioned in this text were regularly promoted during the period under consideration. An officer’s ultimate rank will be used when referencing his overall career but officers will be identified by the rank they held during the events under consideration. Thus, it is Group Captain Arthur Longmore in Chapter 2 when discussing his role in Iraq in 1923 and Air Chief Marshal Longmore in Chapter 6 when he was the senior RAF officer in the Middle East at the time of Operation Compass. The spelling of towns and places in Egypt and Libya varies widely depending on the source. For example, the British official history refers to Rabia, Maktila and Tummar, the