RAF Iraq Command

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Iraq Command was the RAF-led inter-service command in charge of all British forces in Iraq in the 1920s and early 1930s, during the period of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. It consisted of Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army, Commonwealth, and locally raised units and was commanded by an RAF officer normally of Air Vice-Marshal rank. Following the end of World War I and the accompanying British defence cuts, the newly-independent RAF took up the task of policing the Empire from the air. It was argued that the use of air power would prove to be a more cost-effective way of controlling large areas than by using conventional land forces. In Mesopotamia there was a need to counter Turkish aspirations and by 1920 a Mesopotamian Wing had been established. In January 1921 Mesopotamian Group was formed by raising Mesopotamian Wing to group status and on 1 October 1922 Mesopotamian Group was absorbed into the newly formed Iraq Command which was given control of all British forces in Iraq.... Mehr