No. 5 (Maintenance) Group RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) group of World War II. It was formed in June 1942 as part of a reorganisation of the air force that saw maintenance functions transferred from area commands to dedicated functional groups. No. 5 (Maintenance) Group was disbanded following the war in January 1946.
History
On 23 May 1942, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin agreed to a proposal made by Air Vice-Marshal George Jones, the RAAF Chief of the Air Staff, to establish up to five maintenance groups as part of a broader reorganisation of the air force along semi-functional, semi-geographical lines. These groups were to be tasked with supporting the RAAF's five operational area commands.[1]
No. 5 (Maintenance) Group was the first of these groups to be established, and was formed on 1 June 1942. Its inaugural commanding officer was Group Captain D.E.L. Wilson, and the group's headquarters was located in the Sydney suburb of Darling Point.[2][3] In the event, the only other maintenance group to be formed was No. 4, which was established on 14 September 1942.[2] No. 5 Group was responsible for administering the RAAF maintenance units located in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland, as well as the city of Noumea in New Caledonia.[4] As of early 1943, the group reported directly to RAAF Headquarters.[5]
Following the end of the war, No. 5 Group was disbanded at Sydney on 13 January 1946.[6]
