What Was OPS.1?

[Dave Homewood]

In an accident report for a crash of a Ventura in June 1944, Squadron Leader Lloyd Parry of OPS.1 questioned the findings.

Does anyone know what the OPS.1 abbreviation means?

Is that short for Operations? Where was it based? What did it do?

[davidd]

Yes Dave, Ops 1 is an appointment, or post if you will, within Air Department. Some of the appointees will appear in wartime Air Force Lists, almost certainly within the Directorate of Operations, which resided in the Branch of the Chief of Air Staff. However, a quick check of WW2 lists shows that they only contain the name and appointment of the Director of Operations (D of Ops), who for much of the war was Wing Commander (later Group Captain) G H M Pirie, RAF. I may have some more complete staff list for that Directorate somewhere, but may take some time. However other appointments would likely include the likes of Ops Ops 2, Ops 3, etc., absolutely typical of such designations.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks very much David.

[davidd]

Do not have much more Dave, but this gives an idea of how "Ops. I", etc., fitted into the Air Department HQ organisation in Wellington.

Details taken from Administrative Instruction No. 37/1944 dated 26/5/44, headed up "Re-organisation, Directorate of Operations." The officers expected to be appointed to fill these posts were described by rank, then Branch (GD, A&SD, etc.), and also if they were expected to co-ordinate their duties with other members of the Directorate (as for Ops. III, Ops. V, below).


Ops. I, Bomber Reconnaissance and Flying Boat OTU; Seaplane Training Flight; School of Navigation & Reconnaissance" (the latter I thought did not receive this later title until about July 1944!, seems I was wrong!) To be rank of S/L GD (Flying, that is, Pilot).

Ops. II, Fighter OTUs, and Fighter Gunnery School, to be rank of S/L GD (Flying).

Ops. III, Course manning for Ops. I, etc. To be rank of F/L GD (Flying).

Ops. IV, Statistics of Operational Squadrons, Overseas and in New Zealand, to be rank of F/L GD (Flying), although could be A&SD (Administrative & Special Duties.)

Ops. V, Gunnery Training School, also with Ops II on GTS, FOTUs. To be rank of S/L GD (Flying), or Air Gunner.


Hope this gives you an idea of the thinking behind the creation of these posts in Air Department, and the sort of officer they hoped would be available to fill the different posts, although obviously some flexibility was allowed in the choice. All these positions were of the type usually referred to as "Staff Officers" and as such were expected to know as much as possible about those units and personnel they oversaw, which would be maintained by constant supervision of the documents provided by these units (training and operational), and reply to same, as well as general progress of all trainees and subsequent postings to operational, or perhaps training units. They would also be expected to sometimes visit "their units", particularly the training units, for talks with the officers supervising these units, and hear about any grumbles on policy, procedures, or suggestions on any matter.

Notice that there is no mention of Navigators or Wireless personnel in the above, whose supervision would have been provided by a different Directorate, probably called Nav. I, Nav II, etc, or Signals Directorate, maybe Sigs. I, II and the like.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks David, that explains it nicely.