SZ/AEAF - [Allied Expeditionary Air Force]

SZ/AEAF

Series

[Allied Expeditionary Air Force]

1943-1945

14 boxes

World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations

The files have clearly been re-organised more than once and much of the present arrangement reflects their use during the drafting of Leigh-Mallory’s official despatch on the operations of AEAF, published posthumously. It is also likely that at this stage some documents were added. A number of items are typescripts headed ‘copy’ which are presumed to have been copied from material in official files elsewhere and may not have constituted part of SZ’s working files during the planning of Overlord. It is also likely that some planning papers were at different times transferred to files now in series SZ/BAU, SZ/BBSU and SZ/BSU. There is, therefore, a lack of coherence in the contents of this series. The series also overlaps with SZ/BSGF and SZ/FS.

This series deals with SZ's activities as Scientific Adviser (Plans) to the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF) a post to which SZ was recalled from the Mediterranean in January 1944 on the recommendation of Air Chief Marshal Tedder. Tedder, who had been appointed Deputy Supreme Commander of Allied Forces for the invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord), had been persuaded of the value of attacks on transportation targets and rail targets in particular by the success of air operations in the Mediterranean theatre. SZ quickly established a good working relationship with the AEAF planning staff and with the Air Officer Commanding AEAF, Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory. Leigh-Mallory had been a commander of fighter forces, not universally popular among his peers, who was to arouse a degree of opposition to his plans for air support of Overlord which were judged by some to stray too far into the sphere of strategic operations.