Useful initials guide for newbies
This is an expanded list from a reply which I placed on the general forum earlier in response to a question from a newbie who wanted to know what 'RAF' meant.
The admin may wish to make this a sticky and other readers are invited to add further definitions and examples. I am sure I have missed a few!
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Useful initials:
R.A.F. until April 1, 1918 RAF stood for the Royal Aircraft Factory hence 'RAF 1a' as an engine type, etc. After April 1 1918 it became used for the Royal Air Force. The former Royal Aircraft Factory then became the R.A.E. or Royal Aircraft Establishment. The RAE still exists today and is the test and development side of Government aviation in Britain.
As the Royal Aircraft Factory, the pre-April 'RAF' was responsible for a number of British designs such as the RE8, the SE5/5a and various types manufactured under the FE and BE series of numbers. Despite being designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory many of its well-known types were actually manufactured by sub-contractors under licence.
R.F.C. until April 1, 1918 the RFC was the British Army's air arm whose pilots and ground crew wore army uniforms and used army ranks, insignia and army medals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps
R.N.A.S. until April 1, 1918, the RNAS was the Royal Navy's air arm whose pilots and ground crew wore darker naval uniforms and used naval ranks, insignia and naval medals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Naval_Air_Service
Both the RFC and the RNAS were merged into the RAF on April 1 but the uniforms of both branches continued to be worn for up to a year afterwards so post-April 1, 1918, crew photographs can show both light (Army) and dark (Navy) uniforms in the same shot. The new official RAF uniform was a blue/grey material and was allegedly chosen as there were thousands of yards of unused cloth still in stock in the UK. This came from a cancelled order from the pre-Russian Revolution Tsar's army, which had specified this colour with the intent that the uniforms be manufactured in the UK.
Naval flying was re-founded as a separate branch in 1924 with the establishment of the Fleet Air Arm as part of the new RAF, but critics said that the RAF did not give naval flying enough priority. The Fleet Air Arm did not return to full Royal Navy control until May 24, 1939 - just in time for WW2. As a result of RAF under-investment in naval flying in the 1930s the FAA started WW2 'one generation' behind other carrier nations and was still using biplanes such as the Swordfish and Gladiator.
A.E.F. American Expeditionary Forces. US forces sent to Europe in WW1. Official US squadrons flew under the title AEF.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americ...tionary_Forces
S.P.A.D. Societe Pour L'Aviation et ses Derives. French aircraft company originally set up as a subsidiary of Deperdussin with S.P.A.D. having a different meaning. Re-founded without the Deperdussin connection but with the same initials in 1913.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociét...et_ses_Dérivés
L.F.G. (Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft): German aircraft manufacturer most famous for the 'Roland' series of aircraft which name it adopted to avoid confusion with L.V.G.
Franz Schneider, holder of a pre-war patent for a machine-gun interrupter gear later joined LFG and the company sued Anthony Fokker as early as 1916 for infringing that 1912 patent with his 'invention'. Despite numerous court judgements into the 1920s Fokker never paid LFG a penny.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luft-F...g-Gesellschaft
L.V.G. (Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H.): German aircraft manufacturer most famous for two-seater bomber and recce types. The LVG CVI formerly flown by the Shuttleworth Collection's is the world's only complete surviving German two-seater from WW1. It was finally grounded in 2003 and is now held by the RAF Museum, possibly at Cosford. A flying reproduction has been built near Paris.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVG
http://www.airliners.net/photo/LVG-C...2a71dcbfa330b7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st4jG9cTLIk
D.F.W. (Deutsch Flugzeug-Werke): German aircraft manufacturer most famous for two-seater machines, particularly the DFW C V.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Flugzeug-Werke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DFW_C.V
Despite being the most heavily produced of all German two-seaters (about 3,250 machines built by DFW and under licence by other manufacturers) only a single C.V fuselage remains today in a Polish museum.
A.E.G. (Allgemeine-Gesellsschaft Aktiengesellschaft): A German electrical and engineering company which manufactured aircraft between 1912 and 1918.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AEG#Th...st_dissolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AEG_G.IV
A complete AEG GIV survives in Canada, the only surviving German multi-engined aircraft from WW1.
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Originally Posted by Jager
Actually Rafel the first Jasta formed was Jasta 2, to be led by Oswald Bolcke, on 10th August 1916 but as he was travelling it was a little time before he returned & took command.
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