The RAF commander who turned Fighter Command from defence toward offence
As Dowding's successor, he rebuilt Fighter Command while seeking to confront the Luftwaffe on the offensive.
William Sholto Douglas was a senior Royal Air Force commander whose career spanned two world wars. During the Battle of Britain he supported the use of massed fighter formations, and as Hugh Dowding's successor at Fighter Command he rebuilt its strength after the battle while seeking to regain the initiative from the German Luftwaffe. This shift widened Fighter Command's mission from air defence toward offensive sweeps over France, although the Circus operations achieved only limited results. After the war he commanded British forces in the occupation zone in Germany and later chaired British European Airways.
Career Timeline
- 1914Second lieutenant, Royal Field Artillery
- 1915–1919Pilot and squadron commander, Royal Flying Corps
- 1936–1938Director of Staff Duties, Air Ministry
- 1938–1940Assistant Chief and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
- 1940–1942Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command
- 1943–1944Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Middle East Command
- 1944–1945Commander-in-Chief, Coastal Command
- 1946–1947Commander-in-Chief, British Air Forces of Occupation
- 1949–1964Chairman, British European Airways