Background
As I have noted in the past (see e.g. here), the war in the Middle East was an imperial undertaking, with much of the manpower and equipment being supplied not from the UK but from the Dominions and the Empire, all of whom had declared war on Germany in September 1939.
While this situation is quite clear for land and naval forces, it is a bit less well understood for the air force, where the reflection of this is mostly in individual squadrons, such as No. 451 Squadron R.A.A.F., a well-known Australian army cooperation squadron operating Hurricanes, or the rather large range of South African Air Force (S.A.A.F.) squadrons operating in the desert.
Tactical Reconnaissance Hurricane I Z.4641 “Olive II” of No. 451 Squadron R.A.A.F.in flight, 1941. A colorized picture is here.
The establishment of the South African Wings
Prior to the start of Operation CRUSADER, the Royal Air Force in the Middle East went through a number of organizational changes, adapting the structure of the force to the forthcoming operation. This saw also the renaming/creation of new Wings to operate in the Western Desert. Two of these were commanded by the South African Air Force.
First off though, a quick note on the RAF command structure in the Middle East. At the top, Middle East Command led the air war in the whole theatre, including Malta, Sudan/East Africa, and Syria and the Arab Peninsula. It was the strategic command level. The next level down were either Air H.Q. or Group commands, of which the Desert Air Force was one, originally No. 204 Group but renamed “Air H.Q. Western Desert” for Operation CRUSADER. Other Air H.Q.s were Eypt and Malta.
Air H.Q.s were leading the operational war, even though it is unlikely that it would have been considered as such in those days. So for example, Air H.Q. Western Desert was responsible for drafting and executing the air component of Operation CRUSADER, while Air. H.Q. Egypt coordinated the air defense of Egypt. To do so, Air H.Q.s relied on tactical commands. These were Groups and Wings, and they had specific, tactical or regional responsibilities. They are probably most comparable to Army Divisions and Brigades. Groups were either composed of several wings and squadrons, while Wings were composed of a number of Squadrons, which were tactical units composed of 12 or 16 planes. For example, No. 205 Group comprised the five medium bomber squadrons of Middle East Command, while No. 201 Group had a special role in providing Naval Cooperation.
On October 28 therefore, Middle East H.Q. recommended the creation of No. 3 (S.A.) Wing, out of No. 261 Wing, to be commanded by a South African officer. Lt.Col. H.G. Wilmott (not to be confused with South African Lt.Col. L.A. Wilmott who was Wing Sweep Commander in No. 258 Wing R.A.F.) was given command of the newly designated formation, making him the senior South African air officer in theatre.
At the time of its formation, N. 3 (S.A.) Wing comprised five squadrons, three South African (Nos. 12 and 21 with Martin Marylands and No. 24 with Douglas Bostons, which made their operational debut in the Middle East), and Nos. 11 and 113 (Blenheim bomber and fighter, respectively) Squadrons R.A.F., with the latter operating from Giarabub in the south. There is considerable confusion about the date and squadron allocation, not helped by the official R.A.F. history having it completely wrong, and e.g. articles on the South African Air Force history putting the formation date into September 1941. The document below should clarify this.
AIR54/96 excerpt regarding the creation of No.3 (S.A.) Wing.
At the start of CRUSADER, No. 24 Squadron was assigned to Army Cooperation, directly under the control of Air H.Q. Western Desert, while No. 113 was assigned to Whitforce, operating from L.G.125 deep in the Libyan desert. The role of No. 3 (S.A.) wing now became the provision of air support to 30 Corps, the armoured corps of Eighth Army. Its HQ at Fuka was co-located with No. 270 Wing, which comprised the Blenheim light bomber squadrons of the R.A.F., and with which it was to closely co-operate.
As the operation progressed, an order was given to form No. 4 (S.A.) Wing as well as a fighter wing. This was however not formed.
Martin Maryland Mark II, 1655, of the SAAF, is refuelled at Ma’aten Bagush, Egypt. IWM CM1326
Further Reading
Royal Air Force Strength in November 1941
The Crusader Project 
