No. 71 Group — Army Co-operation

No. 71 Group was the operational army-cooperation group of the RAF, formed in December 1940 as one of the two groups of the new Army Co-operation Command. Its squadrons developed and practised the tactical reconnaissance, artillery observation and close-support techniques needed to support the British Army; in August 1941 it reorganised onto a Wing basis, each Wing tied to a home Army regional command — work that fed directly into the air-support methods later used in the invasion of Europe.