| No. 6 Group RCAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 January 1943 - 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Role | Strategic and tactical bombing |
| Size | 14 squadrons at peak strength |
| Part of | RAF Bomber Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Allerton Park, near Harrogate |
| Motto | Sollertia et ingenium Latin: "Initiative and skill" |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Air Vice-Marshal G.E. Brookes, Air Vice-Marshal C.M. McEwen |
No. 6 Group RCAF was an organization of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) bomber squadrons which operated from airfields in Yorkshire, England during the Second World War. Although 6 Group was RCAF, it was controlled by the Royal Air Force as part of Bomber Command. No. 6 Group had been previously active in the RAF in 1918, from 1924 to 1926, and from 1936 to 1939.[1] Before the war, 6 Group was an RAF training group; at the beginning of the war, the group was non-operational.[2]
Contents |
Formation
Canadian bomber squadrons began participating in the war effort in 1941 and were attached to RAF Bomber Command groups. Canada, however, wanted its own identifiable presence in Allied air operations overseas, and it did not want its air force to be merely a source of manpower for the Royal Air Force. To this end, 6 (RCAF) Group was formed on 1 January 1943 with eight squadrons. At the peak of its strength, 6 Group consisted of 14 squadrons.[3] Fifteen squadrons would eventually serve with the group, which was almost every RCAF heavy bomber squadron.[4][3] Headquarters for 6 Group was at Allerton Park near Knaresborough.
Operations
Significant operations involving 6 Group included raids on U-boat bases in Lorient and Saint-Nazaire, France and night bombing raids on industrial complexes and urban centres in Germany.
No. 6 Group flew 40,822 operational sorties. A total of 814 aircrews (approximately 5,700 airmen) did not return from operations and 4,203 [5] airmen lost their lives.
Operational squadrons
|
Bases
Several RAF stations were allocated to No. 6 Group. Like most other groups within Bomber Command, the "base" system was used for station organization. A base consisted of a main base station, or headquarters, and a number of sub-stations. No. 6 Group consisted of four bases which were made up of 11 stations. Late in 1943, Bomber Command bases were designated with a two-number identifier. The first number represented the group number, and the second number represented the base within that group. The first base within the group was the group's training base. No. 61 Base was therefore the training base for No. 6 Group. Each base was commanded by an Air Commodore and each station was commanded by a Group Captain.
| No. 61 Base | No. 62 Base | No. 63 Base | No. 64 Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Topcliffe (HQ) | RAF Linton-on-Ouse (HQ) | RAF Leeming (HQ) | RAF Middleton St. George (HQ) |
| RAF Dishforth | RAF East Moor | RAF Skipton-on-Swale | RAF Croft |
| RAF Dalton | RAF Tholthorpe | ||
| RAF Wombleton |
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Bashow, David L. No Prouder Place: Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited, 2005. ISBN 1-55125-098-5.
- Dunmore, Spencer and Carter, William. Reap the Whirlwind: The Untold Story of 6 Group, Canada's Bomber Force of World War II. Toronto: McLelland and Stewart Inc., 1991. ISBN 0-7710-2924-1.
- Milberry, Larry, ed. Sixty Years - The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924 - 1984. Toronto: Canav Books, 1984. ISBN 0-9690703-4-9.
External links
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