Last modified on 20.01.2000
|
Bomber Command
4th March, 1943 |
|
Unit |
Aircraft |
On Hand |
Ready |
Location |
Commander |
|
Headquarters, Bomber Command |
|
1,300* |
1,170* |
ACM Sir Arthur T. Harris |
|
|
No.1 Group |
|||||
|
Headquarters, No. 1 Group |
|||||
|
No. 12 Squadron |
Lancaster |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 100 Squadron |
Lancaster |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 101 Squadron |
Lancaster |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 103 Squadron |
Lancaster |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 166 Squadron |
Wellington |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 199 Squadron |
Wellington |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 300 Squadron |
Wellington |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 301 Squadron |
Wellington |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 305 Squadron |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 460 Squadron (R.A.A.F.) |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 2 Group |
|||||
|
Headquarters, No. 2 Group |
|||||
|
No. 21 Squadron |
Ventura |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 88 Squadron |
Boston |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 98 Squadron |
Mitchell |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 105 Squadron |
Mosquito |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 107 Squadron |
Boston |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 139 Squadron |
Mosquito |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 180 Squadron |
Mitchell |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 226 Squadron |
Boston |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 464 Squadron (R.A.A.F.) |
Ventura |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 487 Squadron (R.N.Z.A.F.) |
Ventura |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 3 Group |
|||||
|
Headquarters, No. 3 Group |
|||||
|
No. 17 Squadron |
Stirling |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 75 Squadron |
Stirling |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 90 Squadron |
Stirling |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 115 Squadron |
Lancaster, Wellington |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 138 Squadron (S.D.) |
Halifax |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 149 Squadron |
Stirling |
20* |
18* |
||
|
No. 161 Squadron (S.D.) |
Lysander, Halifax, Hudson, Havoc, Albemarle |
||||
|
No. 192 Squadron (S.D.) |
Halifax, Wellington, Mosquito |
||||
|
No. 214 (Federated Malay States) Squadron |
Stirling |
||||
|
No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron |
Stirling |
||||
|
No. 4 Group |
|||||
|
Headquarters, No. 4 Group |
|||||
|
No. 10 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 51 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 76 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 77 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 78 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 102 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 158 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 196 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 429 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 431 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 466 Squadron (R.A.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 5 Group |
|||||
|
Headquarters, No. 5 Group |
|||||
|
No. 9 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 44 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 49 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 50 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 57 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 61 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 97 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 106 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 207 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 467 Squadron (R.A.A.F.) |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 6 Group (R.C.A.F.) |
|||||
|
No. 405 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 408 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 419 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 420 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 424 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 425 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 426 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 427 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 428 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) |
Wellington |
||||
|
No. 8 (P.F.F.) Group |
|||||
|
No. 7 Squadron |
Stirling |
||||
|
No. 35 Squadron |
Halifax |
||||
|
No. 83 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 109 Squadron |
Mosquito |
||||
|
No. 156 Squadron |
Lancaster |
||||
|
No. 26 Signals Group |
|||||
|
No. 91 Bomber O.T.U. Group |
|||||
|
No. 92 Bomber O.T.U. Group |
|||||
|
No. 93 Bomber O.T.U. Group |
|||||
|
Strength Summary |
|||||
|
Aircraft |
Assigned |
Available |
% of Total Assigned |
||
|
Lancaster |
340* |
306* |
26.2% |
||
|
Halifax |
260* |
234* |
20.0% |
||
|
Stirling |
100* |
90* |
7.7% |
||
|
Wellington |
440* |
396* |
33.8% |
||
|
Mosquito |
40* |
36* |
3.1% |
||
|
Mitchell |
20* |
18* |
1.5% |
||
|
Boston |
40* |
36* |
3.1% |
||
|
other, or mixed |
60* |
54* |
4.6% |
||
Note: all strengths marked with asterisk (*) have been estimated. This is based on an official "establishment" of 20 aircraft per squadrons as the initial equipment (I.E.). In addition there was an immediate reserve (I.R.) of 4 or 5 aircraft per squadron. In view of the I.R. aircraft, the number of available aircraft is estimated at 90%, or 18 aircraft, per squadron.
Abbreviations:
O.T.U Operational Training Unit
P.F.F. Pathfinder Force
R.A.A.F. Royal Australian Air Force
R.C.A.F. Royal Canadian Air Force
R.N.Z.A.F. Royal New Zealand Air Force
S.D. Special Duty
Sources:
Falconer, Jonathan, RAF Bomber Airfields of World War 2, Ian Allen Ltd., Runnymede, ?.
Middlebrook, Martin, and Everitt, Chris, The Bomber Command War Diaries, Midland Publishing Ltd., Hinkley, 1996.
Richards, Denis, and Saunders, Hilary St. George, The Royal Air Force 1939-1945, Volume 2: The Fight Avails, HMSO, London, 1975.