Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation


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Bomber Command - November 1939


Advanced Air Striking Force

 
Unit Location
HQ AASF: -
  • HQ Air Formation Signals
  • Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General
  • Commander, Royal Engineers
  • ADS & T
  • DADCS
  • HQ 12th AA Brigade
  • HQ 53rd Regiment
  • No 1 Company, Air Formation Signals
  • No 4 Company, Air Formation Signals
All co-located but location not listed
No 71 Wing HQ: -
  • No 40 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 1 Servicing Flight Section
  • 'U' Section, Air Formation Signals
All co-located but location not listed
No 72 Wing HQ: -
  • No 226 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 2 Servicing Flight Section
  • No 3 Servicing Flight Section
  • No 1 Salvage Section
  • 'S' Section, Air Formation Signals
All co-located but location not listed
No 74 Wing HQ: -
  • No 103 (Bomber) Sqn
  • 'V' Section, Air Formation Signals
All co-located but location not listed
No 75 Wing HQ: -
  • No 218 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 5 Servicing Flight Section
  • 'T' Section, Air Formation Signals
Units co-located but separate from Wing HQ, locations not listed
No 76 Wing HQ: -
  • No 12 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 142 (Bomber) Sqn
  • 'Z' Section, Air Formation Signals
All co-located with Wing HQ but location not listed
  • No 15 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 6 Servicing Flight Section
Units co-located but separate from Wing HQ, locations not listed
  • No 105 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 7 Servicing Flight Section
  • No 8 Servicing Flight Section
Units co-located but separate from Wing HQ, locations not listed
  • No 150 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 4 Servicing Flight Section
Units co-located but separate from Wing HQ, locations not listed
  • No 88 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 2 Salvage Section
Units co-located but separate from Wing HQ, locations not listed
No 4 Air Stores Park

No 1 Supply and Transport Column

Co-located but location not listed
No 5 Air Stores Park

No 2 Supply and Transport Column

Co-located but location not listed
No 1 Medical Receiving Station Location not listed
No 2 Medical Receiving Station Location not listed
No 67 Wing HQ: -
  • No 1 (Fighter) Sqn
  • No 73 (Fighter) Sqn
All co-located but location not listed
No 2 Base Area HQ

No 21 Aircraft Depot

No 2 Port Detachment

All co-located but location not listed
No 5 Port Detachment Location not listed
No 1 British Mission Location not listed
No 2 British Mission Location not listed
No 3 British Mission Location not listed
'M' Balloon Unit Location not listed
No 6 Air Stores Park

No 3 Supply and Transport Column

Co-located but location not listed
Movement Control

Postal Section

Supply Detachment, RASC

Co-located but location not listed
103rd (AT) Company, RE Location not listed
113th Road Construction Company, RE Location not listed
4th Works Labour Company, RE Location not listed
7th Works Labour Company, RE

8th Works Labour Company, RE

Co-located but location not listed
No 2 Company, Air Formation Signals

Construction Section, Air Formation Signals

Line Section, Air Formation Signals

Co-located but location not listed
No 4 Casualty Clearing Station

No 3 Motor Ambulance Convoy

No 1 Heavy Mobile W/T Section

RASC HQ

RAOC HQ

Workshops Section

Co-located but location not listed
No 2 Heavy Mobile W/T Section Location not listed
Forward Air Ammunition Park Location not listed
HQ, 73rd AA Regiment Location not listed
HQ, 157th Battery Location not listed
HQ, 158th Battery Location not listed
HQ, 159th Battery Location not listed
HQ, 209th Battery Location not listed
HQ, 311th Battery Location not listed
'Y' Section Location not listed
WIS Advanced HQ Location not listed
901 Section, RASC Location not listed
907 Section, RASC Location not listed

The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161

Change Note
No 139 Sqn replaced No 40 Sqn in No 71 Wing from 1 Dec 1939 (AL1)
No 74 Wing HQ: -
  • No 103 (Bomber) Sqn
  • 'V' Section, Air Formation Signals
All now located at different locations, but these are not listed (AL1)
No 114 Sqn replaced No 15 Sqn in No 76 Wing from 8 Dec 1939 (AL1)
  • No 88 (Bomber) Sqn
  • No 2 Salvage Section
Both now located at different locations, but these are not listed (AL1)
'L' Section Air Formation Signals added to No 67 Wing (same location) AL4, 21 Dec 1939
RAF Comforts Distribution Unit added to HQ, No 2 Base Area (same location) AL4, 21 Dec 1939
No 3 Port Detachment added at unknown location AL4, 21 Dec 1939

No 1 (Bomber) Group

This Group provided the units for the AASF (see above) and was in the process of reforming at RAF Benson but was disbanded in early December 1939.

No 2 (Bomber) Group (HQ - Huntingdon)

 
Unit Location/Administered by
RAF Station Wattisham (No 83 Wing) Wattisham, Suffolk
No 107 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Wattisham
No 110 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Wattisham
RAF Station Watton (No 79 Wing) Watton, Norfolk
No 21 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Watton
No 82 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Watton
RAF Station West Raynham West Raynham, Norfolk
No 101 (Bomber) Sqn (R) RAF West Raynham
RAF Station Wyton Wyton, Huntingdonshire
No 114 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Wyton
No 139 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Wyton

All squadrons equipped with Blenheims

(O) = Operational Squadron

The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161

Change Note
No 40 Sqn replaced No 139 Sqn at RAF Wyton from 1 Dec 1939 as non-operational (AL1)
No 15 Sqn replaced No 114 Sqn at RAF Wyton from 8 Dec 1939 as non-operational (AL1)

No 3 (Bomber) Group (HQ - Mildenhall)

 
Unit Location/Administered by
RAF Station Feltwell Feltwell, Norfolk
No 37 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Feltwell
No 214 (Bomber) Sqn (R) RAF Feltwell
RAF Station Honington Honington, Suffolk
No 9 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Stradishall
RAF Station Marham Marham, Norfolk
No 38 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Marham
No 115 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Marham
RAF Station Mildenhall Mildenhall, Suffolk
No 99 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Mildenhall
No 149 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Mildenhall
RAF Station Stradishall (C & M) Stradishall, Suffolk

All squadrons equipped with Wellingtons

(O) = Operational Squadron

(R) = Reserve Squadron

No 4 (Bomber) Group (HQ - Linton-on-Ouse)

 
Unit Location/Administered by
No 58 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Boscombe Down (Station in Training Command)
RAF Station Dishforth Dishforth, North Riding of Yorkshire
No 10 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Dishforth
No 78 (Bomber) Sqn (R) RAF Dishforth
RAF Station Driffield Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire
No 77 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Driffield
No 102 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Driffield
RAF Station Linton-on-Ouse Linton-on-Ouse, North Riding of Yorkshire
No 51 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

All squadrons equipped with Whitleys

(O) = Operational Squadrons

(R) = Reserve Squadron

The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161

Change Note
No 51 Sqn replaced No 78 Sqn at RAF Dishforth AL2, 9 Dec 1939
No 78 Sqn replaced No 51 Sqn at RAF Linton-on-Ouse AL2, 9 Dec 1939

No 5 (Bomber) Group (HQ - 'St Vincents', Grantham)

 
Unit Location/Administered by
RAF Station Cottesmore Cottesmore, Rutland
No 185 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Cottesmore
RAF Station Finningley Finningley, West Riding of Yorkshire
No 106 (Bomber) Sqn (R) RAF Finningley
RAF Station Hemswell Hemswell, Lincolnshire
No 61 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Hemswell
No 144 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Hemswell
RAF Station Scampton Scampton, Lincolnshire
No 49 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Scampton
No 83 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Scampton
RAF Station Waddington Waddington, Lincolnshire
No 44 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Waddington
No 50 (Bomber) Sqn (O) RAF Waddington

All squadrons equipped with Hampdens

(O) = Operational Squadrons

(R) = Reserve Squadron

(GP) = Group Pool Squadron

The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161

Change Note
RAF Cottesmore and all units and equipment there transferred to No 6 Group AL4, 21 Dec 1939

No 6 (Auxiliary) Group (HQ - Abingdon)

 
Unit Location/Administered by
RAF Station Abingdon Abingdon, Berkshire
No 97 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Whitleys RAF Abingdon
No 166 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Whitleys RAF Abingdon
RAF Station Bassingbourn Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire
No 215 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Wellingtons RAF Bassingbourn
RAF Station Benson Benson, Oxfordshire
No 52 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Battles RAF Benson
No 63 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Battles RAF Benson
RAF Station Bicester Bicester, Oxfordshire
No 104 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Blenheims RAF Bicester
No 108 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Blenheims RAF Bicester
RAF Station Cranfield Cranfield, Bedfordshire
No 35 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Blenheims RAF Cranfield
No 207 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Battles RAF Cranfield
RAF Station Harwell Harwell, Oxfordshire
No 75 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Wellingtons RAF Harwell
No 148 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Wellingtons RAF Harwell
New Zealand Flight - Wellingtons RAF Harwell
No 98 (Bomber) Sqn (R) - Battles RAF Hucknall, Station in Fighter Command
RAF Station Upper Heyford Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
No 7  (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Hampdens RAF Upper Heyford
No 76 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Hampdens RAF Upper Heyford
RAF Station Upwood Upwood, Huntingdonshire
No 90 (Bomber) Sqn (GP) - Blenheims RAF Upwood

(R) = Reserve Squadron

(GP) = Group Pool Squadron

Source - SD161 (1st Issue), November 1939

The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161

Change Note
No 207 Sqn (aircraft and crews) moved to RAF Cottesmore AL2, 9 Dec 1939
No 35 Sqn (aircraft and crews) moved to RAF Bassingbourn AL2, 9 Dec 1939
RAF Cottesmore and all units and equipment there transferred from No 5 Group AL4, 21 Dec 1939

Amendment List No 1 (AL1) was issued in late November 1939 but was not dated

County names used are those in use at the time

This page was last updated on 08/07/19 using FrontPage 2003©

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