|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fighter Command - November 1939
RAF Component, British Expeditionary Force
| Unit | Location |
| HQ, RAF Component Field Force | Location not listed |
HQ No 50 Wing: -
|
Locations not listed |
HQ No 51 Wing: -
|
Locations not listed |
HQ No 52 Wing: -
|
Locations not listed |
HQ No 60 Wing: -
|
Locations not listed |
HQ No 70 Wing: -
|
Locations not listed |
| No 61 Fighter Wing Servicing Unit | Location not listed |
| No 62 Fighter Wing Servicing Unit | Location not listed |
| No 81 Sqn | Location not listed |
| No 1 Air Stores Park | Location not listed |
| No 2 Air Stores Park | Location not listed |
| No 3 Air Stores Park | Location not listed |
The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161
| Change | Note |
| No 607 (Fighter) Sqn (Gladiator) | Joined No 60 Wing from UK (AL1) |
| No 615 (Fighter) Sqn (Gladiator) | Joined No 60 Wing from UK (AL1) |
No 11 (Fighter) Group (HQ - Uxbridge)
| Unit | Location/Administered by |
| RAF Station Biggin Hill | Biggin Hill, Kent |
| No 32 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Biggin Hill |
| No 601 (Country of London) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Blenheims) | RAF Biggin Hill |
| RAF Station Croydon | Croydon, Middlesex |
| No 615 (County of Surrey) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Gladiators) | RAF Croydon |
| No 145 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Croydon |
| RAF Station Filton | Filton, Bristol |
| No 263 (Fighter) Sqn* (Gladiators) | Filton |
| No 501 (County of Gloucester) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Hurricanes) | Filton |
| RAF Station Hendon | Hendon, Middlesex |
| No 248 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Hendon |
| RAF Station Hornchurch | Hornchurch, Essex |
| No 600 (City of London) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Blenheims) | RAF Hornchurch |
| No 74 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Hornchurch |
| No 54 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Hornchurch |
| RAF Station Manston | Manston, Kent |
| No 253 (Fighter) Sqn* (Battles) | RAF Manston |
| No 235 (Fighter) Sqn* (Battles) | RAF Manston |
| No 3 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Manston |
| No 79 (Fighter) Sqn | RAF Manston |
| RAF Station Martlesham Heath | Martlesham Heath, Suffolk |
| No 56 (Fighter) Sqn | RAF Martlesham Heath |
| No 254 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Martlesham Heath (to move from Stradishall 15 Nov 1939) |
| No 236 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Martlesham Heath (to move from Stradishall 15 Nov 1939) |
| RAF Station Northolt | Northolt, Middlesex |
| No 65 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Northolt |
| No 25 (Fighter) Sqn (Blenheims) | RAF Northolt |
| RAF Station North Weald | North Weald, Essex |
| No 604 (County of Middlesex) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Blenheims) | RAF North Weald |
| No 151 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF North Weald |
| RAF Station Tangmere | Tangmere, Sussex |
| No 43 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Tangmere |
| No 605 (County of Warwick) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Hurricanes) | RAF Tangmere |
| No 92 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Tangmere |
| No 11 Group Pool (8 + 3 x Battles, 16 + 6 x Hurricanes) | RAF St Athan - Station in Training Command |
*Non-operational
The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161
| Change | Note |
| No 263 Sqn at Filton to become operational | from 20 Nov 1939 (AL1) |
| No 615 (Fighter) Sqn (Gladiator) | moved from RAF Croydon to join RAFC BEF (AL1) |
| No 3 Sqn (Hurricanes) | moved from Manston to Croydon (AL1) |
| No 501 (County of Gloucester) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Hurricanes) | moved from Filton to Tangmere (AL1) |
| No 43 Sqn (Hurricane) | moved from Tangmere to Acklington (AL1) |
| No 254 Sqn (Blenheims) | moved from Martlesham Heath to Sutton Bridge (AL1) |
| No 264 Sqn (Defiants) | moved from Sutton Bridge to Martlesham (AL1) |
| Establishment of No 11 Group Pool changed | 8 + 3 Battles removed, 4 + 2 Harvards & 4 + 2 Mentors added (AL1) |
| No 24 Sqn (Various) added to RAF Hendon | AL4, 21 Dec 1939 |
No 12 (Fighter) Group (HQ - Hucknall)
| Unit | Location/Administered by |
| RAF Station Debden | Debden, Essex |
| No 17 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Debden |
| No 29 (Fighter) Sqn (Blenheims) | RAF Debden |
| No 504 (County of Nottingham) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Hurricanes) | RAF Debden |
| RAF Station Digby | Digby, Lincolnshire |
| No 46 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Digby |
| No 611 (West Lancashire) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Spitfires) | RAF Digby |
| No 229 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Digby |
| RAF Station Doncaster | Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire |
| Civil Aircraft Flight (2 x Ensigns, 1 x DH86) | RAF Doncaster |
| RAF Station Duxford | Duxford, Cambridgeshire |
| No 19 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Duxford |
| No 66 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Duxford |
| No 222 (Fighter) Sqn (Blenheims) | RAF Duxford |
| No 254 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Stradishall (to move to Martlesham Heath on 15 Nov 1939) - Station in Bomber Command |
| No 236 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Stradishall (to move to Martlesham Heath on 15 Nov 1939) - Station in Bomber Command |
| RAF Station Sutton Bridge | Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire |
| No 266 (Fighter) Sqn* (Battles) | RAF Sutton Bridge |
| No 264 (Fighter) Sqn* (Defiants) | RAF Sutton Bridge |
| RAF Station Wittering | Wittering, Leicestershire |
| No 23 (Fighter) Sqn (Blenheims) | RAF Wittering |
| No 213 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Wittering |
| No 610 (County of Chester) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Spitfires) | RAF Wittering |
| No 12 Group Pool (6 + 3 x Battles or Harvards, 12 + 4 x Hurricanes, 12 + 4 x Spitfires, 12 + 4 x Blenheims) | RAF Aston Down (operating temporarily on a reduced establishment) |
*Non-operational
The following changes to the above took place before the issue of the next SD161
| Change | Note |
| No 607 (Fighter) Sqn (Gladiator) | moved from Acklington to join RAFC BEF (AL1) |
| No 43 Sqn (Hurricane) | moved from Tangmere to Acklington (AL1) |
| No 254 Sqn (Blenheims) | moved from Martlesham Heath to Sutton Bridge (AL1) |
| No 264 Sqn (Defiants) | moved from Sutton Bridge to Martlesham (AL1) |
| 3 + 2 aircraft located at Sumburgh* | Sqn being re-equipped with Spitfires (AL1) |
No 13 (Fighter) Group (Attached to No 12 Group at Hucknall)
| Unit | Location/Administered by |
| RAF Station Acklington | Acklington, Alnwick, Northumberland |
| No 607 (County of Durham) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Gladiators) | RAF Acklington |
| No 152 (Fighter) Sqn* (Gladiators) | RAF Acklington |
| No 111 (Fighter) Sqn (Hurricanes) | RAF Acklington |
| RAF Station Catterick | Catterick, North Riding of Yorkshire |
| No 41 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Catterick |
| No 219 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Catterick |
| RAF Station Church Fenton | Church Fenton, West Riding of Yorkshire |
| No 64 (Fighter) Sqn (Blenheims) | RAF Church Fenton |
| No 242 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Church Fenton |
| RAF Station Drem | Drem, East Lothian |
| No 602 (City of Glasgow) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Spitfires) | RAF Drem |
| No 609 (West Riding) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Spitfires) | RAF Drem |
| No 72 (Fighter) Sqn (Spitfires) | RAF Drem |
| No 141 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Grangemouth - Station in Reserve Command |
| RAF Station Leconfield | Leconfield, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire |
| No 616 (South Yorkshire) (Fighter) Sqn AAF* (Spitfires) | RAF Leconfield |
| No 234 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Leconfield |
| No 245 (Fighter) Sqn* (Blenheims) | RAF Leconfield |
| No 603 (City of Edinburgh) (Fighter) Sqn AAF (Spitfires) | RAF Turnhouse |
*Non-operational
No 22 (Army Co-operation) Group (HQ - Farnborough)
| Unit | Location/Administered by |
| RAF Station Odiham | Odiham, Hampshire |
| No 613 (City of Manchester) (Army Co-operation) Sqn AAF* (Hector) | RAF Odiham |
| No 614 (County of Glamorgan) (Army Co-operation) Sqn AAF* (Lysander) | RAF Odiham |
| No 225 (Army Co-operation) Sqn* (Lysander) | RAF Odiham |
| RAF Station Old Sarum | Old Sarum, Wiltshire |
| No 16 (Army Co-operation) Sqn (Lysander) | RAF Old Sarum |
| School of Army Co-operation (15 + 4 x Blenheims) Group Pool Establishment: -
|
RAF Old Sarum. Twin engined aircraft operated from Andover by day and Boscombe Down by night |
Source - SD161 (1st Issue), November 1939
The following changes took place before the issue of the next SD161
| Change | Note |
Miscellaneous units section added comprising: -
|
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©
