RCAF Eastern Air Command

Eastern Air Command
Active 15 November 1938 - 1 March 1947
Country  Canada
Allegiance  Canada
Branch Royal Canadian Air Force
Part of RCAF Home War Establishment, Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command (after 1943)
Motto(s) Seaward
Engagements

Second World War

Eastern Air Command was the part of the Royal Canadian Air Force's Home War Establishment responsible for air operations on the Atlantic coast of Canada during the Second World War. It played a critical role in anti-submarine operations in Canadian and Newfoundland waters during the Battle of the Atlantic. Eastern Air Command also had several fighter squadrons and operational training units under its umbrella.

Order of battle

10 September 1939

HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 1 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station St. Hubert
No. 2 Squadron RCAF Armstrong Whitworth Atlas RCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 16 December
No. 5 Squadron RCAF Supermarine Stranraer RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 8 Squadron RCAF Northrop Delta RCAF Station Sydney
No. 10 Squadron RCAF Westland Wapiti RCAF Station Halifax
No. 116 Squadron RCAF No aircraft RCAF Station Halifax - disbanded 2 November
No. 117 Squadron RCAF No aircraft RCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 28 October

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1 January 1943

HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia
Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 10 Squadron RCAF Douglas Digby RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 11 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 113 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 116 Squadron RCAF Consolidated PBY Catalina RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 117 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 119 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Sydney
No. 121 Squadron RCAF Various RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 126 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 128 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 129 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 130 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Bagotville
No. 162 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 1 Group. HQ St. John's, Newfoundland
Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 5 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Gander
No. 125 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Torbay
No. 127 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Torbay
No. 145 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Torbay

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6 June 1944

HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia
Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 113 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Ventura RCAF Station Yarmouth - Moved to Torbay 21 June, disbanded 23 August
No. 119 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Sydney
No. 121 Squadron RCAF Various RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 126 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 128 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 145 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Ventura RCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 160 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 167 Squadron RCAF Various RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 1 Group, HQ St. John's, Newfoundland
Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 5 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Torbay
No. 10 Squadron RCAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator RCAF Station Torbay
No. 11 Squadron RCAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator RCAF Station Torbay - Moved to Dartmouth 18 June
No. 116 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Gander
No. 127 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Gander
No. 129 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 5 (Gulf) Group, HQ Gaspé, Quebec
Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 161 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Gaspé
No. 162 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RAF Reykjavik - On loan to Coastal Command
No. 119 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Mount Joli - Disbanded in March 1944

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No. 12 (Operational Training) Group. HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia and No. 3 Training Command, HQ Montreal, Quebec.

No. 3 Training Command was a formation of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) flying from air bases throughout Quebec and the Maritime provinces. The schools were operated by the RAF or the RCAF as part of the BCATP however the operational training units were RCAF units and under command of No. 12 Group RCAF Eastern Air Command. The assigned training schools and units conducted advanced flying courses including Service Flying Training (SFTS), Air Observer (AOS), Bombing and Gunnery (BGS), General Reconnaissance (ocean patrol) (GRS), Naval Aerial Gunnery (NAGS), Air Navigation (ANS) and Operational (OTU) training throughout the war (see the following table). Together with some of the advanced aircraft types these units mainly flew hundreds of older bomber and patrol aircraft that had been relegated to armed training roles. Training Command aircraft were very active everywhere over the entire Eastern Command Area of Operations and therefore made an important contribution to the surveillance of the region acting as a force multiplier -providing extra eyes and ears on watch for enemy U-Boats during flying patrols -particularly during the emergency of the Battle of the St. Lawrence when some of the units temporarily took part as a stop gap measure. A good example of the training schools involvement in operations with the EAC during the emergency of the battle is illustrated in an article dated the 1st of March, 2006 of the Royal Canadian Legion magazine entitled Eastern Air Command: Air Force, Part 14 the author Hugh A. Haliday wrote: "The need for Atlantic patrols was undiminished, yet the Battle of the St. Lawrence stretched EAC resources. Based at Charlottetown, 31 General Reconnaissance School was mobilized to fly patrols using Avro Ansons, each carrying two, 250-pound bombs. At the very outset of the war the Anson and its ordnance had failed in RAF anti-submarine work. Now in Canada it was remobilized as an aerial scarecrow. German views varied as to Canadian countermeasures. The captain of U-517 found his operations increasingly restricted by strengthened air patrols. In October 1942, U-69 reported “strong sea patrol and constant patrol by aircraft with radar.”

Squadron Type of Aircraft Station
No. 1 GRS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Summerside PEI
No. 31 GRS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Charlottown PEI
No. 2 ANS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Charlottown PEI
No. 32 ANS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Charlottown PEI
No. 9 SFTS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Summerside PEI - moved to RCAF Centralia ON July 1942
No. 8 SFTS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Moncton NB
No. 13 SFTS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF St. Hubert PQ - moved to N. Battleford SK Feb 1944
No. 8 AOS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Quebec City PQ
No. 9 AOS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF St. Jean PQ
No. 10 AOS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Chatham NB
No. 9 BGS BCATP Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle RCAF Mt. Joli PQ
No. 10 BGS BCATP Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle RCAF Mt. Pleasant PEI
No. 1 OTU BCATP Hawker Hurricane RCAF Bagotville PQ
No. 7 OTU BCATP Lockheed Hudson, DeHavilland Mosquito RCAF Debert NS
No. 6 OTU BCATP Avro Anson, Bristol Beaufort, Handley Page Hampden, Fairey Swordfish RCAF Greenwood NS
No. 8 OTU BCATP Lockheed Hudson, DeHavilland Mosquito RCAF Greenwood NS
No. 34 OTU BCATP Lockheed Ventura RCAF Pennfield Ridge NS
No. 1 NAGS BCATP Fairey Swordfish Yarmouth NS

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See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 RCAF Commands and their Units Retrieved 2013-01-10
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