No. 6 Group RCAF
No. 6 Group RCAF was an organization of
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
bomber squadrons which operated from airfields in
Yorkshire,
England during
World War II. Although 6 Group was RCAF, it was controlled by (
RAF)
Bomber Command. Before the war, 6 Group was an RAF training group; at the beginning of the war, the group was non-operational.
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
January 1,
1943 with eight squadrons. At the peak of its strength, 6 Group consisted of fourteen squadrons. Fifteen squadrons would eventually serve with the group - almost every RCAF heavy bomber squadron. The Canadian squadrons reported directly to Bomber Command headquarters in
High Wycombe rather than to an RAF group. Headquarters for 6 Group was at Allerton Park near
Knaresborough.
Significant operations involving 6 Group include 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. 814 aircrews (approximately 5700 airmen) did not return from operations, and of those, 4,272 airmen lost their lives.
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No. 405 Squadron RCAF*
No. 408 Squadron RCAF*
No. 415 Squadron RCAF*
No. 419 Squadron RCAF*
No. 420 Squadron RCAF*
No. 424 Squadron RCAF*
No. 425 Squadron RCAF*
No. 426 Squadron RCAF*
No. 427 Squadron RCAF*
No. 428 Squadron RCAF*
No. 429 Squadron RCAF*
No. 431 Squadron RCAF*
No. 432 Squadron RCAF*
No. 433 Squadron RCAF*
No. 434 Squadron RCAF{{cite book
last = Dunmore | first = Spencer | authorlink = | coauthors = Carter, William | year = 1991 | title = Reap the Whirlwind: The Untold Story of 6 Group, Canada's Bomber Force of World War II | publisher = McLelland and Stewart Inc. | location = Toronto | id = ISBN 0-7710-2924-1 (bd.) ISBN 0-7710-2926-8 (pa.)
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