 |
| |
Home
RAF
Stations & Bases
Aircraft
types
Forum and Bulletin Boards
Search site
Links
Books
Abbreviations
People Finder
About
Contact
us
> Units and Formations
Flying Squadrons
5 Sqn
6 Sqn
8 Sqn
9 Sqn
10 Sqn
11 Sqn
12 Sqn
15 Sqn
18 Sqn
21 Sqn
22 Sqn
23 Sqn
25 Sqn
27 Sqn
29 Sqn
33 Sqn
35 Sqn
39 Sqn
41 Sqn
43 Sqn
44 Sqn
46 Sqn
49 Sqn
50 Sqn
51 Sqn
54 Sqn
56 Sqn
57 Sqn
61 Sqn
64 Sqn
65 Sqn
68 Sqn
69 Sqn
70 Sqn
71 Sqn
73 Sqn
75 Sqn
81 Sqn
83 Sqn
85 Sqn
88 Sqn
90 Sqn
92 Sqn
97 Sqn
100 Sqn
101 Sqn
103 Sqn
104 Sqn
106 Sqn
109 Sqn
110 Sqn
111 Sqn
112 Sqn
113 Sqn
116 Sqn
121 Sqn
133 Sqn
136 Sqn
139 Sqn
141 Sqn
142 Sqn
143 Sqn
144 Sqn
148 Sqn
149 Sqn
150 Sqn
151 Sqn
153 Sqn
154 Sqn
166 Sqn
170 Sqn
189 Sqn
198 Sqn
199 Sqn
203 Sqn
206 Sqn
207 Sqn
209 Sqn
210 Sqn
211 Sqn
214 Sqn
222 Sqn
227 Sqn
228 Sqn
229 Sqn
235 Sqn
236 Sqn
248 Sqn
249 Sqn
251 Sqn
253 Sqn
254 Sqn
255 Sqn
256 Sqn
264 Sqn
266 Sqn
280 Sqn
288 Sqn
300 Sqn
301 Sqn
302 Sqn
303 Sqn
305 Sqn
307 Sqn
309 Sqn
310 Sqn
349 Sqn
350 Sqn
401 Sqn
402 Sqn
404 Sqn
407 Sqn
409 Sqn
410 Sqn
411 Sqn
412 Sqn
415 Sqn
416 Sqn
420 Sqn
421 Sqn
430 Sqn
438 Sqn
439 Sqn
441 Sqn
442 Sqn
443 Sqn
452 Sqn
455 Sqn
460 Sqn
463 Sqn
467 Sqn
486 Sqn
503 Sqn
504 Sqn
527 Sqn
528 Sqn
532 Sqn
538 Sqn
542 Sqn
550 Sqn
576 Sqn
601 Sqn
609 Sqn
613 Sqn
616 Sqn
617 Sqn
619 Sqn
625 Sqn
626 Sqn
627 Sqn
630 Sqn
Heavy
Conversion Units
1654
HCU
1656 HCU
1660 HCU
1661 HCU
1662 HCU
1665 HCU
1667 HCU
1668 HCU
21 HGCU
Advanced
Flying Schools
201
AFS
Advanced
Flying Units
12
AFU
15 AFU
Flying
Training Schools
1 FTS
2 FTS
3 FTS
6 FTS
7
FTS
12 FTS
1 Lancaster Finishing School
Central Flying School
Operational
Training/
Conversion Units (Fighter)
6
OTU
53 OTU
56 OTU
Air
Armament Schools
1
AAS
2 AAS
Empire Central AS
Other
schools
1 Gp Aircrew School
1 Ground Defence School
1 Air Observers School
Central
Gunnery School
5 Gp Anti Air School
Other units
Bomber Command
Coastal Command
Fighter Command
HQ No 5 Group
HQ No 23 Group
1485
Gunnery Flight
2782
Defence Sqn
178 Support Unit
399 Signals Unit
Nationality
based Sqns
Updated: 27 Jan 12
There were many interesting names applied to the wide variety of mission sets flown by the Lincolnshire based squadrons. Most of these names date from 1941 onwards, first from Fighter Command and then the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force.
Gardening
a;dlas;d
Roadstead
Dive bombing and low level attacks on enemy ships at sea or in harbour. Mixed fighter and bomber formation.
Rhubarb
Fighter or fighter-bomber low-level strafing missions of targets of opportunity. The purpose of a rhubarb was to hit the enemy on the ground where it would inconvenience him the most. Hurricanes and Spitfires in pairs or larger formations crossed the Channel above cloud cove before dropping below cloud to find opportunity targets in struck into Nazi-occupied France and Belgium, attacking railroads, munition factories, airfields, electric lines and gun posts. Or in the words of Jack Lucas at RAF Digby, "strafing anything that moves".
Circus
Short-range daytime bombing mission with fighter escort to fix Luftwaffe fighters in a particular area and draw them to attack.
The circus was a formation of bombers and fighters which crossed the Channel at high altitude to strike at railroad junctions, airfields, or munitions plants. It had a twofold objective - to inflict damage upon the enemy's communications and industries, and to draw the Luftwaffe into the air where the allied fighter escort could engage it. These varied operations forced the Nazis to maintain large anti- Aircraft defences in the threatened areas and at the same time steadily whittled down the Luftwaffe's fighter strength. The attacks were against short range targets with the intention of occupying enemy fighters and keeping their fighter units in the area concerned. Initially these were only small bomber formations in 1941/42 due to RAF light and medium bombers only being suitable for daytime attacks.
Transition
By 1943 the emphasis shifted to Ramrod and Rodeo operations as the USAAF joined the battle and the RAF bomber force matured. Roadsteads aso dwindled as Coastal Command took on the naval strike mission. The anti-surface unit element of Coastal Command was bolstered through the transfer of squadrons from both Bomber and Fighter Commands. These Sqns were in the main equipped with the Blenheim, Hudson, Hampdens and Beaufort. Early achievements were highlighted by the award of a Victoria Cross to RAF North Coates and 22 Sqn's Fg Off Kenneth Campbell. Detached to RAF St Eval he crippled Battle Cruiser Gneisenau in Brest Harbour.
Flower
A patrols in the area of enemy airfields in order to prevent aircraft from taking off and to attack those aircraft that succeeded.
Ramrod
RAMROD Operations were heavy bomber protection missions - fighter escorts for long-range strategic bombing strikes over continental Europe from bases in England or attacks against ground targets. The primary objective was to destroy the target, with fighters dedicated to bomber escort. For a detailed narrative, see the example of Ramrod S36 on 6 Sep 1943 in Late Mark Spitfire Aces by Alfred Price.
Rodeo
Fighter sweep over occupied territory, independent of bombers.
Ranger
'Freelance' flights over enemy territory by units of any size with the intention of occupying and tiring enemy fighters - similar to the Circus but longer range.
Instep
These missions were to restrict attacks on Coastal Command aircraft by maintaining a presence over the Western Approaches.
Intruder
offensive patrols intended to destroy enemy aircraft over their own territory, patrols were usually carried out at night.
Rover
Armed reconnaissance flights with attacks on opportunity targets.
Boston
Mahmoud
These sorties flown by Mosquitoes equipped with backward-facing radar which enabled detection and 180 degree turns to attack pursuers.
Mandolin
Attacks on enemy railway transport.
Noball
Noball targets were V weapon launch sites.
Jim Crow
Coastal patrols to intercept enemy aircraft crossing the British coastline, originally intended to warn of invasion in 1940
Kipper
Patrols to protect fishing boats in the north
sea against attack from the air.
s
> RAF history in Lincolnshire
The early years up to 1918
Early days in Saint
Omer
The Inter-war years
World War TwoRAF
Cold War to the present
> The command structure
Bomber Command
Fighter Command
Coastal Command
Training Command
Balloon Command
> Airfield information
Generic airfield layout
Emergency landing grounds
Hangar types
FIDO fog dispersal
Airfield defences
Airfield call signs
Pundit codes
ICAO Codes
> Decoy airfields and deception
Q Sites
K sites
Starfish sites
> Other historical pages
Key dates of bomber offensives
Aircraft manufacturers in Lincolnshire
The US Air Forces in Lincolnshire
Selected books about Lincolnshire aviation history
History of the RNAS on the Fleet Air Arm Archive
> Sources
Official Records
Crashes and Oral History
Aviation
Heritage Lincolnshire
(Tourism)
Follow RAF Lincolnshire:
powered by blueconsultancy
