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RCAF Overseas
The Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters, often abbreviated to RCAF Overseas, was responsible for Canadian airmen serving outside Canada during and just after World War II. The headquarters was established on 1 January 1940 and it was based in London. Its main functions were to conduct liaison with the British Air Ministry, to provide a central location for personnel records, and provide general administration. As the War progressed, the Overseas Headquarters gained increasing administrative authority over Canadian personnel but never gained any significant operational responsibility for RCAF units and formations which were integrated into the RAF's command structure. Senior officers The following officers were in charge of the RCAF Overseas Headquarters: [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2020, the Royal Canadian Air Force consists of 12,074 Regular Force and 1,969 Primary Reserve personnel, supported by 1,518 civilians, and operates 258 manned aircraft and nine unmanned aerial vehicles. Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny is the current commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and chief of the Air Force Staff. The Royal Canadian Air Force is responsible for all aircraft operations of the Canadian Forces, enforcing the security of Canada's airspace and providing aircraft to support the missions of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army. The RCAF is a partner with the United States Air Force in protecting continental airspace under the North American Aerospac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State for Air. Organisations before the Air Ministry The Air Committee On 13 April 1912, less than two weeks after the creation of the Royal Flying Corps (which initially consisted of both a naval and a military wing), an Air Committee was established to act as an intermediary between the Admiralty and the War Office in matters relating to aviation. The new Air Committee was composed of representatives of the two war ministries, and although it could make recommendations, it lacked executive authority. The recommendations of the Air Committee had to be ratified by the Admiralty Board and the Imperial General Staff and, in consequence, the Committee was not particularly effective. The increasing separation of army and naval aviation from 191 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leigh Stevenson
Air Vice Marshal Leigh Forbes Stevenson, (24 April 1895 – 3 March 1989) was a senior commander in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Early in the First World War he served in the trenches on the Western Front before becoming a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. After the war he joined the fledgling Canadian Air Force. Stevenson remained in Air Force service when in 1924 the Royal Canadian Air Force was founded and served throughout the inter-war years. On 16 October 1940 Stevenson was appointed Air Officer Commanding the RCAF in Great Britain (changed to Air Officer-in-Chief the RCAF in Great Britain on 6 November) at the RCAF Overseas Headquarters in London. In 1942 he returned to Canada to take command of Western Air Command. In 1946, he was elected to represent Vancouver-Point Grey in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harold Edwards (RCAF Officer)
Air Marshal Harold "Gus" Edwards, (24 December 1892 – 23 February 1952) was a Canadian Air Force officer who played a prominent role in building the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). From November 1941 to December 1943, Edwards served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Overseas where he was responsible for all RCAF personnel. In June 2012, Edwards was posthumously inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame for his "outstanding leadership in building Canada's national air force". Early life Harold Edwards was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England on 24 December 1892; he immigrated with his family to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1903. At age fourteen, he left school to work as a trapper boy in the coal mines, but also began home study following his shifts. By the age of 18 he qualified as the mine's chief electrician, and by 1915 he had educated himself to a sufficiently high level to be accepted into the Royal Naval Air Service. Edwards earned his pilot's wings in 1916 and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lloyd Samuel Breadner
Air Chief MarshalThis rank was used by the 20th century Royal Canadian Air Force and replaced with the rank of General in 1968 with the unification of the Canadian Forces, a rank which has been retained in the 21st century Royal Canadian Air Force. See :Canadian Forces Air Command generals Royal Canadian Air Force generals for such officers. Breadner was one of only two Canadian Air Chief Marshals, the other being Frank Robert Miller. Lloyd Samuel Breadner, CB, DSC (July 14, 1894 – March 14, 1952) was a Canadian military pilot and Chief of the Air Staff during World War II. Early career Breadner obtained his pilot's certificate at Wright Flying School and was commissioned in the British Royal Naval Air Service on December 28, 1915. During World War I he served on the Western Front as a fighter pilot in the No. 3 (Naval) Squadron. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant (RNAS) on 31 December 1916. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on May 23, 1917. The citat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Owen Johnson
Air Marshal George Owen Johnson CB, MC (January 24, 1896 – March 28, 1980) was a Canadian aviator, World War I Flying Ace and a senior commander in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Military career World War I service Born in Woodstock, Ontario in 1896, George Owen Johnson initially served as a subaltern with the Corps of School Cadet Instructors (CSCI) (now known as Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC)) from 1913 to 1916. He was accepted for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in Canada, but transferred to the Royal Flying Corps before going overseas in May 1917. Serving with No. 84 Squadron RAF he became an ace with one aircraft destroyed, two shared aircraft destroyed, and three 'out of control'. Later, serving with No. 24 Squadron RAF, he was credited with one aircraft destroyed, one shared balloon destroyed, two 'out of control', and one shared aircraft captured including Leut. Kurt Wüsthoff. In total he was credited with 11 victories. He also crash landed thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAAF Overseas Headquarters
RAAF Overseas Headquarters was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) administrative unit established in London during World War II. Under Article XV of the Ottawa Agreement, signed in 1939, the Australian government agreed to form RAAF squadrons for service within British Royal Air Force (RAF) operational commands. RAAF Overseas Headquarters was formed on 1 December 1941 to oversee the welfare of RAAF personnel posted to: * the so-called "Article XV squadrons"; * other RAAF units serving in Europe and the Mediterranean and; * RAAF personnel attached to units of the RAF and other British Commonwealth air forces. The headquarters replaced the Air Liaison Office, which had been run out of the High Commission of Australia, London. The new agency was not assigned any subordinate units. RAAF Overseas Headquarters was disbanded on 19 July 1959. See also *RCAF Overseas Headquarters The Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters, often abbreviated to RCAF Overseas, was responsible ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RCAF Overseas Headquarters Band
The RCAF Overseas Headquarters Band was a Royal Canadian Air Force military ensemble. It performed primarily in the United Kingdom during the Second World War as part of RCAF Overseas. It was founded in 1942, two years after the establishment of the headquarters. Its arrival in England was followed by that of the No. 6 Bomber Group Band and the Bournemouth Band. For most of its existence, it was led by Squadron Leader Martin Boundy. Boundy would later become the President of the Canadian Band Association in 1951 and 1970. During its existence, it performed 55 concerts on the BBC and has also recorded for HMV as well as the Overseas Recorded Broadcasting Service. Notable performances have included one in front of Buckingham Palace in 1944 and a six-week European tour following the Victory in Europe Day. Two days after Canada Day in 1945, Boundy conducted a massed band from the band and the No. 3 Squadron Band in London's Lincoln's Inn Fields. The Streamliners The Streamliners was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of The Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force (CAF). In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) when it was granted the royal title by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968. Prior attempts at forming an air force for Canada were the Canadian Aviation Corps that was attached to the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and a two-squadron Canadian Air Force that was attached to the Royal Air Force. The modern Royal Canadian Air Force, formerly known as Canadian Forces Air Command, traces its history to the unification of Canada's armed services in 1968, and is one of three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces. The Royal Canadian Air Force has served in the Second World War, the Korean War, and several United Nations peacekeeping missions and NATO operations. The force maintained a presence in Europe through the second half of the 20th century. Beginnings ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military Units And Formations Established In 1940
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct military uniform. It may consist of one or more military branches such as an army, navy, air force, space force, marines, or coast guard. The main task of the military is usually defined as defence of the state and its interests against external armed threats. In broad usage, the terms ''armed forces'' and ''military'' are often treated as synonymous, although in technical usage a distinction is sometimes made in which a country's armed forces may include both its military and other paramilitary forces. There are various forms of irregular military forces, not belonging to a recognized state; though they share many attributes with regular military forces, they are less often referred to as simply ''military''. A nation's military may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
