No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group was a special duties

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

within

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

. The group was formed on 11 November 1943 to consolidate the increasingly complex business of

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent ...

and

countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...

s in one organisation. The group was responsible for the development, operational trial and use of electronic warfare and countermeasures equipment. It was based at RAF stations in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

, chiefly

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

. The group was a pioneer in countering the formidable force of

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...

-equipped

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

s, using a range of

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

'homers' fitted to

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden ...

fighters which detected night fighter radar and radio emissions and allowed the RAF fighters to home in onto the

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

aircraft and either shoot them down or disrupt their missions against the

bomber stream The bomber stream was a saturation attack tactic developed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command to overwhelm the nighttime German aerial defences of the Kammhuber Line during World War II. The Kammhuber Line consisted of three layers of ...

s. Other Mosquitoes would patrol around Luftwaffe fighter airfields ready to attack night fighters as they landed. This constant harassment had a detrimental effect on the morale and confidence of many Luftwaffe crews and indirectly led to a high proportion of aircraft and aircrew wastage from crashes as night fighters hurried in to land to avoid the Mosquito threat (real or imagined). From 1944–45, the Mosquitos of 100 Group claimed 258 Luftwaffe aircraft shot down for 70 losses. The gradually increasing threat from the RAF fighters also created what the Luftwaffe crews nicknamed ''Moskito Panik'' as the night fighter crews were never sure when or where they may come under attack from the marauding 100 Group fighters. Lancaster I NG128 Dropping Load - Duisburg - Oct 14 - 1944

Lancaster I NG128 Dropping Load - Duisburg - Oct 14 - 1944

Top Mosquito ace with 100 Group was

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Branse Burbridge Wing Commander Bransome Arthur "Branse" Burbridge, (4 February 1921 – 1 November 2016) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) night fighter pilot and flying ace—a pilot credited with at least five enemy aircraft destroyed—who holds the Allied record ...

of 85 Squadron, with 21 claims from 1944–45. The bomber squadrons of 100 Group utilised various specialist electronic jamming devices to disrupt German

radio communications Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

and radar. During 100 Group's existence over 32 different devices were evaluated and used. Specially equipped 100 Group aircraft would fly in the bomber stream. Much of this equipment was developed at the

Telecommunications Research Establishment The Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) was the main United Kingdom research and development organization for radio navigation, radar, infra-red detection for heat seeking missiles, and related work for the Royal Air Force (RAF) ...

(TRE). Special equipment used included ''

Airborne Cigar Airborne Cigar, or ABC for short, was a World War II electronic countermeasure (ECM) system developed by the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) to jam ''Luftwaffe'' ground-to-air radios operating in the very high frequency (VHF) ba ...

'' (ABC) jammer, ''Jostle'' (jammer), ''Mandrel'' (jammer), ''Airborne Grocer'' (jammer), ''Piperack'' (jammer), ''

Perfectos Perfectos was a radio device used by Royal Air Force's night fighters during the Second World War to detect German aircraft. It worked by triggering '' Luftwaffe's'' FuG 25a Erstling identification friend or foe (IFF) system and then using the re ...

'' (homer), ''

Serrate Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied p ...

'' (homer), ''

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

'' (spoofer), ''Carpet'' (jammer) and ''Lucero'' (homer), used against German equipment such as ''Lichtenstein'', ''Freya'', and ''Wurzburg'' radars.

Order of battle

Boeing Fortress ECM aircraft 214 Sqn RAF at Prestwick 1944

No. 100 Group was headquartered at

Bylaugh Hall Bylaugh Hall, also known as Bylaugh Park, is a country house situated in the parish of Bylaugh in Norfolk, England. History The estate was acquired by Sir John Lombe Bt (c1731-1817) in 1796. His fortune coming from his family's silk throwing mil ...

from January 1944, a central location from which to administer the group's airfields in north Norfolk. No 100 Group operated from eight airfields with approximately 260 aircraft, 140 of which were various marks of Mosquito night fighter intruders with the remainder consisting of Handley Page Halifaxes,

Short Stirling The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It has the distinction of being the first four-engined bomber to be introduced into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Stirling was designed during t ...

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its ...

Fortresses A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and Liberators carrying electronic jamming equipment. The group also operated the

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

for a short time. The group disbanded on 17 December 1945. During its existence it had one commander,

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Edward Addison Air Vice Marshal Edward Barker Addison, (4 October 1898 – 4 July 1987) was a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer who served as Air Officer Commanding No. 100 Group from 1943 to 1945 during the Second World War. The group jammed Axis radar ...

. Other units and stations: * No. 1692 Flight RAF based at

RAF Little Snoring Royal Air Force Little Snoring or more simply RAF Little Snoring is a former Royal Air Force station located north of the Norfolk village of Little Snoring. The airfield remains open for general aviation use as Little Snoring Airfield.Moyes ...

* No. 1699 Flight RAF based at

RAF Oulton Royal Air Force Oulton or more simply RAF Oulton is a former Royal Air Force satellite airfield located west of Aylsham, Norfolk and northwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The airfield was built over 1939 and 1940 as a bomber airfield with ...

to train Fortress crews for 214 Squadron * No. 100 Group Communications Flight at

RAF West Raynham Royal Air Force West Raynham or more simply RAF West Raynham is a former Royal Air Force station located west of West Raynham, Norfolk and southwest of Fakenham, Norfolk, England. The airfield opened during May 1939 and was used by RAF Bom ...

and then

RAF Swanton Morley The former Royal Air Force Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, England, located near to the village of Swanton Morley. The site, now known as Robertson Barracks, is occupied by ...

* No. 80 (Signals) Wing RAF from November 1943 based at

Radlett Aerodrome Radlett Aerodrome was an airfield and aircraft manufacturing plant in Hertfordshire, now owned by Eon Productions. Part of the airfield is now the M25 between junctions 21 ( A405) and 22 ( A1081). History The airfield was also known as RAF Radle ...

, controlled

Meacon Meaconing is the interception and rebroadcast of navigation signals. These signals are rebroadcast on the received frequency, typically, with power higher than the original signal, to confuse enemy navigation. Consequently, aircraft or ground sta ...

beacons and other radio counter measures and intelligence work.

References

Citations

Sources

* Bond, Steve & Forder, Richard ''Special Ops Liberators 2239Bomber Support0 Squadron, 100 Group and the Electronic War''. Grub Street 2011 . * Bowman, Martin W. ''100 Group (Bomber Support): RAF Bomber Command in World War II''. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword/Leo Cooper, 2006. . * Bowman, Martin W. and Tom Cushing. ''Confounding the Reich''. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword/Leo Cooper, 2004. . * * * Peden, Murray. ''A Thousand Shall Fall: the True Story of a Canadian Bomber Pilot in World War Two''. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd., 1988 (reprinted in 2000). . * Streetly, Martin. ''Confound & Destroy''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishing) Company Ltd., 1978. .

External links

Website RAF 100 Group Association

Website, RAF 100 Group Museum
*

a 1945 ''Flight'' article {{Royal Air Force Electronic warfare units and formations Military units and formations established in 1943

100 100 or one hundred ( Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

Telecommunications in World War II

Order of battle

See also

References

Citations

Sources

External links