Royal Canadian Air Force

On Windswept Heights II | RCAF | Historical | Royal Canadian Air Force | The Second World War | 1939-1945 | Fighter Command 1936-1943 | Marion Orr

Thousands of Canadians fought in air forces of Canada and Britain during the Second World War. Some had enlisted in the RAF, most in the RCAF.

An excerpt from the RCAF site:

"The RCAF served with distinction around the world, in far-flung locations that included Britain, continental Europe, Egypt, Malta, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India and Burma. At the start of the Second World War, the RCAF had 4,061 personnel, 23 under-equipped and under-strength squadrons, and only 270 aircraft — two-thirds of which were obsolete.

By 1945, the RCAF was the fourth largest air force in the world and had supported three large missions during the war:

• The Home War Establishment of operational squadrons to defend Canada.
• The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) to train aircrew.
• The Overseas War Establishment to support operational missions outside Canada in Fighter Command, Bomber Command, Coastal Command and the Second Tactical Air Force.

The RCAF reached its maximum size of 215,200 personnel (including more than 15,000 members of the Women’s Division) in January 1944. About 249,600 men and women served in the RCAF during the war; 17,034 personnel died on operations, in training or while prisoners of war, including 28 women and 1,066 groundcrew.".....