RCAF Aviation History: RCAF Wing formations, 1939-2024

RCAF Wings, 1939-2021

Wings

Canadian Digby Wing, formed at Digby, Lincolnshire, England, on 14 Apr 1941.  Inactive from 1 May 1942 to 18 Apr 1943.  Disbanded on 30 Apr 1944, when its squadrons were transferred to Second Tactical Air Force.  First mission flown on 15 Apr 1941, 12 Hawker Hurricane Mk. Is of No. 402 Squadron led by W/C McGregor, and supported by the Wittering Wing Supermarine Spitfires of No. 65 and No. 266 Squadrons, RAF.  Fighter sweep over the Boulogne area of France.  Last mission clown on 31 March 1944, 12 Spitfire Mk. VBs from No. 402 Squadron and 13 from No. 64 Squaron, RAF, provide close escort to 36 Bristol Beaufighters of Coastal Command detailed to attack an enemy convoy.  7,560 sorties flown, 38 enemy aircraft destroyed, 18 probably destroyed, 35 damaged.  6 aircraft lost on operations, 6 pilots KIA.

Canadian Kenley Wing, formed at Kenley, Surrey, England, on 25 Nov 1942.  Disbanded on 4 Jul 1943, when its squadrons were transferred to Second Tactical Air Force.  First mission flown on 26 Nov 1942, 2 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VBs of No. 401 Squadron patrol Shoreham-Beachy Head.  Last mission flown on 4 Jul 1943, 24 Spitfires conduct a fighter sweep over Audruicq-Gravelines.  5,936 sorties flown, 96 enemy aircraft destroyed, 6 probably destroyed, 54 damaged.  Loss information pending.

No. 1 Air Division, RCAF (1952-1967)

The division traces its origins to the activation of Headquarters No. 1 Air Division, Royal Canadian Air Force in Paris, France on 1 October 1952.  No. 1 Air Division headquarters was relocated to Metz, France in April 1953.  No. 1 Air Division was established to meet Canada's NATO air defence commitments in Europe.  It consisted of four wings of of three fighter squadrons each for a total of twelve squadrons located at four bases in France and West Germany.  These included RCAF Station Marville, No. 1 (F) Wing, and RCAF Station Grostenquin, No. 2 (F) Wing in France, RCAF Station Zweibrücken, No. 3 (F) Wing, and RCAF Station Baden-Soellingen, No. 4 (F) Wing in West Germany.

No. 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France

No. 1 (Fighter) Wing, 1954-1967, was located near the town of Marville, about 60 miles northwest of Metz, France.  Marville is within an hour’s drive of both Verdun, at that time a city of 13,000 inhabitants, and Luxembourg, a city of some 35,000, which is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.  The base itself was constructed in 1954 and the Wing, formerly situated in England, was re-located in early 1955.  (For additional detail see the web page on this site for 1 Canadian Air Division, Europe).

No. 2 (Fighter) Wing, Grostenquin, France (no formal badge, 1 Oct 1952 to 1 Aug 1964)

No. 2 (Fighter) Wing was formed at Grostenquin, France on 1 Oct 1952.  It relinquished its specialized fighter designation on 1 Mar 1963. It was disbanded on 1 Aug 1964.  (For additional detail see the web page on this site for 1 Canadian Air Division, Europe).

No. 3 (Fighter) Wing, Zweibrücken, Germany

No. 3 (Fighter) Wing was formed at Zweibrücken, Germany, on 2 Feb 1953.  It relinquished ist specialized fighter designation on 1 Mar 1963.  The wing was integrated into the Canadian Armed Forces on 1 Feb 1968.  (For additional detail see the web page on this site for 1 Canadian Air Division, Europe).

4 (Fighter) Wing, Baden Söllingen, Germany

No. 4 (F) Wing was located on the edge of the Black Forest in Germany near the Rhine River, about half an hour’s drive from the city of Baden-Baden.  This city is the foremost health and pleasure resort in central Europe.  Baden-Baden, the Black Forest and the local communities offered many diversions for personnel during off-duty hours.  Strasbourg, one of Europe’s major rail centres, is located approximately 40 miles southwest of the station, just across the border in France.

Canadian Forces Base Baden–Soellingen or CFB Baden–Soellingen, formerly known as RCAF Station Baden–Soellingen (Baden), was located near the farming community of Söllingen, part of the municipality of Rheinmünster in the West German state of Baden-Württemberg.  It is now a commercial area called Baden Airpark, which also includes the regional airport Flughafen Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden.  (For additional detail see the web page on this site for 1 Canadian Air Division, Europe).

No. 7 (Photographic) Wing, Air Transport Command, formed at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (Ottawa), Ontario on20 May 1944.  Renumbered No. 22 (Photographic) Wing on 1 Apr 1947.  On completion of the major portion of the RCAF's postwar commitment to photograph all of Canada, the Wing was disbanded on 30 Nov 1949.

No. 11 Wing (Auxiliary), Montreal, Quebec.

No. 12 (Technical Training) Wing (Auxiliary), Montreal, Quebec.

No. 14 Wing (Auxiliary), Toronto, Ontario.

No. 15 (Technical Training) Wing (Auxiliary), Toronto, Ontario.

No. 16 Wing (Auxiliary), Hamilton, Ontario.

No. 17 (Fighter) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 17 Wing (Auxiliary), Winnipeg, Manitoba.

No. 18 Wing (Auxiliary), Edmonton, Alberta.

No. 19 Wing (Auxiliary), Vancouver, British Columbia.

No. 22 (Fighter) Wing, Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 22 (Photographic) Wing, Air Transport Command.

No. 22 Wing (Auxiliary), London, Ontario.

No. 23 Wing (Auxiliary), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

No. 30 Wing (Auxiliary), Calgary, Alberta.

No. 39 (Reconnaissance) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 100 Wing (Auxiliary), Vancouver, British Columbia.

No. 101 Wing (Auxiliary), Toronto, Ontario.

No. 102 Wing (Auxiliary), Montreal, Quebec.

No. 120 (Transport) Wing, RAF Transport Command.

No. 126 (Fighter) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 127 (Fighter) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 128 (Reconnaissance) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 129 (Fighter Bomber) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 143 (Fighter Boomber) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 144 (Fighter) Wing, RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

No. 331 (Medium Bomber) Wing, North Africa.

No. 661 (Heavy Bomber) Wing, RAF "Tiger Force".

No. 662 (Heavy Bomber) Wing, RAF "Tiger Force".

No. 663 (Heavy Bomber) Wing, RAF "Tiger Force".

No. 664 (Heavy Bomber) Wing, RAF "Tiger Force".

RCAF (X) Wing, Detached Operations, Anchorage, Alaska, Western Air Command.

RCAF (Y) Wing, Detached Operations, Annette Island, Alaska, Western Air Command.

Ancillary Units

Coast Artillery Co-operation (CAC) Detchments, 1940-1994.

During the Second World War, a few aircraft were stationed at each defended harbour for co-operative training with coast artillery batteries.  Initially, squadrons were used, but they were found to be too large and the RCAF did not have enough squadrons to spare.  It was therefore decided to form small detachments of one to four Lysander aircraft for this duty.

No. 1 (CAC)  Detachment, formed at Saint John, New Brunswick from B Flight of No. 118 (CAC) Squadron on 27 Sep 1940.  Disbanded 1 Apr 1944.

No. 2 (CAC)  Detachment, formed at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia from A Flight of No. 118 (CAC) Squadron on 27 Sep 1940.  Disbanded (absorbed by No. 121 (Composite) Squadron on 15 Aug 1943.

No. 3 (CAC)  Detachment, formed at Patricia Bay, British Columbia on the disbandment of No. 111 (CAC) Squadron on 1 Feb 1941.  Disbanded (absorbed by No. 122 (Composite) Squadron on 9 Jan 1942.

No. 4 (CAC)  Detachment, formed at Sydney, Nova Scotia on 1 Apr 1941.  Disbanded on 1 Nov 1943.

No. 5 (CAC)  Detachment, formed at formed at Sydney, Nova Scotia on 1 Dec 1941.  Moved to Torbay, Newfoundland on 23 Apr 1942.  Disbanded (absorbed by No. 121 (Composite) Squadron on 15 Jul 1943.

No. 6 (CAC) Detachment, formed at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on 15 Dec 1941.  Disbanded 1 Nov 1943.

Operational Training Units (OTU), Canada, British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP)

No. 1 Operational Training Unit, formed at Bagotville, Quebec, 6 June 1942.  Disbanded on 31 Jan 1945.

No. 2 Operational Training Unit, formed at Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick, 6 Jul 1942.  Disbanded on 20 Jul 1942.

No. 3 Operational Training Unit, was to have been formed at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 3 Aug 1942.  Formed at Patricia Bay, British Columbia on 9 Nov 1942.  Disbanded on 3 Aug 1945.

No. 5 Operational Training Unit, formed at Boundary Bay, British Columbia, 1 Apr 1944.  Disbanded on 31 Oct 1945.

No. 6 Operational Training Unit, No. 32 OTU formed in West Kirby, Cheshire, England, 7 Aug 1941, moved to Patricia Bay, British Columbia on 22 Aug 1941.  Moved to Greenwood, Nova Scotia, on 15 Jan 1946.  Disbanded on 31 Mar 1946.

No. 7 Operational Training Unit, No. 31 OTU formed in the UK on 25 Apr 1941, moved to Debert, Nova Scotia on 22 May 1941.  Disbanded on 20 Jul 1945.

No. 8 Operational Training Unit, No. 36 OTU in the UK, arrived at Geenwood, Nova Scotia on 9 Mar 1942.  Redesignated No. 8 (RCAF) OTU on 1 Jul 1944.  Disbanded on 1 Aug 1945.

Overseas

No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU)

No. 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU)

No. 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU)

No. 1679 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU)

No. 1691 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU)

No. 6 Group Aircrew School

Post-War

No. 1 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit (OTU)

No. 2 (Maritime) Operational Training Unit (OTU)

No. 3 All-Weather (Fighter) Operational Training Unit (OTU)

No. 4 (Transport) Operational Training Unit (OTU)

No. 5 (Helicopter Operational Training Unit (OTU)

No. 6 (Strike and Reconnaissance) Operational Training Unit (OTU)

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