Mission Procedures

• A light and medium bomber command,
• Two fighter commands
• A troop carrier command.

Commands consisted of a number of wings, usually three. Wings comprised of three or four groups and these were made up of three squadrons for bomber and fighter groups and four squadrons for troop carrier groups.

Commands function was the issue of daily field orders. A target would be selected from a priority list based on favourable weather forecasts for the following day. The field order would direct the force into action. Target selection included the make up of the force needed to destroy it, the ordnance requirements and the plotted route, timing and altitude. The field order in consultation with fighter command was to arrange fighter support.

The combat wing was concerned with operational matters. Its function was to act as co-ordinating agency during all stages of execution of a combat mission. Its primary role was to produce a detailed mission plan for its groups.

The group was the principle combat unit.

A squadron consisted of 18 planes, thus allowing three box formations of six planes each. Plane separation in flight followed the simple principle that planes on the left for the formation flew at a slightly higher altitude and those on the right a slightly lower altitude. This pattern followed for box formations. The lead box would be flanked on the left by the high box and on the right by the low box. The three box formations make up a flight. The lead flight would again be flanked by a high flight on the left and a low flight on the right.

Box formations in the air followed the take off sequence of planes which was ordered by the taxi lists given at the pre-flight briefings. An individual plane carries out a combat sortie where as a flight carries out a mission. Usually a flight would comprise of a complete squadron and three flights needing a whole group.

Mission Types