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No.6 Group of Bomber Command was an entirely Canadian group, formed as a result of a political compromise between the Canadian government, which wanted to form an entirely independent Canadian Air Force in Britain, and the RAF, which wanted to maintain control over every Commonwealth squadron serving in Britain. Fifteen squadrons served in No.6 Group, which began as a Wellington group, spent most of the war operating the Halifax and was in the process of converting to the Lancaster when the war ended.
This is very much a reference work. The narrative history that fills the first 130 pages of the text is a day-by-day account of No.6 Group's contribution to the Bomber war is rather too dry to be read straight through but is an absolutely invaluable reference work, for No.6 Group and for the wider Bomber Command campaign. The individual squadron histories are also an invaluable reference work. For each squadron we are given a brief history, a list of stations, commanding officers and types of aircraft. This is followed by a brief operational record - number and type of sorties, number of losses, both overall and by aircraft, and a table of statistics placing each squadron in rank within Bomber Command and the group. Finally, and perhaps most impressively, Ward provides a list of every aircraft to serve with each squadron, providing the aircraft's serial number, identification codes and the reason it left the squadron.
This is an invaluable reference work that will be of great value to anyone working on the history of Bomber Command or the Canadian contribution during the Second World War.
Chapters
1 - A Narrative History
2 - Quick Reference
3 - The Squadrons:
405 (Vancouver) Squadron
408 (Goose) Squadron
415 (Swordfish) Squadron
419 (Moose) Squadron
420 (Snowy Owl) Squadron
424 (Tiger) Squadron
425 (Alouette) Squadron
426 (Thunderbird) Squadron
427 (Lion) Squadron
428 (Ghost) Squadron
429 (Bison) Squadron
431 (Iroquois) Squadron
432 (Leaside) Squadron
433 (Porcupine) Squadron
434 (Bluenose) Squadron
Author: Chris Ward
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 260
Publisher: Pen & Sword Aviation
Year: 2009