RCAF Eastern Air Command


Eastern Air Command was the part of the Royal Canadian Air Force's Home War Establishment responsible for air operations on the Atlantic coast of Canada during the Second World War. It played a critical role in anti-submarine operations in Canadian and Newfoundland waters during the Battle of the Atlantic. Eastern Air Command also had several fighter squadrons and operational training units under its umbrella.

Order of battle

10 September 1939

;HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia.
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 1 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station St. Hubert
No. 2 Squadron RCAFArmstrong Whitworth AtlasRCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 16 December
No. 5 Squadron RCAFSupermarine StranraerRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 8 Squadron RCAFNorthrop DeltaRCAF Station Sydney
No. 10 Squadron RCAFWestland WapitiRCAF Station Halifax
No. 116 Squadron RCAFNo aircraftRCAF Station Halifax - disbanded 2 November
No. 117 Squadron RCAFNo aircraftRCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 28 October

1 January 1943

;HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 10 Squadron RCAFDouglas DigbyRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 11 Squadron RCAFLockheed HudsonRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 113 Squadron RCAFLockheed HudsonRCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 116 Squadron RCAFConsolidated PBY CatalinaRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 117 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 119 Squadron RCAFLockheed HudsonRCAF Station Sydney
No. 121 Squadron RCAFVariousRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 126 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 128 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 129 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 130 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Bagotville
No. 162 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Yarmouth

; No. 1 Group. HQ St. John's, Newfoundland
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 5 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Gander
No. 125 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Torbay
No. 127 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Torbay
No. 145 Squadron RCAFLockheed HudsonRCAF Station Torbay

6 June 1944

; HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 113 Squadron RCAFLockheed VenturaRCAF Station Yarmouth - Moved to Torbay 21 June, disbanded 23 August
No. 119 Squadron RCAFLockheed HudsonRCAF Station Sydney
No. 121 Squadron RCAFVariousRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 126 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 128 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Dartmouth
No. 145 Squadron RCAFLockheed VenturaRCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 160 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Yarmouth
No. 167 Squadron RCAFVariousRCAF Station Dartmouth

;No. 1 Group, HQ St. John's, Newfoundland
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 5 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Torbay
No. 10 Squadron RCAFConsolidated B-24 LiberatorRCAF Station Torbay
No. 11 Squadron RCAFConsolidated B-24 LiberatorRCAF Station Torbay - Moved to Dartmouth 18 June
No. 116 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Gander
No. 127 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Gander
No. 129 Squadron RCAFHawker HurricaneRCAF Station Dartmouth

;No. 5 Group, HQ Gaspé, Quebec
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 161 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRCAF Station Gaspé
No. 162 Squadron RCAFConsolidated CansoRAF Reykjavik - On loan to Coastal Command
No. 119 Squadron RCAFLockheed HudsonRCAF Mount Joli - Disbanded in March 1944

No. 12 (Operational Training) Group

No. 12 Group was headquartered at Halifax, Nova Scotia and No. 3 Training Command RCAF had its headquarters at Montreal, Quebec.
No. 3 Training Command provided training for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, flying from air bases throughout Quebec and the Maritime provinces. The schools were operated by the RAF or the RCAF however the operational training units were RCAF units and under command of No. 12 Group, RCAF Eastern Air Command. The assigned training schools and units conducted advanced flying courses including Service Flying Training, Air Observer, Bombing and Gunnery, General Reconnaissance , Naval Aerial Gunnery, Air Navigation and Operational training throughout the war.
Together with some of the advanced aircraft types these units mainly flew hundreds of older bomber and patrol aircraft that had been relegated to armed training roles. Training Command aircraft were very active everywhere over the entire Eastern Command Area of Operations and therefore made an important contribution to the surveillance of the region acting as a force multiplier -providing extra eyes and ears on watch for enemy U-Boats during flying patrols -particularly during the emergency of the Battle of the St. Lawrence when some of the units temporarily took part as a stop gap measure.
A good example of the training schools involvement in operations with the EAC during the emergency of the battle is illustrated by author Hugh A. Haliday wrote: "The need for Atlantic patrols was undiminished, yet the Battle of the St. Lawrence stretched EAC resources. Based at Charlottetown, 31 General Reconnaissance School was mobilized to fly patrols using Avro Ansons, each carrying two 250-pound bombs. At the very outset of the war the Anson and its ordnance had failed in RAF anti-submarine work. Now in Canada it was remobilized as an aerial scarecrow. German views varied as to Canadian countermeasures. The captain of U-517 found his operations increasingly restricted by strengthened air patrols. In October 1942, U-69 reported “strong sea patrol and constant patrol by aircraft with radar.”
SquadronType of AircraftStation
No. 1 GRS BCATPAvro AnsonRCAF Summerside PEI
No. 31 GRS BCATPAvro AnsonRCAF Charlotteown PEI
No. 2 ANS BCATPAvro AnsonRCAF Charlotteown PEI
No. 32 Air Navigation School RAFAvro AnsonRCAF Charlottetown PEI
No. 9 SFTS BCATPAvro AnsonRCAF Summerside PEI - moved to RCAF Centralia ON July 1942
No. 8 SFTS BCATPAvro AnsonRCAF Moncton NB
No. 13 SFTS BCATPNorth American HarvardRCAF St. Hubert PQ - moved to N. Battleford SK Feb 1944
No. 8 Air Observer SchoolAvro AnsonRCAF Quebec City PQ
No. 9 Air Observers School RCAFAvro AnsonRCAF St. Jean PQ
No. 10 AOS BCATPAvro AnsonRCAF Chatham NB
No. 9 BGS BCATPAvro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey BattleRCAF Mt. Joli PQ
No. 10 BGS BCATPAvro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey BattleRCAF Mt. Pleasant PEI
No. 1 OTU BCATPHawker HurricaneRCAF Bagotville PQ
No. 7 OTU BCATPLockheed Hudson, DeHavilland MosquitoRCAF Debert NS
No. 6 OTU BCATPAvro Anson, Bristol Beaufort, Handley Page Hampden, Fairey SwordfishRCAF Greenwood NS
No. 8 OTU BCATPLockheed Hudson, DeHavilland MosquitoRCAF Greenwood NS
No. 34 OTU BCATPLockheed VenturaRCAF Pennfield Ridge NS
No. 1 NAGS BCATPFairey SwordfishYarmouth NS