RCAF Eastern Air Command
# 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.**

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 1 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station St. Hubert |
| No. 2 Squadron RCAF | Armstrong Whitworth Atlas | RCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 16 December |
| No. 5 Squadron RCAF | Supermarine Stranraer | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 8 Squadron RCAF | Northrop Delta | RCAF Station Sydney |
| No. 10 Squadron RCAF | Westland Wapiti | RCAF Station Halifax |
| No. 116 Squadron RCAF | No aircraft | RCAF Station Halifax - disbanded 2 November |
| No. 117 Squadron RCAF | No aircraft | RCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 28 October |

### 1 January 1943

**HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia**

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 10 Squadron RCAF | Douglas Digby | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 11 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Hudson | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 113 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Hudson | RCAF Station Yarmouth |
| No. 116 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated PBY Catalina | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 117 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 119 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Hudson | RCAF Station Sydney |
| No. 121 Squadron RCAF | Various | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 126 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 128 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 129 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 130 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Bagotville |
| No. 162 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Yarmouth |

**No. 1 Group. HQ St. John's, Newfoundland**

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 5 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Gander |
| No. 125 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Torbay |
| No. 127 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Torbay |
| No. 145 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Hudson | RCAF Station Torbay |

### 6 June 1944

**HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia**

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 113 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Ventura | RCAF Station Yarmouth - Moved to Torbay 21 June, disbanded 23 August |
| No. 119 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Hudson | RCAF Station Sydney |
| No. 121 Squadron RCAF | Various | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 126 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 128 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Dartmouth |
| No. 145 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Ventura | RCAF Station Yarmouth |
| No. 160 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Yarmouth |
| No. 167 Squadron RCAF | Various | RCAF Station Dartmouth |

**No. 1 Group, HQ St. John's, Newfoundland**

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 5 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Torbay |
| No. 10 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated B-24 Liberator | RCAF Station Torbay |
| No. 11 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated B-24 Liberator | RCAF Station Torbay - Moved to Dartmouth 18 June |
| No. 116 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Gander |
| No. 127 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Gander |
| No. 129 Squadron RCAF | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Station Dartmouth |

**No. 5 (Gulf) Group, HQ Gaspé, Quebec**

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 161 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RCAF Station Gaspé |
| No. 162 Squadron RCAF | Consolidated Canso | RAF Reykjavik - On loan to Coastal Command |
| No. 119 Squadron RCAF | Lockheed Hudson | RCAF 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 (BCATP), 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 (SFTS), Air Observer (AOS), Bombing and Gunnery (BGS), General Reconnaissance (ocean patrol) (GRS), Naval Aerial Gunnery (NAGS), Air Navigation (ANS) and Operational (OTU) training throughout the war (see the following table).

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.”

| Squadron | Type of Aircraft | Station |
| - | - | - |
| No. 1 GRS BCATP | Avro Anson | RCAF Summerside PEI |
| No. 31 GRS BCATP | Avro Anson | RCAF Charlotteown PEI |
| No. 2 ANS BCATP | Avro Anson | RCAF Charlotteown PEI |
| No. 32 Air Navigation School RAF | Avro Anson | RCAF Charlottetown PEI |
| No. 9 SFTS BCATP | Avro Anson | RCAF Summerside PEI - moved to RCAF Centralia ON July 1942 |
| No. 8 SFTS BCATP | Avro Anson | RCAF Moncton NB |
| No. 13 SFTS BCATP | North American Harvard | RCAF St. Hubert PQ - moved to N. Battleford SK Feb 1944 |
| No. 8 Air Observer School | Avro Anson | RCAF Quebec City PQ |
| No. 9 Air Observers School RCAF | Avro Anson | RCAF St. Jean PQ |
| No. 10 AOS BCATP | Avro Anson | RCAF Chatham NB |
| No. 9 BGS BCATP | Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle | RCAF Mt. Joli PQ |
| No. 10 BGS BCATP | Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle | RCAF Mt. Pleasant PEI |
| No. 1 OTU BCATP | Hawker Hurricane | RCAF Bagotville PQ |
| No. 7 OTU BCATP | Lockheed Hudson, DeHavilland Mosquito | RCAF Debert NS |
| No. 6 OTU BCATP | Avro Anson, Bristol Beaufort, Handley Page Hampden, Fairey Swordfish | RCAF Greenwood NS |
| No. 8 OTU BCATP | Lockheed Hudson, DeHavilland Mosquito | RCAF Greenwood NS |
| No. 34 OTU BCATP | Lockheed Ventura | RCAF Pennfield Ridge NS |
| No. 1 NAGS BCATP | Fairey Swordfish | Yarmouth NS |
