List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Southern Rhodesia

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This article contains a list of the Southern Rhodesian facilities forming part of Joint Air Training Scheme which was a major programme for training South African Air Force, Royal Air Force and Allied air crews during World War II. [1] However, RAF Training units would still be based in this country until a decade after the war had finished

Contents

A war-time Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) gave a recruit 50 hours of basic aviation instruction on a simple trainer like the Tiger Moth. Pilots who showed promise went on to training at a Service Flying Training School (SFTS). The Service Flying Training School provided advanced training for pilots, including fighter and multi-engined aircraft. Other trainees went on to different specialties, such as wireless, navigation or bombing and air gunnery. [1]

During WW II

These are the units that formed the Rhodesia Air Training Group. [2]

Unit Name/No.BaseMajor types of aircraftRoleOpenedDisbandedComments
No. 25Belvedere, Salisbury Tiger Moth, Cornell & HarvardEFTS24 May 194016 November 1945 [3]
No. 20Cranborne, Salisbury Harvard 1, 2, 2a, 3 and OxfordSFTS10 July 1940 [3] 7 September 1945 [3]
No. 27Induna, Bulawayo Tiger Moth & CornellEFTS28 January 1940 [3] 21 September 1945 [3]
No. 23Heany, Bulawayo OxfordSFTS8 July 1941 [3] 30 September 1945 [3]
No. 21Kumalo, Bulawayo OxfordSFTS8 October 1940 [3] 18 May 1945 [3]
Sauerdale, Bulawayo Tiger MothEFTSPlanned, but base found to be unsuitable
No. 26Guinea Fowl, Gwelo Tiger Moth & CornellEFTSAugust 194014 August 1945 [3]
No. 22 Thornhill, Gwelo Harvard 1, 2, 2a, 3SFTS25 March 1941 [3] 30 September 1945 [3]
No. 24 Bombing, Gunnery and NavigationMoffat, Gwelo Battle, Oxford and AnsonBGTS12 May 1943 [4] 13 April 1945 [4]
No. 24 Combined Air Observation SchoolMoffat, GweloBattle, Oxford and AnsonBGTS3 August 1941 [4] 12 May 1943 [3] Split into 24 BGTS & 29 EANS
No. 29 Elementary Navigation School [4] Moffat, GweloBattle, Oxford and AnsonANS12 May 1943 [3] 13 April 1945 [4]
No. 28 Mount Hampden Tiger Moth, Cornell & HarvardEFTS1 April 194130 October 1945 [3] Motto: Pana Maziñana ano Bururuka - Here Fledglings Take Wing
No. 31CranborneHarvard (for Comms)ARU1 August 1941 [3]
No. 32HeanyHarvard (for Comms)ARU1 August 1941 [3]
Rhodesian Central Flying SchoolNortonAll types used in GroupCFS3 Sep 1941 [3] 20 May 1942 [3] Renamed 33 FIS
No. 33NortonAll types used in GroupFIS20 May 1942 [3] 9 May 1944 [3] Renamed CFS (SR)
Central Flying School (Southern Rhodesia)NortonAll types used in GroupCFS9 May 1944 [3] 9 October 1945 [3]
Communications FlightBelvedereTiger Moths, Cornells & HarvardsComms Flt14 May 1940 [3] 1 January 1946 [3] SRAF unit

Training aircraft

Glossary

  • ANS — Air Navigation School
  • ARU — Aircraft Repair Unit
  • BGTS — Bombing and Gunnery Training School
  • CFS — Central Flying School
  • EFTS — Elementary Flying Training School
  • FIS — Flying Instructors School
  • SFTS — Service Flying Training School
  • SRAF — Southern Rhodesia Air Force

After World War II


Unit Name/No.BaseMajor types of aircraftOpenedDisbandedComments
No. 4 FTS RAF HeanyTiger Moth (until replaced by Chipmunk), Harvard, Anson1 February 1947 [3] 26 January 1954 [3]
No. 5 FTS RAF Thornhill Tiger Moth (until replaced by Chipmunk), Harvard, Anson23 April 1947 [3] 22 January 19514 January 1948 [3] 30 December 1953
No. 3 ANS RAF Thornhill Anson5 January 1948 [3] 28 September 1951 [3] formed from elements of both 4 & 5 FTS
No. 394 MURAF Heany1 September 1947 [3] 31 March 1954 [3]
No. 395 MURAF Bulawayo1 September 1947 [3] 31 March 1954 [3]
RATG Communications SquadronRAF KumaloAnsons, Chipmunks & Harvards1 September 1947 [3] 31 March 1954 [3]

For clarification; No.4 FTS & No.5 FTS initially functioned as complete Flying Training Schools with all three/four types at two different bases. After a short period, No.5 FTS was disbanded / redesignated as No.3 ANS specialising in Navigation training, sending all Tiger Moths & Harvards across to join No.4 FTS, and in return receiving No.4 FTS Ansons to add to its own. Three years later in 1951 the situation was reversed with the dissolution of No.3 ANS.

Training aircraft

Glossary

  • ANS — Air Navigation School
  • FTS — Flying Training School
  • MU — Maintenance Unit
  • RATG — Rhodesian Air Training Group

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Becker, Dave (1989). Yellow Wings: The Story Of The Joint Air Training Scheme In World War 2. Pretoria: The SAAF Museum. p. 102.
  2. ↑ Bishop, C. Nepean (20 November 1953). "The Fledglings of Rhodesia: An Instructor's Recollections of a Unit in the Empire Air Training Scheme". Flight . LXIV (2339): 668–670. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 "Rhodesia & The RAF" . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Story of Royal Air Force Station, Moffat". Our Rhodesian Heritage. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
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