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
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]
These are the units that formed the Rhodesia Air Training Group. [2]
| Unit Name/No. | Base | Major types of aircraft | Role | Opened | Disbanded | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 | Belvedere, Salisbury | Tiger Moth, Cornell & Harvard | EFTS | 24 May 1940 | 16 November 1945 [3] | |
| No. 20 | Cranborne, Salisbury | Harvard 1, 2, 2a, 3 and Oxford | SFTS | 10 July 1940 [3] | 7 September 1945 [3] | |
| No. 27 | Induna, Bulawayo | Tiger Moth & Cornell | EFTS | 28 January 1940 [3] | 21 September 1945 [3] | |
| No. 23 | Heany, Bulawayo | Oxford | SFTS | 8 July 1941 [3] | 30 September 1945 [3] | |
| No. 21 | Kumalo, Bulawayo | Oxford | SFTS | 8 October 1940 [3] | 18 May 1945 [3] | |
| Sauerdale, Bulawayo | Tiger Moth | EFTS | Planned, but base found to be unsuitable | |||
| No. 26 | Guinea Fowl, Gwelo | Tiger Moth & Cornell | EFTS | August 1940 | 14 August 1945 [3] | |
| No. 22 | Thornhill, Gwelo | Harvard 1, 2, 2a, 3 | SFTS | 25 March 1941 [3] | 30 September 1945 [3] | |
| No. 24 Bombing, Gunnery and Navigation | Moffat, Gwelo | Battle, Oxford and Anson | BGTS | 12 May 1943 [4] | 13 April 1945 [4] | |
| No. 24 Combined Air Observation School | Moffat, Gwelo | Battle, Oxford and Anson | BGTS | 3 August 1941 [4] | 12 May 1943 [3] | Split into 24 BGTS & 29 EANS |
| No. 29 Elementary Navigation School [4] | Moffat, Gwelo | Battle, Oxford and Anson | ANS | 12 May 1943 [3] | 13 April 1945 [4] | |
| No. 28 | Mount Hampden | Tiger Moth, Cornell & Harvard | EFTS | 1 April 1941 | 30 October 1945 [3] | Motto: Pana Maziñana ano Bururuka - Here Fledglings Take Wing |
| No. 31 | Cranborne | Harvard (for Comms) | ARU | 1 August 1941 [3] | ||
| No. 32 | Heany | Harvard (for Comms) | ARU | 1 August 1941 [3] | ||
| Rhodesian Central Flying School | Norton | All types used in Group | CFS | 3 Sep 1941 [3] | 20 May 1942 [3] | Renamed 33 FIS |
| No. 33 | Norton | All types used in Group | FIS | 20 May 1942 [3] | 9 May 1944 [3] | Renamed CFS (SR) |
| Central Flying School (Southern Rhodesia) | Norton | All types used in Group | CFS | 9 May 1944 [3] | 9 October 1945 [3] | |
| Communications Flight | Belvedere | Tiger Moths, Cornells & Harvards | Comms Flt | 14 May 1940 [3] | 1 January 1946 [3] | SRAF unit |
| Unit Name/No. | Base | Major types of aircraft | Opened | Disbanded | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 FTS | RAF Heany | Tiger Moth (until replaced by Chipmunk), Harvard, Anson | 1 February 1947 [3] | 26 January 1954 [3] | |
| No. 5 FTS | RAF Thornhill | Tiger Moth (until replaced by Chipmunk), Harvard, Anson | 23 April 1947 [3] 22 January 1951 | 4 January 1948 [3] 30 December 1953 | |
| No. 3 ANS | RAF Thornhill | Anson | 5 January 1948 [3] | 28 September 1951 [3] | formed from elements of both 4 & 5 FTS |
| No. 394 MU | RAF Heany | 1 September 1947 [3] | 31 March 1954 [3] | ||
| No. 395 MU | RAF Bulawayo | 1 September 1947 [3] | 31 March 1954 [3] | ||
| RATG Communications Squadron | RAF Kumalo | Ansons, Chipmunks & Harvards | 1 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.