What Constitutes a Tour Of Operations......

[Jim Oxley]

...for a pilot posted to:

RAF
a) a Fighter Command squadron
b) a Bomber Command squadron
c) a Coastal Command squadron

Did the duration/conditions of the above vary for those pilots posted to the Desert Air Force, Italy, Malta or Burma? Did they vary over time eg 1940 criteria different to 1944 ?

And the same question for the US 8th Air Force
a) a fighter squadron
b) a bomber squadron

Did the same tour conditions apply equally to pilots in the 9th AF or the 12th/15th Air Forces? Did the criteria vary to those units eg 7th, 13th, XXth Air Forces in the Pacific?

Cheers.

[Allan125]

Hello Jim

I have part of the information you require, from an AM document, for day fighters, fighter recce, ground attack, AI Night fighters and just plain old night fighters - europe and far east. It also mentions Intruders.

If you, and anyone else interested, drop me an e-mail on allan(dot)hillman(at)btinternet(dot)com I will happily send it on.

AM9287 (b) to be read in conjunction with a letter of 17 Nov 1944 (which I don't have!!).

Hope it helps - I am surprised that nobody else has reacted so far.

cheers

Allan

[Jim Oxley]

Thanks Allan, I'll send you an email.

I too am surprised that no one has offered any info.

[Juha]

Hello Jim
we are busy people, but see:http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=15231

the attachment in VoyTech's message, second from the bottom of the first page.

Juha

[Jim Oxley]

Thanks Juha. That's the same info that Allan provided to me earlier.

[Steve Smith]

Originally Posted by Jim Oxley

...for a pilot posted to:

RAF
a) a Fighter Command squadron
b) a Bomber Command squadron
c) a Coastal Command squadron

Did the duration/conditions of the above vary for those pilots posted to the Desert Air Force, Italy, Malta or Burma? Did they vary over time eg 1940 criteria different to 1944 ?

And the same question for the US 8th Air Force
a) a fighter squadron
b) a bomber squadron

Did the same tour conditions apply equally to pilots in the 9th AF or the 12th/15th Air Forces? Did the criteria vary to those units eg 7th, 13th, XXth Air Forces in the Pacific?

Cheers.

Hi Jim,

I have a few pilots (and their crew) on No.218 (Gold Coast) Squadron who were taken off and screened from operations having flown just 26 operations; this was during the 1942/43 period. On the flip side, I also have a number of pilots and again their crews whose first operational tour consisted on between 35 to 38 operations; this was late 1944-1945.

So no hard or fast rules on 218 Squadron.

[VoyTech]

Originally Posted by Steve Smith

no hard or fast rules on 218 Squadron.

Have you compared the overall number of hours flown? The number of sorties may have varied for the same total ops flying time.

[Bill Walker]

From discussions over at RAF Commands, it appears that Squadron COs sometimes had some leeway in shortening or extending tours, based on hardships an individual crew may have experienced. The CO basically could call a crew "ready for a change", regardless of number of operations flown.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

I've read that, at the beginning ( 1939-41 ), a Coastal Command (Blenheim) Tour was 300 Operational Hours.
Have read that a Bomber Command Tour was 30 ops ( 1 or 2 more or less ), later extended to 45 (? - do have to check the info really...remember to have read that on one of the many books back home ). Of course, Pathfinders flew an extended Tour.
I have communicated with Coastal Command airmen that have flown 63 missions before being rested. On the other hand, some Bomber Command airmen really flew their 30 missions for the first mission. At least one was Tour Expired with 29 ( from those I contacted ).
One Spitfire (Battle of Britain) ace said he flew 1,100+ ops....but I am not sure if he mistook that number for the number of Operational Hours...
Will check more details for you.
Yours
Adriano S. Baumgartner

[udf_00]

http://users.cyberone.com.au/clardo/glossary.html#Tours