RAF and RAAF ORBs available on the Web (new version)

[Fred Wilson]

Royal Canadian Air Force Operations Record Books are all online now - as microfilm images.
(Albeit hard to determine which Squadron each is assigned to.)

See: http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...c_mikan_135766

Stay tuned... It is going to take a few days for me to itemize the more important of these! (To me at least...)

Examples:
RCAF 405 Sqdn, for which it's code number is c12270. It's url is: http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...270/11?r=o&s=1
_____________________

This resource also includes the Administration and Commonwealth Air Training Plan Operations Record Books in Canada during WW2!

Examples:
64 Base Middleton St. George 1 June . 1944 - 30 Jun. 1945 and 76 Base Topcliffe 1 Nov. 1944 - 31 Aug. 1945 and R Depot Haughton Greeen 15 Sept 1942 - 28 Feb. 1946
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...428/11?r=0&s=1

62 Base Linton-On-Ouse 18 Jan. 1943 - 31 Aug. 1945 and 63 Base Leeming 30 Jan. 1944 - 31 Aug. 1945
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...427/11?r=0&s=1

127 Wing HQ 11 Jul. 1943 - 7 Jul. 1945 and 128 Wing HQ 1 Aug. 1943 - 1 July. 1944 and 129 Wing HQ 4 Jul. 1943 - 14 Jul. 1944 and 143 Wing HQ 10 Jan. 1944 - 26 Aug 1945
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...426/10?r=0&s=1

District District HQ Middle East 27 May 1942 - 21 Jun. 1945 and HQ New Delhi India 14 Jan. 1943 - 31 Dec. 1945
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c12425/6?r=0&s=1

Stn HQ Wombleton 10 Aug. 1943 - 20 Sep. 1945
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...423/10?r=0&s=1

Stn HQ Dunsfold 1 Dec. 42 - 7 Sep. 1942 and Stn HQ Middleton St. George 1 Jan. 43 - 31 May 1945
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...421/13?r=0&s=1

No. 9 Air Transport Group, RCAF Station Rockcliffe Ontario
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...166/12?r=0&s=1

[Bill Walker]

Fred, read the posts above for link to an on-line index.

[JohnE]

Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force 1949-1961:

http://rhkaaf.com/index.php/archive/...cord-book.html

[dp_burke]

Most RCAF ORBs are up on Canadian National Archives site.
Follow directions in this rafcommands thread.

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...ine-microfilms

OK, so be gentle as this is all pretty new to me from a research point of view, but having looked on here, there appear to be a number of links on this thread that don't now work, which is a real shame when sites go offline.

I am trying to find sources for any squadrons that have been at Manston, including full ORB for 609 Sqn, 3 and 137 but anything covering its history and finding as many photos as possible.

I guess the question is, if the ORB's aren't linked on here, is the only likelyhood to either consider going to Hendon or Kew?

Thanks

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I started this thread years ago, and yes Internet sources don't last forever and so most links won't work at some times.

This thread is for free ORBs available online. But you can also download ORB of all RAF squadrons from the National Archives website. It is expensive, but depending where you come from, could be worth it if you want only a given period (you pay for each file, covering usually a month of either Form 540 or 541).

By the way, 609 Sqn's ORB is the most interesting I know. Operations are described with many details, and squadron life is also described with a lot of humor (presenting the squadron as a bunch of drunkyards sometimes.... probably close to reality).

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by MagicNJ

I am trying to find sources for any squadrons that have been at Manston, including full ORB for 609 Sqn, 3 and 137 but anything covering its history and finding as many photos as possible.

I guess the question is, if the ORB's aren't linked on here, is the only likelyhood to either consider going to Hendon or Kew?

Thanks

From the National Archives website, you can download RAF Squadron ORB's (AIR27 file series) and pilots' combat reports (AIR50 series) but (a) it's hard to work out which are the bits you actually want and (b) you have to pay for them and the cost can quickly mount up. At Kew you can view these items onscreen and print only the pages you need and it's a bit cheaper per page (25p last time I used the system), so if you want a really large number of items a trip to Kew might work out cheaper overall.

[wwrsimon]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

From the National Archives website, you can download RAF Squadron ORB's (AIR27 file series) and pilots' combat reports (AIR50 series) but (a) it's hard to work out which are the bits you actually want and (b) you have to pay for them and the cost can quickly mount up. At Kew you can view these items onscreen and print only the pages you need and it's a bit cheaper per page (25p last time I used the system), so if you want a really large number of items a trip to Kew might work out cheaper overall.

Or if you go to Kew, take a digital camera/smartphone and take photos of the screens. Works out a bit cheaper.

Simon

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by wwrsimon

Or if you go to Kew, take a digital camera/smartphone and take photos of the screens. Works out a bit cheaper.

Simon

Depends what sort of quality you want, especially if the legibility of the originals isn't great (you get the impression that new typewriter ribbons were in short supply sometimes).

[Alfred.MONZAT]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

From the National Archives website, you can download RAF Squadron ORB's (AIR27 file series) and pilots' combat reports (AIR50 series) but (a) it's hard to work out which are the bits you actually want and (b) you have to pay for them and the cost can quickly mount up.

The National Archives are currently giving a free (limited to 10 documents at once and a total of 50 by month) access to their digitalized archives. If you download 49, you can order 10 more so in fact you can download 59... per mailing adress.