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Old 11th November 2022, 13:21
Leendert Leendert is offline
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RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

The RAF had several Casualty Air Evacuation Units in the various war zones.

I wonder if these CAEUs all had their own aircraft? Or was actual transportation of casualties done by (e.g.) a Dakota squadron? Like this, the task of a CAEU would have centered on the coordination of flights.

No. 1 CAEU (formed 16 Nov 1944) on the other hand had 6 x Handley Page Sparrow types, with HQ and B Flight at B.56/Evere and C Flight at B.70/Deurne.
Not clear (at least to me) if this was under the auspices of No. 271 Squadron, which also had an Ambulance Flight with Sparrow transports in the 1944-1945 time frame.

Thanks for info.

Regards,
Leendert
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Old 12th November 2022, 19:07
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Buckeye30 Buckeye30 is offline
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Re: RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

Lee, 271 Sqn. was originally a transport squadron including HP Harrows, when it became an Airborne Forces unit in Jan. 1944 with Dakotas, the Harrows ("Sparrows") carried on to form an Ambulance Flight for Casualty Evacuation duties from the continent; later receiving Dakotas also.
The Flight disbanded in April 1945 at Down Ampney, other units taking over including Eighth / Ninth AF.


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Old 1st December 2022, 02:00
Larry Larry is offline
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Re: RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

My dad was on 575 Sqn RAF and 48 Sqn RAF in 1944 for D-Day and Arnhem, (based at RAF Broadwell & RAF Down Ampney) and he remembers many Dakotas made trips to Normandy as soon as the Allied airstrips became available, and would return with wounded, which he as ground crew was obliged to 'unload' in their stretchers and re-load on to awaiting ambulances. The Allied wounded had nurses with them on the flight back to 'blighty' so the only 'medical treatment' he gave was to stick a lighted cigarette in a soldier's mouth.
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Old 1st December 2022, 10:45
Stig Jarlevik Stig Jarlevik is offline
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Re: RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

Leendert

Interesting question.
I looked up the various units in Air Britain's Flying Training and Support Units since 1912.

Using their information, I would say....maybe....
Most of these units were very short lived (at least in Europe) and No 1 CAEU was an exception, being
reformed a second time on 16 Nov 1944 at Evere and having two flights. Unfortunately no aircraft
are listed (known?)
From where does your C-flight come from? The A-B book has only A and B flight listed.

The other exception was No 2 CAEU which did have aircraft assigned to them, a Sentinel KJ407 and Tiger
Moth NL967 being listed in the book.
This unit had also been reformed a second time but in India so had nothing to do with Europe.

Cheers
Stig
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Old 1st December 2022, 11:50
Graham Boak Graham Boak is offline
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Re: RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

There was a dedicated unit in North Africa, operating Lodestars and other types under RAAF control.
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Old 1st December 2022, 21:14
Leendert Leendert is offline
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Re: RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

Thanks for all the info. Going thru the summaries of several RAF Dakota squadrons operating in NW Europe, casualty evacuations more often than not took place on the return flight to Britain after flying supplies to the Continent.
My estimate is that apart from some exceptions like the No. 1 CAEU and the one Graham mentioned (must have been No. 1 Air Ambulance Unit (RAAF)), most had medical staff only for the organization of and medical care during casevac flights.

Some further browsing brought me to an online publication (books.google) from 1954 called "The Royal Air Force Medical Services, Vol. 1" (H.M.'s Stationary Office) with many more details about air casevac and their units during the war years and in the many war zones.

Regards,
Leendert
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Old 6th December 2022, 08:40
Pat Atkins Pat Atkins is offline
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Re: RAF Casualty Air Evacuation Units - own aircraft?

Slightly at a tangent, but for wider context: in the Balkan Air Force 148 (Special Duties) Squadron flew individual casevac operations - returning casualties to Brindisi - using the squadron's Lysander flight (the other two flights flew Halifaxes). It appears this was when called for, rather than as a designated operational role, however.
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