634:. PFF bombers were the first 31 aircraft of the raid, including Stirlings, Halifaxes, Lancasters and Wellingtons â from 7, 35, 83 and 156 squadrons. Flensburg, on an inlet of the Baltic, was in theory an easy target for the PFF on their first operation but the winds shifted and the bomber force drifted north of the target to a part of Denmark where the coast also had many inlets. Sixteen PFF crews claimed to have marked the target area and 78 Main Force crews claimed to have bombed it. Reports from Flensburg stated that the town had not been hit but a Danish report showed that the towns of Sønderborg and Abenra and a large area of Denmark up to 25 miles north of Flensburg were hit by scattered bombing. 26 houses were destroyed and 660 were damaged but only four Danish people were injured. The raid was a dismal failure, much to the delight of both Harris and other detractors of the strategic force as a whole.
480:. In limited visibility or when the target did not have a clearly distinguishing landmark, accurate bombing was very difficult. Bomber Command pressed ahead with a night bombing campaign starting in 1940. Bomber crews reported good results, turning for home if they lost their way or could not find the target because of the weather and pressing on only if they felt confident they could identify the target with certainty. However it was not long before reports started reaching the UK from observers on the ground that the bombers were never even heard over the targets let alone dropping their bombs nearby. At first these reports were dismissed but as other branches of the UK armed forces complained a report was commissioned.
889:. 596 aircraft were led by a Master Bomber to a series of target indicators dropped at several locations around the target area. By dropping different-coloured indicators and calling aircraft to attack each one in turn, the entire area was heavily bombed. The aircraft from No 5 Group used their time-from-landmark technique again. The estimate has appeared in many sources that this raid set back the V-2 experimental programme by at least two months and reduced the scale of the eventual rocket attack. The V-2 team had to move their testing facilities hastily elsewhere. The Master Bomber became a common feature of large raids.
878:, which were believed to be making radar. In this raid one of the Lancasters was equipped with new high-frequency radio equipment that allowed it to communicate with the other bombers in the attack force. The follow-up force consisted of several groups, including PFF aircraft, who marked the target based on radio instructions from what would become known as âthe Master Bomberâ. Another group of aircraft were to attempt a new technique, bombing at a specific time after passing a ground feature, in this case the shores of Lake Constance. Nearly 10 per cent of the bombs hit the factory in what was considered a great success.
649:. There was little cloud over the city and the Pathfinders were able to illuminate the area well. Widespread damage was caused, particularly in the south-western parts of the city. Kassel reported that 144 buildings were destroyed and 317 seriously damaged. Several military establishments were hit and 28 soldiers were killed, more than the civilian toll of 15, with 187 civilians and 64 soldiers injured. Among the buildings severely damaged were all three of the factories of the Henschel aircraft company. Of the 306 aircraft attacking the target, 31 were lost, 10.1 per cent of the force.
999:"Illuminators"; were PFF aircraft flying in front of the main force who would drop markers or target indicators (TIs) onto the designated 'aiming point' already illuminated by the "Finders". Again, if conditions were cloudy H2S navigational radar was used. These TIs were designed to burn with various and varying colours to prevent the German defenses lighting decoy fires. Various TI's were dubbed "Pink Pansies", "Red Spots", and "Smoke Puffs". "Illuminators" could include Mosquitoes equipped with "Oboe" if the target was within the range of this bombing aid.
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500:, suggesting that the bomber force be directed against German urban areas, destroying as many houses as possible and thus rendering the German workforce unable to work well. Accepting the recommendations of Lindemann's report after intense debate, the British began planning a major offensive starting in the spring of 1942 with the aim of destroying German cities. By 1940 the British had started development of a number of night navigation aids and were already testing the
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attack. A report from
Nuremberg stated that some bombs were dropped as far away as the town of Erlangen, nearly 10 miles to the north, and four people were killed there. In Nuremberg. the number of bombs recorded would indicate that approximately 50 aircraft hit the town. 137 people were killed, 126 civilians and 11 foreigners. 23 bombers were shot down, 14.5 per cent of the force. Most of these were Wellingtons, which lost 34 per cent of their number.
767:. The weather was clear and the PFF marked the target correctly, with the majority of the following Main Force finding the target and bombing it. The post-raid analysis showed that 460 houses had been destroyed, 1,361 seriously damaged and 7,592 lightly damaged. Added to this list were hundreds of light and medium industrial buildings, including the Weser aircraft works and the Atlas shipyard and associated warehouses. The raid was a complete success.
1013:. Bennett wanted to lead raids but was denied operational flying as Harris was not prepared to risk losing him. The appointed Pathfinder (usually an experienced senior officer) circled the target, broadcasting radio instructions to both Pathfinders and Main Force aircraft, correcting aiming points and generally co-ordinating the attack. In September 1944, Gibson himself died in a Mosquito after performing as "master bomber" for a raid on Germany.
531:(KGr 100), was given all available receivers and trained extensively on their use. KGr 100 would fly over their target using these systems and drop flares, at which the following aircraft would then aim their bombs. On rare occasions KGr 100 was used as a pure bombing force, demonstrating the ability to drop bombs within 150 yards of their targets in any weather. The KGr 100 unit itself would, in mid-December 1941, be renamed I.
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the Oboes worked but that was enough for the following heavies to bomb on and hit a number of industrial buildings. Another mission by three
Mosquitos attacked the German night-fighter control room at Florennes airfield in Belgium, but there was complete cloud cover and the results were not known. It was clear by this point, after less than six months, that the PFF concept was a great advance.
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damage. Five people were killed, including two anti-aircraft gunners, and 95 people were injured. The outlying villages of
Schwalbach and Eschborn were heavily bombed. Six Lancasters, five Wellingtons, four Stirlings and one Halifax were lost, 7.1 per cent of the force. Five Pathfinder aircraft, including that of the commanding officer of 7 Squadron, were among the losses.
464:, a relatively rare occurrence. Offsetting the advantages of night bombing was the understanding that identifying the targets and attacking them accurately would be much more difficult. This meant a night bomber force was useful only against very large targets such as cities and was one of the reasons daylight bombing was considered.
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and backup aircraft with 500 lb delayed action bombs. With Harris' support, Bennett formed more
Mosquito squadrons to expand the LNSF, giving him nine bomber squadrons, as well as the Oboe-equipped markers and 8 Group's meteorological Mosquitos. The LNSF achieved 27,239 sorties, their best month
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decided that the technique was sound and they overrode Harris' objections and forced the issue. Harris responded by suggesting the pathfinders be distributed among the squadrons but again his objections were overruled, since it would not produce the desired result of having the targets clearly marked
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Although the causes for this disaster were debated it became clear that bomber forces could not defend themselves. Either bombing raids needed to have fighter escort, which was difficult given the limited range of the fighters, or attacks had to be made at night when the opponent's fighters could not
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navigation system, several bombs fell within 2 km of the target. The test was considered a success. A follow-up under more realistic conditions was carried out on the night of 31 December 1942/1 January 1943 against DĂźsseldorf, with two
Mosquitos leading a force of eight Lancasters. Only one of
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As the PFF gained experience new problems appeared. Many bombers in the Main Force lost their way to the target and either bombed randomly or turned for home. Another problem was that the illuminators would go out before the raid was complete, leaving the following aircraft to bomb on visible fires,
672:, and the raid was considered a great success, with an estimated 200 fires seen burning. Reconnaissance photographs showed much residential and some industrial damage. A very short report from Karlsruhe says only that 73 people were killed and that three public buildings in the city centre were hit.
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as part of a force of 159 aircraft. Crews were ordered to attack
Nuremberg at low altitude and the PFF used new target illuminators adapted from 250 lb bomb casings. Photographs showed that these were placed with great accuracy and the crews of the Main Force claimed to have carried out a good
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on the night of 24/25 August. The group once again had great difficulty identifying its target in cloudy conditions and most of the bombs fell in open country north and west of the city. Local reports stated that some bombs fell in the city, causing 17 large and 53 small fires and moderate property
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The
British, who had developed similar navigation aids, faced the same problem of quantity. Bomber Command expected to have only 300 Gee sets available by January 1942, all of them hand-built. Mass-produced models were not expected until May. As it turned out, both predictions proved optimistic. An
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the candle was the basic indicator. About 2 feet long and about 2 inches in diameter, it sequentially ejected flare pellets that burned for 15 seconds each. The type H was filled with alternately coloured pellets (red/yellow or red/green or yellow/green), and illuminated for about 5 1/2 minutes in
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for the first time, dropping parachute flares above the heavy cloud cover in a technique known as âsky markingâ. The follow-up force observed an incredible event, a huge explosion seen through the complete cloud cover that lingered for 10 minutes. It was later learned this was the explosion of the
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The proportion of
Pathfinder aircraft to Main Force bombers could vary according to the difficulty and location of the target; 1 to 15 was common, though it could be as low as 1 to 3. By the start of 1944, the bulk of Bomber Command was bombing within 3 miles of the PFF indicators, an appreciable
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was added in June 1943, which
Bennett intended to use for diversionary raids to draw the German night fighters away from the main force. In February 1944 a raid made entirely by Mosquitos was mounted against DĂźsseldorf. It was formed of the usual marker aircraft from 105 Squadron and 692 Squadron
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Wanganui was used when the target was obscured by cloud, industrial haze, or a smoke screen. Oboe or H2S was used to release the markers over the unseen target. The target indicators used were on parachutes to give an aiming point that could be seen by the main force. This was also known as "sky
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To address these problems the PFF adopted new techniques. Their force was split into three groups for each raid. The 'illuminators' would drop white target illuminators at points along the attack vector, allowing aircraft to follow these markers over long distances and thus avoid getting lost en
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only one in 10 ever flew within five miles of its target. Half of all the bombs carried into combat and droppedâmany returnedâfell in open country. Only one per cent of all the bombs were even in the vicinity of the target. Clearly something had to be done to address this or, as the other forces
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Although the AOCs of the Groups had been mixed in their enthusiasm for the
Pathfinder Force, they generally supported it. AVM Roderic Carr (4 Group) was opposed to its creation but had identified Bennett (10 Squadron was in his group) as the sort of person suitable for the job and passed over a
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argued against the idea, with the backing of the majority of his Group commanders. His view was that an elite group would breed rivalry and envy and have an adverse effect on morale. Adding fuel to his argument was his dislike for Bufton. His idea for improving accuracy was to hold competitions
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The Germans were well aware of the RAF's target marking and quickly deduced the basic strategy was a copy of their own from 1940/41. German intelligence reports from later in the war show a wealth of information on the PFF. On the night of 15/16 October 1942 on a raid by 289 aircraft against
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being March 1945 with nearly 3,000 sorties. The LNSF suffered the loss of just under 200 aircraft on operations or "damaged beyond repair". The Pathfinder Force flew a total of 50,490 sorties against some 3,440 targets and at least 3,727 members were killed on operations.
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on the target, but only if they were sure it had been identified. Finally the 'backers-up' or 'fire starters' used the visual markers' flares as the aim point for their own incendiary bombs to light fires in the proper location, which would burn longer than the flares.
857:, which destroyed 120 acres (49 hectares). Mission size continued to grow throughout, and although many missions continued to mark the wrong targets or fail for other reasons the damage caused continued to increase. On one particularly successful raid against
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techniques to address it, demonstrating a standard of bombing accuracy during the night raids that daylight forces found difficult. The RAF lacked similar navigation systems, having ignored their development for a number of years and relied almost entirely on
1002:"Markers"; would then drop incendiaries onto the TIs just prior to the Main Force arrival. Further "Markers" called "Backers-Up" or "Supporters" would be distributed at points within the main bomber stream to remark or reinforce the original TIs as required.
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long before it reached the target area. The British bomber force was met by German fighters that shot down 10 of the 22 bombers, with another two crashing in the sea and three more written off on landing. The Luftwaffe lost only two fighters in return.
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Three types of target marking were developed by the Pathfinders. These were known by the codenames Parramatta, Wanganui and Newhaven â the names coming from locations in Australia, New Zealand and the UK which had links with Pathfinder staff. If the
622:. The squadrons were located on adjacent airfields within 3 Group at Oakington, Graveley, Wyton and Warboys with a headquarters at RAF Wyton; 3 Group was responsible for the Force administratively though it was under the direct command of Harris.
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Another improvement was the introduction of larger bomb casings for the target indicators, starting with the 'Pink Pansy' in an adapted 4,000 lb casing. Using these for the first time on the night of 10/11 September 479 aircraft attacked
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PFF crews found themselves given ever increasingly sophisticated and complex jobs that were constantly modified and developed tactically during the bombing campaign from 1943 until the end of the war. Some of the more usual tasks were as:
789:, the Germans lit a decoy target indicator that deceived the majority of the Main Force's bombs. Only one 4,000 lb, three smaller General Purpose and 210 incendiary bombs hit the city out of a force of almost 70,000 bombs in total.
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bomber, which could carry a sizeable bomb load. Under 8 Group, the number of Mosquito squadrons was built up and used for harassing raids on Germany. To the two (Oboe-equipped) Mosquito squadrons already in the Pathfinder Force,
839:. When new aircraft such as the de Havilland Mosquito became available, the PFF got the first examples and then equipped them with ever more sophisticated electronic equipment, such as Oboe, the radio navigation and bombing aid.
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Follow-up efforts during October and November were mostly small raids, including a number against cities in Italy. Weather and operational problems meant that raids during this period were limited and of greatly varied results.
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and caused enormous damage. In addition to thousands of houses destroyed or heavily damaged, 39 industrial firms in DĂźsseldorf and 13 in Neuss were damaged so much that all production ceased, and 19,427 people were bombed out.
751:", when the newly arriving bombers would drop their bombs on the near side of the fire so they could turn for home earlier. This led to subsequent bombs slowly walking backward along the attack vector, away from the target.
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see them. In the era before the widespread use of radar and the techniques needed to guide fighters to their targets with radar, night bombing would render the bombers vulnerable only if they were picked up by
310:, in January 1943. The initial Pathfinder Force was five squadrons, whilst No 8 Group ultimately grew to a strength of 19 squadrons. Whereas the majority of Pathfinder squadrons and personnel were from the
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In all cases, further target Indicators would be dropped in the course of the raid to reinforce the marking and to compensate for earlier TIs either burning out or being extinguished by the bombing.
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in advance of the arrival of the main force. A specialist force was formed in August 1942 by transferring existing squadrons from the Bomber Command groups to make up the Path Finder Force (PFF).
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925:, Cochrane was an advocate of precision low-level marking and lobbied to be allowed to prove the theory and for 5 Group to attempt targets and techniques that 8 Group would not.
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improvement in accuracy since 1942. The success or failure of a raid now largely depended on the Pathfinders' marker placement and the success of further correction marking.
992:"Finders"; these were 8 Group aircraft tasked with dropping sticks of illuminating flares, firstly at critical points along the bombing route to aid navigation and keep the
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squadron of Halifax heavy bombers. AVM Coryton had been a greater opponent but supplied a squadron of the new Avro Lancasters. There was rivalry between 8 Group and
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obvious solution to Bomber Command's problems would be simply to copy the German technique of placing all available sets in a lead force. This was first proposed by
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By January the pace of Bomber Command missions had dramatically increased, with major raids being carried out almost every night. On 11/12 February 1943 against
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1293:, an annual 46-mile (74-kilometre) long-distance walk around the County of Cambridgeshire, England, to perpetuate the memory of No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group
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For marking the Pathfinders used a number of special "Target Indicator" (TI) markers and bombs. These ejected coloured flares or illuminated the target.
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Faced with the same navigation problems as the RAF, the Luftwaffe had developed radio aids that were widely used during their bombing campaign, the
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compact and then across the approximate target area. If conditions were cloudy then these were dropped "blind" using H2S navigational radar.
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force could aim, increasing the accuracy of their bombing. The Pathfinders were normally the first to receive new blind-bombing aids such as
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Newhaven used illumination flares dropped above the target area to light it up sufficiently for a visual marking by the Pathfinder aircraft.
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668:, 13 miles to the north and situated on a similar bend in the river. The next night a force of 200 bombers was led by accurate marking in
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On the night of 20/21 June 1943 another change in technique was tested by 60 Lancasters (mostly from 5 Group) against Zeppelin works at
515:, would be arriving in quantity. These technological developments dovetailed with the policy changes influenced by Lindemann's report.
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Picked crews from the bomber groups were allowed to transfer and the PFF soon expanded into a completely new Groupâdesignated
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system was used to determine the release point then the word "Musical" was used as a prefix, e.g. "Musical Parramatta".
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A combination of these techniques was first used on a large raid to great success on the night of 17/18 August 1943 in
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attacking during daylight and fending off attacks by fighters with their guns. In early missions over France and the
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The Light Night Striking Force (LNSF) was a development of the Pathfinder Force's use of the fast and long-ranged
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The PFF began with five squadrons: one from each of the operational Bomber Command Groups, 1 Group contributed
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The PFF was first put into action on the night of 18/19 August 1942, when 118 Bomber Command aircraft attacked
614:, at the age of 33, in 1943. Bennett was not the Air Ministry's first choice: Harris opposed the first choice,
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system on operations. These would be available in quantity in early 1942, just as the heavy bombers, the
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A pathfinder's war : an extraordinary tale of surviving over 100 bomber operations against all odds
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As the war wore on, the role of "Master Bomber" was introduced. This was an idea that had been used by
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so their interception efforts were disorganised. On 18 December 1939 a raid by three squadrons of
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of 1940â1941. Lacking enough equipment to install in all their aircraft, an experimental group,
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Cheshire marked targets using the fast Mosquito bomber, then later a Mustang fighter bomber.
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The new technique was first employed on 4/5 September 1942 on a raid of 251 aircraft against
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Parramatta used navigation aids such as H2S radar or Oboe radio signals to drop the markers.
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on 5/6 March 1943 160 acres of land were destroyed, with 53 separate buildings within the
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article on the Pathfinders by the magazine's editor, Wing Commander Maurice A Smith, DFC.
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The Mosquito was able to carry these bombs all the way to Berlin, and regularly did.
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The Germans had also studied this problem and had invested considerable effort in
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suggested, the strategic campaign should simply be dropped. Around this time
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there was no clear outcome regarding the success of the bombersâ guns: the
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had directed the individual bombing runs against the MĂśhne then Eder dams.
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as part of a 231-aircraft force, but post-raid analysis showed this to be
606:(Lancaster). The PFF was commanded by Australian officer Air Vice-Marshal
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of 18 August 1941, which noted that by the time the aircraft reached the
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In April 1943 the group's strength was increased by two squadrons, with
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The PFF finally proved itself on the night of 27/28 August 1942 against
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The Bomber War; Arthur Harris and the Allied Bomber Offensive 1939â1945
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1720:, Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary, RAF, 6 April 2005
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On 20/21 December 1942 H. E. Bufton personally led a force of six
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for âblind-bombingâ through overcast on daylight missions using
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as well as many individual airmen from the air forces of other
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590:âthen "special duties"â(Wellingtons and Mosquitoes), 3 Group
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within groups to deliver improved bombing. In rebuttal, Sir
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from the IBCC Digital Archive at the University of Lincoln.
809:, a small town in the Netherlands. Led entirely by the new
1502:. 6 April 2005. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007
1339:(1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p.
1549:, Luftwaffenfuhrungsstab Ic/Fremde, Luftwaffen West, 1944
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83, 97 and 627 Squadrons passed to 5 Group in April 1944
586:(equipped with the Wellington medium bomber), 2 Group
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100, as the basis for a new Luftwaffe bomber wing or
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Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force
1424:"RAF â Bomber Command No.8 (Pathfinder Force) Group"
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Cheshire: The Biography of Leonard Cheshire, VC, OM
1607:"16/17 December 1943, Campaign Diary December 1943"
567:makes little boys play any less enthusiastically.â
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73:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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1944:RAF strategic bombing during the Second World War
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306:(PFF) squadrons were expanded to become a group,
254:A flaming arrow in front of an eight-pointed star
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1611:Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary
1547:"British Pathfinder Operations as at March 1944"
1520:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
755:route. The 'visual markers' would drop coloured
570:Studying the German results, notably reports by
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747:if there were any. This led to the problem of "
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1365:"Bomber Command No.8 (Pathfinder Force) Group"
831:. Later in the month Pathfinder HQ moved from
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27:RAF target-marking squadrons in World War II
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660:On 1/2 September 1942 the PFF illuminated
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734:Learn how and when to remove this message
389:Learn how and when to remove this message
133:Learn how and when to remove this message
30:For American radar-equipped bombers, see
652:The next night the PFF operated against
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1459:
940:of only 94 yd (86 m) at the
554:. Bomber Command's commander-in-chief
144:
2389:United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)
1859:Feast, Ted Stocker with Sean (2009).
1486:
1484:
1482:
1480:
805:on a raid against a power station at
637:The PFF's second mission was against
7:
2384:Aerial defence of the United Kingdom
896:operated a similar force within the
712:adding citations to reliable sources
476:and optical instruments such as the
412:, who served the pathfinders of the
367:adding citations to reliable sources
71:adding citations to reliable sources
2049:Combined Bomber Offensive (1943â44)
2534:Airborne early warning and control
2405:Death by Moonlight: Bomber Command
2306:
1393:A. S.Jackson, Pathfinder Bennett,
1132:- Wellington, then Mosquito - Oboe
885:against German rocket research at
423:in September 1939 the doctrine of
25:
1668:"The Pathfinder Force: Formation"
1572:operation against the German dams
1371:. Royal Air Force. Archived from
1066:Candle Aircraft, TI, Bomb, Type H
921:. Through the CO of 617 Squadron
2034:Area bombing of cities (1942â43)
1757:, Arms and Armour London, 1996,
1729:"No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group"
934:Stabilizing Automatic Bomb Sight
684:
451:was detected on an experimental
339:
181:
165:
47:
1962:RAF strategic bombing 1942â1945
58:needs additional citations for
1803:The Royal Air Force Day by Day
1771:. London: Viking Press, 2000.
1617:. 6 April 2005. Archived from
1281:List of Royal Air Force groups
308:No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group
148:No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group
1:
1967:Area Bombing Directive (1942)
1847:. London: Grub Street, 2009.
1805:. Stroud: The History Press.
1718:"Campaign Diary, August 1942"
1492:"Campaign Diary, August 1942"
894:United States Army Air Forces
797:New systems, increasing tempo
1156:- Wellington, then Lancaster
496:wrote an infamous report on
1977:Casablanca directive (1943)
1863:. London: Grub Street Pub.
1755:Bennett and the Pathfinders
1083:No. 7 Mk 1 Multi-flash Bomb
36:Pathfinder (disambiguation)
2780:
2054:Battle of Berlin (1943â44)
1998:Frederick "Prof" Lindemann
1801:Pitchfork, Graham (2008).
1102:- Stirling, then Lancaster
952:Light Night Striking Force
853:naval ammunition depot at
29:
2044:Battle of the Ruhr (1943)
1782:Neillands, Robin (2002).
1174:- Halifax, then Lancaster
1108:- Halifax, then Lancaster
908:Rivalry in Bomber Command
478:Course Setting Bomb Sight
2368:Light Night Strike Force
1086:No. 8 Mk 1 Spotfire Bomb
835:to Castle Hill House in
598:heavy bombers), 4 Group
316:Royal Canadian Air Force
1843:Stocker, Ted, DSO DFC.
1786:. London: John Murray.
1335:A dictionary of mottoes
1204:- Lancaster formed 1944
1186:- Lancaster formed 1944
865:factories hit by bombs.
34:. For other uses, see
2008:Sir Archibald Sinclair
1993:Arthur "Bomber" Harris
1972:Dehousing paper (1942)
1739:. Leicester: Cassell.
1735:Jacobs, Peter (2002).
1210:- Mosquito formed 1944
1198:- Mosquito formed 1943
1192:- Mosquito formed 1944
1180:- Mosquito formed 1944
1168:- Mosquito formed 1945
1162:- Mosquito formed 1944
1150:- Mosquito formed 1944
1138:- Mosquito formed 1944
1095:Between 1942 and 1945
1091:Squadrons and stations
825:No 405 (RCAF) Squadron
803:de Havilland Mosquitos
602:(Halifax) and 5 Group
556:Arthur "Bomber" Harris
416:
2153:Boston (Douglas DB-7)
2039:U-boat pens (1943â44)
2029:Oil targets (1940-45)
1172:No. 405 Squadron RCAF
936:; with the necessary
848:, the PFF used their
780:German counterefforts
505:hyperbolic navigation
447:against ships in the
404:
156:15 August 1942 â 1945
82:"Pathfinder" RAF
2399:Defence of the Reich
1678:on 13 September 2017
1244:RAF Little Staughton
1208:No. 692 Squadron RAF
1202:No. 635 Squadron RAF
1196:No. 627 Squadron RAF
1190:No. 608 Squadron RAF
1184:No. 582 Squadron RAF
1178:No. 571 Squadron RAF
1166:No. 163 Squadron RAF
1160:No. 162 Squadron RAF
1154:No. 156 Squadron RAF
1148:No. 142 Squadron RAF
1142:No. 139 Squadron RAF
1136:No. 128 Squadron RAF
1130:No. 109 Squadron RAF
1124:No. 105 Squadron RAF
708:improve this section
588:No. 109 Squadron RAF
584:No. 156 Squadron RAF
513:Handley Page Halifax
419:At the start of the
363:improve this section
267:were target-marking
251:Group badge heraldry
224:"We guide to strike"
67:improve this article
2604:Electronic warfare
2302:Intruder operations
2116:("Dambusters" raid)
1737:The Lancaster Story
1639:Maynard, p. 120â121
1331:Pine, L.G. (1983).
1118:No. 97 Squadron RAF
1112:No. 83 Squadron RAF
1106:No. 35 Squadron RAF
604:No. 83 Squadron RAF
600:No. 35 Squadron RAF
494:Frederick Lindemann
483:The result was the
406:Imperial War Museum
2545:Counter-insurgency
2419:Target for Tonight
2003:Sir Charles Portal
1957:Butt Report (1941)
1845:A Pathfinder's war
1239:RAF Gransden Lodge
1229:RAF Downham Market
1100:No. 7 Squadron RAF
1080:No. 1 Mk 1 TI Bomb
821:âin January 1943.
676:Improved technique
592:No. 7 Squadron RAF
445:Vickers Wellington
439:lacked widespread
425:RAF Bomber Command
417:
283:, at which a main
273:RAF Bomber Command
211:Group Headquarters
205:RAF Bomber Command
32:Pathfinder (USAAF)
2746:
2745:
2742:
2741:
2599:Close air support
2463:military aircraft
2428:
2427:
2363:No. 100 Group RAF
2108:(Friedrichshafen)
1870:978-1-906502-52-2
1832:. Goodall, 1988.
1812:978-0-7509-4309-3
1767:Morris, Richard.
757:target indicators
744:
743:
736:
399:
398:
391:
258:
257:
143:
142:
135:
117:
16:(Redirected from
2771:
2607:
2524:
2506:
2455:
2448:
2441:
2432:
2353:No. 6 Group RCAF
2287:Area bombardment
2271:Target indicator
2244:Blockbuster bomb
2059:Transport (1944)
1938:
1931:
1924:
1915:
1901:Pathfinder Story
1886:Pathfinder Story
1874:
1816:
1797:
1750:
1700:
1694:
1688:
1687:
1685:
1683:
1674:. Archived from
1664:
1658:
1655:
1649:
1646:
1640:
1637:
1631:
1630:
1628:
1626:
1603:
1597:
1594:
1588:
1585:
1579:
1568:
1562:
1556:
1550:
1544:
1538:
1532:
1526:
1525:
1519:
1511:
1509:
1507:
1488:
1475:
1469:
1463:
1457:
1451:
1445:
1439:
1438:
1436:
1434:
1420:
1414:
1408:
1402:
1391:
1385:
1384:
1382:
1380:
1375:on 26 March 2017
1361:
1355:
1354:
1338:
1328:
1311:
1308:
1291:Pathfinder March
1017:Types of marking
1011:Dam Busters raid
984:Individual tasks
923:Leonard Cheshire
898:Eighth Air Force
866:
840:
819:No 8 Group (PFF)
739:
732:
728:
725:
719:
688:
680:
618:, the leader of
612:Air Vice Marshal
469:radio navigation
449:Heligoland Bight
421:Second World War
394:
387:
383:
380:
374:
343:
335:
304:Pathfinder Force
185:
170:
169:
145:
138:
131:
127:
124:
118:
116:
75:
51:
43:
21:
2779:
2778:
2774:
2773:
2772:
2770:
2769:
2768:
2749:
2748:
2747:
2738:
2673:
2649:Maritime patrol
2622:Air superiority
2605:
2515:
2504:
2466:
2465:types and roles
2459:
2429:
2424:
2372:
2358:No. 8 Group RAF
2348:No. 5 Group RAF
2343:No. 4 Group RAF
2338:No. 3 Group RAF
2333:No. 1 Group RAF
2321:
2317:Shuttle bombing
2275:
2249:Earthquake bomb
2202:
2136:
2093:
2017:
1981:
1945:
1942:
1881:
1871:
1858:
1827:Bennett, D.C.T.
1823:
1821:Further reading
1813:
1800:
1794:
1781:
1747:
1734:
1709:
1704:
1703:
1695:
1691:
1681:
1679:
1666:
1665:
1661:
1656:
1652:
1647:
1643:
1638:
1634:
1624:
1622:
1621:on 28 July 2012
1615:Royal Air Force
1605:
1604:
1600:
1595:
1591:
1586:
1582:
1569:
1565:
1557:
1553:
1545:
1541:
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1512:
1505:
1503:
1500:Royal Air Force
1490:
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1320:
1315:
1314:
1309:
1305:
1300:
1277:
1093:
1060:
1019:
986:
977:
954:
944:launch site at
910:
883:Operation Hydra
876:Friedrichshafen
872:
843:
822:
799:
782:
740:
729:
723:
720:
705:
689:
678:
628:
541:Kampfgeschwader
537:Kampfgeschwader
529:Kampfgruppe 100
521:
395:
384:
378:
375:
360:
344:
333:
328:
312:Royal Air Force
261:
235:
187:Royal Air Force
164:
139:
128:
122:
119:
76:
74:
64:
52:
39:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
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2737:
2736:
2731:
2726:
2721:
2716:
2715:
2714:
2704:
2703:
2702:
2695:Reconnaissance
2692:
2687:
2681:
2679:
2675:
2674:
2672:
2671:
2669:Strike fighter
2666:
2664:Fighter-bomber
2661:
2656:
2651:
2646:
2645:
2644:
2639:
2634:
2629:
2624:
2614:
2609:
2601:
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2500:
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2460:
2458:
2457:
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2426:
2425:
2423:
2422:
2415:
2412:Into the Storm
2408:
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2256:
2246:
2241:
2239:"Monica" radar
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2023:
2019:
2018:
2016:
2015:
2010:
2005:
2000:
1995:
1989:
1987:
1983:
1982:
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1947:
1946:
1943:
1941:
1940:
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1926:
1918:
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1911:
1905:
1897:
1880:
1879:External links
1877:
1876:
1875:
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1841:
1822:
1819:
1818:
1817:
1811:
1798:
1792:
1779:
1765:
1753:Maynard, John
1751:
1745:
1732:
1721:
1708:
1705:
1702:
1701:
1699:, p. 130.
1697:Neillands 2002
1689:
1659:
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1641:
1632:
1598:
1589:
1580:
1563:
1559:Pitchfork 2008
1551:
1539:
1527:
1476:
1474:, p. 262.
1472:Pitchfork 2008
1464:
1452:
1450:, p. 127.
1448:Neillands 2002
1440:
1428:www.raf.mod.uk
1415:
1413:, p. 254.
1411:Pitchfork 2008
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741:
724:September 2024
692:
690:
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674:
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596:Short Stirling
520:
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509:Avro Lancaster
474:dead reckoning
410:Billy Strachan
397:
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379:September 2024
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2307:Master Bomber
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2292:Bomber stream
2290:
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2013:Arthur Tedder
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1574:of May 1943,
1573:
1567:
1564:
1561:, p. 17.
1560:
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1548:
1543:
1540:
1537:, p. 91.
1536:
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1473:
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1465:
1462:, p. 90.
1461:
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1399:0-86138-088-6
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1350:0-7100-9339-X
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994:bomber stream
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870:Master bomber
869:
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846:Wilhelmshaven
841:
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693:This section
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552:Sidney Bufton
550:
549:Group Captain
544:
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433:Low Countries
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348:This section
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260:Military unit
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123:November 2023
115:
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84: â
83:
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78:Find sources:
72:
68:
62:
61:
56:This article
54:
50:
45:
44:
41:
37:
33:
19:
18:Master bomber
2707:Surveillance
2685:Experimental
2586:
2567:Light bomber
2562:Heavy bomber
2417:
2410:
2403:
2367:
2311:
2132:(PeenemĂźnde)
2129:
2121:
2113:
2105:
1900:
1891:
1885:
1860:
1844:
1829:
1802:
1783:
1768:
1754:
1736:
1724:
1713:
1692:
1680:. Retrieved
1676:the original
1671:
1662:
1657:Maynard p122
1653:
1648:Maynard p121
1644:
1635:
1623:. Retrieved
1619:the original
1610:
1601:
1592:
1583:
1566:
1554:
1542:
1530:
1504:. Retrieved
1495:
1467:
1455:
1443:
1431:. Retrieved
1427:
1418:
1406:
1389:
1377:. Retrieved
1373:the original
1368:
1359:
1334:
1326:
1306:
1234:RAF Graveley
1213:
1094:
1075:
1061:
1053:
1023:
1020:
1004:
1001:
998:
991:
987:
978:
963:139 Squadron
955:
930:617 Squadron
927:
911:
891:
880:
873:
842:
816:
800:
791:
783:
769:
762:
753:
745:
730:
721:
706:Please help
694:
659:
651:
644:
636:
629:
626:Early action
581:
576:Air Ministry
569:
561:Henry Tizard
545:
540:
532:
522:
482:
466:
462:searchlights
458:
418:
414:156 Squadron
385:
376:
361:Please help
349:
320:Commonwealth
303:
301:
277:World War II
264:
262:
201:Part of
129:
120:
110:
103:
96:
89:
77:
65:Please help
60:verification
57:
40:
2659:Interdictor
2627:Interceptor
2536:(AEW&C)
2312:Pathfinders
2297:Firebombing
1625:26 December
1596:Morris p136
1587:Maynard p88
1535:Jacobs 2002
1460:Jacobs 2002
1433:6 September
1264:RAF Warboys
1120:- Lancaster
1114:- Lancaster
662:SaarbrĂźcken
616:Basil Embry
608:Don Bennett
572:R. V. Jones
565:rugby union
485:Butt Report
453:Freya radar
322:countries.
265:Pathfinders
240:Don Bennett
2753:Categories
2678:Non-combat
2654:Multi-role
2587:Pathfinder
2582:Penetrator
2498:Helicopter
2488:Fixed-wing
2259:Grand Slam
2207:Technology
2193:Wellington
2173:Manchester
2098:Operations
1908:Pathfinder
1830:Pathfinder
1725:Pathfinder
1576:Guy Gibson
1369:raf.mod.uk
1318:References
1259:RAF Upwood
1249:RAF Marham
1144:- Mosquito
1126:- Mosquito
1030:Parramatta
1007:Guy Gibson
887:PeenemĂźnde
855:Mariensiel
837:Huntingdon
829:RAF Marham
773:DĂźsseldorf
331:Background
302:The early
236:commanders
229:Commanders
93:newspapers
2734:Transport
2632:Emergency
2577:Strategic
2503:Unmanned
2219:H2S radar
2168:Lancaster
2122:Hurricane
2106:Bellicose
2089:The Hague
2079:Pforzheim
2069:Heilbronn
2022:Campaigns
1950:Overviews
1903:- Part II
1890:- a 1946
1672:RAF Wyton
1379:8 January
1269:RAF Wyton
1224:RAF Bourn
1058:Equipment
1050:marking".
946:Abbeville
902:H2X radar
850:H2S radar
833:RAF Wyton
807:Lutterade
749:creepback
695:does not
670:Karlsruhe
666:Saarlouis
654:Nuremberg
639:Frankfurt
632:Flensburg
519:Formation
498:dehousing
437:Luftwaffe
350:does not
297:H2S radar
269:squadrons
215:RAF Wyton
2612:Intruder
2377:See also
2183:Stirling
2178:Mosquito
2148:Blenheim
2141:Aircraft
2114:Chastise
1888:- Part I
1516:cite web
1275:See also
1218:Stations
1046:Wanganui
1038:Newhaven
968:"cookie"
958:Mosquito
942:V weapon
938:accuracy
295:and the
246:Insignia
221:Motto(s)
2729:Trainer
2724:Testbed
2690:Liaison
2617:Fighter
2594:Carrier
2550:Gunship
2511:Stealth
2483:Balloon
2478:Airship
2461:Modern
2280:Tactics
2254:Tallboy
2198:Whitley
2188:Ventura
2163:Hampden
2158:Halifax
2084:Dresden
2064:Hamburg
1986:Leaders
1707:Sources
1682:21 July
1570:In the
1506:23 July
1009:in the
975:Tactics
915:5 Group
787:Cologne
716:removed
701:sources
620:2 Group
429:bombers
371:removed
356:sources
326:History
275:during
234:Notable
161:Country
107:scholar
2719:Tanker
2637:Escort
2557:Bomber
2540:Attack
2527:Combat
2493:Glider
2229:"Oboe"
2124:(1944)
2074:Kassel
1893:Flight
1867:
1851:
1836:
1809:
1790:
1775:
1761:
1743:
1397:
1347:
765:Bremen
647:Kassel
574:, the
533:Gruppe
285:bomber
281:flares
178:Branch
153:Active
109:
102:
95:
88:
80:
2712:Scout
2700:Scout
2642:Night
2520:Roles
2505:(UAV)
2471:Types
2326:Units
2234:Gee-H
2214:Chaff
2130:Hydra
1731:, RAF
1714:Diary
1401:p. 59
1298:Notes
1072:total
863:Krupp
859:Essen
525:Blitz
441:radar
196:Group
114:JSTOR
100:books
2606:(EW)
1865:ISBN
1849:ISBN
1834:ISBN
1807:ISBN
1788:ISBN
1773:ISBN
1759:ISBN
1741:ISBN
1684:2017
1627:2010
1522:link
1508:2017
1435:2017
1395:ISBN
1381:2012
1345:ISBN
1024:Oboe
892:The
811:Oboe
699:any
697:cite
511:and
489:Ruhr
354:any
352:cite
293:Oboe
263:The
193:Size
86:news
2224:Gee
1727:),
1716:),
1341:264
710:by
502:Gee
365:by
289:Gee
271:in
69:by
2755::
1670:.
1613:.
1609:.
1518:}}
1514:{{
1498:.
1494:.
1479:^
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1367:.
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291:,
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2447:t
2440:v
1937:e
1930:t
1923:v
1873:.
1855:.
1840:.
1815:.
1796:.
1749:.
1723:(
1712:(
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1629:.
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1383:.
1353:.
737:)
731:(
726:)
722:(
718:.
704:.
594:(
535:/
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