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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0777.PDF
APRIL 3RD, 1941. BEFORE \\ The Air Component of the British Expeditionary Force By MAJOR F. A. de V. ROBERTSON, V.D. THE following is, we believe, the first account to be published giving the composition of the Air Component which went to France with the B.E.F., together with a short account of its doings. A good deal has been written about the A.A.S.F., and a review of a book on that subject follows WORKING with the British Expeditionary Force inFrance was the Royal Air Force Component. Thiswas quite distinct from the Advanced Air Striking Force, which was an independent force and under the opera- tional control of Bomber Command, using advanced bases in France. The Air Component was the air arm of the Army, and was operationally under the orders of General Lord Gort, whose chief air adviser was Air Vice-Marshal Blount, the A.O.C. of the Air Component. The Air Component comprised three classes of aircraft, squadrons of Lysanders for tactical reconnaissance, which were affiliated to Divisions and subsequently to Corps, and worked directly under the military Commanders ; squad- drons of Blenheims for strategical and night reconnaissance, and squadrons of fighters for the protection ot the others and of the sky generally along the front of the B.E.F. The last two classes worked for G.H.Q., not for the Corps. The composition and distribution of the Air Component was as follows: Corps Squadrons No. 2 Squadron at Bertangles and No. 26 Squadron at Abbeville. Nos. 4 and 13 Squadrons at Mons-en-Chausses, near Peronne (Wing H.C-. was at Athies). Strategical Reconnaissance Nos. 57 and 18 Squadrons at Rosieres. Nos. 53 and 59 Squad- rons at Poix, near Amiens. Fighters Nos. 85 and 87 Squad- rons at Lille. These were equipped with Hurri- canes. Nos. 607 (County of Durham) and 615 (County of Surrey) at Vitry, be- tween Arras and Douai. At first these were equipped with Gladiators. As their names imply, they belong to the Auxil- iary Air Force. The B.E.F. was stationed AUXILIARY FIGHTERS:The two A.A.F. fighter squadrons with the AirComponent — County of Surrey and County ofDurham — were equipped with four - gun GlosterGladiators. PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHED : During the sitzkrieg,Blenheims of the Air Component were used extensively for photography in addition to other forms of reconnaissance. opposite the Belgian frontier, and so long as Belgium remained neutral the British could do nothing in the way of engaging the enemy. The artillery could not fire, and so the Lysanders could not do actual spotting for them, though they did a lot of practice with the gunners, which was of, mutual advantage. They did plenty of train^ifg flying, tactical reconnaissance, and other odd jobs such as photographing our own camouflage. .,/" The Blenheims were more actively employed in photo- graphing the so-called Siegfried Line, or^Jwestwall, and this was good work well done. Th«;y hadjSlbme excitement
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