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| No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group RAF | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group RAF |
| Dates | 1943–1945 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Bomber support |
| Role | Electronic warfare, countermeasures, pathfinding support |
| Notable commanders | Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Vice-Marshal Edward Rice |
No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group RAF was a specialised Royal Air Force formation created in 1943 to provide electronic warfare and countermeasures for RAF Bomber Command operations over Nazi Germany, German-occupied Europe, and the European theatre of World War II. Formed to exploit advances in radar, navigation, and electronic deception, the Group coordinated squadrons equipped with modified Avro Lancaster, De Havilland Mosquito, and other types to suppress enemy Luftwaffe defences during night raids and strategic bombing campaigns. It worked closely with formations such as No. 1 Group RAF, No. 3 Group RAF, and personalities including Sir Arthur Harris and Charles Portal.
No. 100 Group was established under the authority of Bomber Command leadership during the strategic bombing offensive against Nazi Germany and was directed by the Air Ministry and senior officers in RAF Bomber Command including Arthur Harris and Charles Portal. Its creation followed studies by units such as Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment and electronic pioneers from Royal Signals and was influenced by operations over the Battle of the Ruhr, Operation Gomorrah, and the need to counter technologies like the Würzburg radar and Freya radar. The Group’s remit included radar jamming, intruder operations against Luftwaffe night fighters, and escort of heavy raids undertaken by groups such as No. 1 Group RAF and No. 5 Group RAF.
The Group comprised a headquarters under senior RAF staff and multiple squadrons converted for special duties drawn from units including No. 85 Squadron RAF, No. 100 Squadron RAF (as an administrative designation only), No. 101 Squadron RAF, No. 192 Squadron RAF, No. 214 Squadron RAF, No. 169 Squadron RAF, No. 85 Squadron RAF (electronic warfare flights), and various flights operating de Havilland Mosquitoes, Avro Lancasters, Handley Page Halifaxs, and specialist aircraft from depots such as No. 8 Group RAF and No. 3 Group RAF. Bases and stations hosting Group units included RAF Oakington, RAF Hemswell, RAF Gransden Lodge, RAF Syerston, and airfields in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, coordinating with signals units at Bletchley Park and metropolitan commands in London.
Tactics combined electronic countermeasures, radar jamming, chaff deployment, and intruder operations modeled on techniques from Operation Overlord planners and influenced by research at Telecommunications Research Establishment and Admiralty Research Laboratory. Equipment and systems used included airborne jammers such as the Moonshine and Mandrel transmitters, window (chaff) developed from earlier German and Allied experiments, and radar detectors adapted from work at TRE, allowing aircraft to home on Würzburg radar emissions and vector night fighters from Kammhuber Line sectors. Crews operated airborne interception radar sets derived from AI Mk. VIII, specialised electronic suites from H2S developments, and high-speed intruder tactics akin to operations by No. 100 Group's Mosquito squadrons and Night Fighter units. Coordination with RAF Coastal Command and Fighter Command helped suppress Luftwaffe interceptions and protected streaming bombers during raids such as those against Berlin and the Ruhr.
No. 100 Group supported major strategic campaigns including the Battle of Berlin (air) campaign, the Operation Chastise aftermath adjustments, the Battle of the Ruhr, and the Combined Bomber Offensive against industrial targets in German-occupied Europe. It played a pivotal role during raids associated with the Dambusters aftermath, the sustained night offensive against Hamburg and the Kiel shipyards, and operations synchronized with Operation Crossbow counter-measures against V-weapon sites. The Group’s electronic warfare efforts were critical during large-scale assaults mounted by Bomber Command and multinational operations including cooperation with United States Army Air Forces heavy bomber formations and liaison with RAF Transport Command for special missions.
Command and staff included senior officers from RAF Bomber Command and specialists seconded from research establishments and signals formations, with operational leadership drawn from experienced squadron commanders who had served in theatres like the Battle of Britain and the Western Front (1944–1945). Notable figures associated through coordination or influence included Sir Arthur Harris, Charles Portal, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Vice-Marshal Edward Rice, researchers from Telecommunications Research Establishment such as R. V. Jones and engineers from Decca Navigator Company and Marconi Company. Crews included pilots, navigators, radar operators, and electronic officers trained at centres like No. 61 Group RAF and experimental flights from Royal Aircraft Establishment.
Following the end of hostilities in Europe and the demobilisation of Bomber Command, the Group was disbanded as electronic warfare priorities shifted to peacetime establishments such as Ministry of Supply labs and Cold War formations in Royal Air Force Germany and NATO structures like Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Its legacy persisted in postwar developments at Telecommunications Research Establishment, influence on Cold War electronic countermeasures doctrine, and technological continuities incorporated into systems used by Royal Air Force squadrons during the early North Atlantic Treaty Organization era. Personnel and equipment were redistributed to units in RAF Transport Command and training schools, while innovations from Group operations informed postwar radar, signals intelligence, and electronic warfare programs across British and allied services.
Category:Royal Air Force groups