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| No. 7 Group RAF | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | No. 7 Group RAF |
| Dates | 1918–1920, 1936–1943, 1944–1945 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Bomber training, Operational training, Pathfinder training |
| Garrison | RAF Marham; RAF Finningley; RAF Waddington |
| Notable commanders | Sir Arthur Harris; Sir Ralph Cochrane |
No. 7 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force formed, disbanded and reformed several times between 1918 and 1945, serving roles in training and operational control for bomber and pathfinder forces. It operated at locations including RAF Marham, RAF Finningley and RAF Waddington, contributing to campaigns coordinated with formations such as Bomber Command, RAF Training Command and units assigned to No. 1 Group and No. 5 Group. The group's history intersects with figures linked to strategic air operations, including personnel who served alongside senior officers associated with the Battle of Britain, Operation Millennium, and the broader air war over Europe.
No. 7 Group RAF was established during the final months of the First World War and underwent multiple reorganisations through the interwar period and the Second World War. Its early existence paralleled formations such as No. 1 Group RAF, No. 2 Group RAF, and Air Ministry restructuring, later being reconstituted to meet requirements created by campaigns like the Battle of France and the strategic bombing offensive against Nazi Germany. The group's operational life is tied to training pipelines that fed squadrons participating in operations including Operation Gomorrah, The Blitz, and winter campaigns connected to RAF Coastal Command and allied air forces such as the United States Army Air Forces.
Formed in 1918 amid the closing phase of the First World War alongside units drawn from the Royal Flying Corps and early Royal Air Force staff, the group initially administered training and home defence units headquartered near airfields that later included RAF Scopwick and RAF Waddington. Interwar reorganisations saw ties to institutions such as the Central Flying School, No. 3 Group RAF and the Directorate of Training, reflecting organisational shifts following the Geddes Axe and defence reviews that influenced peacetime basing and doctrine. Personnel rotations included officers previously associated with formations like No. 10 Group RAF and postings that linked to civil aviation developments exemplified by the Imperial Airways era.
Reactivated before and during the Second World War, the group focused on training bomber crews and later on operational conversion for crewed aircraft destined for strategic operations over Germany. It coordinated with RAF Bomber Command headquarters, training establishments such as the Operational Training Unit, and squadrons that later formed part of actions like Operation Chastise and precision raids connected to planners at Bomber Command and allied staffs including the Combined Bomber Offensive leadership. Bases under its control saw training for aircraft types flown by squadrons that participated in key operations involving commanders prominent in the North African Campaign, Italian Campaign, and the air interdiction supporting the Normandy landings.
Following the cessation of major combat operations in 1945, the group oversaw demobilisation training, conversion training for newer types influenced by postwar doctrine and early jet development tied to projects at establishments like RAF Boscombe Down and research at Royal Aircraft Establishment. Reorganisation across the postwar Royal Air Force and defence cuts led to its final disbandment amid transfers of responsibilities to groups such as No. 61 Group RAF and training commands that integrated with emerging NATO structures including liaison with Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Air Force personnel stationed in the United Kingdom.
Throughout its existence the group administered a variety of squadrons and units drawn from across Bomber Command and Training Command, including No. 50 Squadron RAF, No. 83 Squadron RAF, No. 106 Squadron RAF, No. 165 Squadron RAF and units converted into Operational Training Units. It controlled training schools and ancillary units such as the Flying Training School, the Armament Practice Camp, and signals units that interfaced with formations like No. 3 Group RAF and No. 5 Group RAF. The group's chain of command interacted with staff at RAF High Wycombe, the Air Ministry, and allied liaison offices connected to the Combined Chiefs of Staff.
Aircraft types operated for training and conversion under group supervision included early biplane types carried over from the interwar era such as the Handley Page Heyford, mid-war four-engined types like the Avro Lancaster, the Handley Page Halifax, and twin-engined types including the Vickers Wellington. Later conversions and training syllabuses incorporated aircraft like the De Havilland Mosquito and transition elements relevant to early jet-era types trialled at Flight Test Establishments. Ground equipment and navigation aids used by the group reflected developments originating from research at the Telecommunications Research Establishment and navigation techniques allied with instruments fielded by squadrons engaged in Operation Millennium.
Commanding officers and staff associated with the group included senior RAF officers who also held commands within RAF Bomber Command, RAF Training Command, and other numbered groups; notable names in related chains of command included officers linked to establishments such as RAF Marham, RAF Finningley and personnel who later served under figures associated with strategic bombing advocacy like those at Air Staff. Personnel records, squadron diaries and operational record books from the group's tenure document movements of aircrew who later appear in histories of campaigns including The Blitz, Operation Overlord and the Combined Bomber Offensive, and trace careers intersecting with civil and military aviation personalities recognized in biographies of leaders from the Second World War era.
Category:Royal Air Force groups