Hello , I wondered if someone could tell me what exactly this branch of RAF would have been doing please > thanks Alan
2 TAF basically supported the ground war - medium bombers and fighter bombers, operating over the battlefield or just behind it. The heavy bombers (British Bomber Command and US 8th Air Force) were strategic forces set against German industry, though they were also used against battlefield targets in Normandy.
Thanks for that. A lady tells me her aunt was engaged to a man in the 2nd Tactical Air Force who was apparently buried alive on the landings. I don't have a name as yet but she was hoping to find out more . Would he have been ground crew or something or possibly shot out of sky ? Regards Alan
Hi Alan, Click the link below for one of their most significant operations in 1944. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/nw-europe/16910-ultra-la-caine-june-1944-a.html Cheers Andy
Fixating on the word 'landings', he may also have been part of a forward air controller team (that may not be the contemporary term, I warn you) that controlled the fighter bombers, guiding them in onto targets.
Alan - The 2nd Tactical Air Force had it’s origins in the desert in 1943 around the area of Medenine when Montgomery finally defeated Rommel who went home to Germany on the 9th March. At about that same time Air Marshalls Tedder and Coningham of the RAF went over to Algiers on Eisenhowers staff. Harry Broadhurst took over and Montgomery suggested to him that if he were to practice strafing a few Tanks and lorries spread all over the desert – this might be a good thing in support of Monty’s Infantry and Tanks in the next operation. That next operation was the left hook around the Mareth Line towards El Hamma and was completely successful with RAF Officers inside tanks and guiding the Spitfires etc down onto the enemy’s head…this became known as the “Cab Rank”..again at the final operation from Medjez El bab to Tunis and Cap Bon – it was even more successful and polished up for the D Day landings with great effect. Cheers
Hello , A little bit more info on this albeit might be heresay in parts . He was Barrie James Jenkins aged 21 in 1944.They were supposedly machine gunned on beach by Germans and his friend was decapitated. Great replies from all , thanks Alan
CWGC (via Geoff's site) has two obvious RAF units with fatalities on D-Day itself: No.1 RAF Beach Unit and 15082 GCI (a radar unit). Fancourt 1 RAF BU McNaught 1 RAF BU Newson 15082 GCI Parr 15082 GCI 15082 GCI is reasonably well documented as they actually landed in the infamous OMAHA Beach. Here's a page that has links to some other stuff, including one that comes back to here. Have a search round here. There is a mention in the BBC People's War link that they had 9 KIA on D-Day, so there is clearly some more digging to do. Aha - here is our own DoctorD. I don't know what the role of 1 RAF BU was and whether or not it was directly related to 2 TAF operations. I'm now getting a bit pressed for time so will have to leave that for now. Knowing the name of his mate might clinch what unit he was in, but I would imagine that service records are out of the question as no-one is next of kin.
Hi Alan, I couldn't find a Barrie James Jenkins on the CWGC site or on Geoff's Search Engine. Do you have more details? Your man might have been with one of the 2nd Tactical Air Force Airfield/Wing's that comprised the operational structure and provided support for the squadrons of the 2nd TAF. These Wings moved to mainland Europe on or soon after D-day, and no doubt many personnel were lost during the early fighting.
A few details regarding No.1 Beach Squadron /Unit....... No. 1 RAF Beach Squadron Operating with the R.A.F.’s 2nd Tactical Air Force for the invasion of Normandy, No. 1 R.A.F. Beach Squadron, consisting of Nos. 101 and 102 Beach Flights, was assigned to the SWORD assault area where the 3rd Division Group of 1st Corps led the assault in the ‘Queen’ sector. In the final plans for Operation “OVERLORD” it was established that virtually all R.A.F. units, stores and supplies would be handled through the JUNO and GOLD assault areas (and the Mulberry harbour to be established at Arromanches), The need for an R.A.F. beach unit in the SWORD area was therefore called into question. However, it was decided that No. 1 R.A.F.Beach Squadron, which had trained for months to work with the Army beach groups in 101 Beach Sub Area, should still be ‘put across’. In the event the men of No. 1 R.A.F. Beach Squadron distinguished themselves by the way in which they assisted their Army and Navy colleagues in the difficult conditions in the SWORD area. Look out for more information about No. 1 R.A.F. Beach Squadron being added here, but in the meantime see the page about F/Lt Glen McBride.
A description of the Group Control Centre (GCC) and the Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) unit. D-Day. Details are taken from '2nd Tactical Air Force' Vol.3 Shores/Thomas 'With the formation of 83 and 84 Groups came the requirement to provide operational control of the aircraft under their direction in the battle area. This was accomplished by the formation of a corresponding Group Control Centre (GCC) for each Group, much like the familiar Fighter Command Sector Operations Centres. In the GCC operations room the positions and directions of aircraft or formations within the area of operations were marked on a large horizontal map table, with plaques detailing numbers, height, and identification of each 'track'. The GCCs were fed by information from mobile radar units via landline or W/T links and communicated with the aircraft under their control by R/T (radio-telephone); call signs for 483 and 484 GCCs (as they were formally numbered) were 'Kenway' and longbow' respectively. Officers responsible for the planning and tasking of operations to be carried out by the Airfields (later Wings) within the Group were accommodated in cabins alongside the operations room. A large number of mobile signal units provided the R/T, W/T and telephone communications to facilitate the above organisation and the numerous links required to the Wings and other unitsunder the control of the Group. Initially it was felt that communications between the mobile Airfields and the GCCs would be inadequate and therefore a number of Wings' were formed to provide the missing link and to control two or more Airfields each. In the reorganisation that took place in May 1944 these Wings were renamed 'Sectors' and the mobile Airfields were renamed 'Wings'. Within two months it was realised that the Sectors could be dispensed with entirely and the Wings could then communicate directly with the GCCs (it should be noted, however, that Sectors were retained in 85 Group). Using 483 GCC as an example, four mobile radar units were positioned to provide the best coverage relevant to the task. Three were designated Fighter Director Posts (FDP) responsible for surveillance of the area forward of the lines, reporting and control (when the latter task was delegated by the GCC), the other was a Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) unit with the task of base defence by day (night defence was the responsibility of the 85 Group GCI units which operated under 83 Group in the initial stages of the Normandy campaign. In addition there were four Light Warning Set units with short range radar which were deployed to cover blind spots in the main radar coverage and which reported to their parent FDP. All these units were of course mobile, and followed hard on the heels of the initial assault on D-Day. Incredibly one of the 85 Group radar units, 15083 GCI, landed on a 'Jig beach' ate in the afternoon of D-Day and was operating by 2300 hours! During the Normandy campaign 483 GCC was soon established near Bazenville while 484 GCC remained at Goodwood; following a number of brief locations during 'the Pursuit' they were again settled into more permanent homes in the Low Countries, at Erp (east of Eindhoven) and Turnhout respectively.
Just to fill in on the deaths of Fancourt and McNaught of No. 1 RAF Beach Squadron/Unit......... Fancourt and McNaught were airmen in No. 102 Beach Flight of No. 1 RAF Beach Squadron (before mid-April 1944, named 1 Beach Unit). 102 Beach Flight embarked at Tilbury, sailed with the follow up Force L and were due to land 3rd Tide (on D+1).Their colleagues in 101 Beach Flight started landing early on D-Day. Things should have been a bit safer for the men of 102 Beach Flight but some of them were unlucky. The Operations Record Book of No. 1 Beach Squadron records: 6th June 1215 S.S. SAMBUT – Serial 3211, London Convoy, hit off DOVER by shell fire from Cross Channel guns. F/Lt W.D. Ingram (31332) seriously wounded. 6th June 1230 Ship hit by further salvo and orders given to abandon ship. On roll-call F/Lt W.D. Ingram (31332), 862656 LAC Fancourt A.H., and 1562096 LAC McNaught J, (the latter two were last seen in the water alongside the vessel) were missing. Survivors of this serial were eventually landed in the U.K. And at the end of the entry for 6th June: Casualties during day:- F/Lt W.D. Ingram (31332) killed, F/O F.Bissendon (125358) slightly wounded, 862656 LAC Fancourt A.H., and 1562096 LAC McNaught J. missing, 854478 Cpl Crossett wounded, 935097 Cpl Holt J. landed in England – injured survivor Serial No. 3211
