Second World War On 1 October 1943, in
Liverpool, No. 247 (General Reconnaissance) Group was formed within
RAF Coastal Command. It was tasked with the responsibility for the control of units operating out of the
Azores. On 8 October the group arrived into
Angra do Heroísmo on
Terceira Island, within the Azores, having travelled on the
HMT Franconia, which was an
ocean liner that had been requisitioned as a
troopship.
Air Vice-Marshal Geoffrey Rhodes Bromet was appointed
AOC on the 18 September 1943 – The group initially controlled three units: detachments from both
Nos. 172 and
179 Squadrons, both units equipped with
Vickers Wellington XIV, a twin-engined, long-range
medium bomber and this variant had ASV Mark III radar and rocket rails under the wings, and
No. 220 Squadron, which operated
Boeing Fortress II, an American four-engined
heavy bomber. Later during October 1943 saw the arrival of
No. 206 Squadron, which also operated with Boeing Fortress II. Maritime patrols started on 20 October 1943 and by the end of the month the initial squadrons were joined by a detachment of nine
Lockheed Hudson, an American
light bomber and
coastal reconnaissance aircraft, from
No. 233 Squadron which was based at
Gibraltar. The groups initial targets were
Kriegsmarine resupply
U-boats or 'milch cow' and by the end of November it was understood that the
German admiral Karl Dönitz was putting together a large '
wolfpack' with an assumed target of
convoys headed for Gibraltar. The U-boats were unable to get into a position to attack the convoys due to the amount of anti-submarine warfare aircraft the group had to hand. The group relocated its
headquarters to
RAF Lagens on 4 December 1943, remaining there for just over two years until it disbanded into HQ RAF Azores on 1 March 1946. On 8 March 1944
No. No. 269 Squadron arrived at RAF Lagens with Lockheed Hudson IIIA,
Miles Martinet, a
target tug aircraft,
Supermarine Walrus, an amphibious biplane and
Supermarine Spitfire VB, a single-seat fighter aircraft. No. 206 Squadrons stay was relatively short and the squadron left for
RAF Davidstow Moor, in
Cornwall, England, on 18 March 1944, and the No. 233 Squadron detachment had left for
RAF Blakehill Farm, in
Wiltshire, England, two weeks earlier. The No. 179 Squadron Vickers Wellington detachment left for
RAF Predannack, in Cornwall, England, the following month, on 28 April 1944. By July 1944 the group consisted three units: No. 172 Squadron (det) with Vickers Wellington, No. 220 Squadron, which was replacing its Boeing Fortress II with the Boeing Fortress III variant and No. 269 Squadron, equipped with various aircraft. On 1 September 1944 the Vickers Wellington detachment from No. 172 Squadron left the Azores for
Northern Ireland, moving to
RAF Limavady. During the same month No. 269 Squadron started to add
Vickers Warwick to its inventory, a British multi-purpose twin-engined aircraft, capable of
Maritime reconnaissance,
air-sea rescue and
transport. December 1944 saw No. 220 Squadron start to receive and convert to
Consolidated Liberator VI, an American heavy bomber used as a long-range general reconnaissance anti-submarine patrol aircraft by Coastal Command. The squadron remained at RAF Lagens for a further six months, leaving not long after
VE Day for
RAF St Davids in Wales, on 1 June 1945. By July 1945, No 247 Group controlled one unit with No. 269 Squadron undertaking maritime patrol and
air-sea rescue duties. During November 1945
No. 280 Squadron provided a short lived detachment of Vickers Warwick I. No. 247 Group disbanded, on 1 March 1946, into HQ RAF Azores. On the 10 March 1946 No. 269 Squadron disbanded at RAF Lagens.
Order of Battle July 1944 –
HQ Azores • Azores •
No. 172 Squadron RAF (det) with
Vickers Wellington •
RAF Lagens •
No. 220 Squadron RAF with
Boeing Fortress four-engined
heavy bomber •
No. 269 Squadron RAF with Supermarine Spitfire, Lockheed Hudson and Miles Martinet
July 1945 –
HQ Azores • Azores •
No. 269 Squadron RAF with Supermarine Spitfire, Vickers Warwick and Miles Martinet == Air Officer Commanding ==