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[Stainless]

I need help getting more accurate data for the order of battle for the RAF and Luftwaffe at the start of the battle of Britain.

This is what I am working with at the moment for the RAF, but it's not very accurate.

Any help would be gratefully received.

Code: [Select]

S     Force Code Call sign Aircraft Airfield Strength
1 RAF JX ACORN Hurricane Tangmere 12
3 RAF QO Hurricane Biggin Hill 12
17 RAF YB EDEY Hurricane Duxford 12
19 RAF QV LUTON Spitfire Fowlmere 12
23 RAF YP LUTON Blenheim Middle Wallop 12 Night fighters
25 RAF ZK LUTON "Blenheim, Beaufighter " Martlesham Heath 18 6 Blenheim with radar
29 RAF RO Blenheim Digby 12 Night fighters
32 RAF GZ JACKO Hurricane Acklington 12
41 RAF EB MITOR Spitfire Hornchurch 12
43 RAF FT Hurricane Usworth 12
46 RAF PO ANGEL Hurricane Stapleford 12
54 RAF KL RABBIT Spitfire Catterick 12
56 RAF US BAFFIN Hurricane Boscombe Down 12
64 RAF SH FREEMA Spitfire Ringway 12
65 RAF YT Spitfire Turnhouse 12
66 RAF LZ FIBIUS Spitfire Gravesend 12
72 RAF RN TENNIS Spitfire Biggin Hill 12
73 RAF TP Hurricane Debden 12
74 RAF ZP DYSOE Spitfire Wittering 12
79 RAF NV PANSY Hurricane Pembrey 12
85 RAF VY HYDRO Hurricane Church Fenton 12
87 RAF LK SUNCUP Hurricane Exeter 12
92 RAF QJ GANNIC Spitfire Biggin Hill 12
111 RAF JU WAGON Hurricane Drem 12
141 RAF TW Boulton Paul Defiant Biggin Hill 12
145 RAF SO PATIN Hurricane Roborough 12
151 RAF DZ Hurricane Digby 12
152 RAF UM MAIDA Spitfire Warmwell 12
213 RAF AK BEARSKIN Hurricane Tangmere 12
219 RAF FK "Blenheim, Beaufighter " Catterick 12
222 RAF ZD KOTEL Spitfire Hornchurch 12
229 RAF RE KETA Hurricane Northolt 12
232 RAF EF Hurricane Roborough 12
234 RAF AZ CRESSY Spitfire St Eval 12
238 RAF VK Hurricane Middle Wallop 12
242 RAF LE LORAG Hurricane Duxford 12
245 RAF DX Hurricane Roborough 12
247 RAF HP Gloster Gladiator Roborough 12 Switched to hurricanes 24/12/1940
249 RAF GN GANER Hurricane Middle Wallop 12
253 RAF SW VICEROY Hurricane Kenley 12
257 RAF DT ALERT Hurricane Martlesham Heath 12
263 RAF HE "Hurricane, Westland Whirlwind " Drem 12
264 RAF PS Boulton Paul Defiant Northolt 12
266 RAF UO Spitfire Wittering 12
421 RAF L-Z "Hurricane, Spitfire " Hawkinge 6
422 RAF – Hurricane 6 –
FIU RAF "Hurricane, Blenheim, Beaufighter" Shoreham 6
501 AuxAF SD MANDREL Hurricane Kenley 12
504 AuxAF TM Hurricane Hornchurch 12
600 AuxAF BQ "Blenheim, Beaufighter " Hornchurch 12
601 AuxAF UF WEAPON Hurricane Filton 12
602 AuxAF LO VILLA Spitfire Westhampnett 12
603 AuxAF XT VIKEN Spitfire Hornchurch 12
604 AuxAF NG TALLYHO "Blenheim, Beaufighter " Middle Wallop 12 Night fighters
605 AuxAF UP TURKEY Hurricane Croydon 12
607 AuxAF AF Hurricane Tangmere 12
609 AuxAF PR SORBO Spitfire Warmwell 12
610 AuxAF DW DOGROSE Spitfire Biggin Hill 12
611 AuxAF FY CHARLIE Spitfire Digby 12
615 AuxAF KW PANTA Hurricane Kenley 12
616 AuxAF QJ RADPOE Spitfire Kirton-in-Lindsey 12
1 RCAF    YO CARIBOU Hurricane Northolt 12
302 Polish WX CALEB Hurricane Duxford 12
303 Polish  RF APANY Hurricane Northolt 12
310 Czech NN CALLA Hurricane Duxford 12
312 Czech DU SILVO Hurricane Duxford 12
235 RAF QY Blenheim Newlyn 12
236 RAF FA Blenheim Filton 12
248 RAF WR Blenheim Bircham Newton 12
804 FAA 5- Gloster Sea Gladiator/Grumman Martlet Skaebrae 12
828



678 Spitfires and Hurricanes
136 Defiants and Blenheims



[615sqn_Maveric]

i don't know if we can consider that Wikipedia is very accurate but the article on Battle of Britain say there were :


RAF
1,963 serviceable aircraft

754 single-seat fighters
149 two-seat fighters
560 bombers
500 coastal aircraft

The RAF fighter strength given is for 0900 1 July 1940,
while bomber strength is for 11 July 1940.[5]

the source is taken from Quartermaster General 6th Battalion returns on 10 August 1940.

Luftwaffe
2,519 serviceable aircraft --> source is 2,550 but sum is 2,519
 
805 single-seat fighters
224 two-seat fighters
998 medium bombers
261 dive-bombers
151 reconnaissance
80 coastal aircraft

The Luftwaffe air strength given is from the Quartermaster General 6th Battalion numbers for 29 June 1940.[16]

so with 678 Spitfires and Hurricanes you are not far away from 754 single-seat fighters (-76)               
and with 136 Defiants and Blenheims you are not far away from 149 two-seat fighters (-13)

Best regards

[vpmedia]

Luftwaffe

https://web.archive.org/web/20090730143225/http://geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2072/LWOB.html

http://www.ww2.dk/

[Shakaali]

RAF:

http://www.historyofwar.org/

[vpmedia]

RAF:

http://www.historyofwar.org/

be more specific, which page?

[Shakaali]

be more specific, which page?

Oh yeah, my post wasn't very informative.  Sorry.

http://www.historyofwar.org/subject_RAF_units.html   contains RAF unit histories, squadron by squadron.

[vpmedia]

thats better, thanks

[Pursuivant]

The information you want is here:

British Air Defenses of England, 1 July 1940

usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/940BGAA.pdf

The Nafziger collection of Orders of Battle at the US Army Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) is a godsend for any game designer, wargamer, or student of military history.

The only limitations are that most of the orders of battle don't give exact troops strengths, nor do they get into details as to exact models of equipment on hand (e.g., Spitfire IA rather than just "Spitfire"). Likewise, they don't discuss "human factors" such as morale or training, nor logistical issues such as state of supply, spares on hand, or serviceability percentages.

For that sort of really geeky stuff you have to dig into the wargamer community. There have been guys studying this stuff in intense detail since the 1960s at least. Old tabletop wargames and specialist magazines often give useful detail that general histories, and even many of the specialist publications aimed at modellers, miss.

That said, the list of RAF Squadrons actually looks pretty good. The fact that it includes details that are useful for a game designer like squadron codes and call signs sets it apart.

[Koty]

310 Czech NN Hurricane Duxford 24

the sqn consisted of sqn A, B - maybe C (that would make it 36)

[Stallwarning]

Try these sites:
http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/contents-index.html

https://www.asisbiz.com/Battles/Battle-of-Britain.html

I recommend messing around on the asisbiz. Wonderful info about the Luftwaffe (bases, kill reports, aircrafts day by day history)

[bolox]

re 501 Sqn, they were based at Kenley only towards the end of boB

reorganised after France at Croydon 21/6-3/7
Middle Wallop 4/7-
Warmwell 12/7-
Gravesend 25/7- often operated out of Hawkinge early in BoB-
Kenley 10/9-
Filton 17/12

if you haven't already found it this isn't a bad 'quick reference' as to who was where/when
http://www.the-battle-of-britain.co.uk/Menus/squadrons.html

I've got a copy of
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=12872719813&searchurl=sortby%3D17%26an%3DVIC%2BFLINTHAM
if you need any specific codes for less well known units let me know

[huudi]

We should have the figures for the start of BOB but with constant losses and moves to satellite airfields it must have been chaos. For the end of the battle I refer to an account I have read by a pilot. His opinion of the outcome differed to that of his comrades, the RAF had(he states) only 45 serviceable fighters including reserves at the end but on that day they stopped coming. In his opinion Germany won the BOB but they didn't know and gave up.
So if he is correct your figure for the last day for the RAF is 45, our Air Force was destroyed and Germany won. We won the bluff.