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Conflict

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) operated in three broad theatres of war: Northwest Europe, the Mediterannean and Southeast Asia. By far the bulk of its activity took place in Northwest Europe, where RCAF aircrews took on a variety of roles: day fighters, night fighters, bombers, intruders, transport, pathfinding, laying mines, escorting ships and taking on U-boats in the Atlantic, among others. The RCAF’s greatest contribution to action in the Mediterannean was with the dispatch of 331 Wing, made up of three bomber squadrons, which played a part in reclaiming the island of Sicily and gaining a toehold in Italy. In Southeast Asia, Canadian transport squadrons helped support the critical supply lifeline for troops moving through the mountainous jungles of Burma.

The focus here will be on RCAF squadrons, and the thousands of RCAF crewmen 
who served around the world in other national air forces, especially the Royal Air Force.