List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Southern Rhodesia

This article contains a list of the Southern Rhodesian facilities forming part of Joint Air Training Scheme which was a major programme for training South African Air Force, Royal Air Force and Allied air crews during World War II. However, RAF Training units would still be based in this country until a decade after the war had finished

A war-time Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) gave a recruit 50 hours of basic aviation instruction on a simple trainer like the Tiger Moth. Pilots who showed promise went on to training at a Service Flying Training School (SFTS). The Service Flying Training School provided advanced training for pilots, including fighter and multi-engined aircraft. Other trainees went on to different specialties, such as Wireless, navigation or bombing and air gunnery. Trainees in Southern Rhodesia came from Rhodesia, Britain, South Africa, Australia, Greece, and Yugoslavia.

From 1940 thousands of black men were conscripted by the colonial government to build airfields across Southern Rhodesia. They were paid at less than the rates available to farm workers. This led to widespread attempts to avoid this form of forced labour.

During World War II These are the units that formed the Rhodesia Air Training Group. Unit Name/No.BaseMajor types of aircraftRoleOpenedDisbandedCommentsNo. 25Belvedere, SalisburyTiger Moth, Cornell & HarvardEFTS24 May 194016 November 1945No. 20Cranborne, SalisburyHarvard 1, 2, 2a, 3 and OxfordSFTS10 July 19407 September 1945No. 27Induna, BulawayoTiger Moth & CornellEFTS28 January 194021 September 1945No. 23Heany, BulawayoOxfordSFTS8 July 194130 September 1945No. 21Kumalo, BulawayoOxfordSFTS8 October 194018 May 1945Sauerdale, BulawayoTiger MothEFTSPlanned, but base found to be unsuitableNo. 26Guinea Fowl, GweloTiger Moth & CornellEFTSAugust 194014 August 1945No. 22Thornhill, GweloHarvard 1, 2, 2a, 3SFTS25 March 194130 September 1945No. 24 Bombing, Gunnery and NavigationMoffat, GweloBattle, Oxford and AnsonBGTS12 May 194313 April 1945 No. 24 Combined Air Observation SchoolMoffat, GweloBattle, Oxford and AnsonBGTS3 August 1941 12 May 1943 Split into 24 BGTS & 29 EANSNo. 29 Elementary Navigation SchoolMoffat, GweloBattle, Oxford and AnsonANS12 May 194313 April 1945No. 28Mount HampdenTiger Moth, Cornell & HarvardEFTS1 April 194130 October 1945Motto: Pana Maziñana ano Bururuka - Here Fledglings Take Wing No. 31CranborneHarvard (for Comms)ARU1 August 1941No. 32HeanyHarvard (for Comms)ARU1 August 1941Rhodesian Central Flying SchoolNortonAll types used in GroupCFS3 Sep 194120 May 1942Renamed 33 FISNo. 33NortonAll types used in GroupFIS20 May 19429 May 1944Renamed CFS (SR)Central Flying School (Southern Rhodesia)NortonAll types used in GroupCFS9 May 19449 October 1945Communications FlightBelvedereTiger Moths, Cornells & HarvardsComms Flt14 May 19401 January 1946SRAF unit

Training aircraft

Airspeed Oxford North American Harvard Tiger Moth Avro Anson Fairey Battle Fairchild Cornell

Glossary

ANS — Air Navigation School ARU — Aircraft Repair Unit BGTS — Bombing and Gunnery Training School CFS — Central Flying School EFTS — Elementary Flying Training School FIS — Flying Instructors School SFTS — Service Flying Training School SRAF — Southern Rhodesia Air Force

After World War II

Unit Name/No.BaseMajor types of aircraftOpenedDisbandedCommentsNo. 4 FTSRAF HeanyTiger Moth (until replaced by Chipmunk), Harvard, Anson1 February 194726 January 1954No. 5 FTSRAF ThornhillTiger Moth (until replaced by Chipmunk), Harvard, Anson23 April 1947 22 January 19514 January 1948 30 December 1953No. 3 ANSRAF ThornhillAnson5 January 194828 September 1951formed from elements of both 4 & 5 FTSNo. 394 MURAF Heany1 September 194731 March 1954No. 395 MURAF Bulawayo1 September 194731 March 1954RATG Communications SquadronRAF KumaloAnsons, Chipmunks & Harvards1 September 194731 March 1954 For clarification; No.4 FTS & No.5 FTS initially functioned as complete Flying Training Schools with all three/four types at two different bases. After a short period, No.5 FTS was disbanded / redesignated as No.3 ANS specialising in Navigation training, sending all Tiger Moths & Harvards across to join No.4 FTS, and in return receiving No.4 FTS Ansons to add to its own. Three years later in 1951 the situation was reversed with the dissolution of No.3 ANS.

Training aircraft

North American Harvard Tiger Moth Avro Anson de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk

Glossary

ANS — Air Navigation School FTS — Flying Training School MU — Maintenance Unit RATG — Rhodesian Air Training Group

See also List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Australia List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Canada List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in South Africa Aircrew brevet Ernest Lucas Guest Charles Warburton Meredith

References