Eastern Air Command was the part of the Royal Canadian Air Force's Home War Establishment responsible for air operations on the Atlantic coast of Canada during the Second World War. It played a critical role in anti-submarine operations in Canadian and Newfoundland waters during the Battle of the Atlantic. Eastern Air Command also had several fighter squadrons and operational training units under its umbrella.

Order of battle 10 September 1939

HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia. Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 1 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station St. Hubert No. 2 Squadron RCAF Armstrong Whitworth Atlas RCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 16 December No. 5 Squadron RCAF Supermarine Stranraer RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 8 Squadron RCAF Northrop Delta RCAF Station Sydney No. 10 Squadron RCAF Westland Wapiti RCAF Station Halifax No. 116 Squadron RCAF No aircraft RCAF Station Halifax - disbanded 2 November No. 117 Squadron RCAF No aircraft RCAF Station Saint John - disbanded 28 October RCAF Commands and their Units Retrieved 2013-01-10

1 January 1943 HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 10 Squadron RCAF Douglas Digby RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 11 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 113 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Yarmouth No. 116 Squadron RCAF Consolidated PBY Catalina RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 117 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 119 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Sydney No. 121 Squadron RCAF Various RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 126 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 128 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 129 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 130 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Bagotville No. 162 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Yarmouth

No. 1 Group. HQ St. John's, Newfoundland Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 5 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Gander No. 125 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Torbay No. 127 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Torbay No. 145 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Torbay

6 June 1944 HQ Halifax, Nova Scotia Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 113 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Ventura RCAF Station Yarmouth - Moved to Torbay 21 June, disbanded 23 August No. 119 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Station Sydney No. 121 Squadron RCAF Various RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 126 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 128 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth No. 145 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Ventura RCAF Station Yarmouth No. 160 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Yarmouth No. 167 Squadron RCAF Various RCAF Station Dartmouth

No. 1 Group, HQ St. John's, Newfoundland Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 5 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Torbay No. 10 Squadron RCAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator RCAF Station Torbay No. 11 Squadron RCAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator RCAF Station Torbay - Moved to Dartmouth 18 June No. 116 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Gander No. 127 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Gander No. 129 Squadron RCAF Hawker Hurricane RCAF Station Dartmouth

No. 5 (Gulf) Group, HQ Gaspé, Quebec Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 161 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RCAF Station Gaspé No. 162 Squadron RCAF Consolidated Canso RAF Reykjavik - On loan to Coastal Command No. 119 Squadron RCAF Lockheed Hudson RCAF Mount Joli - Disbanded in March 1944

No. 12 (Operational Training) Group No. 12 Group was headquartered at Halifax, Nova Scotia and No. 3 Training Command RCAF had its headquarters at Montreal, Quebec.

No. 3 Training Command provided training for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), flying from air bases throughout Quebec and the Maritime provinces. The schools were operated by the RAF or the RCAF however the operational training units were RCAF units and under command of No. 12 Group, RCAF Eastern Air Command. The assigned training schools and units conducted advanced flying courses including Service Flying Training (SFTS), Air Observer (AOS), Bombing and Gunnery (BGS), General Reconnaissance (ocean patrol) (GRS), Naval Aerial Gunnery (NAGS), Air Navigation (ANS) and Operational (OTU) training throughout the war (see the following table).

Together with some of the advanced aircraft types these units mainly flew hundreds of older bomber and patrol aircraft that had been relegated to armed training roles. Training Command aircraft were very active everywhere over the entire Eastern Command Area of Operations and therefore made an important contribution to the surveillance of the region acting as a force multiplier -providing extra eyes and ears on watch for enemy U-Boats during flying patrols -particularly during the emergency of the Battle of the St. Lawrence when some of the units temporarily took part as a stop gap measure.

A good example of the training schools involvement in operations with the EAC during the emergency of the battle is illustrated by author Hugh A. Haliday wrote: "The need for Atlantic patrols was undiminished, yet the Battle of the St. Lawrence stretched EAC resources. Based at Charlottetown, 31 General Reconnaissance School was mobilized to fly patrols using Avro Ansons, each carrying two 250-pound bombs. At the very outset of the war the Anson and its ordnance had failed in RAF anti-submarine work. Now in Canada it was remobilized as an aerial scarecrow. German views varied as to Canadian countermeasures. The captain of U-517 found his operations increasingly restricted by strengthened air patrols. In October 1942, U-69 reported "strong sea patrol and constant patrol by aircraft with radar."Hugh A. Haliday, "Eastern Air Command: Air Force, Part 14", Royal Canadian Legion magazine, 1st of March, 2006

Squadron Type of Aircraft Station No. 1 GRS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Summerside PEI No. 31 GRS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Charlotteown PEI No. 2 ANS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Charlotteown PEI No. 32 Air Navigation School RAF Avro Anson RCAF Charlottetown PEI No. 9 SFTS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Summerside PEI - moved to RCAF Centralia ON July 1942 No. 8 SFTS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Moncton NB No. 13 SFTS BCATP North American Harvard RCAF St. Hubert PQ - moved to N. Battleford SK Feb 1944 No. 8 Air Observer School Avro Anson RCAF Quebec City PQ No. 9 Air Observers School RCAF Avro Anson RCAF St. Jean PQ No. 10 AOS BCATP Avro Anson RCAF Chatham NB No. 9 BGS BCATP Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle RCAF Mt. Joli PQ No. 10 BGS BCATP Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle RCAF Mt. Pleasant PEI No. 1 OTU BCATP Hawker Hurricane RCAF Bagotville PQ No. 7 OTU BCATP Lockheed Hudson, DeHavilland Mosquito RCAF Debert NS No. 6 OTU BCATP Avro Anson, Bristol Beaufort, Handley Page Hampden, Fairey Swordfish RCAF Greenwood NS No. 8 OTU BCATP Lockheed Hudson, DeHavilland Mosquito RCAF Greenwood NS No. 34 OTU BCATP Lockheed Ventura RCAF Pennfield Ridge NS No. 1 NAGS BCATP Fairey Swordfish Yarmouth NS

See also RCAF Western Air Command David Ernest Hornell Convoy ONS 5 Battle of the St. Lawrence Leonard Birchall Canadian Northwest Atlantic

References