No. 10 Operational Training Unit RAF

No. 10 Operational Training Unit RAF or more simply No. 10 OTU was a training unit operated by the Royal Air Force.

No. 10 Operational Training Unit
A Whitley taxiing at Abingdon.
Active8 April 1940 – 10 September 1946
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
RoleTraining

History

The unit was formed at RAF Abingdon on 8 April 1940 with No. 97 Squadron RAF (97 Sqn) and No. 166 Squadron RAF (166 Sqn) flying Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys to train night bomber crews.[1]

During 1942 10 OTU took control of an anti-submarine flight detached to St Eval and 10 OTU was transferred to No. 91 Group RAF.[1]

On June 20, 1943, in the Bay of Biscay, one of a pair of Whitleys operated by 10 OTU from St. Eval was shot down while attacking a submarine believed to be the Barbarigo, of the Italian navy. All of the Whitley's crew were killed.[2]

Between March and November 1944 the unit moved to RAF Stanton Harcourt whilst runways were laid at Abingdon with Vickers Wellingtons arriving from June. During September the last Whitley left and later in the year, during December, it gained the control of the Polish Flight from No. 18 Operational Training Unit RAF (18 OTU), until June 1945 when the flight disbanded.[1]

10 OTU disbanded on 10 September 1946 back at Abingdon.[3]

Airfields used

See also

References

Citations
  1. "No 10 Operational Training Unit". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. 9 February 2016.
  2. Dave O'Malley, "The Memory that Would Not Die: the Story of Olive Bingham's Memorial Cross," Vintage Wings of Canada, April 17, 2020. http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/626/The-Memory-that-Would-Not-Die.aspx
  3. Lake 1999, p. 146.
  4. "Abingdon". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust (ABCT). Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  5. "Stanton Harcourt". ABCT. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  6. "St. Eval". ABCT. Retrieved 9 February 2016.

Bibliography
  • Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.

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