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On 27 March 1942, Wolfe was promoted to acting Wing Commander [6] and took command of No. 456 Squadron RAAF at RAF Valley flying Beaufighter MkII's in a night-fighting role, taking Ashcroft with him as his Air-Gunner. Although primarily a night-fighter unit, the squadron also supplemented the day fighters on convoy patrols.
Roald Dahl – World War II fighter pilot, and famous novelist. His record of five aerial victories has been confirmed by post-war research and cross-referenced in Axis records. (He ended the war with the temporary rank of wing commander; substantive rank was squadron leader.) Roly Falk – test pilot on the maiden flight of the Avro Vulcan
He continued to fly operationally from RAF Exeter with No. 87 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, claiming two Bf 110 fighters on 11 July, a share in a Ju 88 on 13 August, and a Ju 88 destroyed on 25 August. [4] On 1 September 1940, he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander [5] [6] and became the Officer Commanding RAF Exeter.
In fact, pilots skip the rank of pilot officer and go from officer cadet to flying officer on graduation from officer training school at RAF Cranwell. A squadron leader does not necessarily command a squadron, nor a wing commander necessarily command a wing, nor a group captain command a group. A group will usually be commanded by an AVM.
From 1953 to 1956, Summers was deputy station commander at RAF Eastleigh, Kenya, during the Mau Mau Uprising. Summers was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his "gallant and distinguished services" in 1956. [6] He was promoted to wing commander in 1958, [7] and retired from the RAF in 1968. [8]
By May 1941, the squadrons based at all the main fighter airfields operated in wings, under the tactical control of the new post of wing leader, a survivor of 1940 with the rank of wing commander. Fighter Command began a campaign to gain air superiority over northwestern France.
Red Army Uniforms of World War II in Colour Photographs. London: Windrow & Greene. ISBN 978-1872004594. Rosignoli, Guido (1972). Army badges and insignia of World War 2: Book 1. MacMillan Colour Series. New York: Blandford Press Ltd. ISBN 9780026050807. LCCN 72-85765. Rosignoli, Guido (1980). Naval and Marine Badges and Insignia of World War 2 ...
The role of wing leader originated in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, when senior fighter pilots, usually of wing commander rank, were given responsibility for coordinating the operations of several squadrons—originally three, later as many as five—in combat. Previously, such formations were led by the most senior or ...