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No. 17 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force which was operational during both the First and Second World Wars.

No. 17 (Training) Group RAF No. 17 Group RAF
Active	1918–1919 1936–1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Part of	RAF Coastal Command
Engagements	First World War Second World War

During the First World War, the Group was formed during April 1918 in No. 4 Area, it was transferred to North-Eastern Area on 8 May 1918 with Training being added to the name on 8 August 1918 and was disbanded on 18 October 1919.

Second World War

The group was reformed on 1 Dec 1936 as No. 17 (Training) Group in RAF Coastal Command.

Units 3 September 1939

No. 17 Group RAF (T), under command of Air Commodore T.E.B. Howe, CBE, AFC[1][2]

Squadron	Type of aircraft	Station
Torpedo Training Unit RAF[3]	various	RAF Gosport
No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF[4]	various	RAF Gosport
School of General Reconnaissance RAF[5]	Avro Anson	RAF Thorney Island
Seaplane Training Squadron RAF[6]	various	RAF Calshot

Units 1 November 1940

No. 17 Group RAF (T), under command of Air Commodore T.E.B. Howe, CBE, AFC[7]

Squadron	Type of aircraft	Station
Torpedo Training Unit RAF[3]	Bristol Beaufort	RAF Abbotsinch
No. 2 Operational Training Unit	Bristol Blenheim/Avro Anson	RAF Catfoss
No. 3 Operational Training Unit	various	RAF Chivenor
No. 1 Coast Artillery Co-operation Unit RAF[8]	Bristol Blenheim	RAF Detling
No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF[4]	various	RAF Gosport
No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF	various	RAF Silloth
No. 3 School of General Reconnaissance RAF[5]	Blackburn Botha	RAF Squires Gate
No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF	Supermarine Stranraer	RAF Calshot

The Flying Boat Training Squadron was formed on 2 January 1939 at RAF Calshot flying Supermarine Stranraers and Supermarine Scapas. It was disbanded and merged with the Seaplane Training Squadron to form No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit on 16 March 1941.[9]

By 12 February 1942 the group had come under the command of Air Commodore H.G. Smart, CBE, DFC, AFC.[10]

No. 131 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit formed in July 1942 at RAF Killadeas as part of No. 15 Group to train crews on the Consolidated Catalina.[11] Two years later it had shifted into No. 17 Group.

Units 6 June 1944

The following units were under its control:

• No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (Shorts Sunderland flying boats)[12]
• No. 5 Operational Training Unit RAF[12]
• No. 6 Operational Training Unit RAF[12]
• No. 7 Operational Training Unit RAF[12]
• No. 9 Operational Training Unit RAF[12]
• No. 131 Operational Training Unit RAF, RAF Killadeas (Catalina flying boats)[12]
• No. 132 Operational Training Unit RAF, RAF East Fortune[12] - formed in November 1942 as part of No. 17 Group to train long-range fighter and strike training using the Bristol Blenheim, Bristol Beaufighter, and later, de Havilland Mosquito.[11]
• No. 1674 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF, RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland[12]
• No. 17 Group Communication Flight RAF - formed August 1938 at Gosport and was disbanded on 18 September 1945 at RAF Turnhouse.[13]

The group disbanded on 1 September 1945.

Notes

References

• Ashworth, Chris. RAF Coastal Command: 1936–1969. Patrick Stephens Ltd. 1992. ISBN 1-85260-345-3
• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.

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