View source for No. 8 Group RAF

{{short description|Royal Air Force group during WWII}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= No. 8 (PFF) Group RAF<br>No. 8 (Bomber) Group RAF<br>No. 8 (Training) Group RAF
|image= [[File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|centre|150px]]
|caption= [[Royal Air Force Ensign]]
|dates= 1 April 1918 - 15 May 1919<br> 1 September 1941 - 28 January 1942<br> 13 January 1943 – 15 December 1945
|country= {{flag|United Kingdom}} 
|branch= {{air force|United Kingdom}}
|type= [[List of Royal Air Force groups|Royal Air Force group]]
|role= [[Pathfinder (RAF)|Pathfinder Force]]
|command_structure= [[RAF Bomber Command]]
|garrison= [[Brampton Grange]]<br> (September 1941 - January 1942) <br> [[RAF Wyton]] <br> (January 1943 - May 1943) <br> Castle Hill House, Huntingdon <br> (May 1943 - December 1945)
|garrison_label= Group Headquarters
|motto= ''We Guide to strike''{{sfn|Moyes|1976|p=347}}
|identification_symbol= A Mullet of eight points surmounted by an arrow enflamed, point downwards, in bend sinister{{sfn|Moyes|1976|p=347}}{{efn|The star and eight points represent the number 8 group and the astro-navigation undertaken by its crews. The flaming arrow was meant to demonstrate their Pathfinding role}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Delve |first1=Ken |title=Bomber Command 1939-1945 : a reference to the men - aircraft & operational history |date=2005 |publisher=Pen & Sword Aviation |location=Barnsley |isbn=1-84415-183-2 |page=172}}</ref>
| identification_symbol_label = [[Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force|Group badge]]
| notable_commanders = [[Air Vice Marshal]] [[Don Bennett]] {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=75%|sep=,|CB|CBE|DSO}}
}}

'''No. 8 Group RAF''' (8 Gp) was a [[Royal Air Force]] [[group (air force)|group]] which existed during the final year of the [[First World War]] and during the [[Second World War]].

==First World War==
No. 8 Group was formed in April 1918 as a training unit and designated '''8 Group (Training)'''. It remained in this function throughout the rest of the war and was disbanded in May 1919.

==Second World War==
===First formation===
The Group was re-established as '''No 8 (Bomber) Group''' on 1 September 1941 only to be disbanded around five months later on 28 January 1942.

===Reformation of Group 8===
{{mainarticle|Pathfinder (RAF)}}8 Group was re-constituted when [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]'s [[Pathfinder Force]] was renamed '''No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group''' on 8 January 1943.{{sfn|Moyes|1976|p=348}} The group consisted of specialist squadrons that marked targets for the main attacks of Bomber Command aircraft. The Force, which had been formed in August 1942 with five squadrons from the existing Bomber Command Groups, flew a mix of [[Short Stirling]], [[Handley Page Halifax]], and [[Avro Lancaster]], all four-engined heavy bomber aircraft, along with [[Vickers Wellington]], a twin-engined, long-range medium bomber aircraft. When new aircraft, such as the [[de Havilland Mosquito]], a twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft became available, 8 Group got the first ones. Its aircraft used navigation aids such as [[GEE (navigation)|Gee]], [[H2S radar|H2S]] and [[Oboe (navigation)|Oboe]] to find the targets of attack more accurately than the main force on its own could. Initially formed of five squadrons, 8 Group ultimately grew to a strength of 19 squadrons.<ref>Royal Air Force, [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno8group.cfm Bomber Command No.8 Pathfinder Force Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326135543/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno8group.cfm |date=26 March 2017 }}, accessed December 2011</ref> 

No. 8 Group was also responsible for the [[Pathfinder (RAF)#Light Night Striking Force|Light Night Striking Force]], equipped with Mosquito bombers and used for harassing raids on Germany. It was disbanded  on 15 December 1945, though its badge and motto ("We Guide to Strike") were subsequently authorized on 11 March 1953. While the majority of Pathfinder squadrons and personnel were from the Royal Air Force, the group also included many from the air forces of other [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries. The PFF flew a total of 50,490 individual sorties against some 3,440 targets. The cost in human lives was grievous. At least 3,727 members were killed on operations and 675 aircraft lost.

==Structure==
; February 1943{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=308}}
* [[No. 7 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Oakington]] with the Short Stirling I
* [[No. 35 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Graveley]] with the Handley Page Halifax II
* [[No. 83 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Wyton]] with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 109 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Wyton with the de Havilland Mosquito IV
* [[No. 156 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Warboys]] with the Vickers Wellington III & Avro Lancaster I, III

; February 1944{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=309}}
* [[No. 7 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Oakington with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 35 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Graveley with the Handley Page Halifax III
* [[No. 83 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Wyton with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 105 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Marham]] with the de Havilland Mosquito IV, IX
* [[No. 109 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Marham with the de Havilland Mosquito IV, IX
* [[No. 139 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Upwood]] with the de Havilland Mosquito IV, IX, XVI, XX
* [[No. 156 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Warboys with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[405 Long Range Patrol Squadron|No. 405 Squadron RCAF]] at [[RAF Gransden Lodge]] with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 627 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Oakington with the de Havilland Mosquito IV
* [[No. 692 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Graveley with the de Havilland Mosquito IV

;22 March 1945{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=310}}
* [[No. 7 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Oakington with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 35 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Graveley with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 105 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Bourn]] with the de Havilland Mosquito IX, XVI
* [[No. 109 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Little Staughton]] with the de Havilland Mosquito IX, XVI
* [[No. 128 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Wyton with the de Havilland Mosquito XVI
* [[No. 139 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Upwood with the de Havilland Mosquito IX, XVI, XX, XXV
* [[No. 142 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Gransden Lodge with the de Havilland Mosquito XXV
* [[No. 156 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Upwood with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 162 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Bourn with the de Havilland Mosquito XX, XXV
* [[No. 163 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Wyton with the de Havilland Mosquito XXV
* [[405 Long Range Patrol Squadron|No. 405 Squadron RCAF]] at RAF Gransden Lodge with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 571 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Oakington with the de Havilland Mosquito XVI
* [[No. 582 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Little Staughton with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 608 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Downham Market]] with the de Havilland Mosquito XX, XXV
* [[No. 635 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Downham Market with the Avro Lancaster I, III
* [[No. 692 Squadron RAF]] at RAF Graveley with the de Havilland Mosquito XVI

==Headquarters==

*August 1942 - RAF Wyton
*June 1943 - Castle Hill House, Huntingdon

==Air Officer Commanding==

===1918 to 1919===
*1918 [[Brigadier-General]] [[John Miles Steel]]

===1941 to 1942===
*8 September 1941 [[Air Commodore]] [[Francis Fogarty]]
*December 1941 [[Air Vice-Marshal]] [[Donald Stevenson (RAF officer)|Donald Stevenson]] (''appointment not certain''{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}})

===1943 to 1945===
*13 January 1943 Air Vice-Marshal [[Don  Bennett]]
*21 May 1945 Air Vice-Marshal [[John Whitley (RAF officer)|John Whitley]]

==See also==
* [[List of Royal Air Force groups]]

==References==
{{notelist}}
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bennett |first=D. C. T. |author-link=Don Bennett |title=Pathfinder: A War Autobiography |year=1988 |publisher=Goodall |location=Wilmslow |edition=pbk. |isbn=978-0-907579-57-1}}
*{{cite book |last1=Falconer|first1=J|title=RAF Airfields of World War 2 |year=2012 |publisher= Ian Allan Publishing|location= UK|isbn=978-1-85780-349-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Moyes |first=P. J. R. |title=Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft |year=1976 |location=London |publisher=Macdonald and Jane's |isbn=978-0-354-01027-6 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120613205457/http://www.rafweb.org/Grp01.htm Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Groups 1 - 9]
{{RAF WWII strategic bombing}}
{{RAF Groups}}

[[Category:Royal Air Force groups|008]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1918]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in Huntingdonshire]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War I]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War II]]
[[Category:1918 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1941]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1942]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1943]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945]]