Originally Posted by
ORAC
rolling20,
I believe the 8K figure is just for Bomber command, and they attracted by far the operational loss rate. It omits those of Fighter, Ferry, Transport and Coastal commands, along with all the overseas commands.
I am not sure, but I believe it is also compiled from the dedicated bomber training units such as OTUs and not the basic flying training units in the UK, Canada etc.
Orac that is correct, Bomber Command suffered the highest losses in training of any command. I haven't read Right of the Line for a long long time, but I use a quite here from the net, which isn't mine: John Terraine in The Right of the Line gives:
'From first to last, 1939-45, the Royal Air Force lost 70,253 officers, NCOs and airmen killed or missing on operations, the overwhelming majority of them being aircrew. This was the price of its victory, and of it by far the largest share fell to Bomber Command between Sept 1939 and May 1945: 47,268. This great number is the grim total of those lost on operations; it was the unique hazard of the airman's trade that a further 8,305 Bomber Command aircrew lost their lives in non-operational flying - training or accident. In addition, 1,570 ground crew (RAF and WAAF) were killed or lost their lives from other causes during that period, making a full total of 57,143.'. Although other Commands aren't mentioned, Bomber Command suffered the greatest loss in operations and training.