Station Commanders rank
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: South Africa
Age: 87
Posts: 1,329
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Sqdn. Ldr's tended to command fighter squadrons and Wing Co's commanded bomber Sqdns.
Just think, a Sqdn of 12 Fighters, Spitfires or Hunters, had 12 engines and 12 drivers seats. Calculate how many aircrew and ground crew the Sqdn Commander had reporting to him.
Now take a bomber Sqdn, WWII or V-Force. Same 12 A/C, 7 or 5 aircrew per mission, plus spares for sickness, courses and leave, 4 engines and associated hardware per A/C for the ground crew to look after. Look at the kit behind the driver, in the Nav's and Wop's positions in a bomber, again WWII or V-Force. Someone had to keep it working. This in turn meant more NCO's and SNCO's.
The head count reporting to the OC Sqdn was very much larger.
Commanding a bomber Sqdn was a much larger job, particularly from the none flying, man-management aspect and easily justifying the higher rank.
Just think, a Sqdn of 12 Fighters, Spitfires or Hunters, had 12 engines and 12 drivers seats. Calculate how many aircrew and ground crew the Sqdn Commander had reporting to him.
Now take a bomber Sqdn, WWII or V-Force. Same 12 A/C, 7 or 5 aircrew per mission, plus spares for sickness, courses and leave, 4 engines and associated hardware per A/C for the ground crew to look after. Look at the kit behind the driver, in the Nav's and Wop's positions in a bomber, again WWII or V-Force. Someone had to keep it working. This in turn meant more NCO's and SNCO's.
The head count reporting to the OC Sqdn was very much larger.
Commanding a bomber Sqdn was a much larger job, particularly from the none flying, man-management aspect and easily justifying the higher rank.
