| No. 8 (PFF) Group RAF No. 8 (Bomber) Group RAF No. 8 (Training) Group RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 April 1918 - 15 May 1919 1 September 1941 - 28 January 1942 13 January 1943 – 15 December 1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Royal Air Force group |
| Role | Pathfinder Force |
| Part of | RAF Bomber Command |
| Group Headquarters | Brampton Grange (September 1941 - January 1942) RAF Wyton (January 1943 - May 1943) Castle Hill House, Huntingdon (May 1943 - December 1945) |
| Motto | We Guide to strike[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Air Vice MarshalDon BennettCB, CBE, DSO |
| Insignia | |
| Group badge | A Mullet of eight points surmounted by an arrow enflamed, point downwards, in bend sinister[1][a][2] |
No. 8 Group RAF (8 Gp) was aRoyal Air Forcegroup which existed during the final year of theFirst World War and during theSecond World War.
No. 8 Group was formed in April 1918 as a training unit and designated8 Group (Training). It remained in this function throughout the rest of the war and was disbanded in May 1919.
The Group was re-established asNo 8 (Bomber) Group on 1 September 1941 only to be disbanded around five months later on 28 January 1942.
8 Group was re-constituted whenBomber Command'sPathfinder Force was renamedNo. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group on 8 January 1943.[3] 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 ofShort Stirling,Handley Page Halifax, andAvro Lancaster, all four-engined heavy bomber aircraft, along withVickers Wellington, a twin-engined, long-range medium bomber aircraft. When new aircraft, such as thede Havilland Mosquito, a twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft became available, 8 Group got the first ones. Its aircraft used navigation aids such asGee,H2S andOboe 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.[4]
No. 8 Group was also responsible for theLight 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 otherCommonwealth 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.
