Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

While the United Kingdom's greatest defence against Nazi Germany was the separation afforded by the English Channel, North Sea and the Bay of Biscay, that expansive water gap took a very high toll of Allied personnel throughout the war as they returned from raids over occupied Europe, particularly after sustaining battle damage, or impaired by bad weather and equipment failure.

To stem these losses, a comprehensive Air Sea Rescue network was established, comprising surface and air-based assets to locate and hopefully recover downed aircrew and ship's companies adrift and at the mercy of a very cruel sea indeed.

Aircaft could get to scene of a carsh more quickly than a boat but their rescue capacity was limited to the dropping of life rafts and survival equipment.  Aircraft and fast motor launches worked in close co-operation.

The would-be rescuers were of course subjected to the very same risks as the crews they hoped to save;  poor weather, enemy action, navigation challenges and a very hostile environment were all arrayed to plague ASR Operations.

Detail of the the squadrons in this listing can be found at the following links:

http://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn276-280.htm (www.rafweb.org)