This was done by re-designating the Royal Flying Corps's Northern Training Brigade as No.

[2] It was tasked with maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare in the South East area of the English Channel and the North Sea.

On 8 October it returned to Lee-on-Solent, but one month later transferred to Black Lion Fields, Gillingham, Kent on 8 November 1938.

[4] RAF Thorney Island, situated in West Sussex, England, was home to No.

48 Squadron, that operated with Avro Anson I,[5] which is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft.

At this time RAF Coastal Command were using the Avro Anson in a general reconnaissance and bomber role.

22 Squadron was also based there, and was equipped with Vickers Vildebeest,[4] a large biplane Torpedo Bomber / Army Co-operation aircraft and was re-equipping at the time with Bristol Beaufort, a British twin-engined torpedo bomber.

1 Coast Artillery Co-operation Unit also had a detachment of Avro Anson, based at RAF Detling, located in Kent, England, and another No.

206 Squadron, which by this time had converted from Avro Anson to Lockheed Hudson,[10] an American light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft.

235 Squadron, equipped with Bristol Blenheim,[12] light bomber aircraft.

500 Squadron, which was based at RAF Detling with Avro Anson and Bristol Blenhiem.

By April 1942 the Group Communications Flight had relocated to RAF Detling[16] and Air Vice-Marshall John Tyssen had been replaced as AOC No.

1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit was under the control of the group, based at RAF Benson[16] in Oxfordshire, and was equipped with a variety of aircraft modified for the photographic reconnaissance role, including Supermarine Spitfire, Bristol Blenheim, Lockheed Hudson and de Havilland Mosquito.

16 Group Armament Practice Camp RAF, equipped with Westland Lysander III, an army co-operation and liaison aircraft, and Miles Martinet I, a target tug aircraft.

The group controlled three Bristol Beaufighter units at RAF North Coates, Nos 143, 236 and 254 Squadrons.

1401 and 1409 (Met) Flights and operated with Bristol Blenheim IV, Gloster Gladiator II, Supermarine Spitfire V, de Havilland Mosquito IV and Lockheed Hudson IIIA,[25] with the latter Flight forming within No.

1525 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF (1525 BATF), which was equipped with Airspeed Oxford, a twin-engined trainer aircraft, and three flying squadrons, Nos 53, 279 and 280 Squadrons, the two former operating Lockheed Hudson and the latter using Avro Anson.

[16] By July 1944 Acting Air Vice-Marshal Frank Hopps was AOC No.

1525 (Beam Approach Training) Flight, with Airspeed Oxford, was still based at RAF Bircham Newton.

279 Squadron with Lockheed Hudson III, V & VI variants, were also based there.

It was tasked with operational control of North Sea local areas during the Allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe.

155 (General Reconnaissance) Wing was formed at RAF Manston to oversee operations in the Strait of Dover during the Allied invasion of occupied France and aroung July 1944 included No.

157 (General Reconnaissance) Wing RAF formed in May 1944 for operational control of local parts of the North Sea and English Channel during the Allied invasion, within No.

16 Group Communications Flight RAF (16 GCF) formed at Rochester located in Kent, on 3 September 1939.

It operated various types and marks of aircraft:[39] It moved to RAF Detling during June 1941, returning to Rochester on 8 January 1945[40] No.

Listed as Order of Battle on specific dates during the Second World War:[41] No 16 Group