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Beaufighter Mark IC, T4916 'LA-T', of No.235 Squadron RAF, preparing to taxi at a Coastal Command airfield. |
No. 9 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (9 (C)OTU),
was a training unit of the Royal Air Force, within No. 17 Group RAF, which was
part of RAF Coastal Command. The unit was established during June 1942 and
disbanded during August 1944.
No. 9 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF formed on 7
June 1942 at RAF Aldergrove, located near the village of Aldergrove in County
Antrim, Northern Ireland. Its main purpose was to train up long range fighter
aircrew. For this role it was equipped with Bristol Beaufighter, a British
multi-role aircraft, Bristol Beaufort, a British twin-engined torpedo bomber,
and Airspeed Oxford, a twin-engine monoplane trainer aircraft. The unit spent
three months at RAF Aldergrove before relocating to RAF Crosby-on-Eden, which
was located around 5.8 miles (9.3 km) north east of Carlisle, Cumbria, during
September 1942. At its maximum throughput, while stationed at Crosby-on-Eden,
No. 9 (C) OTU was providing aircrew training for seven units, with five for RAF
Coastal Command within the European theatre of World War II and two in North
Africa. It continued for almost two years and disbanded on 11 August 1944 at
RAF Crosby-on-Eden, and was absorbed by No. 109 (Transport) Operational
Training Unit RAF, with the aircrew training for the overseas obligation moving
to No. 79 Operational Training Unit RAF.
No. 9 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit was equipped with numerous
types and variants of aircraft:
Bristol Beaufort I & II torpedo
bomber
Bristol Beaufighter IC, VI, X &
XI multi role aircraft
Miles Martinet I target tug
aircraft
de Havilland Tiger Moth II biplane
trainer aircraft
Miles Magister basic trainer
Airspeed Oxford I & II twin
engine trainer aircraft
Westland Lysander III army
co-operation and liaison aircraft
No. 9 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit used two Royal Air Force
stations throughout its existence:
RAF Aldergrove from June 1942.
RAF Crosby-on-Eden
from September 1942 until August 1944.