RCAF Station Dafoe



General Information

Base / Station: Dafoe

Province: Saskatchewan

Dates of Operation or Period of Information: 

  • 26 May 1941 – 17 Feb 1945

Units:   No.5 Bombing and Gunnery School

Unit Duties / Information: B & G S

Aircraft Flown:

  • Anson,
  • Battle,
  • Bolingbroke, and
  • Lysander

Commanding Officers:

Financial Impact:

Date / Reason for Closure: 17 Feb 45, reduced need for aircrew


Post RCAF Evolution:

  • The Publication On Track…the Pilot’s Air Travel Guide (First Annual Edition – 1978) lists the Aerodrome as “Dafoe – Lat:51 56N – Long:104 34W – GMT-6 – 72NE,E-17 – Abandoned”

Current Status:  abandoned N51 56 W104 34, condition unknown

No 5 Bombing & Gunnery School, Dafoe, Saskatchewan. Aerial Photo – Facebook Photo and Caption by Debra-Larry Kunz – 19 January 2023
RCAF Aerodrome Dafoe, Saskatchewan.
Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
circa 1942.

Location – Google Map


YouTube


Photo Gallery

The parachutist above the control tower is “Oscar”. Oscar was a hawk and used as “C” flights mascot. Unfortunately Oscar met an early demise at the base and was buried with full military honors. –
Facebook Photo and Caption by Debra-Larry Kunz – 19 January 2023
This is the control tower at No 5 Bombing & Gunnery School, Dafoe. The number 2 on the safety railing represents the runway being used at the time. The Hangar beside the control tower is the “Drogue Hangar”. It still remains standing at the old Bombing & Gunnery School Site. The building to the right of the the control tower is the “Bombing Teacher”. The building to the left of the control tower is the “camera obscura” –
Facebook Photo and Caption by Debra-Larry Kunz – 19 January 2023

Station Magazine
“Dafoe Digest”

Station Magazine
“Dafoe Doings”


Windsock
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 1993-09
Windsock
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 1993-10
Windsock
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 2006-03
Windsock
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 2013-04

The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba has created a transcription of this Daily Diary.
Their web site is AirMuseum.ca




Fatalities

This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 5 Bombing & Gunnery School and other sources. The list may not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Dafoe. With input from various sources, so far there were 43 deaths of service personnel that were stationed at Dafoe.


Aircraft List


Course List
No 5 Bombing & Gunnery School


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