No. 4 Group RAF

No. 4 Group RAF
Active	1 April 1918 – 24 March 1919 1 April 1937 – 2 February 1948
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Part of	RAF Bomber Command (April 1937 – May 1945) RAF Transport Command (May 1945 – February 1948)
Group Headquarters	RAF Linton-on-Ouse (April 1937 – January 1940) Heslington Hall (January 1940 – February 1948)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur "Bomber" Harris

No. 4 Group was a Royal Air Force group, originally formed in the First World War, and reformed in the wake of the Second World War, mostly part of RAF Bomber Command, but ending its days in RAF Transport Command.

No. 4 Group was originally formed in October 1918 at Felixstowe just before the end of the First World War and disbanded a year later in 1919. In its first incarnation, No. 4 Group was created by augmenting the former Royal Naval Air Service group at RNAS Great Yarmouth which had been responsible for anti-submarine and anti-Zeppelin operations over the North Sea. The former RNAS group was designated as No. 73 Wing within the new No. 4 Group. The commanding officer of No. 4 Group was Colonel C R Samson. With the 1918–1919 postwar demobilization of the RAF, No. 4 Group was disbanded on 24 March 1919.

With the buildup of the RAF prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, No. 4 Group was reformed on 1 April 1937 as part of RAF Bomber Command based at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk under A/Cdre Arthur Harris (later Air Vice-Marshal "Bomber" Harris). On 29 June 1937 the headquarters were relocated at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire when 4 Group took over a number of stations and squadrons from No. 3 Group RAF. 4 Group was primarily based in Yorkshire for the duration of the war. Its airfields became further concentrated south and east of York when 6 Group was formed (1 March 1943) using airfields north of the city. The flying units of those were these, mainly flying with the Handley Page Heyford biplane bomber:

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