Air activities have taken place at Winnipeg for longer than the “Air Force” has been in existence.  The first activities began in the early 1920s when an Air Board (AB) station was established in Winnipeg.  This AB Station served as the winter base, while other sub-stations were established at Victoria Beach, Cormorant Lake, and Norway House from which summer and fall operations were conducted.  The AB Units carried out surveys, mapping and charting activities, and photographic work west of the Manitoba – Ontario border and into the North.

 

            The Royal Canadian Air Force came into existence on 1 April 1924.  At that time, a formal Air Force presence was established in Winnipeg.  The A/B Station was re-named as 1 Wing of the RCAF Regular Force.  The Headquarters for this new organization was established at Fort Osborne Barracks and workshops were set up at   276 Maryland Street.  The first commanding officer was S/L BD Hobbs, DSO, DSC.

Operations were carried out in Vickers Vedettes from the Red River at the end of Brandon Avenue in Fort Rouge.  The Wing continued its support of civil authorities.

            In 1928, the Winnipeg Flying Club’s Airfield was officially named Stevenson Field in honour of Capt FJ Stevenson, a WW I pilot and commercial pilot of renown in Manitoba.  During this period, a number of new pilots were brought into the Air Force through a programme of cooperation between the local flying club and the federal government.  In 1930 the first RCAF hangar was constructed at Stevenson Field, near the present TCA Hangar.

            RCAF Station Winnipeg came into being, formally, in 1932.  In that same year the first three Auxiliary Squadrons of the RCAF were formed.  One of these was No 12 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, which was formed in Winnipeg.  The Squadron, under the command of S/L JA Sully, operated out of Minto Armouries and Stevenson Field.  Its primary roles were aerial photography and transport duties that included transporting Indian Treaty Money Parties, RCMP officers, and carrying out crop dusting and mercy flights.  In 1936 No 2 Equipment Repair Depot was established at the Station to assist in the maintenance of the aircraft located here.

            At the outbreak of the WW II the only units located at RCAF Station Winnipeg were No 2 Repair Depot and No 112 (AC) Squadron, which had been renumbered from No 12 Squadron in 1937.  No 112(AC) Squadron was sent to Ottawa and then on to England in 1940.  It was renumbered to No 2 Fighter Squadron, then to No 402 (Fighter) Squadron in 1941, under the command of   S/L GR McGregor. 

            RCAF Station Winnipeg became one of the RCAF’s major training centres during the war.  On 15 April 1940, No 2 Training Command (TC) was established as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and the station was absorbed into this new Command.  In addition to the Command Headquarters, the initial units of the new Command were:

a. No 14 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) which was operated by the Central Manitoba Flying School Ltd. under the supervision of the RCAF;

 

b. No 5 Air Observer School which was operated by the Winnipeg Air Observers School Ltd. under the supervision of the RCAF; and

 

c.  No 3 Wireless School.

No 7 Equipment Depot was established at Winnipeg in April of 1940.  In October of 1940, No 2 Repair Depot was moved to Calgary, and No 14 EFTS was moved to Portage la Prairie.  The move of No 2 Repair Depot resulted in the creation of               No 8 Repair Depot which was charged with the assembly, maintenance, repair and flight testing of all aircraft at Winnipeg.  Additionally, No 15 Technical Detachment was formed in 1940.  This unit was re-designated as No 15 Aeronautical Inspection District in 1942. 

Several other smaller units were established during the war years and remained at Winnipeg for various lengths of time.  These were:

a. No 2 Construction and Maintenance Unit which was formed in November 1942 and moved to Calgary in November 1945;

b.  No 9 Squadron of the University Air Training Corps which was formed at the University of Manitoba (U of M) in October 1942 and was dissolved in December 1944;

c.  No 2 Nutritional Laboratory which was formed at the U of M in August 1943 and was disbanded in January 1945;

d. A Radio Mechanics Detachment at the Uof M from 31 May 1941 to 30 September 1941; and

e. 170 Ferry Squadron that was formed 1 March 1944 and was disbanded on 30 June 1945.

On 30 November 1944, No 2 Air Command was formed by the amalgamation of No 2 and No 4 Training Commands. 

The majority of the units at No 2 Air Command were dissolved or disbanded with the cessation of hostilities.  On 28 February 1947, No 2 Air Command was disbanded.  It was replace by Headquarters No 11 Group in North West Air Command and, on              1 March 1947, the reconstituted RCAF Station Winnipeg became the home of this Group.  No 11 Group controlled RCAF Stations Winnipeg and Rivers and units located in Saskatoon and Churchill.  In April 1949 this Group was re-designated as Tactical Group. It subsequently moved to Edmonton in 1951.

The reconstituted station, under the command of S/L CH Mussels, consisted of only the Station Headquarters, No 402 (City of Winnipeg) Squadron (Auxiliary), and  111 Composite Flight.  As time passed the RCAF expanded its Regular and Auxiliary Units and the station expanded.  To keep pace with the increasing administrative burdens, 17 Wing was formed in 1950.  However, most of the new units were training units and in keeping with this function RCAF Station Winnipeg was transferred from North West Air Command to Training Command on 1 July 1951.  The units under the Station’s control were:

a.  Station Headquarters;

b.  No 2 Air Navigation School;

c.   No 111 Communications and Rescue Flight

(Note: These units constituted the Station and the remaining units were lodger(?) units)

d.   No 14 Training Group Headquarters;

e.   No 1 Maintenance Liaison Unit;

f.    Western Region Security Detachment;

g.   No 1 Air Movement Unit Detachment;

h.   17 Wing Headquarters;

i.     No 402 (City of Winnipeg) Squadron (Auxiliary);

j.      2402 Aircraft Warning and Control Unit;

k.     3052 Technical Training Unit;

l.      4003 Medical Unit;

m.    5002 Intelligence Unit; and

n.    The University of Manitoba Squadron of the Primary Reserve.

In 1954, the Central Navigation School, which was responsible for all post-graduate navigation training, moved from Summerside, PEI to Winnipeg.  As well,          3 Communications Unit was established to provide a radio link from coast to coast. 

In 1955, the Aero-Medical Training Centre was opened.  No 2 Air Navigation School, which was the hub of NATO navigator training, modified its syllabus.  It took on a three-pronged approach and students graduated with specialties in long range navigation, radio operation, and airborne interception.  This syllabus remained in place until well after the end of NATO navigator training in 1958. 

Training Command Headquarters was established in Winnipeg in 1959, under the command of Air Vice Marshall JG Bryans.  This Headquarters was responsible for the training of all Air Force personnel at 10 stations throughout Canada. 

The 1960s saw a lot of changes at Winnipeg.  No 2 Air Navigation School was re-named the Central Navigation School and entered the computer age with the purchase of the “Donner 3500” analogue computer.  The Central Flying School moved from Gimli to Winnipeg in 1964.  Training Command’s focus changed, in 1966, from Air Force training to training for the unified Canadian Forces.

The seventies saw the formation of 429 Composite Squadron which brought together the ICP School, the Dakota Conversion unit and Canadian Forces Flying Training Support Unit.  The Reserve Trade School – Air was established to provide trades training for air reservists.  The Canadian Forces School of Meteorology moved to Winnipeg from Trenton.  In 1975, Air Command was inaugurated under the command of Lieutenant-General WK Carr. Air Reserve Group was formed at Winnipeg, a year later, under the command of Brigadier-General RR Rohmer.

The 1980s and 1990s saw the base continue to develop.  14 Training Group was re-activated in 1981 and disbanded in 1991.  A new home for the “Air Force” was unveiled in 1986.  The Bishop Building continues to be one of the nicest buildings on the Canadian Forces inventory.  429 Squadron moved to Trenton and 435 Squadron moved to Winnipeg from Edmonton.  1 Air Movements Squadron (AMS) moved from Edmonton to Winnipeg as well.  435 Squadron and 1 AMS have participated in numerous global operations including OP ALLIANCE and OP ASSURANCE and in the 1997 Red River Flood Relief - OP ASSISTANCE.  Training continues to be one of the priorities of the base which is home to:

a.   Canadian Forces Air Navigation School (CFANS);

 

b.    Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies (CFSAS);

 

c.      Canadian Forces School of Meteorology (CFS Met); and

 

d.      Canadian Forces School of Aeromedical Training (CFSAT).

The closure of CFB Portage la Prairie added 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (3 CFFTS) as a satellite entity of the base.  The more recent conversion of 15 Wing Moose Jaw to contracted flying training has meant that 17 Wing must provide support to military units in Saskatchewan, including the detatchment at Dundurn.

            It is anticipated that the base/wing will continue in these various endeavors well into the next millenium.