Group captain
 | The examples and perspective in this deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (February 2024) |
Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force.[1] The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.
Group captain is immediately senior to
The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force, Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) was "group officer".
Canada
The rank was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces, when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian group captains then became colonels. In official Canadian French usage, the rank title was colonel d'aviation.[2]
India
United Kingdom
| Group captain | |
|---|---|
Wing commander | |
| Equivalent ranks | ) |
History
On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the
Although in the early years of the RAF
In the post-World War II period the commander of an RAF flying
Insignia and command pennant
The rank insignia is based on the four gold bands of captains in the Royal Navy, comprising four narrow light blue bands over slightly wider black bands. This is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform. Group captains are the first rank in the RAF hierarchy to wear gold braid on the peak of their cap, informally known as 'scrambled egg'; however, they still wear the standard RAF officer's cap badge.
The command pennant for a group captain is similar to the one for a wing commander except that there is one broad red band in the centre. Only the wing commander and group captain command pennants are triangular in shape.
-
An RAF group captain's sleeve/shoulder insignia -
An RAF group captain's sleeve mess insignia -
An RAF group captain's sleeve as it appears on the No. 1 dress
Gallery
-
![(Royal Australian Air Force)[4]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/British_RAF_OF-5.svg/47px-British_RAF_OF-5.svg.png)
-
-
![(Ghana Air Force)[6]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/12.Ghana_Air_Force-COL.svg/49px-12.Ghana_Air_Force-COL.svg.png)
-
-
![(Namibian Air Force)[8]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/12-Namibia_Air_Force-GPCAPT.svg/59px-12-Namibia_Air_Force-GPCAPT.svg.png)
-
![(Nigerian Air Force)[9]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Nigeria-AirForce-OF-5.svg/52px-Nigeria-AirForce-OF-5.svg.png)
-
-
-
-
![(Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard)[12]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/TaT-Air_Guard-OF-5.png/75px-TaT-Air_Guard-OF-5.png)
(Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard)[12] -
![(Air Force of Zimbabwe)[13]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Canadian_Air_Command_%281984-2014%29_OF-5.svg/47px-Canadian_Air_Command_%281984-2014%29_OF-5.svg.png)
![(Royal Australian Air Force)[4]](/File:British_RAF_OF-5.svg){kind=small}
![(Ghana Air Force)[6]](/File:12.Ghana_Air_Force-COL.svg){kind=small}
![(Namibian Air Force)[8]](/File:12-Namibia_Air_Force-GPCAPT.svg)
![(Nigerian Air Force)[9]](/File:Nigeria-AirForce-OF-5.svg)
![(Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard)[12]](/File:TaT-Air_Guard-OF-5.png)
![(Air Force of Zimbabwe)[13]](/File:Canadian_Air_Command_(1984-2014)_OF-5.svg){kind=small}
Notable group captains
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2021) |
 |
- Sir FRAeS– World War II fighter pilot and double amputee
- "ace in a day".
- Leonard Cheshire VC – World War II bomber pilot and charity worker
- Walter Churchill DSO, DFC – World War II ace fighter pilot, who also evaluated various makes of fighter aircraft for the RAF, and played a key role in getting Spitfire aircraft to the defence of Malta
- Hugh Dundas – World War II fighter pilot and the youngest person to hold this rank, aged 24 years[citation needed]
- Thomas Loel Guinness– World War II fighter pilot, politician and businessman
- Pathfinder Force as chief procurer of aircrew talent, often referred to as Don Bennett's "horse thief"
- Robert Shawwas based on Malan
- Herbert Massey – as a POW was Senior British Officer (SBO) at Stalag Luft III. He was portrayed in the movie The Great Escape (1963) as Group Captain Ramsey, and played by James Donald. Massey was crippled and walked with a stick, as did his character in the movie
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- Percy Charles Pickard DSO & Two Bars, DFC – World War II bomber pilot and captain of "F for Freddie"
- Stanisław Skarżyński – World War II bomber pilot. Commanding Officer RAF Lindholme. Polish Air Force. Transatlantic World Record Holder. Awarded Blériot Medal 1936
- D-Dayinvasion
- WAAAF
- Peter Townsend – World War II pilot and suitor of Princess Margaret
Honorary
- Sally Bridgeland – Non executive director, adviser and trustee. Investment consultant, actuary, and former CEO of the BP Pension Fund
- Bruce Dickinson – Frontman of Iron Maiden. Honorary Gp. Capt. of 601 (County of London) Squadron RAF[15]
- Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy MBE – Honorary Gp. Capt. as former Ambassador to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets
- Sachin Tendulkar – Honorary Indian Air Force group captain for his achievements in cricket
- Carol Vorderman MBE – Honorary Gp. Capt. as current Ambassador to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Fictional characters
- Ian Gilmore, a fictional character in Doctor Who
- Group Captain Tennant James, a fictional character in Doctor Who
- Captain Jack Harkness, a fictional character in Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood
- Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, a fictional character in the film Dr. Strangelove, played by Peter Sellers
- Group Captain Rodney Crittendon, a fictional character in the television show Hogan's Heroes, played by Bernard Fox (Crittendon was titled on the show as the equivalent rank of colonel to avoid confusion with the American audience.)
See also
- Air force officer rank insignia
- British and U.S. military ranks compared
- Comparative military ranks
- RAF officer ranks
- Ranks of the RAAF
References
- ^ "Ranks and Badges of the Royal Air Force". Royal Air Force. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2007.
- ^ "The RCAF". www.castlearchdale.net. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ISBN 0-85052-739-2.
- ^ "Badges of rank" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "OFFICER'S RANKS". joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Rank Structure". gafonline.mil.gh. Ghana Air Force. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "For Officers". careerairforce.nic.in. Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- LCCN 92009026. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "Commissioned Officers". airforce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "RAF Ranks". raf.mod.uk/. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Rank Chart (Commissioned Officers)". 69.0.195.188. Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Ranks and Badges in the AFZ". afz.gov.zw. Air Force of Zimbabwe. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ "Group Captain Alan Charles Rawlinson". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Iron Maiden Lead Singer Bruce Dickinson Made Honorary Group Captain in RAF".