This figure is not full measure of the Command's contribution, nor would the total number of sightings and attacks express it. A better indication is to be found in the thousands upon thousands of hours flown by the aircrew, through weather that was often appalling, while they carefully searched the gray expanse of water, forced the enemy to crash-dive or remain submerged, drove them away from our convoys and permitted the ships to continue on their way unmolested. It was weary and unglamorous work but its importance cannot be over-emphasized. The battle lines of Western Europe were fed by the long Atlantic sea-lanes. Although there was much less submarine activity on the Pacific coast, the aircraft of Western Air Command (WAC) were not unrewarded for their long hours of hunting. One venturesome Japanese submarine was sent to the bottom near Prince Rupert by two US naval vessels after it had been so badly damaged by an RCAF Bolingbrook that it was unable to escape. In addition the RCAF and American navy ships helped escort materials to the Soviet Union. This heavily defended area was known as the North West Staging Route. It was during a holiday when the RCAF and navy were on leave that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Towards the end of the war it became apparent that the pilots were needed more along the European front then to defend the coast so the end of the war left only a sparse few air squadrons to defend Canada. The most important role of the RCAF was its involvement in the European theatre. The original RCAF only made up three squadrons of the British Royal Air Force. Each squadron was made up of fifteen bombers, eleven day-bombers, three fighter-bombers, three recon-fighters, four night-fighters, six coastal-fighters, three transports, and three AOP. The fall of France and the cessation of land operations in Western Europe relegated the two Army Co-operation squadrons to a long period of waiting, but No. 1 Fighter S...
