Donald Bennett was Harris’s personal choice for the command of the Path Finder Force; he took up his post on 15 July 1942, one month before the PFF officially came into existence.

Bennett , right, with one of his top officers, John Searby, 1944

At 32 years of age, Bennett was considerably younger than his fellow Group Commanders. He had spent part of his career outside the RAF in civil aviation, the type of flying experience which was very much looked down upon by many RAF career officers as being inferior and second-rate.

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