Alec Coryton

Infobox Military Person
name= William Alec Coryton
lived= 16 February 1895 - 20 October 1981
placeofbirth= Pentillie Castle, Cornwall
placeofdeath= Langton Matravers, Dorset


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=United Kingdom
branch= British Army
Royal Air Force
serviceyears= 1914 - 1951
rank= Air Chief Marshal
commands= Third Tactical Air Force
No. 5 Group
No. 16 Squadron RAF
unit=
battles= World War I
World War II
awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Member of the Royal Victorian Order
Distinguished Flying Cross
laterwork=

Air Chief Marshal Sir William Alec Coryton KCB, KBE, MVO, DFC, RAF (16 February 1895 – 20 October 1981), commonly known as Alec Coryton, was a senior RAF commander in World War II.

Originally commissioned as an officer in the British Army's Rifle Brigade (Special Reserve), he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a Lieutenant in 1918. When the RFC became the Royal Air Force he resigned his Army commission and became a Royal Air Force officer.

* 1942 25 April AOC, No. 5 Group RAF Bomber Command. It has been claimed that the then Air Commodore Croyton was sacked by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris for refusing to send a small force of Lancasters from his group on a sneak raid to Berlin in poor weather conditions.
* 1943 February Air Staff, Air Ministry.
* 1944 Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations).
* 1944 25 August Commander, RAF Third Tactical Air Force.
* 1944 4 December Commander, RAF in Bengal & Burma.
* 1944 14 December – May 1945 Assistant Air Commander, Eastern Air Command.
* 1945 27 February Air Marshal Commanding, HQ RAF Burma

External links

* [http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Coryton.htm Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Chf Mshl Coryton]
*http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/group.html

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