Historic RAF Missions

Black and white images of WWII-era RAF aircraft, featuring operations in India and Britain, showcasing vintage military aviation.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Ground crew watch Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 175 Squadron RAF as they taxi out for a sortie at B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Bristol Blenheim Mark V of No. 113 Squadron RAF, taxies past a Blenheim Mark IV at Asansol, India.

RAF Bomber Command 1940 Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 40 Squadron at Wyton, July 1940.

RAF Bomber Command 1940 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk IV P5004 of No. 77 Squadron RAF at RAF Topcliffe, 19 November 1940. This aircraft was lost on 25/26 June 1942 during the '1,000 bomber' raid on Bremen, while operating with No. 10 OTU.

Short Stirling Mk I of No. 218 Squadron RAF at Marham, Norfolk, June 1942. Short Stirling Mark I, N3725 'HA-D', of No. 218 Squadron RAF, running its starboard outer engine at Marham, Norfolk.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Ground crew watch Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 175 Squadron RAF as they taxi out for a sortie at B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

"Stirling" bombers in ***** R.A.F. the "Stirling" is one of the new high performance bombers used by the R.A.F. it has ***** and carries three times the load of ***** and nine times the load of a *****.F. 3040. Fuel ***** being loaded into a Stirling bomber. December 2, 1941. (Photo by Sport & General Press Agency, Limited).

American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Douglas Db-7 Havoc. Havoc Mark I (Intruder), BD121 YP-F, of No. 23 Squadron RAF based at Ford, Sussex, in flight. BD121 was converted from a Boston Mark I.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Supermarine Spitfire. Spitfire Mark IX, BS546 MT-J O Guarany, of No. 122 Squadron RAF, seen with its Free French pilot, Pilot Officer G le Gall at Hornchurch, Essex, on the evening of 29 December 1942. BS546 was presented to the RAF by the Fellowship of the Bellows Fund of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Converted from a Mark V, it served solely with 122 Squadron from 27 October 1942 to 28 February 1943, when it was shot down by Focke Wulf Fw 190s over Cassel, France.

39S Japanese Zero Fighters. August 2, 1943. (Photo by C-Mail Special Photo Service).

The Indian Air Force and Royal Indian Air Force, 1939-1945. Hawker Hurricane Mark IIBs of No. 1 Squadron IAF undergoing maintenance in a revetment at Imphal Main, India.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. A Hawker Typhoon half-rolls over Thorney Island, Hampshire, after taking off to attack enemy communications targets on the French coast, watched by ground crew working on Typhoons in a dispersal on the airfield.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Pilots join ground crews in moving a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 182 Squadron RAF which had become bogged down at B6/Coulombs, Normandy.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945. Martin Baltimore Mark IVs of No. 223 Squadron RAF based at Celone, Italy, flying in loose box formation over Italian farmland while on their way to bomb the railway station and junction at Sulmona.

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No. 261 Squadron RAF at Luqa, Malta.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command 1939-1941. Two Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark Vs of No. 10 Squadron RAF based at Leeming, Yorkshire in flight.

Anefo photo collection. Command transfer airport Valkenburg. October 14, 1947. Valkenburg, South Holland

RAF Bomber Command 1940 Handley Page Hereford (L6056), 1940.

Passed By Censor -- Australian aborigines who whittle out boomerangs would probably be goggle-eyed with astonishment if they saw in action the white man's instrument of war bearing the same name. Four R.A.A.F. pilots practice a diving attack, starting with a spectacular "peel off" from echelon formation. They are members of a squadron which comes under Army operational control and specialises in tactical reconnaissance, strafing and "close support" for troops. June 26, 1944. (Photo by Department Of Air).

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXCs of the Polish Fighting Team (Skalski's Circus) attached to No. 145 Squadron RAF, run up their engines at Goubrine Airfield in Tunisia. In the foreground is EN315 'ZX-6', flown by the unit's Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader Stanisaw Skalski, with EN261 beyond.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. A flight of Supermarine Spitfire Mk VBs of No. 92 Squadron RAF in line with engines running at Biggin Hill, Kent. The nearest aircraft, R7161 'QJ-J', is a converted Mark I.

French aviation personnel being trained at the naval air station, Quonset, Rhode Island, USA, 1951. Artist: Unknown

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fighter Command Armourers clean out the cannon of a No 245 Squadron Typhoon (JR311/MR-G) at Westhampnett, 18 January 1944. Like most Typhoon squadrons, No 245 had converted to the fighter-bomber role and was now taking part in an intensive period of dive-bombing attacks against 'Noball' targets (V-1 flying-bomb storage and launch sites) in northern France. Rangers and medium-bomber escorts were also regular activities.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VBs of No. 72 Squadron RAF, lined up and ready to start at Gravesend, Kent. The nearest aircraft, AA945 'RN-C' 'Cynthia', subsequently served with a number of units up to July 1945; including Nos. 133, 306, 350, 504, 129, 501 and 345 Squadrons RAF, and finally with No. 61 Operational Training Unit.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. A Vickers Wellington Mark I, L4387 'LG-L', of No. 215 Squadron RAF, flying over parked Hawker Hurricanes at Wick, Caithness, on returning from a reconnaissance sortie. L4387 was detached to Coastal Command in April 1940 for daylight reconnaissance of Narvik, Norway. Comment: note original two-bladed propellers on the Hurricane Mk Is.

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Operation DRAGOON: the Allied invasion of southern France. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIIIs and IXs of No. 43 Squadron RAF parked at dispersal points on Ramatuelle landing ground.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Douglas Boston Mark IIIs of No. 88 Squadron RAF breaking formation prior to landing at Hartford Bridge, Surrey, after a daylight raid on the engine sheds at Charleroi, Belgium.

Boeing Fortress Mk I of No. 90 Squadron RAF based at West Raynham, Norfolk, 20 June 1941. Fortress Mark I, AN521 WP-K, of No. 90 Squadron RAF based at West Raynham, Norfolk, preparing for take off at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, during an inspection of newly-arrived American aircraft by the Chief of the Air Staff and the US Air Attache.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark III, FR817 'GL-O' 'Lady Godiva', of No. 5 Squadron SAAF undergoes servicing at Mileni landing ground, north-east of Foggia, Italy.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Air Vice-Marshal C A Bouchier, Air Officer Commanding No. 221 Group RAF, greets Flight-Lieutenant D E Nicholson of Harrow, Middlesex, on completing the last operational sortie by No. 607 Squadron RAF prior to its disbandment at Mingaladon, Burma. Behind them, Nicholson's Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIII, JG354 'AF-Z', receives attention from ground crew.

Two P-40 Single-Engine Fighter Planes, Office of War Information, March 1943

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Mechanics undertake their daily inspection of the engines of Consolidated Liberator GR Mark III, FL907, of No. 86 Squadron RAF, at Aldergrove, County Antrim.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Bristol Beaufighter Mark IC, T4800 'ND-C', of No. 236 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Wattisham, Suffolk. On 12 June 1942, Flight Lieutenant A.K. Gatward with his navigator Sergeant G. Fern, took off from Thorney Island and flew T4800 at low-level to Paris where they dropped a French Tricolour on the Arc de Triomphe, and then attacked the Gestapo Headquarters in the Ministere de la Marine with cannon fire. Upon returning safely, Gatward was awarded an immediate DFC.

Ground crew manhandle a Gloster Meteor F.3 of the 616 Squadron Detachment at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium, on 6 February 1945. The aircraft had deployed to the Continent to counter the threat of the German Me262 jet fighter which had started to enter service with the Luftwaffe. The Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to achieve combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. Some of these images have had some dodging and burning done and have been retouched to remove detritus and dust and scratch marks only* Organization: RAF Object Name: CL-2934 Category: MOD Supplemental Categories: Aircraft, Equipment, People, Historic Keywords: Sqn, Squadron, Formation, Pilot, RAF Fighter Command, Historic Aircraft, RAF, Royal Air Force, Historic, Equipment, Aircraft, B&W, Black and White, Fighter, Gloster Meteor F.3 , 616 Squadron Detachment , Jet, RAF 100 Country: Belg

American Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service 1939-1945- Douglas Db7 and Db-7b Boston. Boston Mark III, Z2183 'E', of No. 24 Squadron SAAF, in flight on an air test shortly after the Squadron re-equipped with the type at Shandur, Egypt.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Pilots of No. 135 Squadron RAF plan a sortie by their Republic Thunderbolt Mark Is (HB975 'WK-L' nearest), at Chittagong, India. They are, (standing left to right); Flight Lieutenant D A McEachern of Ontario, canada, Flying Officer D Houghton of Oldham, Lancashire, Flight Lieutenant J Turton of Batley, Yorkshire and (kneeling) Sergeant F W Hammond of Washwood Heath, Birmingham. In front (left) is Group Captain G F Chater of Durban, South Africa.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Hawker Hurricane PR Mark IIB, BM969, of S Flight No. 3 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, based at Dum Dum, India, in flight over West Bengal. #### Reversed image ####

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1940. Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark Vs of No. 102 Squadron RAF being prepared for a leaflet-dropping ('Nickelling') sortie at Driffield, Yorkshire.

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. A Hawker Hurricane Mark I, 'VY-H', of No. 85 Squadron RAF stands at readiness at Lille-Seclin, as another Hurricane takes off.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Supermarine Spitfires of various marks await delivery at Cazís Airport, Casablanca, Morocco following their assembly and test flights at No. 145 Maintenance Unit.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. Crew of a catalina fly boat poses in and above their cockpit. 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Group Captain D J Scott, leader of No. 123 Wing, (wearing Mae West) converses with another RAF officer on arriving at B53/ Merville, France, watched by an interested group of local boys. Behind them, Scott's Hawker Typhoon Mark IB receives attention from mechanics.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. RAF and American groundcrew shelter from the sun under the nose of a Vickers Wellington Mark X of No. 99 Squadron RAF at Jessore, India, after preparing it for a sortie to Burma.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Fleet Air Arm Barracudas line up for the take-off on a dummy attack. The Fairey Barracuda torpedo bomber is a combination of dive and torpedo bomber, and is the newest to come into service with the Fleet Air Arm.

Airing from the Arromanches carrier flying to Dien-Bien-Phu. June 15, 1954.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VBs of No. 131 Squadron RAF undergo maintenance in their dispersal area at Merston, a satellite airfield of Tangmere, Sussex.

Eurled Against The Communists -- Powerful catapults flush with the dock of fast carrier USS Boxer fling Navy Corsair fighters, armed to the teeth, against enemy troops, bridges and supplies, back of the lines in North Korea. Ranging the north-east coast of the battered peninsula at will, planes from the Boxer and other carriers of Fast Carrier Task force 77 support the ground fighting by constant day and night attacks on Key rail and highway transportation lines. Aerial photos prove heavy trains and trucks are virtually at a standstill in Northeast Korea as the enemy strains to supply his troops on the fighting lines. April 11, 1951. (Photo by Official Photograph U.S. Navy)

The Hawker Typhoon - Britain's Latest Fighter - Bomber -- Britain's latest fighter-bomber-The Hawker Typhoon - in flight, Its two 500lb bombs can be seen slung beneath the wings, one between each pair of 20 mm. cannon. Latest and most deadly fighter bomber in the armoury of the R.A.F., the Hawker Typhoon is fitted with a Napier Sabre engine and armed with four 20 mm. cannon two in each wing - it carries two 500 lb. bombs. Its high speed and great range enable it to penetrate deep into enemy terr

Royal Air Force- Air Defence of Great Britain (adgb), 1943-1944. Flying Officer F 'Fifi' Verpoorten of No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF starts up his Supermarine Spitfire Mark XIV at Lympne, Kent, for an early morning sortie over Holland. The aircraft still bears the unit codes of No. 130 Squadron RAF, having been recently transferred from that unit.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Armourers prepare to load 500-lb MC bombs into De Havilland Mosquito B Mark IV, DZ483 'GB-R', of No. 105 Squadron RAF at Marham, Norfolk, in preparation for a night raid on Berlin, Germany by aircraft of No. 2 Group. Two weeks later, DZ483 crashed at Marham while attempting to land on one engine, on returning from the low-level raid on Jena. Its crew, Flying Officer A J Rae and Flying Officer K S Bush, were both killed.

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

A "Marauder" taking off on a *****.A Bomber that has played a great part in the N. African and Sicilian Campaigns and is now being used in large numbers in this country is the U.S. Marauder. The "Marauder" has a speed of 346 mph. and a range of over 2000 miles, carries a bomb-load of over a ton and is fitted with 8 calibre 50 guns. August 17, 1943.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Douglas Dakota Mark IIIs of No. 267 Squadron RAF unloading supplies for the Allied forces at Araxos, Greece, while being the subject of much interest among the local peasants.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command Wellington II W5444/EP-K of No 104 Squadron awaits delivery of its bomb load of 250 and 500 pounders at Driffield, autumn 1941.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Visit by army commander D.C. Buurman van Vreeden to Padang. The Army Commander, Lieutenant General D.C. Buurman van Vreede, visited Padang and the surrounding area on 21 September. The plane has landed. September 21, 1949. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies, Padang, Sumatra

Special Device to throw a pilot clear of a crippled plane was demonstrated recently at Wright Field, Ohio. A dummy was used since the demonstrating plane was on the ground. June 27, 1946. (Photo by Associated Press Wirephoto).

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Royal Air Force- 1939-1945- Coastal Command Saro Lerwick L7257/WQ-F of No 209 Squadron at Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, August 1940. Note retractable dorsal turret.

Ground crew refuel a Hawker Hurricane Mk IID of No. 1 Specialised Low Attack Instructors School at Milfield, Northumberland, prior to a training sortie, 21 January 1943.

Two of the formation of 5 aircraft flying only 50 feet above the sea in the Heligoland Bight area. Hudson's fly over Heligoland these pictures ***** the story of a formation of American built Lockheed Hudson aircraft of the R.A.F. Coastal Command carrying out an action patrol *****, Heligoland, and the Danish Coast. Some of them are the first released) pictures taken while under fire from German Flak (Anti-Aircraft) ships. The Five Hudsons took off Froman English aerodrome to locate and report o

Royal Air Force- Fighter Command, Tactical Air Force, 1943. North American Mitchell Mark II, FL704 'VO-S', of No. 98 Squadron RAF, landing back at base at Dunsfold, Surrey, after a sortie over enemy targets in France in support of Operation STARKEY.

Royal Air Force- the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, 1939-1945. HRH The Duke of Kent being shown a Douglas Boston Mark I at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, during an inspection of new American aircraft for the Royal Air Force.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Bristol Beaufort Mark Is (N1024 D nearest) of No. 39 Squadron RAF, in flight over the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1942.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Completed Vultee Vengeance Mark Is await the fitting of airscrews after assembly at No. 1 (India) Maintenance Unit, Drigh Road, India. The nearest aircraft, AN796, eventually served with No. 110 Squadron RAF.

Royal Air Force - East Africa Command, 1940-1945

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. A dragon emblem on the nose of Avro Lancaster B Mark I, R5908 'EM-B', of No. 207 Squadron RAF at Syerston, Nottinghamshire.

Lancastrian at Hum Eng. Prior to its departure. May 01, 1945. (Photo by Brenner, Quantas)

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Various ceremonies in Lahat. granting a distinction or attachment to an airport Mitchell B-25 bombers and Auster or Piper Cub exploration aircraft are arranged. April 30, 1948. Indonesia, Lahat, Dutch East Indies, Sumatra

Torpedo bomber Squadron - Much has been written and spoken about the probable effect of bombing on warships, but perhaps nothing is more incalculable than the Precise value of the torpedo from the air.Torpedoes dropped from aircraft are used for attack on ships not for destruction of cities.A striking picture of a flight of vildebeests of No. 42 (Torpedo Bomber) Squadron clearly showing their torpedoes angle at which they are carried, during a flight near Thorney Island. October 11, 1938.

Short Sunderland Mk II of No. 10 Squadron RAAF based at Mount Batten, Devon, October 1942. Sunderland Mark II, W3984 RB-S, of No. 10 Squadron RAAF based at Mount Batten, Devon. This is an early production version which retains the K machine-gun mounts in the dorsal hatches. W3984 spent its whole operational life with 10 Squadron RAAF, being finally struck off charge in June 1944.

Royal Air Force in France, 1939-1940. Blenheim Mark IV, L8756 XD-E of No. 139 Squadron RAF, based at Plivot, France, in flight over northern France.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Chance-Vought Corsair fighter returning to land on board HMS TRUMPETER with flaps and arrestor hook down. The arm and hand of the batman can be seen in the foreground.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Grumman Avenger of No 785 Naval Air Squadron at Crail Fleet Air Arm Station The torpedoes carried are hidden in the enclosed compartment of the belly of the aircraft. An idea of the size of the aircraft can be taken from the man stood by it.

Air Attack By British Liaison Warplanes. Action picture of the "peel off", a movement to break formation and dive to attack. These Westland Lysander army cooperation monoplanes show how one-by-one they break from echelon formation and then dive earthwards to bomb or machine gun ground targets. Latest versions of the Lysander - a high performance warplane notable for its wide speed range - are powered by Bristol Perseus sleeve valve engines developing a maximum of 905 h.p. (918 c.v.). Note the b

Royal Air Force- Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. RAF fitters and Maltese civilian workers repairing damaged Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vs in a maintenance shed at Ta Kali.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Hawker Typhoon. Typhoon Mark IB, DN604 PR-F Mavis, of No. 609 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Manston, Kent. The aircraft displays a score tally of 18 locomotives destroyed in ground attacks on the fuselage side

Deputy Group Commander George S. Roberts with photographer Toni Frissell, Portrait Standing on Airplane Wing at Air Base, Ramitelli, Italy, Toni Frissell, March 1945

Supermarine Spitfire Mk V and pilots of No. 40 Squadron, South African Air Force, at Gabes in Tunisia, April 1943. The Supermarine Spitfire pilot of ER622, No 40 Squadron, South African Air Force confers with his 'No 2' after landing at Gabes.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Supermarine Spitfire. Spitfire Mark VB, R6923 QJ-S, of No. 92 Squadron RAF based at Biggin Hill, Kent, in flight. R6923 was originally a Mark I, converted to a Mark V after serving with No. 19 Squadron and No. 7 Operational Training Unit in 1940. It was shot down over the sea by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 on 22 June 1941

Air Battle Air Battle, Exercise. Five pieces of aircraft in the air.

American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Brewster Model 339 Buffalo. Buffalo Mark Is of No. 453 Squadron RAAF, lined up at Sembawang, Singapore, on the occasion of an inspection by Air Vice Marshal C W H Pulford, Air Officer Commanding Royal Air Force Far East.

June 1942 - With their propellers catching perfect circles of light, these Vega-built American Flying fortress heavy bombers roar hour after hour on the ground as their are tested for flaws before being delivered to the armed forces of the United Nations.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Vickers Warwick. Warwick C Mark III, HG279, of No. 167 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Blackbushe, Hertfordshire.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and his party approach a Short Stirling Mark I of No. 7 Squadron RAF with its air and ground crew lined up for inspection, during a review of British and American bombers in service with the RAF at Northolt, Middlesex. Accompanying the Prime Minister, but obscured by him, is Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal, Chief of the Air Staff, followed by Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air and Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. The aircraft lined up beyond the Stirling include a Handley Page Halifax, the Avro Lancaster prototype, and a Boeing Fortress.

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

War Office, Central Office of Information and American Second World War Official Collection

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A trainee pilot shoulders his parachute harness in front of Hawker Hurricane Mark Is at No. 151 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit, Risalpur, India.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1942. Oblique aerial photograph showing Short Stirling B Mark Is of No. 7 Squadron RAF, lined up on the perimeter track on the north-eastern side of the airfield at Oakington, Cambridge, for a night raid on Dortmund, Germany. The Cambridge-Huntingdon railway line, skirting the eastern boundary of the airfield, can be seen at upper left.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Fitters, armourers and mechanics of No. 13 Squadron RAF prepare Bristol Blenheim Mark VD 'C' for a sortie at Canrobert, Algeria.

General Wadysaw Sikorski's visit to the Polish Air Force training center in Bron - preparation for the parade. From the right: General Józef Zajc, General, Wadysaw Sikorski, General Victor Denain. Morane Saulnier MS 406 fighter aircraft are also visible ca. May 1940.

America's First Helicopter Unit -- A helicopter making a ***** the "rolling dack". The U.S. Navy row has a Helicopter Unit - newly ***** on July 1st. At Floyd Bennet Field ***** Air Station, where the unit is stationed, ***** 40 x 60 foot wooden platform, designed to roll ***** and forth while helicopter students simulate landings on a vessel at sea.First Helicopter Unit for the US Navy undergoing tests. The unit is ***** 60 feet wooden platform designed to roll while trainees simulate landing on a vessel at sea. August 24, 1946. (Photo by Acme-British Combine).

Pilots of No. 19 Squadron RAF stage a mock 'scramble' from the back of a truck at Fowlmere near Duxford, September 1940. Pilots of No 19 Squadron, Royal Air Force 'scramble' for the photographer, from the back of a lorry at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire.

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Three Spitfire LF Mark VBs of No. 244 Wing RAF based at Bu Grara, flying in close starboard echelon formation off the Tunisian coast after escorting light bombers on a sortie to Mareth. AB502 'IR-G', in the foreground, is the personal aircraft of the Wing Leader, Wing Commander I R 'Widge' Gleed, which he flew when he was shot down and killed over Cap Bon on 16 April 1943, while the two accompanying aircraft are ER220 'UF-V' and EP481 'UF-F' of No. 601 Squadron RAF. All three are fitted with Aboukir air filters and have 'clipped' wings in order to assist low-level performance.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Douglas DB-8A / 3N 397 on his stomach on Ockenburg during the 1940 girlagen.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspection requirement General P.L.G. Doorman (September-October 1946). General Doorman takes goodbye to a number of officers at Kemajoran airport? September 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Royal Air Force Transport Command, 1943-1945. Douglas Dakotas parked at B56/Evere, Belgium, as their freight is unloaded into Army lorries. The second aircraft in the foreground is Dakota Mark III, KG348 'HC-AO', of No. 512 Squadron RAF Detachment.

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