Royal Air Force Missions

RAF aircraft conducting operations during WWII, including take-offs, landings, and mechanics maintaining aircraft in diverse environments.

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 Coastal Command, 1939-1945. A Bristol Beaufort Mark I of No. 217 Squadron RAF, taxys to the end the runway for take-off at St Eval, Cornwall, as another aircraft comes in to land.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943 A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV returns to Gambut, Libya, in the failing evening light, after completing a sortie. In the foreground, Blenheim Mark IV, V6149 'A', of No. 45 Squadron RAF has been 'bedded down' for the night with tarpaulin covers over the engines and nose section.

No. 151 Wing Royal Air Force Operations in Russia, September-november 1941 A mechanic attaches the cable of a trolley-accumulator to a Hawker Hurricane Mark IIB of No. 81 Squadron RAF on the waterlogged airfield at Vaenga, as a section of three Hurricanes flies overhead.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Boulton Paul Defiant Mark I night fighter, N1801 'PS-B' 'Coimbatore II', of No. 264 Squadron RAF, undergoing a routine service in a dispersal, probably at Colerne, Wiltshire. This aircraft was flown by the effective night-fighting team of Flying Officer F D Hughes (pilot) and Sergeant F Gash (gunner), and displays a victory tally of 5 enemy aircraft shot down. In 1942 Hughes converted to the Bristol Beaufighter and, flying with Nos. 125 and 600 Squadrons RAF, further increased his score. By the end of the war, he commanded No 604 Squadron RAF and had destroyed 18.5 enemy aircraft.

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 Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Avro Anson Mark I, N9742, of No. 321 (Dutch) Squadron RAF being refuelled by Dutch personnel at Carew Cheriton, Pembrokeshire.

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. Fairey Battles of No. 226 Squadron RAF undergoing servicing on the flight line at Reims-Champagne. The aircraft on the right, K9183 'MQ-R', was shot down by ground aircraft fire while attacking enemy columns south-west of Luxembourg on 10 May 1940. Its pilot died of his wounds, but the other two crew members survived.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command This No. 320 Squadron Hudson VI, EW899, was almost lost after colliding with an enemy aircraft 500ft above the North Sea on a night sortie in February 1943. Despite extensive damage to the tail and fuselage the aircraft was nursed back to base by its severely shaken crew. The enemy aircraft was believed to have hit the sea and been destroyed.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 45 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Magwe, Burma, while operating as part of 'X' Wing/'Burwing'. Note the jeep (right), borrowed from the American Volunteer Group, units of which were also based at Magwe in the closing stages of the first Burma Campaign.

German Military Aircraft 1939-1945 Junkers Ju 88G-6 night fighter. Night fighter versions of the ubiquitous Ju 88 bomber were successfully deployed against the RAF bomber streams in the last two years of the war.

Royal Air Force- Operations Over Albania and in Greece, 1940-1941. RAF officers haul their luggage from a Bristol Bombay of No. 216 Squadron RAF after landing at Maleme, Crete, while en route for the Greek mainland during the initial stages of the RAF deployment.

A Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXE of No. 412 Squadron RCAF, armed with a 250-lb GP bomb under each wing, taxies out for a sortie at Volkel, Holland, 27 October 1944. A Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXE of No. 412 Squadron RCAF, armed with a 250-lb GP bomb under each wing, taxies out for a sortie at B80/Volkel, Holland. A member of the ground crew is seated on the starboard wing to help the pilot to negotiate potholes, flooding and other obstructions on the airfield.

1940s WORLD WAR II ACCELERATED PILOT BASIC TRAINING PLANES ARMY AIR CORPS RANDOLPH FIELD TEXAS USA

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Armourers wait for the conclusion of an engine test on Short Stirling Mark I, 'OJ-N', of No. 149 Squadron RAF, parked at the end of the south-east runway at Mildenhall, Suffolk, before loading her with 250-lb GP bombs for a night raid on Essen, Germany. Each bomb has been fitted with a shackle to enable it to be winched into position in the Stirling's high bomb-bay.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB, BM252 'MT-E', of No. 122 Squadron RAF, being checked over by ground crew, prior to starting up at Hornchurch, Essex.

Armourers loading bombs onto a Spitfire Mk XVI of No. 603 Squadron RAF at Ludham in Norfolk, March 1945. Armourers set the tail fuses on a clutch of 500-pounders in front of a Spitfire XVI of No 603 Squadron at Ludham, March 1945. The bombs were destined for V-2 sites in the Netherlands. Rangers and interdiction sorties were also flown from this Norfolk location, but the advancing land forces would soon take the ground battle beyond the range of UK-based Spitfires.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Ground crew of No. 81 Squadron RAF sit on the tail of a Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX in order to hold it down during an engine test at Souk el Khemis ('Paddington'), Tunisia.

Royal Air Force- Operations Over Albania and in Greece, 1940-1941. The sun rises over the airfield at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, as groundcrew remove the covers from Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L8374 'X', of No. 84 Squadron RAF, for a morning raid over Albania. L8374 was one of two Blenheims shot down when nine aircraft of the Squadron bombed the Kucera oil fields on 22 December 1940.

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. Groundcrew refuelling a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 501 Squadron RAF from a petrol bowser at Betheniville, shortly after its return from a sortie.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Hawker Sea Hurricane being refueled on board HMS ARGUS.

American Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service, 1939-1945- Martin Model 167 Maryland. Maryland Mark I, AR703, on the ground at No. 37 Maintenance Unit, Burtonwood, Lancashire, November 1941. One of the original batch of Martin 167Fs ordered by the French government and diverted to the RAF after the surrender in 1940, AR703 undertook handling trials at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, before being despatched to the Middle East for operational service.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Supermarine Spitfire. Spitfire Mark IIB, P8649 Bermuda III, shortly after completion at the Supermarine factory at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. P8649 served with a number of units, including Nos. 222, 308, 65, 616 and 132 Squadrons RAF, and also with Nos. 58 and 61 Operational Training Units.

A Spitfire of No. 19 Squadron is refuelled at Fowlmere, near Duxford, September 1940. Refuelling a Spitfire of No 19 Squadron at Fowlmere during the Battle of Britain, September 1940.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Pilots of No. 72 Squadron RAF in front of their Supermarine Spitfire Mark VBs at either Gravesend or Biggin Hill, Kent. In the foreground stands Squadron Leader D F B Sheen, Commanding Officer of the Squadron from April to October 1941.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Mechanics overhauling the Rolls Royce Merlin X engines of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark V of No. 102 Squadron RAF at Driffield, Yorkshire. The front turret is a Nash and Thompson Type FN16.

A Curtiss P-40 on the ground, Maison Blanche.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command A No 144 Squadron Beaufighter Mk VI being fitted with an 18in Mk XV torpedo using a special telescopic cradle designed for the job, Tain, 25 April 1943. The torpedo is fitted with a Mk IV gyro-stabilised MAT (Monoplane Air Tail).

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. Sightseers gather as RAF officers inspect crashed Heinkel 111H, 'V4-DT', of 9/KG1, which crash-landed near Albert. This was one of seven aircraft belonging to III/KG1 which were shot down by Hawker Hurricanes of Nos. 85 and 607 Squadrons RAF on the afternoon of 10 May 1940. The crew surrendered to the unarmed keeper of a British Great War military cemetery nearby.

Ground staff refuel a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB of No. 64 Squadron RAF at Hornchurch, 7 May 1942. This image is part of a sequence of five photographs taken on 7 May 1942 at Hornchurch, and later released by the Ministry of Information to illustrate a typical offensive operation. In the bright spring sunshine, a No 64 Squadron Spitfire VB is readied for another sortie.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Martin Maryland Mark II, 1655, of the SAAF, is refuelled at Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Four Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark IIIs of No. 112 Squadron RAF based at Agnone, Sicily, in stepped line-astern formation, flying south along the Gulf of Catania.

Four J 20 flying over clouds, 1940s . Four aircraft j 20 ur f 10 Ängelholm flying over clouds. The aircraft marked with number 17, 23, 42, 58.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. A Martin Maryland Mark II of the SAAF takes off from Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt on a daylight sortie.

Royal Air Force - East Africa Command, 1940-1945

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.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War The new Fleet Air Arm aircraft, the Fairey Barracuda V, powered by a Rolls Royce Griffin VII engine at Heston Aerodrome, on the ground with its engine running. The aircraft performs torpedo bomber, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine duties.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945 Supermarine Spitfires of No. 144 Wing, the first RAF formation to fly into France, at readiness on the advanced landing ground at B3/Sainte Croix-sur-Mer, Normandy.

American Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service 1939-1945- Martin Model 167 Maryland. Martin Maryland Mark I, AR725, on the ground , probably at Burtonwood, Lancashire. One of a batch of fifty aircraft taken over from a French contract after the German invasion, AR725 served with No. 203 Squadron RAF in the Middle East before crashing on a ferry flight to join No. 69 Squadron RAF in Malta.

Dutch soldiers travel for exercises from Oirschot to La Courtine. Pay attention! The above description is a generic series description based on the information stated by the army film and photo service. In the long term, this global description will be specified.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fighter Command Two flight mechanics refuel a Spitfire IX under the blazing midday sun at Longues-sur-Mer, 19 July 1944. Leading Aircraftman Ken Townsend passes another jerrican up to Aircraftman Robert Simmonds. The changable weather of June had given way to hotter, drier conditions, and these two servicing commandos dress accordingly.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspectorate General H.J. Curls by Indonesia. Flight Medan-Pandang? Look at a two North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft from the Mitchel B-25. May 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Royal Air Force- Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Bristol Beaufighter Mark IC, possibly from No. 235 Squadron RAF Detachment, preparing to taxy at Ta Kali, Malta. From mid-June 1942 the Detachment provided protection for anti-shipping strike aircraft operating from the island until they were absorbed by the newly-formed No. 227 Squadron RAF the following August.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fighter Command Mustang III of No 19 Squadron, based at Ford, in flight, 21 April 1944. It wears the standard Mustang recognition markings of white spinner, nose and wing bands. Production of the Allison-engined Mustang I and II was halted in mid-1943 to make way for the Merlin-powered Mk III. The new Mustang was designed for the air-superiority role, and finally gave both the USAAF and RAF a single-seat fighter that combined excellent high-altitude performance with an outstanding range (combat radius was 750 miles with drop-tanks).

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Supermarine Spitfire. Spitfire F Mark XIV, RM619 AP-D, taxying to the perimeter track at Lympne, Kent for an early morning patrol over Holland. Although still displaying the unit code letters of No. 130 Squadron RAF, RM619 had in fact been transferred to No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Hawker Hurricane coming up on the lift from the hangar aboard HMS ARGUS off Lamlash.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. White-painted Gloster Meteor F Mark III, EE239 'YQ-Q', of No. 616 Squadron RAF Detachment is pushed to its dispersal point at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium. A flight of Meteors was detached from 616 Squadron to 2nd TAF to provide air defence against the Messerschmitt Me 262, being joined by the whole Squadron in March 1945. During the initial deployment, the Meteors were painted white to aid identification by other Allied aircraft.

Royal Air Force- France 1939-1940. A Fairey Battle of No. 226 Squadron RAF takes of from the snow-covered airfield at Reims-Champagne.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Grumman Avenger of 846 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm landing on the flight deck of HMS TRUMPETER. The arrestor hook is just about to make contact with the flight deck.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fighter Command The Hawker Tempest entered RAF service with No 150 Wing in the spring of 1944. This is JN766/ SA-N of No 486 Squadron at Castle Camps on 8 April. The Tempest V (the earlier marks did not go into production or appeared too late for war service) was faster than any other Allied or German piston-engined fighter below 20,000ft.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. North American Mitchell Mark IIs of No. 180 Squadron RAF taxy along the perimter track at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium, before taking off for a daylight attack on the bridge at Venlo, Holland.

Royal Air Force- Air Defence of Great Britain (adgb), 1943-1944. Two Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXs of No. 165 Squadron RAF on standby, plugged into trolley-accumulators, at Predannack, Cornwall. During the Normandy invasion the Squadron flew 'Instep' fighter patrols over the western approaches to the English Channel.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Hawker Sea Hurricane of 885 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm landing on HMS VICTORIOUS with flaps and hook down during flying exercises.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Armourers demonstrate the load-carrying capacity of the Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark I for the photographer, by carrying a 250-lb GP Bomb to an aircraft already fitted with one under the fuselage centre line. Photographed at an aircraft depot in Egypt.

U.S. Army plane machine-gunned on ground Hickam field, Hawaii - caught on the ground by Japanese surprise attack on Hawaii December 7. This P-40 was machine-gunned and wrecked before it had a chance to get in the air. A December 16 is to investigate whether or why American forces on the Island were surprised by the Japanese attack because of lack of precautions. December 16, 1941. (Photo by ACME).

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Armourers fuzing a 4,000-lb HC bomb ('Cookie') at Kairouan West, Tunisia, before loading it into a Vickers Wellington Mark X of No. 205 Group RAF, during preparations for a night bombing raid on Salerno, Italy, prior to the Allied landings at there, (Operation AVALANCHE). Another airman carries winches aft of the bomb-bay in order to manoeuvre the bomb underneath the aircraft.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command Sunderlands of No 246 Squadron riding a gale at their moorings at Bowmore, in the Western Isles of Scotland, February 1943. During one of the worst storms ever experienced in the area, crews were forced to stay aboard their aircraft for several days, keeping the engines running to maintain position and in one case slimbing out onto the wing to act as counterweights. They were kept supplied by stores wrapped in parachute bags and lashed to dinghies, paid out on a line from nearby tenders.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. A Bristol Beaufighter Mark VIF, MM849 'VA-I', of No. 125 Squadron RAF, being prepared for a night sortie at Exeter, Devon as aircrews stand by.

Royal Air Force- Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Douglas Boston Mark IIIs of No. 24 Squadron SAAF prepare to take off from Bir el Beheira, Libya, to bomb enemy positions in the 'Knightsbridge' area during the first Battle of Alamein.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Sergeant Desmond Ibbotson of No. 54 Squadron RAF in the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB at Castletown, Caithness. Ibbotson was posted to the Middle East early in 1942 where, flying initially with No, 112 Squadron RAF, and later with No. 601 Squadron RAF (with whom he became a flight commander) he achieved a victory score of 11 enemy aircraft destroyed, with 5 probables, before leaving operations in July 1944.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC occupied Bandoeng area. Soldier in the cockpit of a loved Japanese plane. 1946. Bandung, Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Anefo photo collection. Repatriation center in Eindhoven. Eindhoven airport. Sick or injured on stretchers for a ready plane. 1945. Eindhoven

Royal Air Force, the Rhodesian Air Training Group in Southern Rhodesia, 1941-1945. Trainee pilots at No. 20 Service Flying Training School, Cranborne, walk to North American Harvard Mark Is for their training flights.

Z.K.H. Prince Bernhard visits the Leeuwarden airbase as an inspector general of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The prince steps out of a Gloster Meteor with which he seep as a duopassagier for a half-hour shooting exercise above the Vliehorst.

American Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service 1939-1945- Lockheed L-214 and L-414 Hudson. Hudson Mark III (long-range version), T9465 UA-N Spirit of Lockheed-Vega Employees, of No. 269 Squadron RAF Detachment based at Kaldadarnes, Iceland, flying along the coast of Iceland. T9465 was a presentation aircraft, paid for by contributions from the workforce of the Lockheed plant at Burbank, California.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945. Supermarine Spitfire LF Mark VIII, JF503 'ZX-F', of No. 145 Squadron RAF is serviced on a dispersal covered with pierced steel planking (PSP) at Canne, Italy.

Anefo photo collection. Repatriation center in Eindhoven. Eindhoven airport. Wounded or sick on stretchers in a row for an airplane. A stretcher is loaded or unloaded. 1945. Eindhoven

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 121 Wing assembled at B2/Bazenville, Normandy, for close-support operations. Second from the right, fitted with a four-bladed propeller, is MN666 'C-G', the personal aircraft of Wing Commander C L Green, the wing leader.

Damaged By Cinders From Vesuvius - An American plane damaged by the fall of large cinders from vesuvius is examined by an airman who wears a metal helmet to protect him from the continuing fall of the hot ashes from the mountain, during the recent eruption. In some areas the ground was covered to a depth of two and one-half feet. April 10, 1944. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).;Damaged By Cinders From Vesuvius - An American plane damaged by the fall of large cinders from vesuvius is examined b

Royal Air Force- Fighter Command, No. 38 (airborne Forces) Group RAF. Operation VARSITY. A line of General Aircraft Hamilcars (left) with their tow ropes attached to Handley Page Halifax A Mark VII glider tugs of Nos. 298 and 644 Squadrons RAF, lined up at Woodbridge, Suffolk, before the evening take off for the assault on the Rhine.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Armourers fit rocket-projectiles to Hawker Hurricane Mark IVs of No. 170 Wing in a dispersal on an airfield in Burma.

Royal Air Force- Operations Over Albania and in Greece, 1940-1941. Aircrew of 'A' Flight, No. 30 Squadron RAF, collect their equipment and board Bristol Blenheim Mark I, K7095 'VT-G', at Eleusis, Greece, for a raid on Italian targets in Albania.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Supermarine Spitfire. Spitfire PR Mark XI, EN343, of No. 542 Squadron RAF based at Benson, Oxfordshire, in flight.

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 Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. A section of three Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC(T)s of No. 249 Squadron RAF waits at readiness by the main runway at Ta Kali, Malta, as a Bristol Beaufighter comes in to land.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. A section of three Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No 257 Squadron RAF fly over the airfield at Coltishall, Norfolk, as another aircraft of the Squadron,V7607 'DT-H', is prepared for take-off.

The Polish Air Force in the Air Offensive Against Germany, 1942-1945 Vickers Wellington Mark IV, Z1407 'BH-Z', 'Zoka', of No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron RAF on the ground at Ingham, Lincolnshire, having lost most of its rear fuselage fabric through battle damage sustained on 4/5 September 1942 when raiding Bremen, Germany. In spite of a damaged wireless set, a badly working rudder, damaged flaps and no navigational instruments, the pilot, Pilot Officer Stanisaw Machej, with the cooperation of his whole crew, brought the aircraft safely home.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Ereveld U-Brigade (Padang). Three reconnaissance aircraft (Pipter J-3 Cub) of 17 sqn Varwa fly over. December 13, 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Anefo photo collection. Aviation: Schijndel airport. 3 Spitfires. February 14, 1945. Noord-Brabant, Schijndel

A Junkers 88 Down on South West Coast. A Junkers 88 brought down on the south west coast by British fighters on Aug. 12th. August 1, 1940. (Photo by Central Press Photos Ltd.).

American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Curtis Hawk 87a Kittyhawk. Kittyhawk Mark I, AL219 'GA-C', of No. 112 Squadron RAF, taxying through the dust at Gambut Satellite No. 1, Libya, before taking off on a ground attack mission with a 250-lb GP Bomb under the fuselage. AL219 was lost during the Battle of Gazala when it failed to return from a ground attack mission in the evening of 4 June 1942; its Canadian pilot, Pilot Officer E Atkinson was killed.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Flying Officers Spain and Spencer of No. 257 Squadron RAF wait on standby in their Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs, and attended by their ground crews, at Warmwell, Dorset. The further aircraft is JP494 'FM-D'.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Three Vickers Wellington Mark IAs of No. 149 Squadron RAF, overflying their base at Mildenhall, Suffolk, at sunset.

Royal Air Force- Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1940-1943. Armourers hauling a trolley of 500-lb Gp bombs towards Consoldiated Liberator Mark II, AL574 'O', of No. 108 Squadron RAF, at Fayid, Egypt. As far as is known only two Liberators were employed operationally on long-range bombing sorties by the Squadron before it disbanded in December 1942.

Royal Air Force- France 1939-1940. Pilots of No. 87 Squadron practicing a scramble to their Hawker Hurricane Mark Is at Lille-Seclin.

Prop Military Fixed Wing Aviat Airplanes Lockheed P38 Lightning fighter bomber formation WWII sky

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Supermarine Spitfire. Spitfire Mark VBs of No. 64 Squadron RAF in revetments at Hornchurch, Essex. The nearest aircraft, (probably) BM476 SH-Z Atchashikar, was flown by the Squadrons Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader W G G D Smith.

Royal Air Force- Fighter Command, No. 38 (airborne Forces) Group RAF. Liberated Allied prisoners-of-war wait on an airfield in Belgium before boarding a line of Short Stirlings (those in the foreground belonging to No. 299 Squadron RAF) for repatriation to the United Kingdom.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Parachutists in action during the 2nd police action. Air landing troops run with packing over the Magoewo airport at Djokja, on which Dakotas are parked. December 19, 1948. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

10/31/1916. An Aviation mascot. Favorite Stork of French Aviators - photo taken in Thessaloniki.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War In bright sunshine a Fairey Albacore of 820 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm leaves the flight deck to go on patrol from HMS VICTORIOUS whilst she was on Russian convoy duty.

Chemical Warfare in the Twentieth Century The Second World War: Royal Air Force armourers wearing anti-gas equipment while re-arming aircraft during an exercise at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Armourers wheel trolleys of 500-lb GP bombs toward the open bomb bay of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark V of No. 58 Squadron RAF at Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire.

The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany 1939-1945 A De Havilland Mosquito of No 487 Squadron, RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force), from RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, photographed in February 1944 carrying a 500lb bomb beneath each wing. One of its most important roles in bomber command was to deliver onto a target the incendiary devices which by night provided the aiming point for the main force of heavy bombers.

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940 A crew tent and Fairey Battles of No. 12 Squadron RAF on a snow covered airfield at Amifontaine.

Royal Air Force Flying Training Command, 1940-1945. An RAF instructor, with an Army trainee pilot on board, books out a GAL Hotspur Mark III before a training flight at No. 3 Glider Training School, at Stoke Orchard, Gloucestershire.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War The Fairey Firefly, two seater long range fighter taking off from the flight deck of HMS ILLUSTRIOUS on the Clyde. The Fairey Firefly the Royal Navy's latest aircraft, is a two seater long range fighter, designed for use from aircraft carriers as a heavily armed fighter reconnaissance aircraft. A Blackburn Firebrand can be seen at the far end of the flight deck with its engine running.

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