Royal Air Force Operations

Images of Royal Air Force aircraft from WWII, including bombers and training planes, capturing moments of flight, maintenance, and operational readiness.

Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" In Flight.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Avro Lancasters of No. 514 Squadron RAF, lined up at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, before taking part in a daylight attack on fortified villages east of Caen, in support of the Second Army's armoured offensive in the Normandy battle area (Operation GOODWOOD)..

Royal Air Force Flying Training Command, 1939-1945. Trainee observers approach Handley Page Hampden Mark Is of No. 5 Air Observers School at Jurby, Isle of Man, for an early morning start.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Bristol Type Type 149 Blenheim Iv. A Bristol Blenheim Mk IVF of No. 254 Squadron RAF based at Aldergrove, County Antrim, in flight. Note the gun pack containing four forward-firing .303 Browning machine guns, mounted under the fuselage. Seven fighter-reconnaissance squadrons of Coastal Command operated this version for shipping protection duties.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Bristol Beaufighter Mark VIFs of No. 255 Squadron RAF, undergoing maintenance at sunset, at Setif Algeria.

Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" In Flight.

After bringing destruction upon a vital axis target in Germany, this flak-riddled Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 15th USAAF was forced to crash land at its' base in Italy. The photo was taken as the plane hit the ground.

Royal Air Force- Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force, No. 38 Group RAF. Operation MARKET I: the airborne operation to seize bridges between Arnhem and Eindhoven, Holland, (part of Operation MARKET GARDEN). 'Shorty George', A Short Stirling Mark IV glider tug of No. 295 Squadron RAF starts its take-off run at Harwell, Oxfordshire, towing an Airspeed Horsa Mark I with troops of the 1st Airborne Division on board, bound for Landing Zone (LZ) 'N' near Nijmegen, Holland. Taken between 11.20 and 11.40 on the morning of 17 September 1944.

Royal Air Force- Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force, No. 38 Group RAF. Douglas Dakota Mark IIIs (FZ695 I9-Anearest) of No. 575 Squadron RAF, preparing for a streamed take off at Broadwell, Oxfordshire, for a pannier-dropping exercise.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. A Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark III of No. 112 Squadron RAF undergoes an engine test at its dispersal on the football field at Bari, Italy, (formerly the Italian Air Force's 'Umberto di Savoia' airfield) shortly after the Squadron's arrival there on 24 September 1943.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Vickers Warwick. Warwick Bomber/ASRs, of the Warwick Training Unit (later the Air Sea Rescue Training Unit), on the ground at Bircham Newton, Norfolk. The nearest aircraft, BV277 T, subsequently served in the Mediterranean Theatre with Nos. 284 and 293 Squadrons RAF.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Damaged Bristol Beaufighter TF Mark X, NE831 'PL-O', of No. 144 Squadron RAF, at rest after crash-landing at Dallachy, Morayshire, on returning from the costly attack on the German destroyer Z-33 and its escorting vessels in Fordefjord, Norway, on 9 February 1945. 31 Beaufighters of the Dallachy Strike Wing were involved in the operation, of which 9 were shot down by German fighters and anti-aircraft defences. Flight Sergeant S Butler (pilot) and Flight Sergeant Nicholls (navigator) in NE831 were the last to attack the vessels, during which they were hit by flak from Z-33, and then by fire from a Focke Wulf Fw 190. After manoeuvring violently, Butler managed to escape over the North Sea to make a successful wheels-up landing at Dallachy.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command- No. 247 Group Operations in the Azores, 1943-1945. Groundcrew of No. 269 Squadron RAF wheel a Mark II Lifeboat to its parent aircraft, Vickers Warwick ASR Mark I, BV508 'HK-B', at Lagens.

Work of Waaf at Bomber Stations- Motor Transport Driver at the Wheel of a Tractor That Has Towed the Bomb Train

Royal Air Force France, 1939-1940. Mechanics servicing the engine of a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 501 Squadron RAF at No. 1 Repair Centre, Reims-Champagne.

Avro Manchester Mk I of No. 207 Squadron RAF at Waddington, Lincolnshire, 12 September 1941. The forward section of an Avro Manchester Mark I of No. 207 Squadron RAF, while running up the port Rolls-Royce Vulture II engine at Waddington, Lincolnshire, showing the nose with the bomb-aimer's window, the forward gun-turret and the pilot's cockpit.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. A queue of Avro Lancaster B Mark Is of No. 83 Squadron RAF, waiting to take off from Scampton, Lincolnshire, on the 'Thousand-Bomber' raid to Bremen, Germany. A crewman on the leading Lancaster, R5620 'OL-H', gives the 'V' sign from the emergency exit hatch. This aircraft, flown by Pilot Officer J R Farrow and his crew, failed to return from the raid.

Royal Air Force Transport Command, 1943-1945. Douglas Dakota Mark IIIs of No. 46 Group at B2/Bazenville, Normandy, loading casualties for evacuation to the United Kingdom. Identifiable aircraft include KG432 'H' of No. 512 Squadron RAF (centre), and KG320 'B1' of No. 575 Squadron RAF (extreme right).

Bombers for Britain. U.S. Super-forts here.One of the visiting Superforts arrives at Scampton, Lincolnshire, to-day (Saturday). United States Airforce Super-Fortresses (B. 29's) of the 28th and 307th. medium bomb groups have arrived in Lincolnshire (today Saturday) from the U.S.A., engaged in 'normal longe-range flight training'. The planes are expected to stay in Britain about a month and will be based at Scampton and Waddington in Lincolnshire and Marham in Norfolk. July 17, 1948. (Photo by Reuterphoto).

Royal Air Force- Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. The crew of Consolidated Liberator Mark II, AL511 'A', of No. 108 Squadron RAF walk from their aircraft at Fayid, Egypt. Note the 'Dumbo' motif painted on the nose. AL511 failed to return from a bombing sortie over Tripoli on 3 May 1942.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Hurricane Mark IIC, BD867 QO-Y, of No. 3 Squadron RAF on the ground at Hunsdon, Hertfordshire. Note the exhaust shields above the exhaust outlets, which were fitted to the squadron's aircraft during night fighter operations.

First fighter-bomber planes Republic P-47 Thunderbolts of 9th Air Force land and refuel on the emergency landing strip built in record time by 9th AF Aviation Engineers. The operation of this new developmentwas announced very recently.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Royal Navy Grumman Hellcat springs into the air at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York. The US Navy's latest fighter, the Hellcat is now being used by the British Fleet Air Arm under the terms of the lease-lend agreement.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 14 Squadron RAF in flight over desert, possibly in Iraq where the Squadron was based from August to October 1941. The nearest aircraft is Z5860, which was shot down during a raid on an enemy vehicle convoy on the Derna-Bardia road on 14 December 1941, all its crew being killed.

Royal Air Force Ferry Command, 1941-1943. Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle ST Mark I Series 2, P1564, of 'C' Flight, No. 511 Squadron RAF based at Lyneham, Wiltshire, attracts attention at Blida, Algeria, after completing the first forces air mail flight from the United Kingdom to North Africa.

BOMB BAY DOORS OPEN. An unusual photo of bombs, just before they go into action, is this view of them through the open bomb bay doors of U.S. Army B-26 Marauders of the 1st Tactical Air Force. Moments later the bombs were hurtling down through

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Handley Page Halifax B Mark II Series I (Special), DK148 'MP-G' 'Johnnie the Wolf', of No. 76 Squadron RAF rests at Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire, after crash-landing on return from an operation to Essen on the night of 25/26 July 1943. The propeller from the damaged port-inner engine flew off shortly after the bombing run, tearing a large hole in the fuselage. The mid-upper gunner immediately baled out, but the pilot, Flight Lieutenant C M Shannon, regained control of the aircraft and managed to bring the rest of the crew back to Holme, although DK148 was subsequently written off. Two weeks later, Shannon and his crew failed to return from a night operation over Mannheim.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type Type 149 Blenheim Iv. A formation of five Blenheim Mark IVs (Z5893 'W' nearest) of No. 14 Squadron RAF in flight over the Western Desert. A Curtiss Kittyhawk, one of the escorting fighters, can be seen on the far right.

Kawasaki Ki-102 "Randy" heavy fighter captured as a war prize by the United States Army Air Forces following the end of World War II, 1945

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC General Doorman visits Bandoeng. A plane leaves. 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. A Martin Maryland Mark I of No. 39 Squadron RAF undergoing servicing at Heliopolis or Shandur, Egypt.

Lockheed F-5A photo reconnaissance plane off on a mission over enemy territory in North Africa.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Canadian pilot, Flying Officer P Cummings 'Slim' Walker of No. 134 Squadron RAF, taxies out for a sortie in his Republic Thunderbolt Mark I at Ratnap, Burma.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 40 Squadron RAF prepare for take off at Wyton, Cambridgeshire.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXB, MH809 'LO-P' of No. 602 Squadron RAF is guided out from its dispersal at Ford, Sussex, for a fighter sweep over occupied Europe.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of No. 215 Squadron RAF coming in to land at Dhubalia, India, after a bombing sortie to Rangoon, Burma.

Belgian Air Training School in Britain- Training at Snailwell, Cambridgeshire, England, UK, 1945 Belgian trainees at work repairing and maintaining a Bristol Beaufighter at the Belgian Air Training School at Snailwell.

Bogged down in the shifting sands of the Adriatic Sea in eastern Italy, this Consolidated B-24 Liberators presents a sad picture, after it was forced to crash-land because of damage received by enemy fire while on a mission over northern Italy. An 11

North American P-51'S On The Hangar Line Of The 2Nd Base Air Depot Are Given A Routine Checkup. Lancashire, England, 25 February 1944.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Heavily-laden Avro Lancaster B Mark IIIs of No. 106 Squadron RAF taxy from their dispersals to the head of runway 20 at Metheringham, Lincolnshire, for take-off on a raid to Frankfurt, Germany. The resulting attack on 22/23 March 1944 caused extensive destruction to eastern, central and western districts of the city, including the Opera House and the preserved medieval quarter.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI, KN752 'F', of No. 356 Squadron RAF, takes off from the unfinished runway at Brown's West Island, on the Squadron's first operational sortie, and first bombing operation undertaken from the Cocos Islands. This was one of seven Liberators were despatched to bomb two Japanese-held airstrips near Benkoelen, Sumatra.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command Armourers prepare to load Hampden P1333/EA-F of No 49 Squadron with 250lb general purpose (GP) bombs, Scampton, 6 June 1940.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945. An RAF Wing Commander inspects a 1,000-lb GP bomb slung beneath the fuselage of a Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark IV of No. 450 Squadron RAAF in a dispersal at Cutella, south of Vasto, Italy. Two 500-lb GP bombs are also slung from the wing loading points.

Life at a Bomber Station- Linton-on-ouse, Yorkshire, England, UK, October 1941.

American Aircraft Line Up At French Field -- An American transport plane takes off in the background over a long line of aircraft at an airfield somewhere in Normandy. Air transport plays an important part in the supplying of growing Allied armies in France. By July 21, 1944, there were enough American-built airfields in Normandy to handle more than 1,000 fights daily. In addition, many airfields have been abandoned by the Germans in their retreat before allied forces. August 21, 1944. (Photo by

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

The War in the Far East- the Burma Campaign 1941-1945 Royal Air Force Operations: Airmen prepare a Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIII of No 607 Squadron for a sortie during moonsoon conditions at Mingaladon, Burma.

Anefo photo collection. Marvo 1728. October 3, 1947

The Battle of Britain Troops and civilians pose with Junkers Ju 88A-1 (B3+BM) of 4./KG 54, which belly-landed on Marsh Farm, Earnley, Sussex, on the evening of 21 August 1940. It had been intercepted by No. 17 Squadron Hurricanes during an attack on RAF Brize Norton.

American Kittyhawks and their N.Z. Pilots at an operational air station in New Zealand -- Mechanics attached to the Squadron stand by the Kittyhawks after checking the machines engines. November 19, 1942. (Photo by The "N.Z Herald").

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. The last crew to return from the last operational mission undertaken by No. 88 Squadron RAF prior to its disbandment, walk away from their Douglas Boston Mark IV, BZ405 'RH-E', at B50/Vitry-en-Artois, France. The crew are, (left to right); Flying Officer J L Weston from Buenos Aires Flying Officer H Poole from Ilford, Essex Flying Officer B W Lawrence from Enfield, Middlesex Flight-Sergeant D Hack from Clevedon, Somerset 11 Bostons of the Squadron bombed enemy gun positions in the Emmerich area of Germany for this final mission.

Many German aircraft have been shot down in the Western Desert inside Tobruk. The picture shows a Messerschmidt 110 shot down in the desert by a fighter of the R.A.F. September 2, 1941.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1944-1945. A line of Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXs of No. 43 Squadron RAF at Nettuno, Italy. Pulling on the propeller in the foreground is Leading Aircraftman J Brown of Dalston London.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JP853 SA-K, of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF based at Tangmere, Sussex, in flight.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command Sea mines wait to be loaded aboard a Halifax V Series IA of No 77 Squadron, probably at Full Sutton in Yorkshire, shortly after the airfield was opened in May 1944.

Upon Receiving The Green Light From The Control Tower These North American P-51 "Mustangs" Of The 353Rd Fighter Group Will Roar Down The Runway And Take Off From Their English Base For Another Escort Mission Over Enemy Territory. December 1944.

The first plane to land on a permanent airfield in France was this Douglas C-47 Cargo plane bringing in supplies for the Airborne Troops.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Torpedoes being loaded into a squadron of eight new American built Grumman Avenger three seater torpedo bombers in preparation for a mock dawn attack at HMS SPARROWHAWK, the Royal Naval Air Station at Hatston. Note the fact that the torpedo is fully enclosed so as to improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft.

Radio check-Bell P-39-before take-off for Siberia.

No. 22 (army Co-operation) Group, Royal Air Force, June-november 1940. Four Westland Lysander Mark IIs (N1294 'LX-T' and L6865 'LX-E' nearest) of No. 225 Squadron RAF based at Tilshead, Wiltshire, flying in loose formation on a training flight.

Preflighting A Ship Is The Next Step In Preparing These North American P-51 Mustangs High Altitude Fighters Of The 15Th Aaf For Combat. The Crew Chief Tests The Engine In An Exacting Attempt To Detect Any Slight Defects That Might Hinder The Perfect Oper

Royal Air Force Flying Training Command, 1940-1945. Miles Master Mark II, W8729 '7', followed by an Airspeed Oxford, taxiing along the perimeter track to get into position for take off at the Empire Central Flying School at Hullavington, Wiltshire.

Stirling Mark I, BF382 'BU-Q', of No. 214 Squadron RAF on the ground at RAF Stradishall, Suffolk, at the end of its operational service.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. The crew of De Havilland Mosquito Mark II, DZ757 'RA-Q', of No. 410 Squadron RCAF, Flight Lieutenant M A Cybulski RCAF (pilot, left) and Flying Officer H H Ladbrook (navigator), stand by their fire-damaged aircraft at Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire, after destroying a Dornier Do 217 east of the Zuider Zee on the night of 27 September 1943. Burning petrol and oil from the exploding German aircraft temporarily blinded Cybulski and engulfed the Mosquito, sending it into a steep dive from which Ladbrook managed to recover it after losing some 4,000 feet. Although the dive extinguished the flames, the port engine stopped and the aircraft became extremely difficult to control because of the damage to the rudder. The crew, nevertheless managed to steer DZ757 back on one engine over 200 miles to Coleby Grange, for which both were awarded the DFC

Royal Air Force Medical Services, 1939-1945. A Medical Officer examines a patient on a stretcher before being transferred an Aispeed Oxford, P8833, of the Air Ambulance Unit at Hendon, Middlesex.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Armourers wheel a Mark XII airborne torpedo to a Bristol Beaufort Mark II of No.39 Squadron RAF at a landing ground in North Africa. Behind them, a Beaufort Mark I of the Squadron, N1033 'P', is being serviced.

This Lockheed P-38 rests on its nose after the front wheel of the tricycle landing gear collapsed when the plane struck a hole while landing at Dobodura, New Guinea. 5 April 1943.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. 250-lb GP bombs on trolleys are prepared by armourers, prior to loading into Handley Page Hampden Mark I, P1333 'EA-F', of No. 49 Squadron RAF at Scampton, Lincolnshire. P1333 crash-landed near Breda, Netherlands, on returning from a raid on Merseburg, Germany on 17 August 1940. The Hampden parked in the distance, P1347 'EA-D', crashed in Brittany with the loss of all her crew after being hit by anti-aircraft fire over Stettin, Germany, on 4/5 September 1940.

With one of its two engines damaged and out of commission, a 9th Air force Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter-bomber returns from a mission against German targets to land safely at a field in Belgium. In a few days crewman had repaired the plane, ready

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. North American Mitchells of No. 139 Wing, No. 2 Group, lined up at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium. The aircraft nearest the camera belong to No. 320 (Dutch) Squadron RAF.

The Royal Canadian Air Force in Holland, 1944 Two armourers of No 440 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, trudge through the mud of an airfield near Eindhoven to re-arm a Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber.

Curtiss P-40 "Poopy Ii" Ready For Take-Off On Mission After Enemy Raid Warning Was Given, With The 7Th Fighter Group At Dobodura, New Guinea. May 1943.

"Operation Hailstorm". Photographs of Marshall Plan Programs, Exhibits, and Personnel

184 US Navy Planes (Including Vought - Sikorsky Dive Bombers). February 02, 1941. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

The Luftwaffe 1939-1945 A Messerschmitt Me 323 'Gigant' (Giant) in flight, banking towards the camera. This hugh six-engined transport was developed from the Me 321 glider and entered service in late 1942 in the Middle East, helping to supply Rommel's Afrika Korps from bases in Sicily. Me 323s were also used on the Eastern Front.

The First Of A Line-Up Of Douglas C-47S Prepares To Take Off From A 9Th Troop Carrier Command Base On A Glider-Tow Mission Somewhere In France. 17 March 1945.

Anefo photo collection. Fly Party Ypenburg (HAG) 6 Vampires (escader). July 31, 1952. The Hague, Ypenburg, South Holland

The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany 1939-1945 Fairey Battles of No 218 Squadron, Royal Air Force on patrol in France. These aircraft were regarded as being advanced when they first went into service in 1937, but in May 1940 they were too slow and lightly armoured and consequently suffered heavy losses in the Battle for France.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Supermarine Seafire bouncing from the deck as it lands on the carrier HMS FURIOUS .

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Recordings military aviation. A Mitchell B-25 bomber on runway. January 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

North American B-25 "Mitchells" Warm Up At The End Of The Runway At Hailakandi, India, Ready For Take-Off. All The Fighters And Fighter-Bombers Of The 1St Air Commando Force Have The Identifying Mark Of Five White Stripes Around The Fuselage.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. An armourer at work on Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC, ER939 'L-A', of No. 152 Squadron RAF in a dispersal at Souk-el-Khemis ('Paddington'), Tunisia.

RAF Bomber Command De Havilland Mosquito Mk IVs of No. 105 Squadron at Marham, December 1942.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War The Flight Deck Officer signals to the pilot of a Grumman Wildcat of No 881 Squadron Fleet Air Arm that he is cleared to take off from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS in the Indian Ocean.

A U.S. Air Force C-130B Hercules aircraft passes low over a drop zone in South Vietnam to deliver a pallet of supplies to ground forces in a forward area. The low altitude parachute extraction system (LAPES) is successfully being used to resupply forward area sites where it is impossible for an aircraft to land. Base: Saigon Country: Viet Nam (VNM)

A row of P-47 fighter planes refuel after landing for the first time at their new base in France. Their main job is support of our ground troops.

12/03/1936. Remains of a downed plane To the Nationals.

Knatchbull M (capt the Hon) Collection No. 3 Squadron R. N. A. S. Areodrome: Imbros, Gallipoli, August 1915.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command A wintry scene at Balderton in Nottinghamshire on 20 January 1942 as aircrew return from a flight in a Hampden of No 408 (Goose) Squadron, RCAF.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Avro 683 Lancaster. Three Lancaster B Mark IIIs of No. 619 Squadron RAF, airborne from Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The aircraft in the foreground, LM418 PG-S, was destroyed in a crash-landing at Woodbridge Emergency Landing Ground after returning from the ill-fated Nuremberg raid of 30/31 March 1944 on two engines. Its crew survived the crash, but were all killed in action later

U.S. Superfortress Speeds Toward Target in JapanAn American B-29 Superfortress bomber speeds over western China after its take-off on the June 15, 1944 battle mission to bomb steel works in Japan. The task force of B-29's flew to the Japanese home island of Kyushu where they blasted the Imperial Steel Works in Yawata. Following the raid, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, said: "The attack on Japan by the Superfortress B-29 from distant bases introduces a new type of offensive against our enemy." Gen. Marshall explained, "Because of the enormous range and heavy bomb load of these Superfortresses, far exceeding that of any previous strategic bombers, they can strike from many and remote bases at a single objective. July 28, 1944. (Photo by U.S. Office of War Information).

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Telukbetoeng airport. The airport area in the area of Telok Bodoeng (Sumatra) was laid down by the Dutch for the raid of the jokes. It was then taken and expanded by the Japanese. A few days after the occupation of Telok Betoeng, the first Dutch device landed - a Dakota of the Marine Aviation service - on the reopened airport. The device made an excellent landing and, among other things, brought a number of civilians for Telok Betoeng. January 4, 1949. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies, Sumatra, Telok Betung

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Senor Montero de Bustamante, Uruguayan Charge d'Affaires, speaking at the ceremony at Hornchurch, Essex to name a Spitfire ('Uruguay XVI') subscribed to by the people of Uruguay. Air Vice Marshal H W L Saunders, Air Officer Commanding No 11 Group of Fighter Command, is on the extreme left, with the Rt Hon H H Balfour MP, Under Secretary of State for Air (second from left) and Air Vice Marshal R M Hill, Air Officer Commanding No 12 Group (centre foreground).

West Indians in Britain during the Second World War West Indians in the Royal Air Force: West Indian members of the Bombay Squadron who took part in Fighter Command sorties over enemy-occupied territory. From left to right: A O Weekes of Barbados and Flight Sergeant C A Joseph of San Fernando, Trinidad.

3/4 Front View Of A British Mark V Spitfire Used By The U.S. Air Force At Membury Airdrome, England. 15 March 1943.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A batsman bringing in a Fairey Barracuda of 831 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm on board HMS FURIOUS. Note the radar antenna on the aircraft's wings.

World War II, landing operation of U.S. Airborne infantry force in the southwestern United States. The troops unloading supplies and ammunition from transport planes, circa 1942.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945. Operation SHINGLE: the Allied landings at Anzio, Italy. Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXs of No. 324 Wing RAF taxi to the runway at Lago landing ground, near Castel Volturno, for a patrol over the Anzio beach-head.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. A Vickers Valentia of No. 216 Squadron RAF based at Heliopolis, Egypt, at the landing ground at H4 pumping station on the Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline in Transjordan. Arab Legionnaires stand guard as personnel and supplies are unloaded at H4, which had become the RAF Advanced Headquarters for operations against the rebels in Iraq.

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