On This Day, 1940: On 22 July 1940, an RAF Blenheim used airborne interception radar to shoot down a Dornier Do 17…
Read the entry →Second World War Articles
In-depth articles, analysis and long reads from The RAF Chronicle.
From Cologne to the Ruhr: RAF Strategic Bombing Escalates
Second World War
RAF strategic bombing moved from the Cologne mass raid to the Ruhr offensive, expanding Bomber Command’s scale, reach and pressure on Germany.
Read the article →RAF Wins First Radar-Guided Night Victory with Blenheim
On 22 July 1940, an RAF Blenheim used airborne interception radar to shoot down a Dornier Do 17…
From Radar to Night Fighting: How RAF Air Defence Evolved
How radar, ground control and specialist night fighters enabled the RAF to build a more effective air-defence system…
Cruickshank VC Attack on U-347 Sinks U-Boat in 1944
On 17 July 1944, Flt Lt John Alexander Cruickshank pressed home a Catalina attack on U-347 despite severe…
German Invasion Preparations in Directive No. 16
On 16 July 1940, War Directive No. 16 began preparations for Operation Sea Lion and made the destruction…
Spitfires Flown in under Operation Colima and Operation Pinpoint
On 15 July 1942, Spitfires launched from HMS Eagle reached Malta in Operations Colima and Pinpoint, sustaining the…
Sicily from the Air: RAF and Allied Air Power in 1943
How RAF and Allied air power shaped the invasion of Sicily in 1943 through air superiority, interdiction and…
244 Wing Moves into Sicily with the Desert Air Force
On 13 July 1943, 244 Wing moved into Sicily, bringing RAF and SAAF Spitfire squadrons forward to support…
John Dering Nettleton VC Reported Missing After Turin Raid
On 12/13 July 1943 Acting Wing Commander John Dering Nettleton VC failed to return from a No. 44…
Danzig Attacked in RAF Long-Range Daylight Raid
On 11 July 1942 Bomber Command struck Danzig shipyards in the RAF’s most distant daylight raid yet attempted…
Kanalkampf Begins: Opening Battles of the Battle of Britain
On 10 July 1940 Luftwaffe attacks on Channel convoys began the Kanalkampf, the opening fighting of the Battle…
Sergeant James Allen Ward Awarded the Victoria Cross
On 8 July 1941 Sergeant James Allen Ward received the Victoria Cross after climbing onto a Wellington’s wing…
Victoria Cross in RAF Service: Gallantry and Memory
A documentary history of the Victoria Cross in RAF service, examining wartime gallantry, operational context and the place…