On This Day, 1999: On 5 June 1999 RAF Tornados flew their first combat missions from Solenzara in Corsica during Operation Allied…
Read the entry →Second World War Articles
In-depth articles, analysis and long reads from The RAF Chronicle.
“Black Friday” – The Banff Strike Wing Attack at Førde Fjord
Second World War
On 9 February 1945, RAF Banff Strike Wing attacked German ships at Førde Fjord, suffering heavy losses in the action known as Black Friday.
Read the article →PRU Spitfire Finds Bismarck in Norwegian Fjord in 1941
On 21 May 1941, a photo-reconnaissance Spitfire found Bismarck in Norway, giving British planners crucial intelligence before the…
RAF in the Battle for Crete: Air Superiority and Withdrawal
RAF in the Battle for Crete shows how German air superiority shaped the campaign, weakened the defence and…
RAF Withdraws from Crete Under Luftwaffe Air Superiority
On this day in 1941, the RAF withdrew its remaining aircraft from Crete as Luftwaffe air superiority made…
617 Squadron Launches the Dams Raid with Upkeep Mines
On this day in 1943, 617 Squadron launched the dams raid, using Barnes Wallis’s Upkeep mine in the…
Strategic Bombing Offensive Effectively Begins in 1940
On this day in 1940, Bomber Command sent ninety-nine bombers against Ruhr targets, effectively opening the RAF’s strategic…
Heavy Losses over Sedan Expose RAF Vulnerability in 1940
On this day in 1940, RAF attacks on the German breakthrough at Sedan suffered severe losses, exposing the…
Reinforcing Malta by Air: RAF Fighters and Survival
How repeated RAF fighter deliveries to Malta helped the island survive siege, contest Axis air attack and remain…
First Success for Fido in the Battle of the Atlantic
On this day in 1943, a Liberator of 86 Squadron crippled U-456 with Fido, proving the value of…
The RAF’s First Deliberate Raid on Germany Begins Over Rhine
On this day in 1940, Whitleys of 77 Squadron and 102 Squadron carried out what is often described…
Operation Oppidan and Operation Hansford Deliver Fighters to Malta
On this day in 1942, Operations Oppidan and Hansford delivered Spitfires to Malta, strengthening the island’s RAF fighter…
RAF Aircraft Fuel Systems, Range and Operational Endurance
How RAF fuel systems, tank design and fuel management shaped aircraft range, endurance, mission planning and operational reach.
Leonard Trent and the Amsterdam Power Station Raid
Squadron Leader Leonard Trent won the Victoria Cross after pressing home the 1943 Amsterdam power station attack under…