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.
RAF Speed Achievement by No. 111 Squadron
Second World War
On 10 February 1938, No. 111 Squadron’s J. W. Gillan flew a Hawker Hurricane at remarkable speed, showcasing the RAF’s modern fighter strength.
Read the article →RAF Prepares the Evacuation of Greece in the 1941 Campaign
As the Greece campaign collapsed in 1941, Allied evacuation planning began and the RAF shifted from resistance to…
RAF Malta operations in the Mediterranean war, 1940–43
How RAF Malta operations defended the island, resisted siege and struck Axis supply routes in the Mediterranean war…
Operation Calendar Reinforces Malta with Spitfire Deliveries
Operation Calendar: Spitfires reached Malta from USS Wasp in 1942, but heavy follow-up raids quickly exposed the island’s…
Battle of Britain and the evolution of RAF doctrine
How the Battle of Britain reshaped RAF doctrine in air defence, fighter tactics, command structure and the wider…
RAF Coastal Command and the Battle of the Atlantic
How RAF Coastal Command used patrol aircraft, radar and anti-submarine tactics to help secure Britain’s Atlantic lifelines in…
RAF Bomber Command: Strategy, Impact and Legacy
A balanced look at RAF Bomber Command, from expansion and Harris to losses, area bombing and its wider…
Low-Level Lancaster Strike on MAN Works at Ausburg
Augsburg Raid: J. D. Nettleton led Lancasters against Augsburg in 1942, a low-level daylight strike remembered for remarkable…
RAF Fighter Command: Structure, Battles and Wartime Evolution
How RAF Fighter Command was organised, how it fought the Battle of Britain, and how it evolved through…
The Island of Malta Awarded the George Cross
Why King George VI’s 1942 award of the George Cross to Malta recognised both civilian endurance and the…
First RAF Minelaying Operation Begins in Danish Waters
first RAF minelaying operation: How RAF Hampdens began wartime aerial minelaying off Denmark on 13 April 1940, opening…
First RAF Attack on Norway Opens Air Campaign at Stavanger
first RAF attack on Norway: How RAF Wellingtons and Blenheims attacked Stavanger-Sola on 11 April 1940, opening sustained…
Last Luftwaffe Operation Over Britain by an Ar 234
Why an Arado Ar 234 reconnaissance flight over Scotland on 10 April 1945 is often seen as the…