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.
A Coastal Command Hudson Locates the Altmark
Second World War
On 14 February 1940, an RAF Coastal Command Lockheed Hudson located the German ship Altmark, helping set up the Royal Navy’s dramatic interception.
Read the article →Sunderland Sights German Invasion Force off Norway
On 8 April 1940, a No. 204 Squadron Sunderland reported German warships heading for Trondheim, warning of the…
No. 115 Squadron Losses over the North Sea and Denmark
On 7 April 1940, two No. 115 Squadron Wellingtons were lost over the North Sea and Denmark, with…
First 4,000-lb Bomb Used by Bomber Command Against Emden
On 31 March 1941, Bomber Command first used the 4,000-pound high-capacity bomb against Emden, marking a step towards…
Last V1 Destroyed Over England Near Sittingbourne in 1945
On 29 March 1945, the final V1 to reach England was shot down near Sittingbourne, ending a notorious…
RAF Transport Command Created to Unify Wartime Airlift
On 25 March 1943, the RAF created Transport Command, unifying ferry and air transport duties to support Britain’s…
The Great Escape and the Murder of Fifty Recaptured Men
On 24 March 1944, seventy-six prisoners escaped from Stalag Luft III, but the murder of fifty recaptured men…
Battle of Berlin Ends with Bomber Command’s March Raid
On 22 March 1944, Lancaster and Halifax bombers joined a major Berlin raid often seen as the end…
Grand Slams on Arnsberg Target German Transport Links
On 19 March 1945, Bomber Command used Grand Slam bombs against Arnsberg’s transport links, targeting German movement in…
Luftwaffe Raid on Scapa Flow Brings Air War to Britain
On 16 March 1940, German aircraft raided Scapa Flow, bringing the air war to Britain’s principal naval anchorage…
First Operational Grand Slam Bomb Dropped on Bielefeld
On 14 March 1945, Squadron Leader C. C. Calder used the RAF’s first operational Grand Slam to collapse…
Fatal Crash of Fighter Ace Sammy Allard Near Wimbish
On 13 March 1941, fighter ace Geoffrey “Sammy” Allard was killed in a flying accident near Wimbish alongside…
U-31 Sunk by RAF Aircraft in an Anti-Submarine First
On 11 March 1940, a Blenheim of No. 82 Squadron sank U-31, the first U-boat destroyed by air…