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.
RAF Wins First Radar-Guided Night Victory with Blenheim
Second World War
On 22 July 1940, an RAF Blenheim used airborne interception radar to shoot down a Dornier Do 17 off Selsey Bill in a landmark night victory.
Read the article →Sergeant Norman Cyril Jackson VC and the Burning Lancaster
Sergeant N. C. Jackson earned the Victoria Cross after climbing onto the wing of a burning Lancaster over…
Baedeker Raids Open with the Bombing of Exeter in 1942
Exeter was among the first cities hit in the 1942 Baedeker raids, retaliatory Luftwaffe attacks aimed at Britain’s…
RAF Coastal Convoy Patrols in the Second World War
How RAF Coastal Command convoy patrols protected shipping, pressured U-boats and helped sustain Britain through the Battle of…
S for Sugar Flies Its Final Mission with Bomber Command
Lancaster R5868 ‘S for Sugar’ flew its 137th and final operation in 1945 before becoming one of the…
RAF night fighters in WWII: radar, tactics and crews
How RAF night fighters used radar, specialist aircraft and crew coordination to defend Britain and conduct night operations…
RAF Pathfinders and the Evolution of Target‑Marking
How RAF Pathfinders improved Bomber Command’s night offensive through specialist crews, navigation aids and disciplined target-marking.
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…