On This Day, 1939: On 21 October 1939, 46 Squadron Hurricanes intercepted Heinkel He 115 floatplanes over the North Sea in the…
Read the entry →Second World War Articles
In-depth articles, analysis and long reads from The RAF Chronicle.
Skua Downs First Luftwaffe Aircraft Lost Against Britain
Second World War
On 26 September 1939, a Blackburn Skua from HMS Ark Royal downed a Dornier Do 18 in early air defence over the North Sea.
Read the article →RAF Aircrew Training System in the Second World War
A long read on how the RAF built a global wartime aircrew training pipeline across Britain and the…
How Technology Changed RAF Aircraft Design and Capability
A deep RAF Chronicle Long Read on how airframes, engines, fuel systems, avionics and crew protection reshaped RAF…
Operation Dynamo Ends After RAF Cover Over Dunkirk Beaches
On 4 June 1940 Operation Dynamo ended, and Churchill praised the RAF for protecting the Dunkirk evacuation under…
RAF Air Cover in the Final Days of Operation Dynamo
How RAF fighter cover helped keep Operation Dynamo moving at Dunkirk, despite attrition, limited range and Luftwaffe pressure.
Mosquito Enters Bomber Command Service with No. 105 Squadron
On 1 June 1942, No. 105 Squadron flew the Mosquito’s first operational bombing mission for Bomber Command, starting…
Canterbury Struck in the Baedeker Air Raids Over Kent
On 31 May 1942, Canterbury’s historic districts were bombed in the Baedeker raids, showing the symbolic and civilian…
First Thousand Bomber Raid on Cologne by RAF Bomber Command
On 30–31 May 1942, RAF Bomber Command sent more than 1,000 aircraft against Cologne, proving the scale of…
RAF Aircraft Structures, Materials and Survivability
How RAF aircraft structure evolved from fabric and wood to metal airframes, shaping durability, repairability and combat survivability…
Bismarck Is Sunk as the Atlantic Breakout Ends in 1941
On 27 May 1941, Royal Navy forces sank Bismarck, ending the breakout attempt after a hunt shaped by…
From Dunkirk to Air Mobility: RAF Transport Under Pressure
How Dunkirk’s evacuation pressures exposed the limits of improvised RAF transport and pointed towards the later growth of…
RAF at Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo Begins, 26 May 1940
On 26 May 1940, Operation Dynamo began and RAF Fighter Command started flying cover over Dunkirk and the…
Lysanders Drop Supplies to the Surrounded Calais Garrison
On 22 May 1940, Army Co-operation Lysanders began hazardous supply drops to the surrounded Calais garrison during the…