Julie Ann Gibson Becomes RAF’s First Female Pilot Graduate
On 14 June 1991, Julie Ann Gibson became the RAF’s first female regular pilot graduate, a landmark in the service’s modern history.
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First V-1 Flying Bomb Offensive Begins Against London
On 13 June 1944, the first V-1 flying bombs reached London, opening a new phase of the air war and Britain’s Operation Diver defence.
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RAF Beaufort Strike Damages Lützow Off Norway in 1941
On 12 June 1941, an RAF Beaufort torpedo strike damaged Lützow off Norway, putting the German ship out of action for months.
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Black Buck 7 and the Final Vulcan Raid on Stanley
On 11 June 1982, the RAF launched Black Buck 7, the final conventional Vulcan bombing mission of the Falklands War against Port Stanley.
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First Beaufort Detachment Reaches Malta to Strike Axis Shipping
On 10 June 1942, the first Beaufort detachment reached Malta, strengthening the island’s strikes against Axis shipping in the Mediterranean.
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Tallboy and the RAF Shift to Precision Heavy Bombing
How Barnes Wallis’s 12,000 lb Tallboy and ten-ton Grand Slam let 617 Squadron destroy the Saumur tunnel, U-boat pens, viaducts and the Tirpitz in 1944 and 1945.
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Valiant to Cape Town: 214 Squadron’s Long-Range Flight
On 9 June 1959 214 Squadron flew a Vickers Valiant non-stop from the UK to Cape Town, demonstrating long-range RAF in-flight refuelling.
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617 Squadron Debuts the Tallboy Bomb Against Saumur Tunnel
On 8 June 1944 617 Squadron used the new 12,000-lb Tallboy bomb against the Saumur tunnel, sealing a key route after D-Day.
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RAF Airlifts Reinforcements to Kenya During Mau Mau Rising
On 7 June 1953 RAF air transport carried additional British Army battalions to Kenya as the Mau Mau uprising intensified.
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D-Day Air Power and the RAF Over Normandy, 6 June 1944
On D-Day Allied air forces flew nearly 15,000 sorties, and the RAF helped secure the Normandy landings with minimal Luftwaffe opposition.
