On This Day, 1950: On 22 August 1950, the RAF confirmed Sunderland flying boats were operating off Korea, showing the continued value…
Read the entry →Long Reads
In-depth RAF history, analysis and extended features from The RAF Chronicle.
RAF Mediterranean Air War: From Survival to Offensive Power
How the RAF fought the Mediterranean air war from early weakness in 1940 to offensive power over North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
Read the long read →RAF in the Western Desert Before El Alamein, 1940–42
How the RAF endured retreat, learned mobile desert warfare, and helped create the conditions for recovery before El…
RAF and the Invasion of Sicily: Air Superiority Before Italy
How the RAF helped make the invasion of Sicily possible through air superiority, interdiction and Mediterranean air power…
RAF and the Berlin Crisis, 1948–49: Beyond the Airlift
How the RAF turned the Berlin crisis of 1948–49 into a test of access, air transport and Cold…
RAF and the Battle for Norway, 1940: Strategic Failure
A long read on how range, weather and weak basing limited RAF operations in Norway during the German…
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…
The RAF and the Fall of France: Retreat and Lessons of 1940
A long read on the RAF in the Fall of France, from bomber losses and retreat to evacuation,…
Air Power and Empire: How the RAF Policed Britain’s Frontiers
A long read on how the RAF used air control to police Britain’s imperial frontiers, and why economy,…
RAF Bombing Strategy: From Daylight Raids to the Night War
How RAF bombing strategy evolved from costly daylight raids to a sustained night offensive shaped by loss rates,…
The V-Force and Britain’s Cold War Nuclear Deterrent
How the RAF’s V-Force became Britain’s early Cold War nuclear deterrent through the Valiant, Vulcan and Victor bomber…