The Desert Air Force In World War II offers readers an interesting first-person perspective on what it was like to fight with the Allies in the skies of the Mediterranean theater of operations during 1940-1942. For my review please see here.
When it comes to World War II, at times it's hard to get past the numbers. After all, they are huge. In the course of civilization there has never been a more destructive war. However, it's imperative in analyzing the reasons why the war ended as it did that we also take account how much qualitative factors proved the trump card in determining victory or defeat.
There are 17 intact Avro Lancaster Bombers remaining in the world. Nevertheless, only two are flyable. One is an Avro Lancaster from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, the other is Britain’s and is flown by the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF).
Last week the Canadian Lancaster arrived at RAF Coningby, Lincolnshire, U.K to join its British peer. The two bombers will spend several months touring the UK as part of a busy schedule of 60 airshows.
Though the Third Reich started it, the Allies ended it in spectacular fashion: with that "it" being WWII. As part of the comprehensive crushing of Germany required to defeat Hitler's regime the Allies dropped roughly 1.9 million tons of bombs on Germany during the war, with the vast majority of this destruction coming in the war's final year. During the entirety of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive (a round the clock offensive led by the British Royal Air Force at night and United States Army Air Force during the day) approximately 500,000 Germans were killed.
Heads up everybody. The Association of Royal Air Force Fighter Control Officers is looking to get in touch with all operators, male or female, of the Royal Air Force's World War II era (1939-1945) warning system known as the "Dowding System" as follows:
“Working under the closest secrecy since 1939, over 4,000 Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) personnel have played an important part in the air victories achieved by radiolocation (Radar). They tracked hostile and friendly aircraft, flying bombs and rockets, German E Boats and Allied Merchant vessels, and have guided British and Allied
It is the end of an era. The final living WWI veteran, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) waitress Florence Green, passed away at age 110. Green served in the RAF for the war's final two months in 1918, having joined at the age of 17.
Though WWI is often overshadowed by WWII it is important to remember the tremendous impact the First World War had on modern history.
A large unexploded WWII era bomb dropped by the RAF (Royal Air Force) has been discovered in the mud along the Rhine River near Koblenz, Germany. This discovery, along with two smaller bombs found nearby, is forcing the temporary evacuation of 45,000 people while the ordnance is defused and removed. As many now know Germany took a fearful pounding during WWII. However, what many don't know is that the worst of the destruction meted out from above Germany was delivered by the RAF and USAAF (United States Army Air Force) during the war's final year.
Lying underwater in the English Channel off the coast of Kent, United Kingdom is the world's last known surviving Do-17 bomber. In a joint attempt the Royal Air Force Museum and Imperial College of London are attempting to salvage the well preserved Do-17 - found in 2010 after sands shifted that had previously hidden the bomber, and have now left it exposed to seawater that can corrode the aircraft very quickly. Shot down during the height of the Battle of Britain this aircraft, as the last of its kind, is of considerable historical importance.
