100

OFFICIAL SOUVENIR ISSUE

100 Years
Years

£6.99
RAF
R o y a l A i r F o r c e 1 0 0 Ye a r s O f f i c i a l S o u v e n i r I s s u e
Untitled-1 1 09/02/2018 10:56:43
Foreword
T
his RAF100 special publication
describes a century of Royal Air
Force operations, from our founding
moment in 1918, in the final months
of the bitter fighting of World War One
through to this, our centenary year, when
a much changed yet surprisingly similar
RAF continues to defend our airspace
and engage our enemies, wherever they
may be.
Today’s Royal Air Force upholds a tradition
of professionalism, skill and technological
advantage that is as old as the Service itself.
These qualities, combined with the excellence
of our personnel and our rich heritage, ensure
we remain one of the world’s leading and
most respected air arms, continually engaged
on operations and making a decisive impact
in every type of conflict.
A century of RAF history has borne witness
to many acts of supreme courage, generated
heroes and created legends, through famous
actions and in desperate times. Warfare in
the third dimension changed the character of
World War One and allowed visionary thinkers
of the day to understand what needed to be
done to ensure this new environment could
best be exploited in the future.
Their vision led to the formation of
the RAF, the world’s first independent air
force, on April 1, 1918, and helped lay the
enduring foundations upon which the
Service has been built. Their vision and
their commitment to the development of
airpower’s potential not only ensured that in
World War Two the RAF was able successfully
to defend our skies and save our nation in
Major General Sir Hugh Trenchard was the
very first Chief of the Air Staff. His successor
in the RAF’s centenary year, Air Chief Marshal
Sir Stephen Hillier commands a Service that
remains loyal to Trenchard’s original vision.
the summer of 1940, but that it could have a
decisive impact in every theatre of conflict,
engaging the enemy every day from first
to last. The level of courage and sacrifice
was frequently immense, most especially in
Bomber Command, where more than half of
all the aircrew involved were killed, wounded
or taken prisoner – the spirit and memory
of those airmen lives on in the ethos of
today’s RAF.
The Cold War era brought subsequent
challenges, of readiness and a constant battle
to retain technological advantage against a
potent potential enemy, while at the same
time fighting smaller wars, ensuring that the
preparedness, flexibility and adaptability
that the RAF prides itself upon were
constantly put to the test. And then as fast
as the Cold War ended, a new era arrived, of
expeditionary operations, precision ISTAR
and weapons, enduring conflicts and new
(and sometimes not so new) adversaries.
With an inherent ability to respond,
engage and disengage rapidly, and to
offer political choice, the Royal Air Force
has constantly used the full range of its air
and space power capabilities – Combat Air,
ISTAR, Air Mobility and Precision Strike –
and been engaged in combat operations
without respite for what is now almost
three decades. All this time we have been
developing new and improved capabilities
FOREWORD
– aircraft, weapons, information, systems
integration, training and, most important of
all, our people. It is our highly skilled and
motivated people who have always been
the cornerstone of RAF capability, and we
continue to attract highly talented men
and women from all backgrounds, with the
ambition to seize opportunities, develop
themselves and realise their full potential,
within an organisation that prides itself on
merit being the only determinant of success.
In our centenary year we will welcome
the famous 617 Squadron back to RAF
Marham, equipped with our outstanding
new combat aircraft, the F-35 Lightning.
When 617 Squadron was last based at RAF
Marham, it was flying the Tornado, which
is still in service after 36 years and remains
fully committed on current operations. The
Tornado will be retired in 2019, after frontline
service covering well over one third of the
RAF’s history. It has written many new
chapters in that history, but as the Lightning
now arrives and a new chapter begins, it is a
reminder that the RAF is constantly evolving
and adapting, exploiting new technologies
and improving its capabilities so that it can
continue to remain at the leading edge of air
and space power into the future.
Our 100th anniversary provides a unique
opportunity to Commemorate, Celebrate
and Inspire. We will Commemorate 100
years of extraordinary success, courage and
sacrifice. We will Celebrate the achievements
of today’s RAF, daily adding to our rich
heritage and strong ethos. And we will
reach out to future generations, to Inspire
them towards realising their ambitions and
potential, through air and space power and
the example of the RAF.
These pages take us through our first
100 years, but perhaps most important of
all will be the legacy we leave beyond 2018
and through into the RAF’s second century. I
want that legacy to be about the education
and development of young people,
providing opportunity to every part of our
society. These ideas have been at the heart
of the RAF’s ethos and tradition since its
inception and through RAF100 we are taking
them even further.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB
CBE DFC ADC MA RAF
Chief of the Air Staff
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 3
RAF 100
INTRODUCTION

Today’s Royal Air Force exemplifies the application of technology to the most complex
challenges, yet rests upon the ethos upon which it was founded 100 years ago

T
he Royal Air Force has a relatively
brief history in military terms and yet
in just a century has achieved so very
much. Mastering the air through the timely,
effective application of airpower represents
a technological challenge today as it always
has – one to which generations of RAF men
and women have risen, no matter how
difficult the task.
To properly understand the RAF’s first
century, one must actually look back to the late
1800s, when the War Office set aside funds for
balloon experiments. In this early work, the
British Army exploited the most fundamental
property of airpower – the ability to place
observers above the battlefield, from where
they may observe, record and report on enemy
movements and disposition.
Meanwhile, pioneers in Europe, South
America and the US raced to create the first
successful powered, controllable heavier-than-
air craft. In 1903, the Wright brothers achieved
a combination of powerplant, lightweight
airframe and control system sufficient to
achieve that goal and the aeroplane became a
flying reality.
British manoeuvres in 1910 demonstrated the
aeroplane’s worth as a reconnaissance machine
and an enthusiastic War Office began investing
in the new technology. Four years later, that
technology was first tested in war, the Royal
Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service, taking
on the dual challenges of discovering exactly
what airpower could do and how to apply it.
It very quickly became apparent that the
enemy was also air minded and any attempt
at aerial observation was sure to be met with
a hail of fire. Soon, friend and enemy alike

1968–1992: The Phantom epitomised

Cold War airpower. It served the RAF
in the fighter, ground-attack and
reconnaissance roles. This 56 Sqn
Phantom FGR.Mk 2 is equipped for
the air-to-air role. Key Collection

4 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


realised that an armed aeroplane might be
an ideal platform from which to engage and
destroy nosing reconnaissance types and the
concept of the fighting aeroplane was born.
Inevitably heavier thanks to their machine-
gun armament, these fighting machines
evolved alongside the concept of attacking the
ground from the air. If a target could be found
and observed, then why not attack it too?
Thus, the bomber emerged in a variety of
shapes and sizes, both aeroplane and airship,
the latter in particular spreading terror among
Great Britain’s civilian population when first
German airships began their meandering
raids across the Channel. Such was the fear
engendered, that government and military
alike were stung into defensive action.
But a relatively high-flying airship or
bomber, however ponderous, was difficult
to spot and even more difficult to catch and
attack, especially with the disparate fighting
units available. It became obvious that the
most successful defence from aerial attack
would be achieved through a single, air-
focussed, co-ordinated organisation, an air
force indeed.
On April 1, 1918, the Royal Air Force was
founded on that basis. Its involvement in
World War One was by necessity brief and
in the years of austerity that followed, its
leadership was obliged to fight hard for its
survival as an independent air arm. Their
success and perseverance enabled a gradual
build-up of squadrons and expansion into
INTRODUCTION
other roles, including army co-operation and
transport, capabilities proven time and again
in the colonial policing operations of the 1920s
and 1930s.
And when the clouds of world war once
again began to gather, the RAF was established
as a primary means of defence, quickly
expanded and equipped with the technologies
it required to save the country from imminent
invasion in 1940.
That period we know as the Battle of Britain
may have been the RAF’s finest hour, yet there
have been so many others, through World War
Two, the Cold War, the Falklands, conflict in the
Gulf and now over Iraq and Syria. The RAF’s
first century has therefore been decisive, for
the Service and the nation it serves.
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 5
Published in association with
Royal Air Force Media and
Communications, Headquarters
Air Command

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The entire contents of RAF100

is copyright © UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018. No part of this
publication may be copied or
reproduced without prior written
consent of the UK Ministry of
8 1878–1919 84 1970–1979
Defence. Towards a Royal Air Force Cold War consolidation

PUBLISHER 18 1920–1929 94 1980–1989

Key Publishing Ltd The fight for survival At war in the South Atlantic
PRINTED IN ENGLAND
28 1930–1939 100  1990–1999
Right: RAF E-3, Phantoms and
Expanding for war At war in the Gulf and with
Tornados – 1990s’ air defence. the UN in the Balkans
Key Collection 40 1940–1949
Air war on all fronts 110  2000–2009
Back to the Gulf and back
COVER IMAGE: A Tornado
GR4 awaits a mission from 64 1950–1959 to Afghanistan
Kandahar Airfield during Cold War challenges
Operation Herrick in 2010. 118  2010–2018
Cpl Dave Blackburn/© UK MoD 74 1960–1969 Fighting the ongoing war
Crown Copyright 2018 Changing deterrent against terror

6 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

Untitled-1 1 15/02/2018 16:53:08
1878-1919
1878-1919

From its first tentative steps in the 19th century, British military aviation
evolved from tethered observation balloons to advanced fighting machines

A 1878
lthough the British Army pioneered
UK military flying with its early
balloon experiments, the major
advance came under the parallel
developmental paths followed by the
Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air
Service. Inter-service rivalries and sub-
optimal use of airpower were eventually
overcome with the creation of the Royal
Air Force in April 1918, the combined
The War Office made £150 available to
investigate the use balloons for observation
purposes. The British Army’s Royal Engineers
began experimenting with the lighter-than-air
craft at Woolwich
1884
1892
A balloon depot was created
1893
A balloon factory was completed at Aldershot,
Hampshire, with another established at nearby
South Farnborough the following year

assets of the RFC and RNAS providing The British Army formally stood up a balloon
the RAF with the world’s largest military unit as the new technology became an
aircraft fleet in the closing months of accepted military asset; a School of Ballooning
World War One. was later established

8 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

 1878-1919

1903 May 9, 1912: Flying a

specially equipped Shorts
December S.38, Commander Charles
17 The Wright Brothers achieved the world’s Samson flew the first take-
first controlled, powered flight in their Flyer off from a ship underway.
aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina He joined the RAF on
its formation in 1918.
Wikimedia Commons
1910
September
Aeroplanes worked with the Army during
training manoeuvres, proving their worth as
reconnaissance assets

October
Based on the training experience gained in
September, the War Office announced its
intention to: “…enlarge the scope of the work
hitherto carried out at the Balloon School…
by affording opportunities for aeroplaning”

1911
February
28 An Army Order created the Air Battalion
of the Royal Engineers out of the former
School of Ballooning
1912 May
13 The Air Battalion was effectively absorbed
April into the RFC. The latter comprised a Military
April 13 The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was Wing, a Naval Wing, a Reserve and the Royal
1 The Air Battalion became operational established by Royal Warrant Aircraft Factory (RAF). Royal Navy personnel
generally referred to the Naval Wing as the
Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS)

1918: Among the RAF’s initial fighter

pilot cadre, Major WG Barker VC DSO
MC used Sopwith Camel B6313 as his
personal aircraft. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 9

1878-1919
Above: April 16, 1913 – Maurice Prevost won the first Schneider Trophy contest flying this Deperdussin to a speed of 126.7mph (204km/h).
The competition spurred the development of high-performance aircraft. Inset: RFC recruiting poster. Both Wikimedia Commons
August 19, 1914: Lt Mapplebeck flew the first
RFC reconnaissance over German lines. RAF
(AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
1913
April
16 France won the first Schneider Trophy
competition, at Monaco. La Coupe d’Aviation
Maritime Jacques Schneider was awarded to
the victor, but only after a third consecutive
victory could it be held in perpetuity. The Royal
Air Force’s 1931 win finally secured the cup for
Great Britain
1914
June
28 Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian assassin, shot
and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in
Sarajevo, triggering a series of events that led
directly to the outbreak of World War One
10 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
July
1 Disagreement between the Army and Royal
Navy led to the RNAS becoming a separate
entity entirely under Royal Navy control
28 Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia
30 Russia ordered a general mobilisation of
its military forces as it prepared to support its
Serbian ally
August
1 After it refused German requests to halt
mobilisation, Germany declared war on
Russia. France began mobilising to support its
Russian ally
3 Germany declared war on France, invading
Belgium and Luxembourg to reach its new
enemy’s territory
4 Great Britain declared war on Germany on
the basis of its invasion of neutral Belgium
6 Austria-Hungry declared war on Russia
11 RFC personnel sailed to France, where
they prepared for the arrival of their
aeroplanes. In total, Great Britain could field
August 13, 1914:
This B.E.2a was the
first RFC aircraft
in France. Key
Collection
around 179 aircraft, Germany approximately
1,000 and France as many as 1,500
13 A 2 Sqn, RFC, Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2a
was the first British combat aircraft to arrive in
France
19 Lieutenant G Mapplebeck and his
observer, Captain P Joubert de la Ferté, made
the first RFC reconnaissance over German lines
22 An Avro 504 was the first RFC aircraft shot
down
25 An unarmed 2 Sqn, RFC aircraft forced a
German two-seater down, recording the first
British aerial victory
September
22 RNAS aircraft unsuccessfully attacked
airship sheds at Dusseldorf
October
8 Two Eastchurch Squadron, RNAS, Sopwith
Tabloids completed the first successful raids
on Germany, hitting Cologne railway station
and the Dusseldorf airship sheds

December
21 A German aircraft dropped two bombs in
the sea off Admiralty Pier, Dover. It was the
first aerial attack on Great Britain
24 A German aircraft dropped the first bomb
to fall on British soil. It exploded close to Dover
Castle
1915
January
19 Two German Navy Zeppelins made the first
airship attack on Great Britain
March
10 In their first attack directly supporting
ground operations, British aircraft struck
railway installations around Menin and
Courtrai
April
26 Flying a B.E.2, 2 Sqn, RFC pilot Second
Lieutenant WB Rhodes-Moorhouse struck
Courtrai railway station from low level. He
was shot during the attack but returned his
aircraft to its Merville base before succumbing
to his wounds. Rhodes-Moorhouse was
posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC)
for his action
May
31 The first airship raid on London killed
seven civilians and injured 14
June
6/7 Lieutenant Warneford of 1 Sqn, RNAS
dropped bombs from his Morane Parasol,
downing LZ37 in the first aerial success against
an airship
25 Flying a 6 Sqn, RFC Bristol Scout C, Captain
Lanoe G Hawker DSO downed three enemy
two-seaters with his Martini carbine. He was
awarded the VC for the action
August
19 Colonel Hugh M Trenchard was appointed
to command the RFC in France
April 1, 1918: The
RAF was created
as a single service
1878-1919
October 11, 1917: The DH.4
joined 41 Wing, RFC for strategic
bombing duties. The further
aircraft here is a Nieuport scout.
Key Collection
1916 May
6 47-victory ace Captain Albert Ball, RFC
September was killed when his S.E.5A crashed. He was
2/3 Flying a 39 Sqn, RFC B.E.2c, Lieutenant posthumously awarded the VC
William Robinson destroyed airship SL11 over 20 RNAS Flight Sub-Lieutenants Morrish and
Cuffley, Hertfordshire. He was awarded the VC Boswell became the first aircraft crew to sink a
for the action German submarine when U-36 succumbed to
the attacks of their Curtiss H.12 Large America
November
28 A German navy LVG C.II made the first July
aeroplane raid on London 11 Prime Minister David Lloyd George and
Lieutenant General Jan C Smuts formed a
Cabinet Committee to investigate provisions
1917 for air defence. Smuts’s recommendations led
to the formation of an Air Ministry to oversee
February all military flying
100 Sqn formed as the RFC’s first dedicated
night-bombing unit August
11 William Avery Bishop was awarded the
VC following an epic combat on June 2. He
went on to score 72 kills, the first of them, in a
Nieuport 17, on March 25
April 1, 1918: The O/400 was
among the RAF’s first new
aircraft types. Key Collection
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 11
1878-1919
Above left: January 2, 1918 – Major-General (later Marshal of the Royal Air Force the Viscount) Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff. Royal Air Force Museum
Above: right April 1, 1918: The O/400 entered service with 207 (as here) and 215 Sqns, RAF. Key Collection
October
11 41 Wing, RFC formed on the Airco DH.4,
RAF F.E.2b and Handley Page O/400 to conduct
strategic attacks on German industry
November
7 Lenin led the Bolshevik Revolution and
storming of the Winter Palace in Russia. A
Russo-German ceasefire came into effect on
December 5, freeing German troops for the
Western Front
1918
The Avro 504K entered service, primarily as
a trainer. It was finally declared obsolete in
March 1933
January
The Sopwith Dolphin scout entered service
with 19 Sqn, RFC
12 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
2 The British Air Council and Air Ministry were
created, with Lord Rothermere as Secretary
of State for Air and Major General Sir Hugh
Trenchard as Chief of the Air Staff
18 Command of the RFC in France passed
from Trenchard to Major General Sir John
Salmond
March
4 The twin-engined Airco DH.10 Amiens day
bomber prototype flew for the first time. The
type entered service with 104 Sqn, part of the
Independent Force, in November
21 The Battle of the Somme began, marking
Germany’s final major offensive of the war
April
1 The Royal Air Force (RAF) was created as
the RFC and RNAS were combined into a
single service. The Handley Page O/400 was
among the RAF’s first new aircraft when it
entered service with 207 and 215 Sqns during
April. Meanwhile, the Women’s Royal Air
Above: May 1, 1918 – The Royal Air Force
‘wings’ flying badge was introduced. © UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
Force (WRAF) was also formed. It comprised
women previously serving with air units in
the Women’s Royal Naval Service, Women’s
Auxiliary Army Corps, the Voluntary Aid
Detachment and the Women’s Legion. The
first WRAF recruit was Miss Sylvia Hodkinson.
The RAF Temporary Nursing Service was also
established
12 The last airship raid on Great Britain was
flown
 1878-1919

14 With relationships at the Air Ministry

strained, Trenchard resigned as CAS, handing
over to Major General Sir Frederick Sykes
21 Baron Manfred von Richthofen – the ‘Red
Baron’ – was shot down and killed. The most
successful fighter pilot of World War One, at
the time of his death he had shot down 80
aircraft. Controversy continues over the exact
nature of his demise; ground fire is thought
to have played a significant part, but Capt
Roy Brown of 209 Sqn, RAF, is credited with
shooting him down
25 Lord Rothermere resigned from his
position as Secretary of State for Air. Sir
William Weir replaced him

May
The Handley Page V/1500 heavy bomber
prototype flew for the first time
1 The RAF ‘wings’ flying badge was introduced
June 1918: The DH.9A entered service with 110 Sqn, RAF. This 84 Sqn example was
photographed post war, the type becoming a stalwart of colonial operations. Key Collection
Left: June 30, 1918 – An extract from 41 Sqn’s operational records. 41 Sqn Archive/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018

19/20 German aeroplanes dropped the last July

enemy bombs to fall on British soil during
World War One
June
The Airco DH.9A light bomber entered
service with 110 Sqn, the type debuting in
combat over France on August 31. The DH.9A
remained in service until 1931
5 Trenchard was appointed to command the
RAF’s new Independent Force, expanding on
the strategic bombing campaign pioneered by
41 Wing, RFC
9 57-victory ace Major James TB McCudden,
RAF was killed in a crash landing after his
S.E.5A’s engine failed
16/17 The Russian Czar and his family were
massacred at Ekaterinburg
19 HMS Furious launched the first ever
carrierborne strike, from a position off the
Lyngvig Lighthouse, Denmark. Seven Sopwith
Camels, modified to carry 50lb bombs, took
off on a dawn attack against airship facilities at
Tondern, on the mouth of the Elbe. Germany
Navy Zeppelins L54 and L60 were destroyed in
their sheds
24/25 The RAF dropped a 1,650lb bomb in
anger for the first time. Released by a 214 Sqn

1918: The Avro 504K entered service as one of the RAF’s classic training aircraft. It remained
active into the 1930s and initially served alongside former frontline machines, like the B.E.2e
at far left. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018 and Key Collection
1878-1919

August 10, 1918: Capt Ferdinand ‘Freddie’ West,

at right, and Lt Haslam with an FK.8 similar to
that in which they flew their August 10 mission.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

November 11, 1918: The Armistice brought

hostilities to an end at 1100hrs
O/400 over Middlekerke, Belgium, it was the
heaviest weapon so far employed. A 3,360lb
bomb was subsequently dropped
26 73-kill ace Major Edward ‘Mick’ Mannock’s
S.E.5A was shot down. Mannock perished in
the crash, but was posthumously awarded
the Victoria Cross
28 An O/400 deployed to Egypt from the
UK after TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)
requested the urgent assistance of such an
aircraft. It arrived on August 8 and began
a series of bombing and transport sorties,
operating alongside a pair of Bristol F.2
Fighters

July 19, 2018: Sopwith Camels parked on the deck of HMS Furious prior to the historic carrierborne
strike on Tondern. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

August the face of strong ground defences and

July 9, 1918: S.E.5A ace Major James McCudden.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
The Sopwith Snipe entered service with
43 Sqn at Fienvillers, France
8 The RAF and French air services between
them fielded approximately 1,900 aircraft for
the Battle of Amiens; Germany could muster
only 365 aircraft in opposition
8/9 Using heavy bombers by night and light
bombers by day, the RAF began a campaign
of concerted attacks against bridges over the
Somme, aiming to prevent a German retreat
from France
8–October 8 84 Sqn’s Capt Andrew FW
Beauchamp-Proctor was awarded the Victoria
Cross for his service over a two-month period
10 8 Sqn’s Capt Ferdinand West flew
a low-level attack over enemy lines in
fighters. Severely wounded and with his
Armstrong Whitworth FK.8 damaged, he
made a crash landing in Allied territory,
saving both his own life and that of his
observer. He received the Victoria Cross
for his actions
September
12 The assault on the Saint Mihiel Salient
during the Battle of Bapaume, saw the
largest number of aircraft yet assembled
for a single operation. A force of 1,483
machines of all types, under the command
of Brigadier General William ‘Billy’ Mitchell,
US Army Air Service (USAAS), supported
US and British ground forces

14 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


October
The Sopwith Cuckoo torpedo
bomber entered service with
185 Sqn
26 Trenchard became
commander-in-chief of the
Inter-Allied Independent Force,
a formation adding Allied
bomber strength to the RAF-only
Independent Force
27 Major William G Barker flew
his Snipe against 15 Fokker D.VII
fighters. He was awarded the VC
for the action
November
10 The DH.10 flew its only
operational mission, against
Sarrebourg airfield
11 The Armistice brought
hostilities to an end at 1100hrs.
At the time of the Armistice, the
RAF was the largest air force in
the world, with 22,647 aircraft of
all types, including 3,300 frontline
machines and 103 airships
29 A second O/400, already
deployed to Egypt, began a survey
of the airmail route to India,
arriving at Delhi on December 12
December
13 A V/1500 departed Martlesham Heath,
Suffolk bound for India, on the first UK-India
flight. It landed at Karachi on January 16, 1919
1 (Communications) Squadron was
established, providing personnel transport
and moving mail between Great Britain and
the Paris Peace Conference. Employing DH.4
and O/400 aircraft, it flew the first regular air
services across the Channel
14 Women were permitted to vote in a
British general election for the first time. To
be eligible they had to be more than 30 years
old (an age not reduced to 21 until 1928). By
polling day, some 8,482,528 female electors
had registered to vote. David Lloyd George
became prime minister
1878-1919
16 18 Sqn began flying airmail services for the
British Army of Occupation in Germany. The
mission ended in August 1919
1919
The Martinsyde Buzzard entered service
with the RAF’s Communications Wing, flying
between London and Paris
January
10 2 (Communications) Squadron began
moving personnel and mail between Great
Britain and the Paris Peace Conference. The
unit flew the Airco DH.4A, a modification of
the DH.4 light bomber with an enclosed cabin
for two passengers
11 In a major realignment of the UK’s
aviation policy, Major General Sir Hugh
Trenchard was again appointed Chief of
the Air Staff, while Winston Churchill was
made Secretary of State for War and Air, and
Major General Sir Frederick Sykes became
Controller of Civil Aviation, overseeing the Air
Ministry’s newly created Department of Civil
Aviation
May
6 The Third Afghan War broke out between
Great Britain and Afghanistan after the
latter’s forces entered India. An RAF
bombing campaign brought the conflict to
an armistice on August 8. Warning leaflets
had been dropped on Afghan towns and
villages before the attacks, in an effort to
minimise civilian casualties. Afghanistan
subsequently gained independence from
the UK
Above: July 24/25, 1918 – The RAF’s 1,650lb
bomb. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Below: October 27, 1918 – Barker flew this Snipe
during the action for which he was awarded the
VC. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 15
1878-1919
December 13, 1918: V/1500 HMA Old Carthusian departed Martlesham Heath for India. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
24 The UK’s first domestic air route opened,
linking Manchester, Southport and Blackpool.
The service closed in September, at the end of
the holiday period
June
14/15 Capt John Alcock and Lt Arthur Whitten
Brown made the first non-stop crossing of the
Atlantic, flying a Vickers Vimy bomber from St
John’s, Newfoundland. On landing, 16 hours
27 minutes later, the aircraft nosed-over in a
bog at Clifden, County Galway, Ireland
28 The Treaty of Versailles was signed,
formally ending World War One
August
25 Aircraft Transport & Travel Ltd began
the world’s first scheduled international
commercial airline service, flying between
London and Paris
June 14, 1919: Spectators gather at St John’s prior to Alcock and Brown’s transatlantic attempt. Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador
16 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
28 The International Air Traffic Association,
later International Air Transport Association
(IATA), was established
October
11 Handley Page Transport introduced inflight
catering for the first time in commercial
aviation
November
12 Brothers Captain Ross and Lieutenant
Keith Smith, and Sergeants Bennet and Shiers,
departed Hounslow, Middlesex in a Vimy,
heading for Lyons, France on the initial leg of
the first aircraft journey to Australia
December
The Automobile Association (AA) opened the
UK’s first petrol filling station, at Aldermaston,
Berkshire. Car drivers had previously bought
petrol in 2Imp gal cans, from chemists,
garages, hardware shops and hotels
10 The pilots Smith and crew arrived at
Darwin, Northern Territory
11 Secretary of State for War and Air,
Winston Churchill introduced a White Paper
into the House of Commons outlining
plans for development of the post-war
RAF. Entitled Permanent Organization of the
RAF – Note by the Secretary of State for Air
on a Scheme Outlined by the Chief of Staff,
but frequently referred to as the ‘Trenchard
Memorandum’, it described home and
overseas strengths and provided for the
foundation of a comprehensive personnel
training structure in the UK. The latter
included the RAF College, the RAF Staff
College and the RAF Apprentice School.
Short Service Commissions were also
proposed
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Untitled-2 1
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20/02/2018 17:39
1920-1929
1920-1929

The 1920s marked a consolidation in airpower as the RAF struggled to maintain

strength on a peacetime footing, while simultaneously advancing technology

T 1920
hrough competitions exemplified
by the Schneider Trophy, and
long-range expeditions flown by
experimental and modified aircraft, the
Royal Air Force strove to push the limits
of aeroplane performance throughout
the 1920s. At the same time, however,
its leaders, with Chief of the Air Staff Sir
Hugh Trenchard at their head, were forced
to jostle for position among the services,
fighting an increasingly political battle
to ensure funding for the RAF’s survival
as an independent force. Their faith and
determination bore fruit overseas, as
airpower began proving itself a useful tool
for policing and monitoring, while at home
a new generation of fighters replaced the
last of the World War One scouts.
The Felixstowe F.5 flying boat entered service
with 230 Sqn
January
The RAF’s first ‘Little War’ commenced when
‘Z Force’ began operations against the
Dervish leader Mohammed bin Abdullah
Hassan, the ‘Mad Mullah’, in British Somaliland
(now Somalia), in co-operation with the
Camel Corps. The RAF’s involvement was
instrumental in the conflict, which ended in
February. Z Force comprised ten DH.9s, used
for bombing, strafing and air ambulance work
17 The Eighteenth Amendment of the US
Constitution was enforced, prohibiting the
manufacture and sale of alcohol
February
5 The RAF College at Cranwell opened,
with Air Commodore CAH Longcroft as
commandant
March
The Nieuport Nightjar entered service
April
205 Sqn re-formed at Leuchars, Fife,
introducing the two-seat Parnall Panther
reconnaissance aircraft into service, in co-
operation with the Royal Navy
1 The Women’s Royal Air Force was
disbanded. Since its formation on April 1,
1918, some 32,000 women had served in its
ranks

1920: The Felixstowe F.5 entered

service with 230 Sqn. This example had
been hauled ashore on its beaching
gear. Key Collection

18 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

 1920-1929

July August 1920: The Fairey

3 The first RAF Tournament – subsequently IIID flew for the first time.
known as the RAF Pageant, and ultimately as Key Collection
the RAF Display – took place at Hendon. A
crowd of 60,000 spectators was in attendance

August
The Fairey IIID general purpose biplane
flew for the first time. Primarily serving
202 Sqn, the type remained operational
until March 1932

1921
January
27 The RAF Temporary Nursing Service
became part of the regular establishment, as
the RAF Nursing Service

March
A conference in Cairo reviewed existing policy
and future proposals for the maintenance of
British control in the Middle East Mandates.
Air Staff proposals for a policy of air control
in Mesopotamia, helping establish the
desirability of maintaining the RAF as a
separate air arm, were approved
June
The RAF began a fortnightly airmail service
over the 940 miles (1,500km) between
Cairo and Baghdad. The route had been
surveyed and a track ploughed across the
Syrian desert as a visual navigation aid.
Imperial Airways took the service over on
January 7, 1927
August
Sir Eric Geddes’s Committee on National
Expenditure began working on three
reports targeting reductions in spending
on supply services, the so-called ‘Geddes
Axe’. Senior officers in the War Office and
the Admiralty simultaneously became
more vigorous in their opposition to
the RAF’s continued existence, arguing
that large savings in overheads would
be made if the RAF were scrapped and
its roles taken over by the other two
services. However, the Geddes Committee
supported Trenchard’s case for the
retention of a separate air arm
October
Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Salmond took
command of all British military forces in the
Middle East Mandates
November
11 The British Legion’s first poppy day raised
£106,000 through the sale of fabric poppies.
Supplies ran short and some were made from
pink blotting paper
December
06 The Irish Free State came into existence,
the result of negotiations between Lloyd
George and Ireland’s Michael Collins

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 19

1920-1929

March 1922: The Vickers Vernon transport entered service with 45 Sqn. The aircraft was a continuation of the developmental line that began with the
Vickers Vimy bomber. Key Collection

1922
The Avro Bison entered service with 423 Flight
at Gosport
January
The Westland Walrus entered service with 3 Sqn
at Leuchars
March
The Vickers Vernon entered service with 45 Sqn
at Hinaidi
April
1 The RAF Staff College opened at Andover,
with Air Commodore HRM Brooke-Popham as
commandant. Of the 29 students comprising
No. 1 Course, six became commanders-in-chief,
while Squadron Leader CFA Portal rose to Chief
of the Air Staff
16 The German-Soviet Rapallo Treaty led
to the establishment of a clandestine flying
training and experimental centre at Lipetsk. It
trained 450 German military flying personnel
during its nine years of operation
November
6 Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon
uncovered the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun
in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt
14 The first regular BBC wireless broadcast, a
news bulletin, was issued from the 2LO studio
at 1800hrs and 2100hrs
December
27 The first aircraft carrier designed and
finished as such completed its maiden sea
trials. The Imperial Japanese Navy’s Hosho
was laid down in December 1919 and could
embark 21 aircraft
1923
The Nieuport Nighthawk fighter began service
trials with 1 and 8 Sqns in Mesopotamia. It
was the RAF’s first operational radial-engined
fighter
October 1923: The Gloster Grebe entered service with 111 Sqn. Key Collection
Under the chairmanship of the Marquess of
Salisbury, the Committee of Imperial Defence
was established to examine the integration
of RAF operations with those of the Army and
Royal Navy. A sub-committee under Lord
Balfour considered the optimum RAF strength
required to safeguard British security at home
and overseas
The first air trooping flights took place
during the Kurdish uprising, when the
RAF flew 280 Sikh troops from Kingarban
to Kirkuk, Iraq in 12-seat Vickers Vernon
transports. Every soldier carried his rifle
and 15lb of equipment. In addition,
each aircraft hauled 30,000 rounds of
ammunition
The German Reichsbank identified the
financial situation in Germany as ‘most
desperate’. With the collapse of the exchange
rate, the German currency was trading at
4 trillion marks to the US dollar. A loaf of
bread cost 201,000,000,000 Reichmarks

September
15 The British government decided that
British troops under threat from Turkish forces
should stand firm. The Turks entered the Allied
demarcation zone around Gallipoli, encamping
at Chanak. Reinforcements, including a
number of RAF units, were rushed to the area
and although the crisis passed peacefully, it
led to the downfall of David Lloyd George’s
Liberal administration. After Lloyd George’s
resignation, Andrew Bonar Law formed a new
Conservative government

October
1 The RAF assumed military control of Iraq

20 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


February
Sheikh Mahmud, the most influential tribal
leader in southern Kurdistan, had adopted a
notably anti-British stance and this, together
with intelligence that he was formulating plans
for general insurrection in Iraq, caused concern
among British leaders. The RAF dropped him
an ultimatum, while delayed-action bombs
were released outside Sulaimaniya as a
demonstration of intent, but RAF operations
against the Sheikh and his followers continued
into March
16 Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s
burial chamber
May
The Air Ministry specified its future aircraft
needs, including its fighter requirements. The
Gloster Grebe flew for the first time against the
latter
Ill health force Prime Minister Andrew
Bonar Law’s resignation; Stanley Baldwin
succeeded him
June
The RAF Nursing Service received the
patronage of Princess Mary and became
Princess Mary’s RAF Nursing Service
Above: June 6, 1925 – The Virginia entered service with 7 Sqn. Here, squadron personnel pose with one the bombers after winning the
Lawrence Minot Memorial Bombing Trophy in 1932. Below: June 1925 – The Aldershot entered 99 Sqn service. Both Key Collection
September
1 The Great Kanto Earthquake hit Tokyo.
Measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, the
earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed
300,000 people and made 1,000,000 homeless
October
The Gloster Grebe entered service with
111 Sqn at Duxford
November
8–11 Adolf Hitler and General Ludendorff
failed in their attempt to overthrow the
Bavarian government; Hitler was imprisoned
for his part in the plot
1924
The RAF aircraft dropped 28 tons of bombs on
Sulaimaniya. The bombing and resulting fires
caused widespread destruction, but residents
had been forewarned by proclamation of the
RAF’s intentions and evacuated the town; there
were no civilian casualties. Sheikh Mahmud fled
to the caves of Qara Dagh during the attack
The Labour party came to power, with
James Ramsay MacDonald as the first ever
Labour prime minister
1920-1929
January
3 The Air Ministry announced that 400
officers were required for flying duty under
the RAF Short Service Commission Scheme.
This enabled young men to join the RAF for a
limited number of years, with the possibility
of a permanent commission at the end of
their service
February
5 Regular broadcasts of the six-pip Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT) time signal began. Frank
Dyson, the ninth Astronomer Royal, discussed
the possibility of a broadcast time signal with
John Reith, Director General of the BBC, late
in 1923. Working with Frank Hope-Jones,
chairman of the Wireless Society of London,
Dyson devised a six-pip signal counting up
from 55 seconds, with the sixth marking the
beginning of the next minute. The Greenwich
Time Service transmitted its pips for the last
time in 1990, when the BBC began generating
its own pips
March
The Aeroplane & Armament Experimental
Establishment (A&AEE) was established at RAF
Martlesham Heath, under the command of
Wing Commander NJ Gill
April
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Air Force
was formed. It encompassed RAF units usually
embarked in aircraft carriers and fighting ships;
FAA personnel were drawn from the RAF and
Royal Navy
The Fairey Fawn entered service as the RAF’s
first post-war light bomber
4 Four US Army Air Service Douglas World
Cruisers, led by Major F Martin, departed
Seattle, Washington in an attempt to
circumnavigate the globe
May
The Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III entered
service with 41 Sqn at Northolt
The Hawker Woodcock II entered service
with 3 Sqn at Upavon
RAF squadrons officially adopted role
designators in their titles, 1 Squadron becoming
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 21
1920-1929

October
Stanley Baldwin returned to power as
the Conservatives ousted Labour from
government

1925
The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB)
organisation was formed under Air Marshall
Sir John Salmond, to include all the RAF’s
Home Defence Force units. In mid-1926 it
was subdivided into Wessex Bombing Area,
controlling all regular bombing squadrons,
and the Fighting Area, controlling all regular
fighter squadrons. No. 1 Air Defence Group,
managing the Auxiliary Air Force (AuxAF) and
Special Reserve squadrons was added later. The
Observer Corps, later Royal Observer Corps, was
established simultaneously with ADGB

February
Bristol Fighters and DH.9As were despatched
to the airstrips at Miranshah and Tank, under
May 1925: The Siskin III entered service with 41 Sqn. Alongside the Gloster Grebe, the Siskin III was Wing Commander RCM Pink, in an effort
the primary replacement for the Sopwith Snipe, last of the RAF’s World War One-era fighters, on the to control the Mahsud tribesmen of South
frontline. 41 Sqn Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018 Waziristan. The aircraft flew against Mahsud

1 (Fighter) Squadron for example. The ‘Bombing’

designator became ‘Bomber’ in 1929 and the
practice continued until World War Two, when
it fell into abeyance for reasons of operational
security. It re-emerged sometime after the war
and remains in regular use today, although some
units never adopted a designator

June
Regarded as a heavy bomber by the standards
of the time, the Avro Aldershot entered service
with 99 Sqn at RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk.
It carried a 2,200lb (998kg) bomb load. Four
examples of an ambulance version, designated
Andover, were supplied to RAF Halton
6 The Vickers Virginia entered service, with
7 Sqn at Bircham Newton
16 The Marine Aircraft Experimental
Establishment (MAEE), created by renaming 1925: Typifying inter-war RAF operations, these 5 Sqn
the Marine and Armament Experimental Bristol Fighters were flying close to the base at Quetta,
India. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Establishment on March 1, moved to
Felixstowe, under the command of Wing
Commander CEH Rathbone
28 The de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird September mountain strongholds and an ‘air blockade’
debuted in RAF service at the Hendon Air 28 Douglas World Cruisers Chicago and New was established; the air operations were
Display. Eight of the single-seat lightplanes Orleans arrived back at Seattle, completing the dubbed ‘Pinks’ War’
were commissioned for communications and first round-the-world aeroplane flight. Flying
training, while two were used in trials with the time was 371 hours 11 minutes, and 57 stops May
airship R33 were made on the journey 15 The first Special Reserve unit, 502 (Ulster)
Squadron, was established at Aldergrove, on
the Vimy

August
The Supermarine Southampton entered
service with 480 (Coastal Reconnaissance)
Flight at Calshot

September
15 The first AuxAF squadron – No. 602 (City of
Glasgow) Squadron – was formed

Left: August 1925 – The Southampton pioneered

long-range seaplane operations. Key Collection

22 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

 1920-1929

October
The RAF competed in the Schneider Trophy
competition with the Gloster III floatplane. It
used the Gloster I for pilot training ahead of
the 1925 and 1927 events
600 (City of London) and 603 (City of
Edinburgh) Squadrons, AuxAF were formed
1 The first University Air Squadron (UAS)
formed, at Cambridge
15 Flying a Hummingbird, Sqn Ldr RA de Haga
Haig achieved the first successful British launch
from and recovery to an airship
30 John Logie Baird made the first television
transmission of a moving image, in his attic
workshop at 22 Frith Street, London

December
The Handley Page Hyderabad heavy bomber
entered service with 99 Sqn at Bircham Newton.
February 1926: The Victoria transport
It carried a 1,100lb (499kg) bomb load entered service. Key Collection

June 1926: The Fairey Fox arrived on 12 Sqn.
Key Collection
1926: The Gamecock entered service with 43
Sqn, although these aircraft were with 23 Sqn
in 1927. Key Collection
1926
The Gloster Gamecock entered service with
43 Sqn at Henlow
Following an attempt by Sheikh Mahmud’s
followers to re-establish themselves in Iraq,
severe fighting led to intensive RAF strikes
against the Sheikh’s stronghold. His followers
dispersed and Mahmud retired into Persia
February
The Vickers Victoria entered service with
70 Sqn in Iraq
March
1 Four Fairey IIID floatplanes departed
Heliopolis, Egypt on the first long-range RAF
formation flight. They flew to Cape Town,
South Africa, back to Heliopolis and then on
to Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, where they
arrived on June 2, having covered 14,000 miles
(22,531km)
19 The Fairey IIIF flew for the first time
June
12 Sqn took the Fairey Fox light bomber on
strength to replace its Fawns
17 Pilot Officer Eric Pentland became the
first RAF officer to escape a stricken aircraft by
parachute
30–August 1 Alan Cobham completed the
first England to Australia return flight, using
a de Havilland DH.50. His final landing was
on the River Thames, close to the Houses of
Parliament
August
100 Sqn introduced the Hawker Horsley
bomber/torpedo-bomber into service, using it
to replace its Fawns
17 The Short Singapore I flying boat took off
for the first time
September
The Armstrong Whitworth Siskin IIIA entered
service with 111 Sqn

October 30, 1925: John Logie Baird made the

first television transmission of a moving image
August 17, 1926: The Short Singapore I completed its maiden flight. Although it failed to enter squadron service, it led
directly to the important Singapore Mk III of 1934. This Singapore I was on a Scandinavian ‘cruise’ in 1927. Key Collection

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 23

1920-1929
May 20–21, 1927: Charles Lindbergh,third from the right,
completed the first solo transatlantic flight. Key Collection
1927
A tri-service ‘Shanghai Defence Force’ was
hurriedly despatched from the UK to protect
European nationals and property in Shanghai
from Chinese communist forces. Its air
component included the FAA Flights aboard
the carriers HMS Hermes (already in the area)
and HMS Argus
Production of the Avro 504N commenced.
The type formed the foundation of RAF flying
training into the early 1930s
The RAF took six examples of the de
Havilland Genet Moth. They were used by the
Central Flying School (CFS) and flown in the
1927 and 1929 Hendon Air Displays
March
Built for the 1927 Schneider Trophy race, the
Gloster IV flew for the first time. It was soon
joined by the reduced wing area IVA and IVB
The Fairey IIIF began its RAF service with a
flight from Cairo to the Cape
May
20–21 Captain Charles Lindbergh completed
the first solo west-east transatlantic crossing
in the Ryan NYP Monoplane Spirit of St Louis.
The 3,590-mile (5,778km) flight from Long
Island, New York to Paris, France took 33 hours
39 minutes
20–23 A modified Hawker Horsley torpedo
bomber, flown by Flight Lieutenants CR Carr
and LEM Gillman, RAF, departed RAF Cranwell
on May 20 in an attempt to establish a new
distance record. After flying for 34 hours
45 minutes, Carr and Gillman ditched in the
Persian Gulf on the 23rd, having covered a
distance of 3,400 miles. Lindbergh’s successful
solo non-stop crossing of the Atlantic had
eclipsed their efforts by less than 200 miles
July
25–29 ADGB held its first annual air defence
exercise
Right: September 26, 1927 – The Schneider Trophy
competition was won in this S.5. Key Collection
24 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
September
11 Commissioned as a training aircraft for
the RAF’s Schneider Trophy team, the sole
Short Crusader floatplane crashed
26 A Supermarine S.5 seaplane, flown by
Flt Lt SN Webster, RAF won the Schneider
Trophy competition at Venice with an
average speed of 281.49mph (453.01km/h).
The aircraft also set a 100km closed circuit
record of 283.67mph (456.52km/h)
October
The RAF’s first purpose-designed army
co-operation aircraft, the Armstrong
Whitworth Atlas entered service with 26 Sqn at
Catterick, Yorkshire
6 The Jazz Singer, the first talking feature film,
was released in the US
17 Under the command of Group Captain HM
Cave-Browne-Cave, four RAF Far East Flight
Southampton flying boats left Plymouth for a
27,000-mile survey of the Empire Air Routes to
Egypt, India, Australia, Japan and Singapore.
The Flight initially reached Singapore
on February 28, 1928, before departing
again in May for Australia and back to
Singapore on September 15. On November 1,
four Southamptons launched, this time
for locations including Thailand and the
Philippines, arriving back in Singapore for the
final time on December 11, 1928
December
The Fairey IIIF entered regular service with
47 Sqn at Khartoum
1928
The RAF assumed responsibility for the
defence of Aden. RAF Aden Command was
formed, under the command of Group Captain
WGS Mitchell
Dr Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin
at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London
The Westland Wapiti I entered service with
84 Sqn in Iraq
May 17, 1928: Lady Heath flew her Avian III from
Cape Town to Croydon. Key Collection
February
7 Sqn Ldr HJL ‘Bert’ Hinkler left Croydon in an
Avro Avian bound for Darwin, in the first solo
flight from England to Australia
21 8 Sqn DH.9As began operations against
unruly tribesman in Aden. The campaign
continued into late August
22 Hinkler completed his 11,000-mile
(17,700km) route to Darwin, including stops in
Italy, Malta, Libya, India, Burma and Singapore
 1920-1929

April
12–13 Commandant James Fitzmaurice of the
Irish Free State Air Service, Luft Hansa’s Hermann October 1927: The Atlas entered
Köhl and Baron Günther von Hünefeld, flew service. This aircraft has its message
pick-up hook extended. Key Collection
Junkers W33 Bremen from Baldonnel, Dublin to
Greenly Island, Labrador, completing the first
east-west transatlantic flight

May
17 Lady Heath, flying an Avro Avian III,
landed at Croydon from Cape Town. She had
completed the first solo flight between South
Africa and the UK

August
Yemenese Zeidi tribesmen invaded two
districts of Aden, opposed by the RAF.
Operations were suspended on agreement of
a truce but bombing resumed when it broke
down. As well as striking the Zeidi directly,
the bombing encouraged tribes friendly
to the British to attack the Zeidi and, as a
consequence, the Zeidi withdrew from Aden
November
The first Fairey Long-Range Monoplane
completed its maiden flight
Below: June 1928: The Hawker Hart flew for the
first time. Key Collection
December
23 Following a coup against the Amir of
Afghanistan, the British Legation in Kabul,
the Afghan capital, was isolated from the
remainder of the city. The emergency
evacuation of British and European officials
and civilians, together with the ousted
Amir and his entourage, began on the 23rd.
Victorias, DH.9As and a Hinaidi transport flew
a total distance of 28,160 miles (45,320km)
– much of it over mountainous terrain – and
evacuated 586 civilians. The operation ended
on February 25, 1929
1929
The first UK television receiver, the Plessey
Baird Televisor, was manufactured
The Hawker Tomtit entered service with 3 FTS
Labour, still under Prime Minister
MacDonald, returned to power

January
The Observer Corps was transferred from War
Office to RAF control. The Corps comprised
volunteers, enrolled as special constables
and recruited to observe, identify and report
hostile aircraft within visual range
The Gloster SS.18 prototype, forerunner
of the Gauntlet and Gladiator, completed its
maiden flight. It trialled four- and six-gun

1928: This Westland Wapiti I was at

Jhellum, India, undergoing trials with
5 Sqn. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 25

1920-1929
March 1929: The Sidestrand entered
service with 101 Sqn in 1929, but here
the unit was deployed on exercise in
1937 Key Collection
armament in a dramatic swing away from
the two-gun fit favoured since World War
One, informing later Air Ministry demands for
eight-gun fighters, including the Hurricane
and Spitfire
March
The type’s only operator, 101 Sqn introduced
the Boulton and Paul Sidestrand into service at
Bircham Newton
April
24–26 Squadron Leader AG Jones-Williams
and Flight Lieutenant NH Jenkins flew the
Fairey Long Range Monoplane non-stop
between RAF Cranwell and Karachi, India – a
distance of 4,130 miles (6,647km) – in 50 hours
48 minutes
29 Lady Maud Hoare (wife of the Secretary
of State for Air, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Samuel
Right: August 24–26, 1929 – Sqn Ldr Jones-Williams (right) and Flt Lt Jenkins flew a Long Range
Monoplane from Cranwell to Karachi. Key Collection Below: May 8, 1929 – The Bulldog II entered
service with 3 Sqn. Here its aircraft were visiting Hendon in July. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
26 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
Lieutenant HRD Waghorn, took the trophy with
an average speed of 328.63mph (528.88km/h).
A pair of Gloster VI biplanes had also been
entered, but neither competed owing to
engine problems
9 The RAF High Speed Flight’s Flt Lt GH
Stainforth established a new world speed
record of 336mph (541km/h) in a Gloster VI at
Calshot
12 The RAF High Speed Flight’s Sqn Ldr AH
Orlebar established a new world speed record
of 357.75mph (575.74km/h) in a Supermarine
S.6 at Calshot
October
99 Sqn introduced the all-metal Handley
Page Hinaidi Mk II into service, at RAF Upper
Heyford, Oxfordshire
24 ‘Black Thursday’ – 13 million shares were
traded on Wall Street as the market crashed
December
31 Sir Hugh Trenchard withdrew from active
duty. Sir John Salmond took over as Chief of
Hoare) laid the foundation stone of College the Air Staff
Hall, RAF Cranwell
May
8 The Bristol Bulldog II entered service with
3 Sqn at Upavon
16 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences made the first Hollywood Awards
– the term ‘Oscar’ was not used until 1931.
Emile Jannings won Best Actor for The Way
of the Flesh and Lost Command; Jane Gaynor
was Best Female for Lost Command, Seventh
Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise; and William
Wellman’s Wings, starring Clara Bow, was
Best Picture
September
7 The RAF won the Schneider Trophy
competition for the second time. An RAF High
Speed Flight Supermarine S.6, piloted by Flight

Major anniversary
occasions World’s
First Colour Gold
Quarter Sovereign
This year Britain celebrates
one hundred years of the
defence of our skies. In 1918
- one hundred years ago - the
Royal Air Force was formed
and since that time it has
defended us from the air.
Through World War Two
and the Battle of Britain,
the Cold War, the Falklands
War, the Gulf War and right
through to today, Britain’s
air defence is crucial to our
national security.
NEW COIN FIRST BUT
FEWER THAN 1 IN EVERY
5,000 UK HOUSEHOLDS
CAN OWN ONE
It’s not so much the
anniversary that has
collectors and gold
buyers excited, as the
announcement of a new gold
quarter sovereign coin being
struck that is a world first.
To mark this nationally
significant anniversary,
Hattons of London has
independently designed
a commemorative gold
quarter sovereign coin and
it features the Union Flag
in full colour - never before
has a quarter sovereign been
struck with full colour in its
design. This is why people
will be determined to get
their hands on one.
FEATURES THE
HURRICANE: HERO OF
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The quarter sovereign coin
features the front section of
a Hawker Hurricane, with
the Union Flag in full colour
in the background.
The distinctive outline
of the nose section, wings
and cockpit of the Hawker
Hurricane - a ‘hero’ of the
Battle of Britain - celebrate
its contribution to the
defence of our skies.
Make a £100 saving and order at £99 (plus £4.99 P&P) and claim your FREE copy of The Defence of Britain’s Skies by calling now on:
Major credit cards accepted. Offer valid until 8th May 2018. Your order is covered by our no-questions-asked 60 day complete satisfaction guarantee | Technical specifications: Coin; quarter sovereign | Issuing
authority: Tristan da Cunha | Diameter: 14mm | Date of coin: 2018 | Weight: 2g | Purity: Solid 22 carat gold | Hattons of London reserves the right to alter or withdraw this offer before the end date | Orders by post:
send name, address, cheque, P.O. or credit card details to “FREEPOST Hattons of London” | Hattons of London Ltd, Company 10718280
Untitled-1 1
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
During World War Two a
total of 14,583 Hurricanes
were produced. It was a
‘workhorse’ of Fighter
Command: it featured a
fabric covered fuselage,
was quick to repair and
withstood considerable
punishment. Turn-around
time - to re-arm, refuel etc.
- was just nine minutes from
landing to taking-off again.
By comparison a Spitfire
took twenty-six minutes.
ONE OF THE WORLD’S
MOST IMPORTANT
COINS
It is significant that a gold
quarter sovereign be struck
for this important national
anniversary - the sovereign
series is itself one of our
greatest national symbols.
The gold sovereign was first
struck in the modern British
era in the year 1817 during
the reign of King George III.
The new sovereign coins
(a full sovereign and half
sovereign were issued from
1817, a double sovereign
from 1823 and a five
sovereign coin from 1887)
were the basis of a coinage
that lasted Britain until the
end of the Gold Standard.
The quarter sovereign was
first struck in 2009.
The sovereign was quite
simply the greatest gold
coin of its era. During the
reign of Queen Victoria, the
British sovereign was official
legal tender in more than
30 nations and territories
around the world, and
accepted in many others.
That global acceptance was
a result of its unparalleled
reliability of purity and
weight. Even today, just
the mention of the word
‘sovereign’ evokes feelings
of pride and security in the
minds of most of us.
YOU MAY CALL
NOW, FREE, ON
Telephone lines open Mon-Fri 9.00am-5.00pm.
Online at www.hattonsoflondon.co.uk
F E A T U R E
STILL MINTED TODAY
Sadly we no longer have
sovereign coins in everyday
circulation. What many
people don’t realise though
is that they are still struck
for those interested in owning
gold.
The sovereigns minted today
are struck to the same purity
they have had since 1817 -
solid 22 carat gold.
BREXIT UNCERTAINTY
FOCUSES MANY ON GOLD
Recent uncertainty caused
by the Brexit process has
caused many people to
reconsider gold. It is a truly
international ‘currency’ and
unlike other assets that
must reside within a specific
geographic territory, it is
portable and also physical.
It even has a special status
within Britain: it can be
bought without paying any
VAT. This is a coin that sits
beyond the reach of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer!
QUARTER SOVEREIGN
COIN WITH COLOUR
IS WORLD’S FIRST
Never before has a quarter
sovereign coin featured full
colour in its design. It is a
fitting tribute to the hundred
year anniversary of the
defence of Britain’s skies.
This first of its kind gold
quarter sovereign, minted
from solid 22 carat gold, is
restricted to just 4,999 coins.
This means that fewer than 1
in every 5,000 UK households
can own one.
Those interested in owning
one at a £100 saving for just
£99 (plus £4.99 for P&P)
should contact Hattons
of London whose contact
details appear below.
This offer is not available
elsewhere.
0800 083 5689
The world’s-first gold quarter sovereign coin with colour in its design
has been independently designed by Hattons of London to celebrate
2018’s one hundred years of the defence of Britain’s skies by the Royal
Air Force. Only 4,999 have been minted, meaning that fewer than 1 in
every 5,000 UK households will be able to own one. A limited number
are available only from Hattons of London with a £100 saving for just
£99 plus P&P. Orders placed within 7 days qualify for a copy of the
book ‘The Defence of Britain’s Skies’ FREE of charge.
Applications made within - and their impact
7 days will receive a copy on the defence of Britain.
of the 76 page full colour
It may also be possible for
book “The Defence of
you to acquire this important
Britain’s Skies” by award
gold coin completely free of
winning documentary
charge - you should phone
maker and author Stewart
Hattons of London and one
Binns, FREE of charge with
their order. It presents
of their advisors will explain
how.
the history of seven iconic
British aircraft - including The coin may be returned
the Hawker Hurricane within 60 days for a full
refund. There is a strict limit
of one coin per household,
and this offer is limited to
UK mainland households
only. All applicants must be
aged 18 or over.
It’s worth noting too that
within Britain sovereign
coins have no VAT.
NDR E D Y
HU
E
E
A
ON
RS
SKIES •
• THE DE
Offer Reference:
’S
F
N I
1205
N
E
CE A
OF BRIT
13/02/2018 10:02:56
1930-1939
1930-1939

The quest for peace and preparations for war dominated the 1930s. With conflict
inevitable, the RAF embarked upon a major programme of expansion

T 1930
hrough the 1930s, the RAF
developed into a fighting force as
bellicose signals from the continent
indicated that Germany was again
preparing for war. New technologies,
epitomised by the Hurricane and Spitfire,
were gradually adopted, although in
the face of considerable reluctance from
the Air Ministry, where the tried and
trusted biplane was preferred over the
newfangled monoplane. While the RAF’s
fighters evolved through the Gauntlet and
Gladiator to the Hurricane, its bombers
underwent a somewhat less graceful
transition. The ungainly Heyford and
Hendon made a nod toward modernity,
but it was only with the Hampden and
Whitley that any real progress was made.
Even then, they hardly matched the
capability of the German Heinkel He 111,
first flown in 1935. Then, on September 1,
1939, Germany invaded Poland and war
became the new reality.
The Avro Mongoose-Trainer, forerunner of the
Tutor, entered service
January
The Blackburn Iris III entered service with
209 Sqn at Mount Batten, Plymouth
The Hawker Hart light bomber entered
service with 33 Sqn. It easily outperformed the
Siskin fighter during exercises later in the year
1 Royal Air Force Far East Command was
formed
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Salmond was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
March
12 Mahatma Gandhi opened his civil
disobedience campaign in India with the ‘salt
march’, a 241-mile trek across western India
in protest at Britain’s control of salt supplies.
Indians were forced to pay tariffs on salt and
were forbidden from producing their own

November 1937: The Fairey Hendon

entered service with 38 Sqn at
Mildenhall. This aircraft, possibly a
trials machine, is thought to have been
operating at Marham. Key Collection

28 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


May 1931: The Hawker Fury entered service at Tangmere, although this machine was employed on
propeller trials. Key Collection
May
5–24 Amy Johnson (pictured left)
completed the first solo flight from Britain
to Australia by a woman, flying her de
Havilland Gipsy Moth from Croydon to
Darwin. The Daily Mail awarded her a prize
of £10,000 for the achievement
October
5 On a flight from Cardington, Bedfordshire
to Egypt and India, airship R101 hit a hill
near Beauvais, France. It caught fire and was
destroyed, with 48 fatalities from 54 occupants
19–November 25 A formation of 47 Sqn
Fairey IIIDs flew from Khartoum to West
Africa and back
1931
US architect Alfred Mosher Butts created a
game he named Lexiko. In 1938 he developed
it into Scrabble
The Handley Page Clive Mk II entered
service with the Heavy Transport Flight at
Lahore, India
The RAF High Speed Flight employed the
Fairey Firefly IIIM prototype, equipped with
floats, as a trainer. It also used the Fairey
Fleetwing, a larger floatplane, on ‘hack’ duties
January
6 General Italo Balbo led ten Italian Savoia
seaplanes from Portuguese Guinea to
Brazil, in the first formation flight across
the South Atlantic
1930-1939
March
The Hawker Hart Fighter entered service with
23 Sqn
April
The Fairey Gordon entered service with 40 Sqn
at Upper Heyford
The Short Rangoon entered service with
203 Sqn at Basra, Iraq
May
The Hawker Fury I entered service with 43 Sqn
at Tangmere
1 President Hoover pushed a button in
Washington DC, switching on the Empire State
Building’s lights in New York to officially open it
December 1931: A 4 Sqn Audax. Key Collection
June
23–July 1 Wiley Post and Harold Gatty flew
around the world in Lockheed Vega Winnie
Mae. The 15,474-mile (24,900km) journey took
8 days 15 hours 51 minutes
July
28–August 6 Amy Johnson and Jack
Humphreys flew from England to Tokyo in a
de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 29
1930-1939
December 1933:
The Heyford bomber
entered service with
99 Sqn. This aircraft was
‘under attack’ from a Fury.
Key Collection
September
13 Flt Lt John Boothman won the Schneider
Trophy outright for Great Britain, flying a
Supermarine S.6B. He averaged 340.08mph
(547.31km/h), achieving the RAF’s third
consecutive victory and taking the Schneider
Trophy for perpetuity
18 Japan began operations against China,
leading to its occupation of Manchuria
29 Flt Lt George Stainforth used an S.6B to
set a new world speed record of 407.5mph
(655.8km/h)
October
26 The de Havilland Tiger Moth flew for the
first time
27–28 Sqn Ldr OR Gayford and Flt Lt DLG Bett
flew a Long Range Monoplane 2,857 miles
(4,600km) non-stop from Cranwell to Abu Sueir
December
The Hawker Audax entered service with 4 Sqn
at Farnborough, Hampshire
Below: September 13, 1931 – Boothman
taxies in after his winning Schneider Trophy
performance. The same S.6B, S1595, took the
world speed record on the 29th. Key Collection
Flt Lt John Boothman won
the Schneider Trophy outright
for Great Britain
30 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
1933: The Tutor entered CFS service and
soon became an aerobatic team mount.
Key Collection
1932
The first regular BBC television service began
with four programmes per week between 2200
and 2330hrs. It was a 30-line, low-definition
service
February
The Tiger Moth entered service with the CFS
April
25 Following a small-scale revolt in northeast
Iraq, the RAF bombed insurgent Kurdish
tribesmen. In an effort to minimise loss of life,
leaflet drops and verbal warnings broadcast
via a loudspeaker system fitted to a Vickers
Victoria presaged the raids. The operations
also saw troops flown from Egypt to Iraq
aboard 70 and 216 Sqn Victorias. Sheikh
Ahmad surrendered in June
May
20–21 Flying a Lockheed Vega from Harbor
Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry,
Northern Ireland, Amelia Earhart became the
first woman to make a solo flight across the
North Atlantic
February 1935: The Valentia entered service in
Egypt. Key Collection
August
Forrest Mars produced the first Mars bars, in his
small Slough, Berkshire facility
18–19 Jim Mollison completed the first east-
west solo flight of the North Atlantic. Piloting
a DH.80A Puss Moth, he flew from the beach at
Portmarnock Strand near Dublin to Pennfield
Ridge, New Brunswick, in 31 hours 20 minutes
September
Shamozi Mohmand tribesmen beset the relief
column heading from Dargai in Afghanistan
to the besieged fort at Chitral, India. Westland
Wapiti crews flew bombing and strafing sorties
in an effort to protect it. The engagement
continued into October
16 Flying a Vickers Vespa Mk VII over Filton,
Somerset, Cyril F Uwins established a new
world altitude record of 43,976ft
November
The Vickers Vildebeest Mk I entered service
with 100 Sqn at Donibristle, Fife
 May 1935: As the RAF rearmed with increasing urgency, the
Gauntlet entered service with 19 Sqn. Key Collection
1933
The Avro Tutor entered service with the CFS
January
Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor
The Westland Wallace entered service with
501 (City of Bristol) Squadron at Filton
1 The RAF abolished the rank of Sergeant
Major, replacing it with Warrant Officer
Air Chief Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
February
6–8 Sqn Ldr OR Gayford and Flt Lt GE
Nicholetts used the Fairey Long Range
Monoplane Mk II to establish a new non-stop
world distance record. They flew from RAF
Cranwell and landed at Walvis Bay, South
Africa, covering 5,309 miles (8,544km)
6–9 Jim Mollison took off from Lympne, Kent
and landed at Port Natal, Brazil, establishing
a new UK-South America record as well as
becoming the first pilot to fly solo between the
two continents. He also became the first pilot
to fly the South Atlantic solo east-west and the
first to make a solo flight across both the North
and South Atlantic
April
The squadron system was re-introduced for
Fleet Air Arm (FAA) units. Between 1923 and
1933, the FAA had consisted of flights, each
with a normal establishment of six aircraft.
Existing flights were now reformed into
squadrons of nine to 12 aircraft, each allocated
a number in the 800 series
3 The Westland P.V.3, crewed by Sqn Ldr
the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale and
LVS Blacker, and the P.V.6, flown by Flt Lt DF
McIntyre and SR Bonnet, were the first aircraft
to fly over Mount Everest
28 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John
Salmond was appointed Chief of the Air Staff
1930-1939
May
22 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward
things to come, stating that Germany was well
on the way to becoming the world’s most heavily
Ellington was appointed Chief of the Air Staff armed nation. His prophetic statement was
remarkable in that Germany was still bound by
June the Treaty of Versailles, banning it from re-arming
The Hawker Hart Trainer entered service at the
RAF College Cranwell December
The Handley Page Heyford entered service
July with 99 Sqn at Upper Heyford
15–22 Wiley Post, flying a Lockheed Vega, 31 The Polikarpov I-16 made its first flight.
made the first round-the-world solo flight. His It was the first monoplane fighter with an
journey began and ended at Floyd Bennett enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage
Field, New York and took him via Berlin,
Moscow, Irkutsk and Alaska, a distance of
15,600 miles (25,100km)
August
The Saro Cloud entered service with the
Seaplane Training Squadron at Calshot
October
15 The prototype Rolls-Royce P.V.12 engine
ran for the first time. It was developed into the December 1935:
Merlin Entering service with
24 Addressing the House of Commons, Winston 21 Sqn, the Hind
Churchill gave early warning of the shape of continued the Hart
line. Key Collection
February 1932: This aircraft was among the first production batch of Tiger Moth Mk I aircraft
delivered to the CFS and used in an inverted flying display later in the year. Key Collection
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 31
1930-1939
1934
January
The Blackburn Perth entered service with
209 Sqn at Mount Batten
March
Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin assured the
House of Commons that should the Geneva
Disarmament Conference fail, Britain would take
steps to organise an Air Disarmament Conference.
Should that fail, the strength of the RAF would be
increased to match that of the strongest air arm
within striking distance of the UK
May
24 For the first time, RAF stations opened to
the public for Empire Air Days. All proceeds
were donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund
July
18 The Cabinet approved the RAF’s Expansion
Scheme ‘A’. It provided for growth to a strength
of 111 frontline squadrons at home and
overseas (1,252 aircraft) together with 16 FAA
squadrons (213 aircraft) by March 31, 1939
August
The first of ten Avro Rota autogiros entered
RAF service with the School of Army Co-
operation, RAF Old Sarum. The Rota was the
RAF’s first rotary-wing aircraft
September
In a demonstration of Dr Rudolph Kühnold’s
apparatus to high ranking naval staff at
Pelzerhaken, near Lübeck, echoes of a ship
seven miles away were picked up. Those of a
German seaplane were also received, marking
the first detection of an aircraft by radio location
Mao Zedong led the ‘Long March’ as
approximately 100,000 Communist Chinese
troops and supporters broke away from
Nationalist Chinese troops in the Jiangxi Soviet
of southern China. They marched 6,000 miles
(9,600km) to Yan’an, in the northern province
of Shaanxi
32 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
1930s: Westland’s Wapiti
was the stalwart of RAF
policing operations
through much of the
decade. Key Collection
October
20–23 CWA Scott and Tom Campbell Black
won the MacRobertson England–Australia Air
Race in a twin-engined de Havilland DH.88
Comet, completing the course in 71 hours
18 minutes. KD Parmentier and JJ Moll won the
handicap section in a KLM Douglas DC-2 airliner
November
The Short Singapore entered service with
210 Sqn at Pembroke Dock
Flying a Lockheed Altair, Sir Charles
Kingsford Smith and Capt Taylor made the first
aeroplane flight between Australia and the US
December
The Vickers Vincent entered service with
84 Sqn in Iraq
November 6, 1935: Hawker first flew the relatively conservative Hurricane
around five months after the Bf 109’s maiden sortie. Key Collection
1935
The Boulton Paul Overstrand entered service
with 101 Sqn at Bicester, Oxfordshire
The de Havilland Dominie entered service
with 24 Sqn at Hendon
January
The Avro Prefect entered service with the Air
Navigation School at Andover
5 The de Havilland DH.82B Queen Bee
remotely-controlled target flew for the first time
February
The Vickers Valentia entered service with
216 Sqn at Heliopolis
24 The Heinkel He 111 flew for the first time
26 Robert Watson-Watt successfully
demonstrated the possibility of detecting an
aircraft using radio transmissions, using a short-
wave BBC transmitter to locate a Heyford
March
1 The German Air Force (Reichsluftwaffe)
officially came into being. The existence of the
new service – which contravened the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles – was made public by
Hermann Göring, in an interview on March 10
16 Announcing an extensive rearmament
plan, Hitler repudiated the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles, claiming that Germany could
no longer remain unarmed while the rest of
Europe possessed weapons
April
The Hawker Hardy entered service with 30 Sqn
at Mosul, Iraq
May
The Gloster Gauntlet entered service with
19 Sqn at Duxford
May 28, 1935: The German aerospace industry
advanced very quickly during the decade,
flying the Bf 109A in 1935. Key Collection

The Supermarine Scapa entered service
with 202 Sqn at Kalafrana, Malta
22 The British government voted to treble the
number of frontline military aircraft available
to defend the UK. The decision lead to an
increase of 1,500 machines
28 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter flew for
the first time
31 A major earthquake destroyed the
RAF base at Quetta, India. All the station’s
buildings, apart from the hangars, collapsed;
55 RAF personnel and dependants, and 66
local employees were killed. More than 30,000
of the 65,000 population in the town of Quetta
lost their lives
June
The Conservatives returned to power, again
with Stanley Baldwin as prime minister
July
6 King George V’s Royal Review of the Royal
Air Force at Mildenhall and Duxford included a
flypast of 350 aircraft
April 1937: The Wellesley entered service with
76 Sqn. Key Collection
November 1937: As the frontline modernised,
so the CFS moved to keep up, taking the Oxford
advanced trainer on strength alongside other
new types.
1935: The Overstrand entered service in 1935 as a Sidestrand
development, finally replacing the latter with 101 Sqn in 1936. This
aircraft was at Hendon for RAF Display rehearsals that June. Key Collection
March 6, 1936: The Anson Mk I combined a retractable undercarriage with the modern monoplane
format when it entered service with 48 Sqn. Key Collection
23 A report on ‘radio direction finding’
was presented to the Air Defence Research
Committee
August
20 Following an attempt by Upper Mohmand
tribes to destroy the Gandab military road and
its outposts on the North-West Frontier, 27
and 60 Sqns provided air support for troops
attempting to regain control of the region
29 Rowntree’s of York launched the KitKat bar
September
3 Driving his car Bluebird, Malcolm
Campbell exceeded the 300mph land speed
record target with a speed of 301.337mph
(484.955km/h) at Daytona Beach, Florida
9 The RAF began a night-bombing campaign
in Afghanistan
17 The Junkers Ju 87 dive-bomber flew for the
first time
October
3 Italy invaded Abyssinia without warning,
using aircraft from bases in Eritrea and
Somaliland. British military forces in the
Middle East were strengthened and brought
to a heightened state of readiness in response.
1930-1939
Eleven RAF squadrons were despatched to the
Mediterranean and Middle East from the UK
November
6 The Hawker Hurricane made its first flight
December
The Hawker Hind entered service with 21 Sqn
at Bircham Newton
17 Douglas chose 17 December, the
anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight,
for the maiden sortie of its new Douglas
Sleeper Transport (DST), which evolved
into the better-known DC-3. The DC-3 was
subsequently militarised as the C-47 Skytrain,
which entered RAF service as the Dakota
1936
March
Further violating the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler
also renounced the 1925 Locarno Treaty
defining the means by which peace in Western
Europe might be guaranteed, as German
troops marched unopposed into the Rhineland
5 The prototype Vickers Supermarine
Type 300, later named Spitfire, made its first
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 33
1930-1939

Morocco marked the beginning of the Spanish

Civil War
20 Twenty German Junkers Ju 52/3m
bomber-transports arrived in Seville. Over the
following six weeks they performed the world’s
first large-scale airlift, moving 7,350 Nationalist
troops and artillery from Morocco to Spain
21 The King’s Flight formed
30 The RAF Volunteer Reserve was
established. Speaking in the House of Lords,
Viscount Swinton announced that volunteers
would be recruited for a minimum of five
years, receiving flying training at weekends
and during an annual 15-day camp. By the
outbreak of World War Two the scheme had
given the RAF a valuable reservoir of 63,000
men trained as pilots, and in medical and
technical trades

February 1937: Although its biplane layout and fixed undercarriage were anachronistic even when it
entered service, the Gladiator at least employed a four-gun armament. Key Collection
flight at Eastleigh aerodrome, with Vickers test
pilot Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers at the controls
6 The RAF’s first operational ‘modern’
monoplane, the Avro Anson, equipped with
retractable undercarriage, entered service with
48 Sqn at RAF Manston
April
The Saro London entered service with 201 Sqn
at Calshot
15 Heinkel began development work on a jet
aircraft
May
1 Inland Area was renamed as RAF Training
Command
9 Italy annexed Abyssinia
12 The Messerschmitt Bf 110 flew for the first
time
25 500, 501, 502, 503 and 504 Sqns of the
RAF Special Reserve were transferred to the
Auxiliary Air Force
June
15 The Vickers Wellington flew for the first
time
21 The Handley Page Hampden flew for the
first time
September
4–5 Beryl Markham became the first woman
to fly the North Atlantic east to west. She left
Abingdon, Berkshire and crash landed her
26 Ewald Rohlfs made the first flight of Percival Vega Gull at Baleine, Nova Scotia, after
the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 twin-rotor helicopter. a flight of 24 hours 40 minutes
Although it lasted only around 30 seconds, the 17–24 The first full-scale RAF trials of a radio
flight established the aircraft as the world’s first direction finding (RDF, later radio direction and
completely successful helicopter ranging, Radar) system were carried out using
experimental equipment located at Bawdsey
July Research Station to track Coastal Command
9 RAF Halton and RAF Cranwell ceased to have Ansons operating from Manston and flying
independent command status, instead falling boats out of Felixstowe. Although the trial
under Training Command generated mixed results, the Chief of the Air
14 As a result of RAF expansion, the Air Staff considered the concept of RDF proven,
Council decided to reorganise ADGB into paving the way its development as part of the
four specialised commands. Air Marshal air defences of the UK
Sir John Steel led Bomber Command from 28 Sqn Ldr SR Swain, flying the Bristol
Uxbridge, Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding Type 138A from Farnborough, established a
led Fighter Command from Stanmore, Air new world altitude record of 49,944ft
Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore took
control of Coastal Command from Lee- February 1937: The Magister entered CFS
on-Solent and Air Marshal Sir Charles service as an elementary trainer. A retractable
Burnett headed Training Command hood enabled the student’s cockpit to be
from Ternhill. The individual Air Officers covered for blind flying practice. Key Collection
Commanding (AOCs) were responsible
for the planning and development of
their Command, while the Chief of the
Air Staff remained in overall control of
operational policy
18 Simultaneous revolts in 12 military
garrisons in Spain and five in Spanish

June 15, 1936: The prototype Vickers Wellington

flew for the first time. Key Collection

34 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


October
The Hawker Fury II entered service with 25 Sqn
at Hawkinge
5–31 200 men marched from Jarrow to
London to present the government with
a petition from Jarrow Borough Council
protesting over high unemployment
November
Following the declaration of a Jihad (holy war)
against foreign infidels by the religious leader
the Fakir of Ipi, fighting broke out between
British and Indian Army columns and the Fakir’s
forces in the Khaisora Valley. 5 and 27 Sqns flew
air supply missions as the columns succeed in
forcing the Fakir and his supporters out of the
valley; the Fakir went into hiding
The Fairey Hendon entered service with
38 Sqn at Mildenhall, Suffolk
The Balloon Barrage scheme was
announced. Balloon barrages were intended
to deter low-level attacks on important
installations. Enemy aircraft were forced
to climb above them, impairing bombing
accuracy and exposing them to anti-aircraft fire
for longer periods
December
The Royal Air Force Officers Engineering Course
at RAF Henlow was renamed as the Royal Air
Force School of Aeronautical Engineering
11 King Edward VIII abdicated in favour of his
brother, who became King George VI
21 The Junkers Ju 88 flew for the first time
31 60 Sqn flew a series of raids over three days
against the Fakir of Ipi’s fortified camp at Arsol
Kot, which had been located on December 23.
The raids achieved an accuracy in excess of
60% and Arsol Kot was ruined
1937
The Fakir of Ipi renewed his efforts to foment
unrest against British colonial rule in India’s
North-West Frontier Province. RAF squadrons
harried the Fakir and his followers, and from
July 1, the Indian Government sanctioned
air attacks against any village suspected of
harbouring him
The de Havilland Don entered service with
24 Sqn
Below: September 28, 1936 – Sqn Ldr Swain set a new world altitude
record in the Bristol 138A. Key Collection Right: June 28, 1939 –
Pictured here in 1943 as Air Chief Commandant, Trefusis-Forbes led
the WAAF at its formation. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
The Miles Magister entered CFS service
Rowntree’s of York launched its Smarties
and Rolo confectionary brands
January
The Handley Page Harrow entered service with
214 Sqn at Scampton, Lincolnshire
February
The last biplane fighter to join the RAF
frontline, the Gloster Gladiator entered service
with 72 Sqn
March
The Armstrong Whitworth Whitley entered
service with 10 Sqn
The Bristol Blenheim entered service with
114 Sqn
The first airborne radar was fitted to a
Heyford based at Martlesham Heath
April
The Supermarine Stranraer entered service
with 228 Sqn at Pembrey Dock
The Vickers Wellesley entered service with
76 Sqn at Finningley, Yorkshire
12 Frank Whittle ground-tested his first gas
turbine engine
26 German Legion Condor aircraft, operating
alongside Spanish Nationalist forces, bombed
Guernica, the seat of Basque government. The
town became a symbol of the inhumanity of
aerial bombing
1930-1939
March 5, 1936: Vickers-Supermarine developed
its elegant Type 300 prototype into the Spitfire.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
May
The RAF took its first air defence radar station,
at Bawdsey Manor, Suffolk, on strength
The Hawker Hector entered service with
4 and 13 Sqns at Odiham
Neville Chamberlain replaced Stanley
Baldwin as prime minister
6 Fire destroyed Germany’s hydrogen-filled
airship Hindenburg as it docked at Lakehurst,
New Jersey. Of the 97 passengers and crew
on board, 33 were killed. The first colour news
photograph, published in the New York Sunday
Mirror, was of Hindenburg’s destruction at
Lakehurst
20 The Fairey Battle entered service with
63 Sqn at Upwood, Cambridgeshire
June
30 Flight Lieutenant MJ Adam, flying a Bristol
138 from Farnborough, established a new
altitude record of 53,937ft
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 35

June 1938: This Harvard was the first of the 200 ordered in 1938. The UK eventually
took 4,765 of the type. Key Collection
July
7 Following clashes with Chinese troops at
Lukouchiao, near Peiping, Japan began a full-
scale invasion of China
27 The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor flew for the
first time
30 Following the conclusion of an
enquiry conducted by the Minister for
June 1938: The Sunderland became
operational. Key Collection
the Coordination of Defence, Sir Thomas
Inskip, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
announced in the House of Commons the
decision to transfer the FAA from RAF to
Admiralty control
August
23 The first completely automatic landing was
made at Wright Field, Ohio without assistance
March 1937: 10 Sqn introduced the Whitley into service. This machine was with the squadron at Leeming in 1941. Key Collection
from the pilot in the aircraft or by radio from
the ground
September
Singapore III flying boats were detached to
Arzeu, Algeria for anti-submarine patrols
1 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Cyrol
Newall was appointed Chief of the Air Staff
November
The Airspeed Oxford entered CFS service
The de Havilland DH.86B entered service
with the RAF Wireless School at Cranwell
December
111 Sqn took delivery of the first Hurricanes,
at Northolt
1938
The Airspeed Envoy entered service
The Miles Nighthawk entered service with
the CFS
January
20 The Air Ministry announced that the annual
RAF Display at Hendon was to be discontinued
since the airfield was too small for safe
operations with modern aircraft
December 1938: The Blenheim IF
entered service. RAF (AHB)/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
March
11 Hitler ordered the Anschluss, the
occupation of Austria
April
1 RAF Maintenance Command was formed,
under Air Vice-Marshal JST Bradley
The Miles Mentor entered service
Nestlé of Vevey, Switzerland, introduced
Nescafé, the first instant coffee
June
The Westland Lysander entered service with
16 Sqn at Old Sarum, Wiltshire
The Short Sunderland entered service
with 230 Sqn in Singapore and 210 Sqn at
Pembroke Dock
The British Purchasing Commission
commissioned 200 Lockheed Hudsons and 200
North American Harvards, in the first orders
for US military aircraft placed on behalf of the
Royal Air Force
22 Sayid Muhammed Sadi ‘Shami Pir’, a Syrian
with pronounced pro-Nazi sympathies, had
begun leading a force of Pathan tribesmen
towards the India-Afghanistan border on June
20, intent on invading Afghanistan. Three
20 Sqn Audax flying an armed reconnaissance
sortie spotted the invasion force two days later,
attacking and dispersing the group

January 20, 1938: Hendon’s RAF
Display’s were discontinued –
these Victorias performed at the
1927 event. Key Collection
July
The Civil Air Guard was established to create a
reserve of civil pilots by subsidising training at
flying clubs across the UK
7–8 Two Long-Range Development Flight
Wellesleys flew a return trip to the Persian Gulf,
covering 4,300 miles (6,920km) in 32 hours
August
The Supermarine Spitfire I entered service with
19 Sqn at Duxford
September
15–29 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
flew to Munich twice in an attempt to solve
the growing German-Czech crisis. Finally,
on September 29, France and Britain
capitulated to German demands and agreed
to the annexation of the Czech Sudetenland.
Chamberlain returned to Britain and, clutching
the agreement, claimed ‘peace in our time’
20 The Handley Page Hampden entered
service with 49 Sqn
24 In response to the Munich Crisis, the RAF
introduced a series of emergency measures,
placing it on a war footing
October
The Vickers Wellington entered service with
99 Sqn at Mildenhall
November
The Percival Vega Gull entered service with
24 Sqn
1 RAF Balloon Command was formed, under
Air Vice-Marshal OT Boyd. By the outbreak of
September 20, 1938: The Hampden entered service with 49 Sqn. Here one
of the unit’s aircraft is bombed-up at Scampton during operations.
RAF Scampton Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
1930-1939
August 1938: The Supermarine
Spitfire Mk I entered service
bomber, 11 fighter, two army co-operation and
three reconnaissance)
The Hawker Henley entered service with 1,
5 and 10 Bombing and Gunnery Schools
The Handley Page Hereford entered service
with 185 Sqn
January
August 1938: 19 Sqn’s new Spitfires lined up
The Bristol Blenheim IV entered service with
for members of the press. © UK MoD Crown 53 Sqn at Odiham
Copyright 2018
March
World War Two it had deployed 1,500 barrage The Bristol Bombay entered service
balloons
5–7 Two Long-Range Development Flight April
Wellesleys established a new world distance 1 The final Republican forces surrendered,
record. Flown from Ismailia, Egypt to Darwin, ending the Spanish Civil War
Australia, the aircraft completed the 7,159-mile
(11,520km) flight in 48 hours
December
The Bristol Blenheim IF entered service
with 25 Sqn at Hawkinge
The North American Harvard
entered service with 12 FTS at
Grantham, Lincolnshire
1939
At the turn of the year, RAF strength
stood at 135 squadrons (74 bomber,
27 fighter, 12 army co-operation, 17
reconnaissance, four torpedo-bomber
and one communications). In addition, June 1938: The Lysander entered service.
the AuxAF fielded 19 squadrons (three © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 37
1930-1939
May
The Miles Master entered service
The Lockheed Hudson entered
service with 224 Sqn at Leuchars
14 The Short Stirling heavy bomber
flew for the first time
June
The Percival Petrel entered service
with 24 Sqn
1 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 flew for the
first time
20 The Heinkel He 176 took its initial
flight, the first for a rocket-powered aircraft
designed to be piloted
28 The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
was formed, with Miss J Trefusis-Forbes as
Senior Controller. Its formation enabled
WAAF’s to replace men in secondary roles,
releasing them for aircrew and frontline duties
July
17 The Bristol Beaufighter flew for the first time
25 The Avro Manchester flew for the first time
August
24 Coastal Command began regular
North Sea patrols under the RAF’s general
mobilisation
27 The Heinkel He 178, the first aircraft to
fly on turbojet power alone, completed its
maiden sortie
September
1 Germany commenced its invasion of Poland
at 0445hrs, beginning World War Two. Hitler
had claimed: “I will not war against women and
children. I have ordered my air force to restrict
itself to attacks on military objectives,” yet early
bombing attacks were made on Polish cities,
including Warsaw
Members of the RAF Reserve and RAF
Volunteer Reserve were called up for
permanent service
2 Ten squadrons of Battles and two of
Hurricanes deployed to bases in France with
the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF)
3 Britain declared war on Germany at 1100hrs,
followed by France at 1700hrs. The colonial
parts of the British Empire also declared war on
Germany. A 139 Sqn Blenheim took off from
Wyton for the RAF’s first operational sortie of
the war, a photographic reconnaissance of the
German naval base at Wilhelmshaven
December 1939: 264 Sqn took the Defiant turret fighter on strength. Key Collection
38 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
3/4 Ten Whitleys from 51 and 58 Sqns
dropped 6 million leaflets over
Hamburg, Bremen and the Ruhr
4 The British Expeditionary Force
(BEF), comprising 158,000 men, began
sailing for France. It deployed with
support from an Air Component
of four Blenheim squadrons, four
fighter squadrons flying Gladiators
and Hurricanes, and four Lysander-
equipped army co-operation
squadrons
The RAF recorded its first losses of
the war when five 9 Sqn Wellingtons were shot
down on a raid against German warships in the trained in Britain and the Empire
Elbe estuary
6 South Africa declared war on Germany
A technical fault at a radar station,
compounded by a series of mistakes within
Fighter Command’s fighter control system,
led to RAF aircraft engaging one another over
the Thames Estuary. Blenheim, Hurricane
and Spitfire crews, their aircraft not physically
unlike the Ju 88 and Bf 109, reported seeing
enemy aircraft and several claims were made.
Two Hurricanes were shot down, with the loss
of Pilot Officer ML Hulton-Harrop
10 Canada declared war against Germany
17 Soviet troops entered Poland
A U-boat torpedoed the aircraft carrier HMS
Courageous off the southwest coast of Iceland
20 Sgt F Letchard, a Battle gunner, claimed
the RAF’s first air-to-air victory of the war after
shooting down a Bf 109 during a patrol near
Aachen
23 The RAF’s first dedicated photographic
reconnaissance unit, the Heston Flight was
formed. Its leader, Wg Cdr Sidney Cotton,
had conducted a series of clandestine
photographic sorties over Germany as a
civilian during the late 1930s
27 After an intense struggle against German
and Soviet forces, Poland surrendered
October
25 The Handley-Page Halifax flew for the first
time
11 The formation of the Empire Air Training
Scheme was announced, providing aircrew
instruction throughout the Commonwealth.
May and November 1939: The Hudson, above, entered
Coastal Command service in May and the Beaufort, top,
in November. Both Key Collection
By the end of the war, 88,000 aircrew had been
November
The Bristol Beaufort entered service with
22 Sqn at Thorney Island
13 German aircraft attacked Royal Navy ships
off Shetland. Some bombs fell on land, the
first to hit British soil during World War Two
19 The Heinkel He 177 flew for the first time
29 After being attacked by 602 and 603 Sqn
Spitfires over Lothian, Scotland, an He 111
bomber became the first German aircraft shot
down over the UK during World War Two
December
The Boulton Paul Defiant entered service with
264 Sqn
The Saro Lerwick entered service with
209 Sqn at Oban
18 Fighters shot down 12 out of 24
Wellingtons during an attack on warships at
Wilhelmshaven. Two experimental German
radar installations detected the raid and
guided fighters to the area. Daylight RAF
raids on Germany were suspended as a
consequence and Bomber Command crews
trained in night flying
Untitled-2 1 20/02/2018 11:30:37
1940-1949
1940-1949
If the Royal Air Force was born over the battlefields of World War One, then it
matured as a fighting machine of war-winning potential during World War Two
T 1940
he speed and ferocity of the enemy
advance from Poland, through
Scandinavia and the Low Countries
into France caught the Allies ill prepared
tactically and technologically. Beaten in
France, the RAF regrouped to cover the
evacuation fleet at Dunkirk, then fought
its greatest campaign during the Battle of
Britain, proving that the tide of war could
be turned by airpower alone. Joining the
offensive over Europe, the RAF steadily
improved on its initially poor bombing
results. Ultimately, and in co-operation
with the US Eighth Air Force, it created a
bombing formation powerful enough to
bring Germany to its knees. But perhaps
more than the Battle of Britain and
Bomber Command’s courageous efforts,
it is the air war on all fronts that should be
recognised as the RAF’s finest hour.
April 24, 1945: 616 Sqn had introduced the
jet-powered Meteor into RAF service and in
April 1945 it flew its first deployed operation.
By war’s end, the unit was based at Lübeck.
Key Collection
40 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
The Curtiss Cleveland entered service with 24 Sqn
The Percival Proctor entered service
January
Coastal Command fitted its aircraft with air-to-
surface vessel (ASV) radar sets for the first time,
primarily for use in the detection of submarines
1 Identification friend or foe (IFF) transponders
were introduced to help identify Bomber,
Coastal and Fighter Command aircraft on radar
screens
February
25 The first Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
unit arrived in the UK
March
11 U-31 was the first U-boat sunk by an RAF
aircraft without the assistance of surface
vessels. It fell to an 82 Sqn Blenheim in the
Schillig Roads, the aircraft’s pilot, Sqn Ldr
Miles Villiers ‘Paddy’ Delap, receiving the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
19/20 Bomber Command carried out its first
attack on a land target when 41 Whitleys and
Wellingtons struck the seaplane base on Sylt.
Post-attack reconnaissance of the night-time
raid showed no damage to the target, leading
to a reappraisal of the Command’s night
navigation and bombing techniques
April
3 Air Marshal Sir Charles Portal succeeded Air
Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt as AOC-in-C
Bomber Command
8–9 Several large concentrations of enemy
warships were reported at northern naval bases
early in April, bad weather hampering RAF
missions against them. On the 8th, a Sunderland
crew reported German warships entering
Trondheim fjord, confirming German plans for
an invasion of Norway, which began on April 9;
German forces also occupied Denmark
11 115 Sqn Wellingtons and 254 Sqn Blenheims
attacked Stavanger/Sola airfield, Norway for the
first time
13 Bomber Command mounted its first
minelaying operation. Of 15 Hampdens
 1940-1949

May 32 Battles attempted to attack enemy columns

Eight Royal Netherlands Navy Fokker T-8W
floatplanes escaped to join 320 (Netherlands)
Squadron at Pembroke Dock
1 British forces evacuated from Åndalsnes and
Namsos, Norway
7 A Coastal Command Beaufort dropped the
RAF’s first 2,000lb bomb of the conflict, during
an attack on a cruiser anchored off Norderney
10 Germany invaded Holland, Belgium and
Luxembourg, and attacked French positions
in western France. French and British fighters
claimed 85 victories, but French indecision
meant l’Armée de l’Air (French Air Force)
bombers were not committed to action. Thirty-
three RAF Blenheims attacked German forces
in Holland, for the loss of three aircraft. Later,
advancing through Luxembourg – 13 were lost
to anti-aircraft fire, and fighters shot another
ten down. During the night, Whitleys attacked
enemy communications, in the RAF’s first attack
on mainland Germany
Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister.
Winston Churchill replaced him as head of a
coalition government
11 Seven out of eight Battles failed to return
from an attack in Luxembourg. Meanwhile, a
low-level raid annihilated 114 Sqn’s Blenheims
on the ground
12 Four out of five Battles were shot down in
an attack on the Maas bridges. Fg Off Garland
and Sgt Gray were posthumously awarded the
war’s first air VCs for their part in the raid

despatched, 14 laid sea mines off Denmark and

one aircraft was lost
22 HMS Glorious sailed from Scapa Flow
carrying 18 263 Sqn Gladiators
24 263 Sqn flew off Glorious, landing its
Gladiators on the frozen surface of Lake
Lesjaskog, Norway. The squadron was tasked
with supporting ground forces around Namsos
and Åndalsnes, with further assistance provided
by aircraft flying off Glorious and HMS Ark Royal
26 263 Sqn ceased operations after running
out of fuel and serviceable aircraft. It had made
37 interceptions and claimed six aircraft shot
down, plus several damaged
29 The Empire Air Training Scheme began in
Australia, Canada and New Zealand

Above: The RAF’s fighter control system was key to its success in the Battle of Britain. RAF (AHB)/©
UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018 Above left: A wartime propaganda poster. Wikimedia Commons

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 41

 May 23, 1940: Ground crew work
1940-1949 on a Battle in the mud of a French
airfield. Key Collection
14 German forces broke through the French
front at Sedan and all remaining Battles and
Blenheims were ordered to attack pontoon
bridges and troops in the area. Out of 71
aircraft, 39 were shot down, the greatest RAF
loss ever sustained in an operation of this size
A Luftwaffe raid on Rotterdam city centre
resulted in 814 civilian casualties and raised a
massive outcry from neutral countries. While
the bombers were en route, a delegation
from the Dutch government was preparing to
discuss surrender terms, but an attempt to call
off the bombing was only partially successful
15 After a week of heavy fighting, the Dutch
army capitulated at 1100hrs
By nightfall, the RAF in France had lost 205
aircraft, including 86 three-seat Battles
Bomber Command’s air offensive against
Germany began with a 99-aircraft attack on
industrial targets in the Ruhr. No aircraft were
lost to enemy action rotating to provide rest periods and preserve 5 Small numbers of German bombers attacked
Nylon stockings were launched aircraft for the inevitable defence of Great low-key targets in east and southeast Britain
commercially in the US Britain 8 The RAF contingent evacuated from Norway.
17 Twelve Blenheims attacked enemy tanks and 27 The Belgian army capitulated at midnight During the early hours, ten Gladiators and seven
troops near Gembloux. Ten were shot down by 46 Sqn’s Skaanland flight completed its first Hurricanes embarked in Glorious, the first time
fighters and another by ground fire operational sorties, but after a succession of either the Hurricanes or their pilots had landed
The Ministry of Aircraft Production was landing accidents joined the rest of 46 Sqn and on a carrier deck. The battlecruisers Scharnhorst
constituted by an Order in Council, with Lord 263 Sqn, at Bardufoss, later in the day and Gneisenau sighted Glorious and its destroyer
Beaverbrook appointed Minister of Aircraft escort, Ardent and Acasta, at 1545hrs and
Production June engaged. After a gallant struggle, during which
19 The rapid German advance now posed The Blackburn Botha entered service with Scharnhorst took damage from one of Acasta’s
a threat to RAF aircraft in Belgium and the 608 (North Riding) Squadron at Thornaby torpedoes, all three British warships were sunk
remaining squadrons evacuated over the next 3 On this last day of Operation Dynamo, the for the loss of 1,519 souls. Of the RAF airmen,
two days, with fighter cover over the battlefield RAF flew 171 reconnaissance, 651 bombing only Sqn Ldr Cross and Flt Lt Jameson survived
provided by Hurricanes and Spitfires based in and 2,739 fighter sorties. Over the previous 9 Norway surrendered
southern England nine days, it had lost 177 aircraft, including 106 10 Italy declared war on Britain and France
21 Eight more 263 Sqn Gladiators flew off fighters 11 36 Whitleys attacked the Fiat works in Turin
Glorious to land at Bardufoss, north of Narvik The Luftwaffe attacked Paris The Italians made the first of seven attacks
22 Seven 16 Sqn, Army Co-operation Allied forces began evacuating from Narvik on Malta. The Maltese fighter defence of four
Command Lysanders dropped supplies to a
besieged Allied garrison at Calais. Over the next
two weeks, more than 30 Lysanders were lost on
these operations
26 Twelve 46 Sqn Hurricanes flew off Glorious,
with flights landing at Bardufoss and Skaanland
26–June 4 Following the fall of Calais and
Boulogne, Dunkirk remained the only port
available for the evacuation of Allied troops.
Under the command of AVM Keith Park,
11 Group assigned 16 squadrons to protect the
port. Some 32 squadrons were involved in the
evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo,
April 29, 1940: Canada began instructing August 1972: The engine of a 263 Sqn Gladiator
aircrew under the Empire Air Training Scheme. was recovered from Lake Lesjaskog for display
Key Collection at RAF Museum Hendon. Key Collection

1940/41: The Valentia remained an

important transport asset in the Middle East
as late as 1941. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018

42 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


Sea Gladiators managed to damage only one
enemy aircraft in response
The RAF launched two raids against the
Italian airfield at El Adem, Libya, destroying all
18 aircraft on the ground
Under Operation Haddock, a 99 Sqn
detachment arrived at Salon, near Marseilles,
for raids against Italy. Disagreements between
the British and French high commands over
the policy for attacking Italy thwarted a first
attempted operation on the night of 11/12,
when French lorries blocked the runway
14 German troops entered Paris
15 The Haddock aircraft mounted their
first operation against Italy. 99 and 149 Sqn
Wellingtons took off from Salon for Genoa, but
thunderstorms left only one aircraft to attack
16 The Haddock force flew its final raid,
despatching 22 Wellingtons, of which 14 bombed
17 The remnants of the RAF Hurricane units
in France evacuated, having covered the final
Allied retreat from France; the last to leave were
1 and 73 Sqns, which had been first to arrive in
1939. The fighting in France cost the RAF 1,029
aircraft and more than 1,500 personnel
18 The last British Army formations in France
evacuated via Cherbourg. When the final ship
sailed at 1600hrs, 160,000 British and Allied
troops had been recovered
Prime Minister Churchill declared that the
Battle of Britain was about to begin
21 The Parachute Training School formed at
Ringway, under Sqn Ldr Louis A Strange
22 The French government signed an armistice
in the Forest of Compiègne
Flt Lt George Burge claimed the first Italian
bomber destroyed over Malta. His aircraft was
one of three crated FAA Sea Gladiators left on
Malta and hurriedly assembled at the outbreak
of hostilities with Italy. Named Faith, Hope and
Charity by the press, for some time the aircraft
provided the island’s only fighter defence.
Burge had flown the aircraft subsequently
known as Faith for his historic victory
July
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk II entered service
with 152 Sqn
1 Germany occupied the Channel Islands
3 The FAA struck the French fleet at Oran in an
attempt to prevent it falling into German hands
6 An RAF ASW aircraft used a depth charge – a
450lb Mk VII – in combat for the first time
10 The Battle of Britain’s opening phase began
with harassment raids
19 Luftwaffe efforts increased with regular
attacks on shipping targets
22/23 A Blenheim IF scored the first ever night
kill guided by AI radar. Flg Off G Ashfield flew
his Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) aircraft out of
Tangmere to destroy a KG 3 Dornier Do 17Z
26 The first RCAF squadron equipped with
Canadian-built Hurricanes arrived in the UK
August
The Short Stirling I entered service with 7 Sqn at
Leeming
September 15, 1940: Sgt Hannah, centre, was
awarded the VC at 19-years old. RAF Scampton
Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
August, 1940: 7 Sqn introduced the
Short Stirling into service. Key Collection
1 RAF Northern Ireland was formed as an
independent command
2 The first Hurricanes were delivered to Malta
under Operation Hurry. Twelve aircraft flew off
HMS Argus
4 The Hurry Hurricanes and Malta Fighter Flight
Sea Gladiators combined as 261 Sqn
12 The Bristol Beaufighter IF entered service
with the FIU at Tangmere
Germany opened its major offensive against
the UK, marking the beginning of the Battle of
Britain proper
Flt Lt RAB Learoyd was awarded the VC for
an attack on the Dortmund-Ems canal, flying a
49 Sqn Hampden
13 The Luftwaffe flew its most intensive attacks
on the UK to date. So-called Adler Tag (Eagle
Day) primarily targeted the RAF’s air defence
network and fighter stations
16 Flt Lt James Nicolson remained with his
burning 249 Sqn Hurricane to shoot down a
Messerschmitt Bf 110. He was awarded the VC
for his actions
18 Both sides suffered some of their heaviest
losses during fierce fighting as the Luftwaffe
continued to hit air defence installations, and
Bomber and Coastal Command bases, in an
attempt to eliminate the threat to the Operation
Sealion invasion force being prepared to attack
the UK
20 Prime Minister Churchill, speaking of Fighter
Command’s efforts to the House of Commons,
said: “Never in the field of human conflict was so
much owed by so many to so few.”
1940-1949
21 The first RAF unit established to support the
Special Operations Executive (SOE) and other
clandestine operations, 419 (Special Duties)
Flight formed at North Weald
24/25 After a navigational error, German
bombs fell on central London for the first time
25/26 43 RAF bombers struck Berlin in
retaliation for the Luftwaffe attack on London
September
5 Bromide radio countermeasures (RCM)
transmitters were used to jam enemy Ruffian
navigation signals, marking the effective
introduction of electronic countermeasures
7 The Luftwaffe switched its raids from Fighter
Command airfields to London, striking with
almost 1,000 bombers. While Bomber Command
began an intensive campaign against the
German invasion barge fleet, the government
brought the UK’s military to maximum readiness
in preparation for imminent invasion
The de Havilland Flamingo entered service
with the King’s Flight
15 A 19-year old wireless operator and air
gunner, Sgt Hannah became the youngest
airman recipient of the VC. He was decorated
for his actions during a raid on enemy barges at
Antwerp, Belgium, in an 83 Sqn Hampden
17 A 29 Sqn Beaufighter flew the type’s first
operational sortie with AI.Mk IV
20 The first operational Hurricane fighter-
bomber sortie saw 261 Sqn aircraft attack
targets on Sicily from Malta
October
The Fairey Swordfish entered service with
202 Sqn on Gibraltar
The Martin Maryland entered service with
431 General Reconnaissance Flight on Malta
6 The Luftwaffe bombing offensive began
moving towards nocturnal attacks on the UK
7 80 (Signals) Wing, the RAF’s first electronic
warfare (EW) unit, formed
8 71 Sqn, the first of the primarily US-crewed
‘Eagle Squadrons’, formed
9 The Western Desert Air Force was established
under Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Coningham, for
operations in North Africa. It comprised three
Wellington, five Blenheim, three Hurricane and
one Gladiator squadrons, plus three of army co-
operation Lysanders
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 43
1940-1949

February 6, 1941: The Air Sea Rescue service

the Cherbourg Peninsula, by homing on their
began operations. Initially equipped transmissions
primarily with the Lysander (foreground) 14/15 450 German bombers attacked Coventry,
and Anson, the ASR squadrons took the with devastating effect
Supermarine Walrus (background) on 14–23 Under the command of AVM J D’Albiac,
strength from October 1941. Key Collection RAF squadrons deployed from their bases in the
Middle East to Greece
15 The prototype de Havilland Mosquito took
off for the first time
15–30 Western Desert Air Force Blenheims
and Wellingtons attacked targets deep inside
enemy territory, while Lysanders and Blenheims
provided reconnaissance of Italian defences at
Sidi Barrani
19 A Beaufighter used AI.Mk IV to down an
enemy aircraft for the first time. The Ju 88 fell to
a 604 Sqn aircraft
23 Fighter Command shot down seven Italian
Fiat BR.20M bombers flying an attack on the UK
from bases in Belgium
24 The first Empire Air Training Scheme trainees
arrived in the UK

December
1 Army Co-operation Command was formed
under AM Sir Arthur Barrett
5 35 Sqn moved to Linton-on-Ouse as it
prepared to introduce the Handley Page Halifax I
into service

12 Hitler postponed his invasion of the UK until 13/14 Two Wireless Intelligence
spring 1941 and Development Unit aircraft
25 ACM Sir Charles Portal succeeded ACM Sir made the first direct attack on enemy October 1940: 29 Sqn Blenheim crew rest between
Cyril Newall as Chief of the Air Staff Ruffian navigational radar installations, on sorties. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
28 A new front opened in the Mediterranean
when Italy invaded Greece, via Albania
31 The Battle of Britain ended, but the Blitz
night bombing campaign against British cities,
continued

November
The Hawker Hurricane II entered service with
605 Sqn
The Avro Manchester entered service with
207 Sqn
1 RAF and FAA aircraft attacked targets in
Naples and Brindisi, and Albanian ports
11 A low-level Blenheim attack on Valaca
airfield began the RAF’s air offensive in Greece
21 FAA Swordfish torpedo-bombers
attacked the Italian naval base at Taranto,
southern Italy. They succeeded in torpedoing
one new and two old battleships, and a cruiser,
and damaged dockyard installations

1940: Londoners continued as best they could

through the Blitz. RAF Museum

44 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


7 The Westland Whirlwind entered service with
263 Sqn at Exeter
9–15 The British counteroffensive in the
Western Desert began. Combined attacks by air,
land and sea against troops and supply columns
forced the Italians to retreat over the Egyptian
border. British forces captured 30,000 Italian
troops
20 Two 66 Sqn Spitfires carried out the first
Rhubarb (a long-running series of small-scale
fighter and fighter-bomber attacks) low-level
operations, in an attack on Le Touquet, France
21 23 Sqn began intruder sorties (offensive
night patrols over enemy territory intended
to destroy hostile aircraft and dislocate the
enemy’s flying training organisation), using
Blenheims. The mission replaced Bomber
Command ‘security patrols’, previously flown to
harass Luftwaffe bombers flying night raids on
the UK
1941
The Fairchild Argus entered service
January
The UK began producing nylon yarn, but its use
was confined to government and military needs,
particularly parachute fabric
9 The prototype of the Avro Manchester Mk III,
subsequently renamed Lancaster, completed its
maiden flight
10 The first of the Circus operations was
mounted. These daylight raids involved small
numbers of bombers, with large fighter escorts,
attacking short-range ‘fringe’ targets; they were
primarily intended to entice enemy fighters into
battle. Nine squadrons of fighters escorted
114 Sqn’s Blenheims to the Foret de Guines on
this maiden outing
February
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk V entered service
with 92 Sqn
The Curtiss Tomahawk Mk I entered service
with 26 Sqn at Gatwick
The pace of offensive operations over
occupied Europe increased, with coastal
shipping added to RAF targets
5 The Air Training Corps was constituted by
Royal Warrant
July 8, 1941: 90 Sqn
debuted the Fortress
Mk I in combat.
Key Collection
6 The RAF’s Air Sea Rescue (ASR) Service took
up its duties for the first time
10 51 and 78 Sqn Whitley Mk Vs dropped
paratroops against a viaduct at Tragino, Italy,
in Operation Colossus, the UK’s first airborne
raid. The target was destroyed, but without the
expected strategic effect
11/12 7 Sqn took the Stirling into combat for
the first time, attacking an oil storage target in
Rotterdam
24/25 207 Sqn used the Manchester on its first
operational mission, striking naval targets at
Brest
March
The Brewster Buffalo entered operational
service with 67 Sqn at Kallang, Singapore
The Consolidated Catalina Mk I entered
service with 240 Sqn at Stranraer
1 419(SD) Flt was redesignated 1419(SD) Flt
1/2 More than 100 RAF bombers, including
Manchesters and Stirlings, attacked Cologne
11 US President Roosevelt approved the Lend-
Lease Act, defining the programme through
which the US provided war materiel to more
than 38 nations in lieu of credits or loans. The
UK was its first recipient
11/12 35 Sqn debuted the Halifax in action,
during a raid on Le Havre
19/20 A force of approximately 370 Luftwaffe
bombers attacked London
27 Hitler ordered the invasion of Greece and
Yugoslavia as a prelude to attacking the USSR
1940-1949
29 Bomber Command began a prolonged
campaign the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and
Gneisenau (and subsequently the cruiser
Prinz Eugen) at Brest, aimed at preventing
them attacking shipping in the Atlantic.
Over the next ten months, it mounted
2,928 sorties against the port, 171 of them in
daylight
31/April 1 9 and 149 Sqn Wellingtons dropped
the heaviest weapons so far employed by
RAF aircraft during World War Two, releasing
4,000lb High Capacity (HC) bombs over Emden
April
The Bristol Beaufighter IIF entered service with
600 Sqn at Colerne
3 An Axis-backed revolt began in Iraq
6 22 Sqn Beauforts attacked the battlecruisers
Gneisenau and Scharnhorst anchored at Brest.
Flg Off Kenneth Campbell was killed delivering
a successful torpedo strike on the former, his
sacrifice and bravery being recognised with
the award of a posthumous VC
German troops entered Greece and
Yugoslavia
7 The Douglas Havoc I entered service with
85 Sqn
17/18 The RAF’s heaviest attack against Berlin
so far included 118 bombers, with Manchesters
and Stirlings among them
23 British forces began evacuating to Crete
from Greece
30 Iraqi forces laid siege to RAF Habbaniya
March 11/12, 1941: 35 Sqn employed the
Halifax I operationally for the first time.
Key Collection
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 45
1940-1949
May
1 The evacuation of Greece concluded
2 Heavy fighting broke out around Habbaniya
after the station launched 70 Sqn Wellingtons to
attack Iraqi forces. Its regular, based aircraft, all
4 FTS training types, were pressed into service
4 The North Atlantic Ferry Service began when
a Liberator Mk I, piloted by Capt DCT Bennet,
flew from Montreal, Canada to Blackpool, UK
5/6 Determined 4 FTS attacks since May 2 led
Iraqi forces to withdraw overnight
10/11 With the mass movement of German
units from the West in preparation for the
invasion of the USSR, the regular bombing
attacks begun on Great Britain in summer 1940
and maintained through the Blitz, came to an
end. In the last major raid of the campaign,
1,212 civilians were killed and 1,769 seriously
injured
15 The first flight of a British jet-propelled
aircraft, the Gloster E.28/39, took place at
Cranwell
20 Operation Merkur, the German invasion
of Crete, used paratroops and gliders in the
Luftwaffe’s final large-scale airborne operation,
during which 5,140 troops were killed
wounded or missing, 4,000 reinforcements
November 1941:
The Mosquito BIV
entered service
with 105 Sqn.
Key Collection
May 15, 1941: Britain’s first jet, the Gloster E.28/39, took off
from Cranwell on its maiden flight. Key Collection
46 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
lost at sea, 220 aircraft destroyed and 148
damaged. Nonetheless, Allied forces were soon
overwhelmed
21 A PRU Spitfire spotted the battleship
Bismarck in a fjord near Bergen, Norway
24–27 A combined Royal Navy/RAF operation
destroyed Bismarck. A 209 Sqn Catalina spotted
it after RN surface units lost contact, a similar
240 Sqn aircraft then shadowing the vessel until
HMS Ark Royal was able to launch a Swordfish
attack. Bismarck was hit, the damage slowing
it so that HMS King George V and HMS Rodney
could close and bring their guns to bear
28 The Allied evacuation from Crete began
June
The Consolidated Liberator Mk I entered service
with Coastal Command’s 120 Sqn at Nutts
Corner, Belfast
The Northrop N3P-B entered service with
330 Sqn in Iceland. It was a Norwegian Coastal
Command unit
1 The Allied evacuation from Crete concluded
as the last of 14,500 personnel made it to Egypt
The UK introduced clothes rationing
AVM Arthur Tedder became AOC-in-C
Middle East
12 14 Beauforts from 22 and 42 Sqns, flying
from Leuchars and Wick, searched for the
German pocket battleship Lutzow, which had
been sighted off Norway. Flt Sgt RH Loveitt’s
torpedo forced the ship to return to Kiel for
repairs; Loveitt received the DFM for the action
12/13 445 tons of bombs were dropped on a
Ruhr target, the heaviest tonnage yet delivered
in a single RAF raid
22 Germany invaded the Soviet Union under
Operation Barbarossa. The campaign opened
with a massive air assault. By nightfall, Soviet
losses amounted to 1,811 aircraft, including
1,489 destroyed on the ground. Luftwaffe losses
were just 35 aircraft destroyed
Gee ground stations were completed
at Daventry, Ventnor and Stenigot. Gee
was a medium-range radio navigation and
target identification aid employing ground
transmitters and airborne receivers
July
The Douglas Boston III entered service with
88 Sqn at Swanton Morley
4 Wg Cdr HI Edwards was awarded the VC in
recognition of his gallantry flying a 105 Sqn
Blenheim IV during a daylight raid on Bremen
7/8 Sgt JA Ward was awarded the VC after
climbing onto the wing of a 75 (New Zealand)
Squadron Wellington in flight, in an attempt
to extinguish a fire during the return from an
attack on Munster
8 90 Sqn used the Boeing Fortress Mk I
in combat for the first time, attacking
Wilhelmshaven in daylight
20 RAF Ferry Command was formed under
ACM Sir Frederick Bowhill, taking over the work
of the Atlantic Ferry Organisation
25 Iceland declared its independence from
Denmark, following the latter’s surrender to
Germany. It continued to host British and US
aircraft throughout the war and beyond
August
The Hawker Typhoon entered service with
56 Sqn at Duxford
The only RAF unit on the type, 601 Sqn re-
equipped with the Bell Airacobra fighter

December 1941: The Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk I entered service in Libya. Key Collection
The first flight of a British jet-propelled aircraft,
the Gloster E.28/39, took place at Cranwell
12/13 The RAF dropped its highest tonnage of
bombs yet on Berlin– 82 tons – in a single raid.
The attack bolstered Soviet missions against the
same target
25 1419(SD) Flt was expanded as 138 Sqn
27 A 269 Sqn Hudson forced U-570 to
surrender, for the RAF’s first U-boat capture of
World War Two
September
11 151 Wing Hurricanes began combat
operations over the USSR, contributing to the
defence of Murmansk
20 The de Havilland Mosquito made its first
operational sortie, with the Photographic
Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) at RAF Benson. The
PR.Mk I easily outpaced three Bf 109s during the
daylight mission over France
October
The Stinson Vigilant entered service with
651 Sqn
The Supermarine Walrus entered service
with 275 Sqn at Valley
31 The first production Lancaster Mk I
completed its initial flight
November
105 Sqn introduced the Mosquito B.Mk IV into
service at RAF Swanton Morley
The Avro Lancaster Mk II flew for the first
time
7/8 In excess of 400 bombers struck Berlin in
one of the heaviest raids against the German
capital to date. Many of the aircraft involved
were four-engined Halifax and Stirling bombers,
accounting for 22 of the 37 aircraft lost, to bad
weather and enemy action. It was thought that
a loss rate of just 5% was sustainable
18 British Commonwealth Forces launched
Operation Crusader, a second offensive in the
Western Desert. Air Marshal Tedder, AOC-
in-C Middle East, assembled a force of 16
fighter squadrons (Hurricanes, Tomahawks
and Beaufighters), eight bomber squadrons
(Blenheims and Marylands) and three tactical
reconnaissance squadrons (Hurricanes and
Bostons) under AVM Coningham’s Desert Air
Force. The RAF quickly established a measure of
air superiority, but although the land offensive
achieved initial success, it failed to push Axis
forces back to Benghazi
30 Air-to-Surface Vessel (ASV) radar assisted a
successful Coastal Command U-boat attack for
the first time, when a 502 Sqn Whitley Mk VII
destroyed U-206
December
The Curtiss Mohawk became operational with
5 Sqn at Dum-Dum, Calcutta
The Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk I entered service
with 112 Sqn at El Adem
6 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Hudsons
spotted Japanese troop ships sailing for
northern Malaya
7 The Imperial Japanese Navy made a
devastating air attack on the US Pacific Fleet,
at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Extensive
1940-1949
damage was caused to battleships and other
vessels as well as shore installations, but the US
Navy’s aircraft carriers were at sea and eluded
the raid
Britain declared war on Finland, Hungary
and Romania
7/8 RAAF Hudsons attacked Japanese
transports and barges landing troops at Kota
Bharu, Malaya. Japanese troops also landed at
Singora in Siam and Patani, 130 miles (209km)
north west of Kota Bharu
8 The Japanese invaded northern Malaya after
heavy air attacks on RAF bases in Malaya and
Singapore
Japanese aircraft struck US airfields in the
Philippines
The UK and US declared war on Japan
8/9 RAF and RAAF squadrons mounted
intensive attacks in northern Malaya, losses
virtually wiping out the RAF units
9 Sqn Ldr AS King-Scarf used 62 Sqn Blenheim
Mk I L1134 in a courageous bombing raid on
Singora airfield, Thailand. With the Malayan
campaign records destroyed, the authorities did
not hear of Scarf’s actions until 1946, when his
posthumous Victoria Cross was gazetted
11 Germany and Italy declared war on the
US, while the US declared war on both its new
enemies
23 Japanese aircraft attacked Rangoon as a
prelude to the invasion of Burma. 67 Sqn used
its Buffaloes to down six enemy bombers and
four fighters, but lost five of its own
25 Hong Kong surrendered to Japan
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 47
1940-1949
March 3, 1942: 44 Sqn flew the Lancaster in
action for the first time. Key Collection
28 Australia began evacuating civilians from
Rabaul
1942
The Lockheed Lodestar entered service
January
The de Havilland Mosquito NF.MK II entered
service with 157 Sqn at Castle Camps
The Martin Baltimore entered service with
223 Sqn at Tmimi, Libya
3 Reinforcements arrived in the Far East
to supplement the defensive air forces; 51
Hurricanes arrived in Singapore, 48 in Sumatra,
and 30 Hurricanes and 113 Sqn Blenheims in
Burma
January 1942: The Martin Baltimore entered service in
North Africa. It became an important RAF type in the
theatre. Key Collection
48 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
21 The German Afrika Corps launched a
counteroffensive in the Western Desert
26–30 March Japanese forces continued their
advance through the Far East. By the end of
January, Allied forces had withdrawn from
Malaya and Singapore to Sumatra. Two weeks
later, the enemy captured Palembang airfield in
Sumatra, destroying 39 Hurricanes
27–30 242, 258 and 605 Sqns flew 48 Hurricane
IIAs off HMS Indomitable as reinforcements for
the defence of Singapore
28 German forces retook Benghazi
February
The Luftwaffe continued to pound Malta
throughout February, flying 2,447 sorties
1 The RAF Regiment was formed to provide
ground defence for RAF installations
1–12 What became known as the ‘Channel
Dash’ began, when a Spitfire pilot spotted
Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen off
Le Touquet, attempting to escape Brest for
Germany. Despite repeated attacks by RAF
and FAA aircraft, which had been on alert for
a week, all three vessels passed through the
Channel unscathed. Mines dropped by Bomber
Command subsequently damaged Gneisenau
and Scharnhorst
4 Afrika Corps progress was halted at Gazala
8–9 Japanese forces captured RAF Tengah,
Singapore
10 Surviving US forces evacuated Singapore for
Sumatra
12 Major General CF Liardet assumed
command of the newly established RAF
Regiment

15 161 Sqn, established at Newmarket, became
the second RAF SD squadron
British forces on Singapore surrendered
18 The Allied evacuation to Java was
completed, by which time local RAF airpower
had been reduced to 18 serviceable Hurricanes,
12 Hudsons, six Blenheims and four Vildebeests
22 AM Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris was appointed
AOC-in-C Bomber Command
27 Under Operation Biting, a force of 51 Sqn
Whitleys from Thruxton, led by Wg Cdr PC
Pickard, dropped six officers and 113 men of
‘C’ Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion, under
the command of Major JD Frost, together with
RAF RDF (radar) specialist, Flt Sgt CWH Cox,
close to the Luftwaffe Würzburg radar station at
Bruneval, near Le Havre. The assault force seized
the station and Cox dismantled elements of the
radar for transport back to the UK, together with
three prisoners, by sea
March
The Bristol Beaufighter VIF entered service with
255 Sqn at High Ercall
The Luftwaffe flew 4,927 sorties against
Malta during March
3 Allied forces began evacuating Java
44 Sqn flew the first Lancaster combat
sortie, a minelaying mission from Waddington
4 Allied forces remaining in Java capitulated
February 22, 1942: AM Harris was appointed to
lead Bomber Command. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
7 USS Wasp delivered the first Spitfires for the
defence of Malta
8 Japanese forces entered Rangoon, forcing
the remaining RAF Hurricanes and Blenheims to
move north
8/9 Gee was employed for the first time, on a
raid against Essen
12 The Empire Flying School formed at
Hullavington
13/14 50 Gee-equipped aircraft attacked
Cologne in the most successful attack to date
1940-1949
using the device; estimates judged the raid five
times more effective than a non-Gee raid
20–21 The Luftwaffe virtually erased Ta’Kali
27 Japanese forces began a three-day assault
on Akyab, forcing the Allies to evacuate to India.
31 Sqn DC-3s and USAAF C-47s airlifted 8,600
civilians to safety
28/29 Bomber Command flew its first
concentrated raid against a German city,
despatching 234 aircraft against the ancient
Hanseatic port of Lübeck. Large numbers of
incendiaries were dropped, destroying most of
the old town’s wooden buildings. A series of
similar raids was subsequently flown against the
port of Rostock. Such was their effect that the
Germans coined the phrase Terrorangriff (terror
raids) to describe them
April
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk VI entered service
with 616 Sqn at Kings Cliffe
The Luftwaffe flew 9,599 sorties against
Malta
4 A 205 Sqn Catalina crew spotted a Japanese
carrier task force approaching Ceylon
5 150 Japanese aircraft attacked Colombo
harbour in hopes of surprising the Royal Navy’s
Far Eastern Fleet at anchor; the fleet was at sea.
Hurricanes from 30 and 258 Sqns, along with
Fairey Fulmars from 803 and 806 NAS, rose to
intercept, but the Imperial Japanese Navy’s (IJN’s)
Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters outclassed them; 15
Hurricanes and four Fulmars were shot down
10/11 A 76 Sqn Halifax dropped Bomber
Command’s first 8,000lb HC bomb, on Essen
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 49
1940-1949
15 The George Cross was awarded to the
Island of Malta, in recognition of the bravery and
resilience of its citizens and defenders
17 12 Lancasters from 44 and 97 Sqns struck
the MAN diesel engine works at Augsburg
in a long-range, low-level raid. Sqn Ldr John
Nettleton received the VC for the mission
18 In a one-way attack on Tokyo, Lt Col JH
Doolittle led 16 B-25s off the carrier USS Hornet,
some 400 miles off the Japanese mainland
25/26 The Luftwaffe attacked Exeter in the
first in a series of night raids on British cities,
in revenge for the area attacks on Lübeck and
Rostock. This sequence of attacks became
known as the Baedeker Blitz, after the popular
German tourist travel guides
May
5 26 Sqn, based at Gatwick, flew the first North
American Mustang Mk I combat mission
10 The Luftwaffe ended its assault on Malta,
instead relocating units to the Western Desert
and Russian Front
30 Fg Off T Manser was posthumously awarded
the VC for remaining at the controls of his 50 Sqn
Manchester to enable his crew to bail out
30/31 In the first 1,000-bomber raid, Operation
Millennium, 1,047 aircraft were despatched to
Cologne, 868 of them attacking the main target
and dropping 1,455 tons of bombs, two-thirds of
which were incendiaries. Around 250 factories
and 18,400 houses were destroyed or damaged,
and 469 people killed. Half the city’s power
supply was placed out of action and 12,000
fires started, many of which burned for days.
Bomber Command lost 41 aircraft
31 105 Sqn flew the first Mosquito B.Mk IV
combat mission, four aircraft attacking
Cologne in daylight
The Lockheed Ventura entered service
with 21 Sqn
June
The Consolidated Liberator Mk III entered
service with 120 Sqn
50 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
1/2 In the second 1,000-bomber raid; 956
aircraft attacked Essen. Many crews mistakenly
bombed other cities and the first raid’s success
was not repeated
3/4 A 172 Sqn Wellington completed the
first successful nocturnal attack on a surfaced
submarine using a Leigh Light for illumination
3–6 US Navy carrier-based aircraft sank the
Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga and
Soryu during the Battle of Midway. The first naval
battle fought exclusively by aircraft, Midway was
among the decisive engagements of World War
Two. The carrier USS Yorktown was lost in return,
but the IJN, deprived of the majority of its carrier
fleet, was forced onto the defensive
12 Piloted by Flt Lt K Gatward, with crewman Sgt
G Fern, a 236 Sqn Beaufighter made a daylight
flight to Paris to drop a French Tricolour over the
tomb of the unknown soldier
20 Axis forces recaptured Tobruk after a massive
land and air assault
25/26 Of the 960 aircraft launched against
Bremen in the third and final 1,000-bomber raid,
49 failed to return. Considerable damage was
caused despite thick cloud, in particular to the
Focke-Wulf aircraft factory. The raid marked the
Manchester’s final op
July
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX entered service
with 64 Sqn at Hornchurch
The Boeing Fortress II entered service with
220 and 206 Sqns at Benbecula
1 Six Coastal Command Catalinas flew to a
lake near Archangel, north-west Russia, to
provide air support for Russian convoys
1–22 In the initial seven days of fighting
during the first Battle of El Alamein, the Desert
Air Force (DAF) flew 5,458 sorties, delaying
Rommel’s advance and enabling the British
Eighth Army to take up positions at El Alamein
4 United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
bomber crews, flying RAF Bostons, took part
in operations in Europe for the first time,
attacking enemy airfields in Holland
18 The Messerschmitt Me 262 flew under jet
power for the first time
August
The British Taylorcraft Auster Mk I entered service
with 654 Sqn
The Martin Marauder entered service with
14 Sqn
The Vultee Vengeance entered service with
82 Sqn at Karachi
6 Moonshine, the RAF’s first offensive RCM
system, saw its initial combat use
14 Just two survivors from the Pedestal Malta
resupply convoy made it to harbour. One,
the tanker Ohio, delivered sufficient fuel to
guarantee the island’s survival
15 Bomber Command took an important step
forward with the creation of the Pathfinder
Force, commanded by Air Cdre DCT Bennett.
The pathfinder aircraft flew ahead of the main
bomber stream, identifying the primary target
and dropping markers to help the main force
crews hit it
16/17 Strong winds blew the pathfinder flares
off-target during the Force’s first operation
17 The USAAF flew its first heavy bomber raid
from the UK, the 97th Bombardment Group
sending 12 B-17E Flying Fortresses against
Rouen/Scotteville
RAF Beaufighters began anti-shipping
sorties from Malta
19 60 fighter squadrons supported Operation
Jubilee, a large-scale amphibious landing at
Dieppe, France. The operation revealed major
deficiencies in RAF ground support techniques,
leading to the creation of a fully integrated
tactical air force ahead of Operation Overlord,
the 1944 invasion
24 A modified Spitfire VC out of Alexandria,
Egypt, intercepted a Junkers Ju 86P-2
reconnaissance aircraft at 42,000ft, the first
time the RAF had reached one of these high-
performance Luftwaffe aircraft
August 19, 1942: This
Typhoon wears the
identification markings
applied for Operation
Jubilee. Key Collection

September
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk VII entered service
with the High Altitude Flight at Northolt
The de Havilland Mosquito T.Mk III entered
service with Marham’s Mosquito Training Unit
The North American Mitchell entered service
with 98 and 180 Sqns at West Raynham
19 Six 105 Sqn Mosquitos attempted Bomber
Command’s first daylight attack on Berlin. Poor
weather prevented all but one from bombing,
however, while two bombed Hamburg, two
returned with technical issues and one was lost
25 Fighter Command’s three Eagle Squadrons,
71, 121 and 133, were transferred to the USAAF’s
8th Air Force, becoming the 334th, 335th and
336th Squadrons of the 4th Pursuit Group
Bomber Command raided the Gestapo
headquarters in Oslo. Four 105 Sqn Mosquito
BIVs mounted the raid from Leuchars, losing
one of their number to fighters en route. At
least four bombs hit the HQ, although one
failed to explode and three smashed their
way through the opposite wall and exploded
outside the building
October
The Handley Page Halifax V entered service with
408 (Goose) Sqn
3 The German A-4 (V2) rocket was successfully
launched from the Peenemünde test site for the
first time
March 1943: The Dakota began flying with
24 and 31 Sqns. Key Collection
1943: The RAF Mountain Rescue Service
was established, initially serving the Welsh
mountains. RAF MRS/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
11–19 The Luftwaffe resumed its attacks against
Malta, flying 2,400 sorties
17 94 Lancasters flew a daylight raid on the
Schneider munitions and heavy engineering
factory, and associated electricity
transformer, at Le Creusot, more than 300
miles (480km) inside France. The aircraft
flew to the target at very low level, without
fighter escort, to drop 140 tons of bombs.
One Lancaster flew into a building during its
bombing run and was lost
17–4 November Wg Cdr HG Malcolm was
posthumously awarded the VC for his leadership
during raids on Bizerta airfield and the close
support he provided for the
First Army near Cheuigui, Tunisia
23–4 November The second Battle of El
Alamein began. DAF fighters maintained
constant patrols over enemy airfields after a
four-day bombing campaign had wiped out
much of the opposing forces. Supported by
overwhelming airpower, the Allies advanced
steadily westwards through North Africa
24 Bomber Command struck Italy from the UK
by daylight for the first time
25 6 (RCAF) Group, Bomber Command formed.
Its squadrons were manned by Canadian crews
November
The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle Mk I
entered service with 511 Sqn at Lyneham
The Bristol Blenheim V entered service with 13,
18, 114 and 614 Sqns in Algeria
1940-1949
8 Operation Torch saw additional Allied forces
land in North Africa, opening a second front with
additional fighter support. Nonetheless, the
Allies suffered heavy losses in northwest Africa,
where a lack of suitable airfields handicapped
their ability to apply airpower
15 The Heinkel He 219 flew for the first time
28/29 The VC was posthumously awarded to Flt
Sgt RH Middleton, RAAF for saving the lives of
his 149 Sqn Stirling crew after an attempted raid
on the Fiat factory at Turin
December
The Short Stirling Mk III entered service with
15 Sqn at Bourn
4 All ten 18 Sqn Blenheim Mk V bombers
attempting to attack an African airfield were
shot down
6 Under Operation Oyster, a mixed force of
2 Group, RAF Bomber Command light bombers,
led by Wg Cdr JE Pelly-Fry, attacked the Philips
radio and valve works in Eindhoven, the
Netherlands – 21, 464 and 487 Sqns provided 47
Venturas; 88, 10, and 226 Sqns 36 Bostons; and
105 and 139 Sqns ten Mosquitos. Two factories
in the complex were severely damaged, in
exchange for nine Venturas, four Bostons and a
Mosquito, most of them lost to fighters, while
three more aircraft crashed on landing
20/21 109 Sqn Mosquitos introduced Oboe
blind-bombing equipment into combat
1943
The Grumman Goose entered service with 24 Sqn
The Miles Martinet entered service
The Consolidated Coronado entered service
The Supermarine Sea Otter Mk II entered
service with 277 Sqn at Shoreham
The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service
was formed
January
16/17 Target indicator bombs were used for the
first time, during a raid on Berlin
14–24 At the Casablanca Conference in
Morocco, Churchill, Roosevelt and their chiefs
of staff decided to step up round-the-clock
bombing of German targets. They also agreed
to invade the ‘soft underbelly’ of Europe in the
Mediterranean area
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 51
1940-1949
May 17, 1943: The Möhne dam after 617 Sqn’s
raid. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
21 The Combined Chiefs of Staff issued the
Casablanca Directive. Its principal aim was to
weld RAF and USAAF strategic bomber forces
into one mighty air arm, capable of crushing
the German industrial, military and economic
system. It was also decided to defer the cross-
Channel invasion until 1944
27 The USAAF raided Germany for the first
time
30 Six Mosquitos from 105 and 139 Sqns
interrupted a rally in Berlin marking the tenth
anniversary of Hitler’s rise to power and
addressed by senior Nazi leaders, including
Göring and Goebbels
30/31 Pathfinder Force aircraft employed H2S
bombing radar for the first time, in a night
attack on Hamburg
31 Field Marshal Paulus surrendered his 6th
Army HQ to Soviet troops at Stalingrad. A
second, isolated, pocket of German troops
apparently continued to fight
February
The de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk XII entered
service with 85 Sqn at Hunsdon
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk XII entered
service with 41 Sqn at Hawkinge
2 German high command lost contact with its
remaining active forces at Stalingrad
Mediterranean Air Command was
established under ACM Sir Arthur Tedder
14 31 Sqn Dakotas and 194 Sqn Hudsons
began supplying Chindit forces working behind
enemy lines in Burma. The Chindits were small
pockets of highly trained British troops, usually
with local guides, working to cut enemy lines of
communication
5 The Allies began their round-the-clock
strategic bombing campaign in Europe. More
than 2,000 sorties were flown over the next two
days
22 98 and 180 Sqn Mitchells flew the type’s first
operational mission
May 16/17, 1943: Wg Cdr Gibson led the dams
raid. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
52 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
July 24/25, 1943:
Bomber Command
employed Window radar
countermeasures for the
first time. © UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
March
5 The only jet to serve the RAF operationally
during World War Two, the Gloster Meteor was
flown for the first time
5/6 Bomber Command commenced The Battle
of the Ruhr, an attempt to seriously deplete
Germany’s industrial strength, with an attack on
Essen
25 Royal Air Force Transport Command was
formed from Ferry Command
April
British and US forces linked up in North Africa to
isolate Axis troops in Tunisia
18 Coastal Command’s Beaufighter Strike
Wing, comprising 143 (Fighter), 236 (Bomber)
and 254 (Torpedo-Bomber) Sqns based at North
Coates, flew its first successful mission
May
The Avro York Mk I entered service with 24 Sqn
at Northolt
3 The VC was awarded to Sqn Ldr LH Trent of
487 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
(RNZAF), for an attack on an Amsterdam power
station during which a large number of fighters
beset the unit’s Venturas
5 A 279 Sqn aircraft deployed an airborne
lifeboat operationally for the first time
7 Assisted by the DAF’s crushing advantage
over Axis airpower, the final combat of the
Desert War concluded with the capture of
275,000 enemy soldiers
A 58 Sqn Halifax sank U-109 and a 10 Sqn,
RAAF Sunderland sank U-663 in the Bay of
Biscay. Meanwhile, a 233 Sqn Hudson sank
U-447 off Gibraltar
13 The last Axis forces in North Africa
surrendered
16/17 During Operation Chastise, 617 Sqn’s
modified Lancasters breached the Möhne and
Eder dams in Germany’s industrial heartland,
while the Sorpe was damaged. The Ennepe was
attacked, but without damage. Floodwaters
killed an estimated 1,294 people, while eight of
the 19 aircraft dispatched failed to return, for
the loss of 53 aircrew and three taken prisoner
of war. Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, OC 617 Sqn, was
awarded the VC for leading the attack
June
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII entered service
with 145 Sqn in Italy
1 Exercise Spartan tested the efficiency of
the army co-operation squadrons under
mobile conditions, effectively as a rehearsal
for the invasion and liberation of Northwest
Europe. Less than satisfactory results led to the
establishment of the Tactical Air Force (TAF),
under AM JH D’Albiac, to replace Army Co-
operation Command
The DAF was re-formed as 1 Tactical Air
Force (1st TAF or 1TAF, pronounced ‘one taff’)
for service in the Mediterranean and Italy
2 Eight Ju 88s attacked a 464 Sqn, RAAF
Sunderland over the Bay of Biscay. The combat
lasted 45 minutes, during which the Sunderland
crew shot down three of the attackers. The

flying boat was badly damaged, with one of
its crew killed and three wounded, but pilot Flt
Lt CB Walker brought it home safely. He was
awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
15 The Arado Ar 234 jet bomber flew for the
first time
529 Sqn, the RAF’s first rotary-wing
squadron, formed out of 1448 Flt, on the Rota
20 Bomber Command launched its first shuttle
raid. On the outward leg, a radar manufacturing
facility at Friedrichshafen was attacked, the
bombers flying on to land in North Africa. On
their return journey to the UK, the aircraft
bombed La Spezia, Italy
28 RAF PR revealed that rockets with an
estimated range of up to 130 miles (200km)
were being developed at the German research
facility at Peenemünde, on the Baltic coast
30 RAF night fighters used the Serrate radar
homing system for the first time. It enabled
them to home on the emissions from German
night-fighter radars
July
9/10 Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily,
began. Albemarles and Halifaxes of the
RAF’s 38 Wing, and USAAF C-47s, towed large
numbers of gliders, carrying the 1st Air Landing
Brigade into battle. Flying from Malta, 73 Sqn’s
Hurricanes provided fighter cover, but the
assault was a disaster; of 137 gliders released,
69 landed in rough seas, 56 landed on the
south-eastern coast and just 12, released by RAF
tugs, made the landing zone. By contrast, the
seaborne landings were a major success, with
fighter cover from 1TAF Mustangs, Spitfires and
Tomahawks
24/25–August 2/3 Operation Gomorrah, the
Battle of Hamburg, saw the city subjected to
intense Bomber Command raids by night and
USAAF attacks by day
December 1943: The Mustang Mk III entered
squadron service. Key Collection
1940-1949
August
1 USAAF B-24 Liberators struck oil refineries at
Ploesti, Romania, from North African bases
11 A posthumous VC was awarded to Flg Off
LA Trigg, a 200 Sqn, RNZAF Liberator pilot, for
sinking U-468 southwest of Dakar
12/13 A posthumous VC was awarded to Flt
Sgt AL Aaron for his actions during a mission to
Turin aboard a 218 Sqn Stirling
13 The campaign in Sicily ended when the
Allies captured Messina
17 USAAF bombers made a daylight raid on
the ball-bearing factory at Schweinfurt and
the Messerschmitt plant at Regensberg. A
combination of poor weather and missed
timing enabled Luftwaffe fighters to shoot
down 60 of the 376 aircraft dispatched
17/18 Bomber Command dispatched 597
aircraft to attack Peenemünde. Forty aircraft
failed to return, but the raid delayed the V2
programme by approximately two months
November 15, 1943: AM Hill. RAF (AHB)/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
24/25 Bomber Command used Window – strips
of metal foil released to confuse enemy radar
– during the first of four large-scale attacks on
Hamburg
25 322 Wing’s Spitfires foiled a German attempt
to land reinforcements by Junkers Ju 52/3m
transport aircraft on a coastal strip at Milazzo
in the north of Sicily. 21 Ju 52/3ms and four
escorting Bf 109s were shot down
27/28 A second raid on Hamburg hit residential
areas hard. An unusual combination of high
summer temperatures and low humidity,
combined with the preoccupation of much of
the city’s firefighting equipment with damping
down fires still burning from the earlier attack,
caused an intense firestorm to erupt. Some
40,000 people were killed and 1.2 million fled
the city
November 15, 1943: ACM Leigh-Mallory. RAF
(AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
September
2 The term ‘radar’ was officially adopted in place
of RDF
8 Italy surrendered
9 Anglo-US forces landed on continental
Europe, at Salerno, Italy
15 2909 Sqn flew onto Cos, while 2682 Sqn
landed in southern Italy, as the RAF Regiment
deployed for the first time
September 4, 1943: These Warwick
ASR.Mk Is were with the Warwick Training
Unit at Bircham Newton. RAF (AHB)/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 53
1940-1949
October 31, 1944: The Mosquito
15/16 617 Sqn Lancasters employed the raid on the Gestapo HQ at Aarhus.
12,000lb HC bomb for the first time, in a low-level RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown
attack on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The raid, Copyright 2018
and a second the following night, was a disaster.
Five out of eight aircraft were lost, taking with
them several veterans of the Dams raid and the
squadron’s new CO, Wg Cdr George Holden
20 The de Havilland Vampire jet fighter flew for
the first time

October
The Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk IV entered service with
450 Sqn in Italy
The Handley Page Halifax Mk III entered
service with 466 (Australian) Sqn
The Vickers Warwick ASR.Mk I entered
service with 280 Sqn at Thornaby
10 38 (Airborne Forces) Group was formed at
Netheravon, Wiltshire
13 Italy declared war on Germany
14 In a second attack on Schweinfurt, the
USAAF lost 60 out of 244 aircraft
19 A posthumous VC was awarded to Flt Lt WE
Newton for displaying ‘great courage and an
iron determination to inflict the utmost damage One in ten UK men between the ages of 21/22 The Luftwaffe began Operation
on the enemy’ in a 22 (RAAF) Sqn Boston in 18 and 25 were ordered to work in the mining Steinbock, also known as the ‘Little Blitz’ or
Salamaua, New Guinea industry. They were known as the ‘Bevin Boys’, ‘Baby Blitz’, a series of attacks on British targets,
20 The Martin Mariner entered service with after minister of labour Ernest Bevin particularly London. Mosquito night fighters
524 Sqn at Oban 18 3TAF was established to provide offensive accounted for 129 of the 329 aircraft shot down
support to operations in Burma during the five-month campaign
November 22 Allied troops landed ashore at Anzio, Italy,
RAF PR sorties revealed work on a flying bomb – under Operation Shingle
the V1 – at Peenemünde 1944
3 The VC was awarded to Flt Lt W Reid for his February
actions in a 61 Sqn Lancaster over Dusseldorf January With massive air support from Task Force 58
7 A 248 Sqn Mosquito FB.Mk XVIII, piloted by The Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV entered service carrier aircraft, Operation Forager saw US forces
Flg Off AJL Bonnett, RCAF, made the first attack with 610 Sqn at West Malling landing on Saipan in the Mariana Islands
on a U-boat using the type’s 6-pounder, 57mm The Hawker Tempest Mk V entered service The Boeing Fortress Mk III entered service
Molins gun. Bonnett fired eight rounds at with 486 Sqn with 214 Sqn at Sculthorpe
U-123, hitting its conning tower and hull. The 3 US Coast Guard pilot Commander Frank A 18 Under Operation Jericho, 21, 464 and
damaged submarine docked at the Lorient Erickson used a Sikorsky HNS-1 to complete the 487 Sqn Mosquitos, escorted by Typhoon
submarine base first ever life-saving helicopter flight fighter-bombers, flew a low-level daylight
15 The 2nd Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF, or 11/12–May 18 The campaign to take the hill attack on Amiens prison to release French
2TAF), part of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force and ancient monastery at Monte Cassino in patriots; 258 prisoners escaped, while 102
(AEAF), was formed under ACM Sir Trafford central Italy began in January. It involved four inmates were killed
Leigh-Mallory, in preparation for the invasion of major battles, the last of them fought between
Western Europe May 11 and 18. USAAF bombing and artillery March
A new Air Defence of Great Britain hit the monastery hard, but failed to dislodge 5/6 RAF and USAAF transport aircraft flew
organisation took responsibility for the air the defenders and instead created such an the leading elements of two Long Range
defence of the UK. The remainder of Fighter extent of rubble that attacking troops found Penetration Chindit brigades, under Major
Command was subsumed into 2TAF. AM Sir movement difficult General Orde Wingate, to landing zones deep
Roderic Hill became C-in-C ADGB 20 ACM Sir Arthur Tedder took up post behind Japanese lines in Burma
16 Air Command South-East Asia was as Deputy Supreme Commander Allied 6/7 Bomber Command began an offensive
established under ACM Sir Richard Peirse Expeditionary Force against the German transport network in
18/19 Bomber Command began an intensive 21 AM Sir Arthur Coningham took command occupied Europe, attacking railway installations
campaign against Berlin. Sixteen major attacks of 2TAF in France. Eighty targets were selected, of which
over the next four months generated 9,111
sorties. Some 492 aircraft failed to return and
954 were damaged
19/20 Fog Investigation and Dispersal
Operation (FIDO) equipment was used for the
first time at a Bomber Command station
23 Bomber Command formed 100 (Special
Duties) Group at West Raynham, under Air Cdre
EB Addison. It combined elements of Bomber
Command’s existing RCM operations

December
The North American Mustang III entered service
with 65 Sqn at Gravesend Above left: February 18, 1944: Operation Jericho. Above right: July 18, 1944: A Lancaster leaves the
target area after bombing targets near Caen. Both RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

54 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


June 30, 1944: Coningham (left), Broadhurst
(centre) and Tedder in France. RAF (AHB)/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
37 were allocated to Bomber Command and the
remainder to the AEAF and 8th Air Force, USAAF
16 A Japanese advance through Burma isolated
the British garrison at Imphal. During the three-
month siege that followed, 150,000 men relied
entirely on air supply for their survival
19 With British troops isolated at Imphal and
Tiddim, the Dakotas of 194 Sqn, alongside
USAAF Curtiss C-46 Commandos, airlifted a
complete division to Imphal in 748 sorties.
Subsequently, during the siege of Imphal,
Allied transport units, reinforced by squadrons
despatched from the Mediterranean, kept the
garrison supplied until the siege was lifted on
22 June. Every day, more than 400 tons of stores
were flown into a heavily guarded valley, with
only three squadrons of Spitfires for air defence
and six of Hurricanes for attack
Allied air forces in Italy began Operation
Strangle, designed to cut enemy supply routes
across the country
21 17 Mosquitos from 21, 464 and 487 Sqns,
one of them a camera-equipped aircraft for the
RAF Film Production Unit, attacked the Gestapo
HQ in the Shellhaus building in Copenhagen.
The six-storey building was wrecked, but one
aircraft crashed into a nearby school, causing
multiple casualties
24/25 Bomber Command flew the final,
811-aircraft mission of the Battle of Berlin
24/25 The Gestapo murdered 50 RAF and
Dominion personnel after a mass prisoner of
war (PoW) breakout from Stalag Luft III in Zagan,
Poland
June 13, 1944: 66 and 132
(Norwegian) Sqn Spitfires fly
a cross-Channel sweep after
D-Day. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
30/31 In a disastrous attack on Nuremberg,
Bomber Command suffered its heaviest
losses of the war – German night fighters hit
the raiders hard and 95 of the 795 bombers
despatched failed to return. 578 Sqn’s Plt Off CJ
Barton was awarded a posthumous VC for his
actions in a Halifax during the raid
April
5 Japanese troops besieged the 2,500-strong
garrison at Kohima. RAF and USAAF aircraft
kept the men supplied throughout the two-
month siege
14 General Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme
Commander Allied Expeditionary Force, took
command of strategic bombing in Europe in
preparation for invasion
20/21 The Luftwaffe flew its final Steinbock
mission against London before switching its
attention to ports in southern England
26/27 Bomber Command made a successful
attack on the ball-bearing facilities at
Schweinfurt. During the raid, Sgt NC Jackson,
a 106 Sqn flight engineer, climbed onto his
Lancaster’s wing to extinguish a fire. Afterwards
he parachuted to the ground and was taken
PoW – he received the VC for his actions
May
The de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk XIX entered
service with 157 Sqn
The Republic Thunderbolt Mk I entered
service with 135 Sqn
In the second half of
May, Allied strategic and
tactical air forces attacked
gun batteries and radar sites
along the Channel coast
1 The Hawker Tempest Mk
V became operational with
486 Sqn
3/4 As preparations for
Overlord continued, 346
Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos
attacked the military camp
near the French village of
Mailly-le-Camp. Bomber
Command also mounted its
June 9, 1944: The Saumur railway tunnel after 617 Sqn’s
attack. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
1940-1949
first attack on a Luftwaffe airfield within fighter
range of the Normandy invasion beaches, when
84 Lancasters and eight Mosquitos attacked
Montdidier; four Lancasters were lost
June
Allied forces in Burma went on the offensive.
Supported by 23 squadrons of transport aircraft
flying under air superiority established by
RAF Spitfires and USAAF Mustangs, the Allies
defeated the Japanese army near Rangoon
Sunderlands, operating off Lake Indaw,
evacuated 506 wounded Chindits from behind
Japanese lines
By the first week of June, strikes along the
Channel coast had destroyed around 80% of
German coastal radar capability
The Douglas Boston Mk IV entered service
The Vickers Warwick C.Mk III entered service
with 525 Sqn at Lyneham
1 The Balkan Air Force was formed to support
Yugoslav partisans
5 Bomber Command simulated an air invasion
by dropping dummy paratroops. Lancasters
and Stirlings also released Window at fixed
intervals over the Channel to simulate the
approach of an invasion fleet
The Allies liberated Rome
The USAAF flew its first operational B-29
missions. Flying from China, the bombers
attacked railway targets in Bangkok
5/6 Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of
Western Europe, commenced with a parachute
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 55
1940-1949
August: A rocket leaves a 181 Sqn Typhoon, headed for German vehicles near Falaise.
RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
assault as aircraft from 38 and 46 Groups
dropped the British 6th Airborne Division in the
Caen area prior to amphibious landings
6 Allied ground forces began landing in
Normandy. The Allied air forces generated
14,674 sorties during Overlord’s first 24 hours,
including an RAF contribution of 5,656; many
of the 113 aircraft lost were hit by friendly fire.
Nine Spitfire squadrons provided fighter cover
over the invasion beaches, while 2TAF Typhoon
and Mustang units flew armed reconnaissance
missions further inland. Such was Allied air
supremacy, the Luftwaffe flew only 319 sorties
in the same period
7 Typhoon and Mustang squadrons decimated
the German 7th Army armoured division as it
moved towards the Channel coast
The first Allied airstrip in Normandy (B1)
was completed at Asnelle, north-east of
Bayeux
October 7, 1944: 617 Sqn breached the Kembs dam. 617 Sqn Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
56 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
8/9 617 Sqn used the 12,000lb Tallboy deep
penetration bomb for the first time, against the
Saumur rail tunnel in France. The tunnel was
blocked, preventing German armour moving by
rail to the D-Day beachheads
9 The Avro Lincoln flew for the first time
10 Allied aircraft deployed to temporary
airstrips in Normandy
12 The VC was posthumously awarded to
Plt Off AC Mynarski, RCAF, a Lancaster mid-
upper gunner who gave his own life in an
attempt to save that of a fellow 419 (RCAF) Sqn
crewmember during a low-level attack on
marshalling yards at Cambrai
12/13 Bomber Command commenced a new
campaign against German oil targets, when 286
Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos attacked a synthetic
oil plant at Gelsenkirchen, halting oil production
for several weeks. During the closing months
of 1944 and in early 1945, Bomber Command
and 8th AF raids crippled fuel production,
severely limiting Germany’s fighting ability and
particularly that of the Luftwaffe
13 V1 flying bombs launched from sites in
and around the Pas de Calais struck London.
Between now and September 5, the RAF
destroyed 1,771 V1s, with the Tempest the most
successful air-to-air platform against them
23 91 (Nigeria) Sqn’s Flg Off Collier used the
wingtip of his Spitfire XIV under the wing of a V1
to ‘topple’ the weapon. It was the first use of this
toppling or ‘tipping’ tactic
24 The VC was posthumously awarded to Flt
Lt DE Hornell, RCAF, for his actions during the
sinking of a U-boat north of the Shetlands. His
aircraft was a 162 (RCAF) Sqn Catalina
July
The RAF reached its peak personnel strength:
1,185,833 (1,011,427 men; 174,406 women)
7 Bomber Command attacked enemy positions
in Caen after the Allied invasion stalled; it was
the first of five such attacks before mid-August
9 A new wave of V1 attacks began as modified
KG 53 He 111s launched the missiles in flight
12 A first pair of Meteors was delivered to
616 Sqn, AuxAF, at Culmhead, Devon. The unit
soon moved to Manston, closer to the Continent
17 The VC was awarded to 210 Sqn Catalina
pilot Flt Lt JA Cruickshank, for sinking U-347
northwest of Norway
18 VHF radios installed in tanks were used to
call in close air support from rocket-equipped
Typhoons in the Battle of Caen, the first time
such tactics were employed
The RAF Test Pilots’ School was renamed as
the Empire Test Pilots’ School
20 The Ar 234 jet became operational in the
reconnaissance role
25 An Me 262 from the experimental Ek262 unit
attacked a 544 Sqn PR Mosquito in the first ever
engagement by a jet fighter. The RAF machine
escaped the encounter
27 A 616 Sqn Meteor made the type’s first
operational sortie
August
The Education Act 1944 was passed, giving free
secondary education to all and establishing the
format of post-war schooling
1 Polish partisans attempted an uprising
against German control in Warsaw. RAF units
in Italy attempted resupply missions, suffering
heavy losses, particularly among Polish and
South African crews. The uprising collapsed,
resistance ending in October
2 616 Sqn began flying regular anti-V1 patrols
with its Meteors
4 Fg Off Dixie Dean used his 616 Sqn Meteor to
down a V1 by tipping. Minutes later, Fg Off JK
Roger used his Meteor’s cannon to shoot down
a second V1
The VC was posthumously awarded to
635 Sqn Lancaster pilot Sqn Ldr IW Bazalgette,
for his actions during a daylight bombing raid
on the V1 storage depot at Trossy St Maximin
4/5 The first supply drops were flown to Polish
partisans in Warsaw
13 Hitler authorised the retreat of German
forces in northwest France
 1940-1949

14/15 Under Operation Dragoon, Allied forces including 1,053 Dakotas

invaded southern France from Sicily, with air
support from 1TAF units
16 USAAF bombers encountered the rocket-
powered Messerschmitt Me 163B over Germany
for the first time
17 Three days of continuous air attacks
decimated the 5th and 7th Panzer Army
armoured divisions after they were trapped
between Mortain and Falaise, France. Of 2,300
tanks, around 120 survived; 10,000 soldiers were
killed and 50,000 taken prisoner
22 The Balkan Air Force evacuated 1,059
wounded Yugoslav partisans from Polje, in the
Serbian region of Yugoslavia, to Italy, using RAF,
Russian and USAAF aircraft
September
1 The Pas de Calais V1 campaign ceased. Some
8,617 weapons had been launched
3 Brussels was liberated
5 Allied forces overran the Pas de Calais V1
launch sites
8 A V2 missile fell on the UK for the first time. It
landed in Chiswick, London at 1840hrs, killing
three people and injuring 17
One of only two VCs awarded in recognition
of an extended period of operational flying and
outstanding prowess during World War Two was
granted to 617 Sqn’s Wg Cdr GL Cheshire
15 Under Operation Paravane, 27 Lancasters
from 9 and 617 Sqns, led by Wg Cdr JB Tait and
armed with 12,000lb Tallboy bombs and 500lb
‘Johnny Walker’ anti-shipping bombs, attacked
the battleship Tirpitz at anchor in Altefjord,
Norway. The bomber force had detached to the
Soviet airfield at Yagodnik, near Archangel, for
the strike. Although cloud obscured the target,
17 Tallboys were dropped, one striking the ship’s
foredeck, causing severe damage
17–25 Operations Market and Garden began
the airborne invasion of Holland. During the
morning of the 17th, some 3,887 Allied aircraft,
and 500 gliders towed
by Stirling and Halifax
tugs, supported and
delivered 35,000 men
behind enemy lines at
Arnhem, to the north,
Eindhoven, 65 miles
further south, and
Nijmegen, in the centre.
No RAF transports were
lost in the initial phase,
but the attempted
capture of three river
bridges met with
fierce resistance on the
ground and air support
from 2TAF Typhoons
was needed to eliminate
enemy gun positions.
An aerial resupply effort
over the next seven
days cost 238 powered
aircraft and 139 gliders,
although the bridges
at Nijmegen and Eindhoven were captured. Of 4/5 Bomber Command flew its final minelaying
10,000 men dropped at Arnhem, more than sortie in the Danube. The highly successful
7,500 were killed and the survivors evacuated mining campaign had severely disrupted
after nine days of bitter fighting Rumanian oil exports to Germany
19 271 Sqn Dakota pilot Flt Lt DS Lord 14 Bomber Command flew its highest number
was posthumously awarded the VC for his of sorties in a single day, conducting 1,576 as
conspicuous bravery during a resupply mission part of Operation Hurricane, a maximum effort
24 With German troops being forced back, attack on Germany. In two attacks on Duisberg,
the RAF returned to Greece, 32 Sqn landing its 9,000 tons of bombs were dropped and 14
Spitfires at Araxos aircraft lost
15 ADGB was retitled as Fighter Command
October 28 The RAF Central Navigation School was
3 Bomber Command breached dikes on renamed as the Empire Air Navigation School
Walcheren Island, Holland, flooding the 31 25 Mosquitos from 21, 464 and 487 Sqns,
surrounding defences and enabling amphibious escorted by Mustangs, made a low-level attack
forces to successfully attack the heavily on the Gestapo HQ in Aarhus, Denmark, killing
defended island 200 personnel and destroying records on
Danish resistance groups

Below: November 12, 1944: A combined

9 and 617 Sqn attack capsized Tirpitz. 617
Sqn Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright
2018 Above right: Operation Market Horsa
gliders on the ground in Holland. RAF
(AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 57

1940-1949
November
4/5 174 Lancasters from 5 Group breached
the Dortmund-Ems Canal, a primary German
transport artery
12 9 and 617 Sqn Lancasters launched a third
attack on the battleship Tirpitz, anchored in
Tromsø Fjord, Norway. After a five-hour flight,
the first hit was recorded at 0842hrs and in the
next ten minutes, 28 12,000lb Tallboys were
dropped before the ship capsized, with the loss
of 1,000 lives
26 A raid by 24 Typhoons on the
Sicherheitsdienst HQ (closely affiliated to the
Gestapo) in Amsterdam, destroyed records on
the Dutch resistance movement
December
The Home Guard stood down
2 Following growing unrest, British troops fired
on communist-based National Liberation Front
(EAM) and National Popular Liberation Front
(ELAS) demonstrators in Athens
4 Greek police stations were attacked and RAF
units operating from Hassani began sorties
against EAM and ELAS targets in the Athens area
16 The Germans launched a surprise attack in
the Ardennes region of Belgium. Snow and fog
hampered the Allied response
19 ELAS troops attacked Air HQ Greece at
Kifisia
20 2933 Sqn, RAF Regiment was overwhelmed
by the attack on Air HQ Greece and a large
number of British prisoners were taken and
marched north. 221 Sqn Wellington Mk XIIIs
dropped supplies to the column
23 The VC was posthumously awarded to
109 Sqn Lancaster pilot Sqn Ldr RAM Palmer for
gallantry displayed during a daylight raid on the
Gremburg marshalling yards, Cologne
1945
The Bristol Buckmaster entered service
January
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk 21 entered service
with 91 Sqn at Manston
The Vultee-Stinson Sentinel entered service
with 194 Sqn in Burma
Above: 1945: This 201 Sqn Sunderland GR5 was flying Coastal Command’s final wartime patrol. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Below: November 7, 1945: Meteor Mk IV EE455 was one of two modified for an attempt on the world speed record. Key Collection
58 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
The Short Stirling Mk V entered service with
46 Sqn at Stoney Cross
The RAF Helicopter Training School was
established at Andover
1 Operation Bodenplatte caught the Allies
by surprise, as German fighter-bombers
struck advanced airfields in Belgium and the
Netherlands. 465 aircraft were destroyed
on the ground, while the Luftwaffe lost 62
aircraft to fighters and 172 to light anti-aircraft
(AA) guns (some manned by RAF Regiment
gunners). Allied losses were quickly replaced,
but Bodenplatte effectively destroyed the
Luftwaffe’s fighter arm
The VC was posthumously awarded to
wireless operator Flt Sgt G Thompson for saving
the lives of his fellow crew during a dawn raid on
the Dortmund-Ems canal in a 9 Sqn Lancaster
12 The Greek government confirmed a
ceasefire with ELAS, enabling RAF units to
gradually withdraw from the country. Units
manned by Greek personnel were absorbed
into the Royal Hellenic Air Force in 1946 and the
RAF had withdrawn by year end
14 KG 53 ended its V1 campaign for lack of fuel
February
1 Allied forces crossed the Irrawaddy River
and took the crucial airfield at Meiktila, central
Burma. The RAF Regiment defended the
airfield against strong Japanese counterattacks,
enabling supplies and reinforcements to be
flown in
13/14 Bomber Command struck Dresden
14 The 8th AF hit Dresden by day, its bombs
adding to the overnight conflagration caused
by the RAF and creating a fire storm that
destroyed the city centre. Estimates of the dead
vary between 35,000 and 220,000
22 The Allied air forces launched Operation
Clarion, a 24-hour effort against all transport
available to the Germans. Almost 9,000 aircraft,
operating from bases in England, France, Holland,
Belgium and Italy, attacked across more than
250,000 square miles (647,497km2) of territory,
targeting railways, bridges, ports and roads
23 The VC was posthumously awarded to Capt
E Swales, SAAF, for his actions in bombing a rail
junction at Pforzheim in a 582 Sqn Lancaster
March
The North American Mustang IV entered service
with 65 Sqn
3 Long-range V1s were launched from the
Netherlands; London once again coming under
attack. The campaign ended later in the month,
after 275 launches and 13 weapons had reached
London
14 617 Sqn dropped the 22,000lb Grand Slam
bomb in action for the first time, releasing a
single weapon against the Bielefeld railway
viaduct

19 617 Sqn dropped six Grand Slams on the
viaduct at Arnsburg
24 Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine,
began. Involving 1,500 powered aircraft and
1,300 gliders, the operation heeded the harsh
lessons of Market Garden to achieve success.
2TAF provided cover, but fewer than 20 enemy
aircraft were sighted
27 A final V2 fell on the UK, at Orpington, Kent
29 The last V1 to reach the UK was destroyed
over Sittingbourne, Kent
31 The Empire Air Training Scheme ended
April
Japanese resistance had virtually crumbled
by the second week in April, as Allied fighter-
bombers continued their devastating attacks
10 An Ar 234 flew the last recorded combat
mission by a German aircraft over Britain; its
reconnaissance took it from Scapa Flow in the
Orkneys to the Firth of Tay
14/15 Bomber Command Main Force bombers
returned to Berlin for the first time since the end
of the Battle of Berlin more than a year earlier
24 The RAF flew its first deployed jet mission,
when 616 Sqn Meteors attacked the airfield at
Nordholz
26 Bomber Command flew the first of 75,000
ex-prisoners of war back to the UK
29 With the start of Operation Manna, Bomber
Command began a campaign that dropped
6,685 tons of food and clothing to the Dutch
civilian population in areas still occupied by
German forces
30 Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed
suicide in a Berlin bunker
May
The Sikorsky Hoverfly Mk I entered service with
the Helicopter Training School at Andover
RAF armoured cars and 114 Sqn Mosquitos
suppressed hostilities with the Subeihi in Aden
2 Axis forces in Italy surrendered and around
1 million German troops were taken prisoner
2/3 Bomber Command flew its last offensive
action of World War Two, with 8 Group
Mosquitos attacking airfields
3 2TAF Typhoons and Tempests carried out
devastating shipping attacks in the Baltic. Large
numbers of flying boats and transport aircraft,
attempting a mass evacuation to Norway, were
also destroyed
Burma’s capital, Rangoon fell to the Allies
4 In the final day of air operations over
Northwest Europe, 2TAF claimed to have
shot down 141 aircraft during anti-shipping
operations over the Baltic
7 The unconditional surrender of all German
forces was signed at General Eisenhower’s HQ.
Ratified in Berlin, the surrender saw the war in
Western Europe officially end at midnight
A 210 Sqn Catalina attacked U-320. The
vessel sank on May 9, the last of 207 U-boats
sunk by Coastal Command aircraft
8 The Allies celebrated VE-Day, the end of World
War Two in Europe
The Royal Observer Corps stood-down from
its war footing and assumed its peacetime role.
It included 32,000 observers based at 1,420
posts around the UK
March 14, 1945: 617 Sqn hit the Bielefeld viaduct with Grand Slams. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
Operation Manna concluded
25/26 USAAF bombers dropping incendiaries
caused the destruction of almost 17 square
miles (44km2) of Tokyo, or around 50% of the city
26 Aries, a modified Empire Air Navigation
School Lancaster, returned to RAF Shawbury
after completing the first ever flight over both
the True and Magnetic North Poles
June
The Gloster Meteor F.Mk III entered service with
74 Sqn
July
15 2TAF was re-formed as the British Air Forces
of Occupation (BAFO), under ACM Sir William
Sholto Douglas
21 A nine-day 3TAF campaign began against
Japanese troops attempting to escape Burma;
10,000 were killed
March 24, 1945: Operation Varsity. RAF (AHB)/©
UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
1940-1949
26 After a general election, Labour’s Clement
Atlee succeeded Winston Churchill as prime
minister
A declaration drawn up at the Potsdam
Conference and signed by President Truman,
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and
Generalissimo Chaing Kai-sek was issued,
calling for the unconditional surrender of
Japanese forces. It did not mention the atom
bomb, tested successfully for the first time at
Alamogordo, New Mexico on the 16th, but
stated: ‘The full application of our military power
backed by our resolve, will mean the inevitable
and complete destruction of the Japanese
armed forces and just as inevitably the utter
devastation of the Japanese homeland.’
28 In a press release, Japan’s Prime Minister
Suzuki stated: ‘Japan is determined to fight tooth
and nail for every inch of her sacred land.’
August
The Hawker Tempest F.Mk II entered service with
183 Sqn at Chilbolton
The Avro Lincoln B.Mk I entered service with
57 Sqn at East Kirkby
1 RAF Northern Ireland ceased to be an
independent command, instead falling under
Coastal Command
6 Enola Gay, a 509th Composite Group,
USAAF B-29 piloted by Col Paul W Tibbets
Jr, dropped the first operational atomic
bomb, over the Japanese city of Hiroshima at
0815hrs local time. It destroyed 4.7 square miles
(12km2) of the city and more than 80% of its
buildings. Japanese estimates put casualties at
71,379 killed or missing and 68,023 wounded.
The device produced an explosion equal to
15,000 tons of TNT (15 kilotons, kt)
8 The USSR declared war on Japan
9 Maj Charles W Sweeney’s B-29 Bock’s Car
dropped an atomic bomb over Nagasaki. The
primary target had been Kokura, weather forcing
a diversion to the secondary target. Nagasaki’s
topography, with hills and rivers, and the fact
that the bomb missed its aiming point, meant
the damage was far less than at Hiroshima.
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 59
1940-1949
May 7, 1945: The Empire
Central Flying School, with
which these aircraft had flown,
was renamed as the Empire
Flying School. Key Collection
Casualties were estimated at 25,680 killed and
23,345 wounded
14/15 President Truman and Prime Minister
Atlee announced Japan’s unconditional surrender
15 VJ-Day. Hostilities ended with Japan’s
unconditional surrender
26–30 Airborne medical teams and supplies
were dropped to prisoners of war in Burma and
Siam (now Thailand)
September
British forces began a rapid build-up in
the Netherlands East Indies and an Air HQ,
Netherlands East Indies was formed
2 The 1939-45 war formally ended at
1030hrs Tokyo time (0130hrs GMT) when the
unconditional surrender of Japan was signed
aboard the battleship USS Missouri, at anchor in
Tokyo Bay
11 At the Potsdam Conference it had been
agreed that the UK would accept the Japanese
surrender in French Indo-China south of the
16th parallel, prior to the resumption of French
colonial control, and 62 Sqn Dakotas began
airlifting the lead elements of the 80th Brigade,
20th Indian Division, into Saigon; next day, the
first French troops flew in. In practice, British
troops concentrated on disarming the Japanese
forces in the country, while French forces dealt
with local nationalist movements affiliated to
the Viet Minh
15 A 300-aircraft formation flew over London
in the first Battle of Britain anniversary flypast.
247 Sqn led in its Vampires, the aircraft’s first
public showing
A Recovery of Allied Prisoners of War
and Internees (RAPWI) control unit arrived
in the Netherlands East Indies, joining a
reconnaissance group parachuted in to Batavia
on the 8th
HQ RAF Hong Kong formed to administer
units in Hong Kong and on the Chinese coast
60 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
17 The People’s Preservation Force, led by
Achmed Soekarno, declared an independent
Republic of Indonesia. As a result, 28 Sqn
deployed its Spitfire FRXIVs to Medan, Sumatra
to deter any nationalist attempt to disrupt
the evacuation of Allied detainees. ‘A’ Flight
of 656 Sqn also became operational, with its
Auster AOP.Mk Vs, at Soerabaya
19 273 Sqn deployed its Spitfire IXs to Tan
Son Nhut, French Indo-China, for armed
reconnaissance sorties in support of British
troops. Subsequently, 267 Sqn arrived with
Dakotas and a flight of 684 Sqn Mosquito
PR34s flew in for photo-mapping duties. The
airfield also housed the Gremlin Task Force,
a unit of Japanese aircrew under British
command, formed to operate Japanese
transport aircraft in support of British and
French forces
31 A flight of 110 Sqn Mosquito FBVIs arrived
at Kemajoran, Batavia
October
13 The airfield at Tan Son Nhut came under
attack after rioting around Saigon. Japanese
personnel joined British forces in containing
the Viet Minh attackers
17 The air component of Air HQ, Netherlands
East Indies, 904 Wing, landed at Batavia. It
included 60 and 81 Sqns equipped with
Thunderbolts, and 2739 and 2962 Sqns,
RAF Regiment. The flying squadrons were
operational from Kemajoran by October 19 and
immediately began sorties in support of South-
East Asia Command (SEAC)
30–November 15 Following the outbreak
of widespread fierce fighting between British
troops attempting to occupy the Netherlands
East Indies and Indonesian nationalists, Air
HQ, Netherlands East Indies was heavily
reinforced. Additional combat assets included
elements of 47, 81 and 110 Sqns with
Mosquito FBVIs, while 27 Sqn’s Beaufighter
Xs provided search and rescue (SAR) support
and 681 Sqn’s Spitfire PRXIXs arrived for
photo-reconnaissance. 31 Sqn’s Dakotas were
available for transport work
November
7 Gp Capt HJ Wilson achieved the first
officially confirmed speed record for a jet
aircraft, his Meteor IV clocking up 606.25mph
(975.67km/h) over Herne Bay
23 RAF Mediterranean and Middle East was
renamed RAF Mediterranean/Middle East
(MED/ME). Its first AOC was Air Marshal Sir
Charles Medhurst
30 Under the restructuring of Air Command
South East Asia (ACSEA), RAF Air Command Far
East was formed to control existing AHQs and
those being established throughout the Far East
The Air Transport Auxiliary was disbanded
December
British government attempts to limit Jewish
immigration and the desire to create an
independent Israeli state lead to an upsurge
of terrorism in Palestine. During the course
of 1945, therefore, several squadrons were
despatched to the region for anti-terrorist,
anti-immigration and transport operations in
support of British Army units. By December,
these included 6 Sqn (Hurricane IV); 32 and
208 Sqns (Spitfire LFIX); 213 Sqn (Mustang III/
IV); 37, 178 and 214 Sqns (Liberator VI); 644 Sqn
(Halifax VII/IX); and detachments from 78 and
512 Sqns (Dakota CIV); 651 Sqn (Auster AOPV);
and 680 Sqn (Mosquito PRXVI)
230 Sqn began repatriation flights from
Batavia in the Netherlands East Indies to
Malaya, using its Sunderland GRV flying boats
11 273 Sqn Spitfire IXs strafed Viet Minh
guerrillas surrounding French troops at Banme
Thuet, French Indo-China. Leaflets were

dropped in advance, warning the Viet Minh of
the forthcoming action
13 The first Armée de l’Air fighter unit arrived
in French Indo-China. GCII/7 formed at Tan
Son Nhut on ex-RAF Spitfire VIIIs, before re-
equipping with Spitfire XIs in January 1946.
As more French units returned to Indo-China,
British troops handed over control of Saigon
1946
The Avro Lancastrian C.Mk II entered service
January
London’s Heathrow airport officially opened
The Handley Page Halifax C.Mk VIII entered
service
The Vickers Viking C.Mk II entered service
1 Marshal of the RAF Sir Arthur Tedder was
elevated to the Barony and succeeded Lord
Portal as Chief of the Air Staff
22 Air Cdre Frank Whittle submitted his
resignation from the board of Power Jets
(Research and Development), the nationalised
company charged with jet engine research,
following disagreements over its future role
February
25/26 In a series of terrorist attacks
against British military installations, members
of the Irgun organisation raided the RAF
stations at Petah Tiqva, Qastina and Lydda.
Seven 32 and 208 Sqn Spitfire LF9s were
seriously damaged or destroyed at Petah
Tiqva, six 644 Sqn Halifax VIIs were destroyed
at Qastina and five Halifax IXs written off as
beyond economic repair. Two Ansons were
destroyed at Lydda
March
5 Speaking at Westminster College, Fulton,
Missouri, Sir Winston Churchill said of Soviet
policies in Europe: ‘From Stettin in the Baltic
to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has
descended across the continent.’
12 As the RAF demobilised, the Under
Secretary of State for Air, John Strachey,
announced that 742,000 of the RAF’s personnel
strength of 1,100,000 would be released from
service by June 30
July–December 1948: Sunderlands, including this 230 Sqn machine, flew aid into Berlin. Key Collection
30 The final British forces left French Indo-
China
April
The Short Seaford began trials with 201 Sqn
May
1 Air Vice-Marshal Sir Alan Lees was appointed
C-in-C of the newly formed RAF Reserve
Command
The de Havilland Hornet entered service with
64 Sqn at Horsham St Faith. It was the fastest
twin piston-engined fighter ever to fly
7 The Empire Central Flying School became
the Empire Flying School
The CFS re-formed at Little Rissington, under
Gp Capt EAC Britton
June
2 The Air Ministry announced that the Auxiliary
Air Force was to be reformed. It was initially
intended that it would comprise 13 day-fighter,
three night-fighter and four light-bomber
squadrons
July
1 Under Operation Crossroads, designed to
assess the effects of nuclear blast against
warships, a USAAF B-29 dropped an atomic
bomb against 73 naval vessels anchored at
Bikini Atoll in the Pacific
5 The bikini – designed by French couturier
Louis Réard –was first modelled by Micheline
Bernardi at a Paris fashion show. The prototype
was of cotton printed with a newspaper design
and named after the Operation Crossroads
atomic test; Réard claimed: ‘Like the bomb, the
bikini is small and devastating.’ Photographs
of Bernardi wearing the swimsuit were widely
circulated and she received more than 50,000
fan letters
10 The Air Ministry announced that the RAF
Regiment would continue as an integral part of
the RAF. It would maintain rifle, armoured and
anti-aircraft squadrons, while other units would
be trained as airborne troops
August
9 The first Operational Requirement (OR) for
a British atomic weapon was issued. OR.1001
called for development of an air-dropped
fission weapon, not exceeding 10,000lb in
1940-1949
weight, which could be released at altitudes
between 20,000 and 50,000ft and speeds
between 150 and 500kt
September
7 Gp Capt EM Donaldson set a new world
speed record of 615.81mph (991.16km/h) in a
Meteor IV
19 Dutch assets took responsibility for air
support in the Netherlands East Indies
November
28 Air HQ, Netherlands East Indies and
904 Wing disbanded
1947
The Auster AOP.Mk 6 entered service with
657 Sqn
The Sikorsky Hoverfly Mk II entered service
January
3 The King’s Flight was re-established at RAF
Benson. Its initial equipment comprised three
Vikings and a York named Endeavour
February
Under Operation Polly, 113 Sqn Halifax A9
transports evacuated nonessential civilians
from Palestine
Following unrest in Aden, RAF armoured
cars and Aden Protectorate Levies troops
attacked a dissident fort at Jebel Jihaf; 8 Sqn
Mosquitos hit the fortification with rockets
April
After the murder of a political agent, 8 Sqn
Tempest VI and Mosquito FBVI aircraft attacked
the village of Al Hussain near the Aden-Yemen
border
July
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk 22 entered service
with 73 Sqn
August
15 India and Pakistan became independent of
British rule
The RAF School of Aeronautical Engineering
at Henlow was renamed as the RAF Technical
College
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 61
1940-1949
1949: 6 Sqn personnel pose with one of the units Tempest F6 fighters. Key Collection
September
18 The United States Air Force (USAF) was
established as an independent element within a
unified US armed forces structure
October
Following a series of lootings, the village of
Thumier in Aden was substantially damaged in
a punitive attack by 8 Sqn Tempests and Lincoln
bombers. Leaflets warning of the attack had
been dropped in an effort to minimise civilian
casualties
14 The rocket-powered Bell X-1, piloted by
Capt Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager, became the first
aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in level
flight when it reached Mach 1.015 or 670 mph
(1,078 km/h) at 42,000ft
November
The United Nations General Assembly passed
the Plan of Partition, proposed by the UN
Special Committee on Palestine, by a two-thirds
majority. Under the plan, Palestine was to
be partitioned into separate Arab and Jewish
states; all British forces were to be withdrawn
and all British military equipment removed or
destroyed by May 14, 1948
December
The Gloster Meteor F4 entered service with 74,
245 and 263 Sqns at Horsham St Faith
16 The Auxiliary Air Force was given Royal
assent and became the Royal Auxiliary Air Force
(RAuxAF)
1948
The Percival Prentice T.Mk 1 entered service
Richard and Maurice McDonald converted
their drive-in restaurant on E Street, San
Bernadino, California to self-service, introducing
Right: May 1946 – The Hornet entered service
with 64 Sqn. Key Collection
62 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
low-cost food and fast service, and dispensing
with crockery and cutlery
January
The Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk 24 entered
service with 80 Sqn in Germany
6 Sqn deployed Tempest F6s to Somaliland
during a period of tribal unrest
30 Orville Wright died at Dayton, aged 76
February
16 Fighter Command flew air defence
exercises with USAF B-29s for the first time
March
8 8 Sqn sent a detachment of Tempest F6s to
augment 6 Sqn in Somaliland
23 Flying a Ghost-engined Vampire from
Hatfield, Gp Capt J Cunningham established a
new world altitude record of 59,446ft (18,119m)
31 The USSR announced that all road traffic
moving into Berlin would be stopped and
inspected. Next day the policy effectively
moved to all land transportation as a US military
train was inspected. The US responded with an
airlift that satisfied its requirements for supplies
and personnel
April
April–November 39 Sqn detached Tempest
F6s to Asmara, Eritrea, for operations against
Shifta guerrillas
13 Air Cdre Whittle retired from the RAF on
medical grounds. He was knighted in July
May
15 The state of Israel came into being.
Hostilities immediately broke out between the
Israeli armed forces and those of Egypt, Syria,
Lebanon, Transjordan and Iraq
22 During the final stages of the British
evacuation from Israel, Royal Egyptian Air Force
Spitfires attacked the RAF station at Ramat
David in error. Three aircraft were destroyed
and 13 damaged, while RAF Spitfires shot four
Egyptian aircraft down and a fifth was lost to
anti-aircraft fire
June
15 The USSR stopped all rail movements into
Berlin
16 Following serious rioting and social unrest
in Malaya during the early part of 1948, a state
of emergency was declared and Operation
Firedog, mounted to combat Malayan terrorists,
began
24 The USSR barred all rail and road
movements from the West into Berlin
25 The USSR announced that no food would be
supplied to West Berlin’s 2.25 million inhabitants
26 The British and US governments began a
massive airlift of supplies into Berlin – the Berlin
Airlift
28 38 and 46 Group Dakotas began airlifting
essential supplies from the British Zone of
Germany to the British garrison in Berlin, under
Operation Knicker
30 Operation Knicker became Operation Carter
Paterson as the RAF airlift widened in scope
to include supplies for West Berlin’s civilian
population
July
The de Havilland Devon entered service with 31
(Metropolitan Communications Squadron) at
Hendon
3 Operation Carter Paterson became Operation
Plainfare and the York joined the airlift effort.
Under Plainfare, RAF transports delivered
1,340 tons of supplies, including clothing, food,
fuel and other items, every day of the operation
5 201 and 230 Sqn Sunderlands began landing
supplies, including salt, on Lake Havel
Following the foundation of the UK National
Health Service, its first patient – 13-year old
Sylvia Beckingham – was admitted to Park
Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester with an acute
liver condition

6 Two 60 Sqn Spitfires flew the first offensive
Firedog mission, using cannon and rockets to
destroy a terrorist camp at Perak
12–14 Six 54 Sqn Vampires made the first
Atlantic crossing by jet aircraft. They routed via
Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, Iceland and
Greenland to Labrador, Newfoundland
16 The 3rd Air Division (Provisional) was
established at RAF Marham to control USAF B-29
units posted to UK bases on temporary duty. The
arrangement marked the return of US military
aircraft to the UK and was the first occasion on
which US combat forces were permanently
stationed in a major friendly foreign country
during peacetime. The Division’s provisional
status was dropped on August 23 and it
relocated to Bushy Park, home of the wartime US
Strategic Air Forces HQ, on September 8
27 The first of several British charter companies
joined the Berlin Airlift effort
August
The Gloster Meteor T.Mk 7 entered service with
203 Advanced Flying School (AFS) at Driffield
6 RAuxAF units began re-equipping with jets,
as 500 (County of Kent) Sqn took Meteors and
605 (County of Warwick) Sqn received Vampires
17 213 Sqn deployed Tempest F6s to Somaliland
September
The Handley Page Hastings C.Mk 1 entered
service with 47 Sqn at Dishforth
3–7 The first major UK air defence exercise
since the Battle of Britain, Operation Dagger
involved RAF Fighter, Bomber, Coastal, Training
and Reserve Commands, the USAF, the British
Army’s Anti-Aircraft Command and the Royal
Observer Corps
6 de Havilland test pilot Sqn Ldr John Derry
became the first Briton to break the sound
barrier, flying the DH.108 Swallow
October
15 RAF and USAF airlift efforts into Berlin were
amalgamated under a Combined Airlift Task
Force (CATF)
November
11 The Hastings flew its first Plainfare sortie
May 11–14, 1949: 28 Sqn deployed its Spitfire FR18s
to Hong Kong as civil war raged in nearby China.
28 Sqn Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
20 An Israeli Air Force Mustang shot down a
13 Sqn Mosquito PR34 flying from Fayid in the
Canal Zone
December
14 The Sunderland was withdrawn from the
Berlin Airlift since Lake Havel was libel to freeze
1949
February
26–March 2 USAF B-50 Lucky Lady II, piloted
by Capt James Gallagher, completed the first
non-stop round the world flight. It refuelled in
the air four times during the 94-hour 1-minute
23,452-mile (37,742km) journey
April
4 12 founder states joined a session in
Washington DC to sign a treaty detailing
the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO)
20 The frigate HMS Amethyst, Royal Navy
guardship to the diplomatic community at
Nanking, was shelled by Chinese Communist
artillery batteries on the River Yangtze, between
Shanghai and Chinkiang. Forced aground
with extensive damage, the vessel suffered
numerous casualties, including the captain and
first officer; moreover, the ship’s medical officer
was killed
21–26 In what became known as the Amethyst
Incident, 88 Sqn Sunderland captain Flt Lt Ken
Letford made a series of relief flights to HMS
Amethyst. Although heavy fire had prevented
Royal Navy rescue attempts, Letford and crew
succeeded in delivering vital supplies, plus an
RAF medical officer, Royal Navy chaplain and
replacement crew. For gallantry under fire,
Letford was awarded a Bar to his DFC and his
crew received the Naval General Service Medal
May
The Vickers Valetta entered service with 204 Sqn
1 The WAAF was renamed the Women’s Royal
Air Force (WRAF). The change marked the
formal creation of women’s branches within,
rather than as an adjunct to, the RAF
1940-1949
11–14 In light of the civil war raging in China,
28 Sqn deployed its Spitfire FR18s from Malaya
to reinforce Hong Kong
12 The Soviets lifted their blockade of Berlin,
but supply flights continued until October to
build up stocks. The RAF delivered 17% of the
total material delivered to the city
13 The English Electric Canberra made its first
flight
30 JO Lancaster made the first emergency
aircraft ejection in the UK, escaping from the
AW52 at 4,000ft over Coventry
June
The Bristol Brigand B.Mk 1 entered service with
84 Sqn at Habbaniya, Iraq
1 The RAF Far East Air Force (FEAF) was
established under AM Sir Hugh Lloyd
RAF Mediterranean/Middle East was
renamed as the RAF Middle East Air Force
(MEAF)
The RAF Flying College was formed at
Manby from the Empire Air Navigation School,
Empire Air Armament School and Empire
Flying School
July
27 The de Havilland DH.106 Comet made its
first flight
30/31 HMS Amethyst broke out to rejoin the Far
East Fleet
August
24 NATO became effective
30 The USSR detonated its first atomic bomb
September
1 The CATF disbanded
23 The last RAF Dakota sortie of the Berlin Airlift
flew into Gatow
October
1 Mao Zedong proclaimed China a Communist
Republic
November
1 The RAuxAF’s fighter squadrons were
transferred from Reserve Command to Fighter
Command
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 63
1950-1959
1950-1959
Conflict in Korea, war in the Empire and the spectre of nuclear exchange
tainted the peace that ought to have followed World War Two
S 1950
ir Winston Churchill’s ‘iron curtain’
closed ever more tightly through
the 1950s as East and West aligned
themselves through the Warsaw Pact
and NATO, constructing vast nuclear-
armed bomber fleets, each intended to
deter aggression from the other. For the
RAF, these early Cold War years meant
developing its Valiant, Vulcan and Victor
V-force, and an air defence capability
sufficient to stave off enemy bombers long
enough for the V-bombers to launch for their
distant targets. Among those fighters, the
Sabre introduced swept wings to frontline
service, while the Javelin was the RAF’s first
delta. Its advanced mission equipment
heralded a transition from the traditional
day and night fighter to an all-weather, day
and night weapons system. Conversely,
the Conservative government of 1957 dealt
the RAF, and the British aviation industry
in particular, a severe blow when it decided
to terminate advanced combat aircraft
development in favour of missile systems.
August 1950: These Washington
B.Mk 1s were at RAF Waddington with
57 Sqn. RAF Waddington Archive/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
64 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
The Auster T.Mk 7 entered service
The Avro Athena T.Mk 2 entered service with
the RAF Flying College at Manby
January
1 ACM Sir John Slessor succeeded Lord Tedder
as Chief of the Air Staff
February
The de Havilland Canada Chipmunk T.Mk 10
entered service with Oxford UAS at Kidlington
March
20 Under Operation Musgrave, a detachment
of eight 57 Sqn Lincoln B2 bombers arrived
at RAF Tengah to support Operation Firedog.
Successive detachments from 100 and 61 Sqns
relieved the 57 Sqn deployment
26 The Musgrave Lincolns entered combat,
bombing a terrorist base in Malaya
April
The first RAF unit equipped with British-built
helicopters was formed, as the RAF Casualty
Evacuation Flight, employing Westland
Dragonflys from Seletar, Singapore
14 The boys’ comic Eagle was first published
June
25 The Korean War began, as North Korean
forces invaded South Korea. Yak fighters
attacked Kimpo airfield
29 The Gloster Meteor F.Mk 8 entered service
with 245 Sqn at Horsham St Faith
August
In a stop-gap measure to fill an RAF long-range
bomber requirement, the B-29 began entering
Bomber Command service as the Washington.
Its retirement began in 1953, with the advent
of the V-bombers, the last example being
withdrawn in 1958
1 RAF Reserve Command was retitled as RAF
Home Command
22 It was announced that RAF Sunderland
GR5s were flying from Iwakuni, Japan in
support of the UN blockade of North Korea.
British support to the UN eventually included
ground troops, naval vessels and naval aircraft,
but the Far East Flying Boat Wing Sunderlands
were the only RAF aircraft involved in
operations during the Korean War
30 Following similar announcements by
the French and US governments, the UK
government announced its intention to
reinforce the UK’s defences

September
53 Sqn began operating its Hastings C1s on
regular casualty evacuation (casevac) flights
from Iwakuni to the UK
November
8 In the first air-to-air engagement between
jet fighters, Lt Russell J Brown, USAF used
his F-80C Shooting Star to down a Chinese
People’s Republic Air Force MiG-15 over Korea
12 The Air Ministry announced that Vampire
FB5s were being flown from Britain to re-equip
FEAF fighter squadrons. These were the
longest jet delivery flights yet undertaken by
any air force, covering 8,500 miles (13,679km)
December
The Gloster Meteor FR.Mk 9 entered service with
2 Sqn in Germany
25 Scottish nationalists stole the Coronation
Stone from Westminster Abbey
1951
Sir Winston Churchill became prime minister,
this time at the head of the Conservative party
February
RAF aircrew were posted to serve with 77 Sqn,
RAAF, over Korea. The unit flew ex-RAF Meteor
F8s throughout the war, primarily in the ground-
attack role. Some 32 pilots were eventually
involved, of which four were killed in action,
another died in a flying accident and one
was made PoW. Four received DFCs, six were
mentioned in dispatches and the US awarded
four with Air Medals
21 English Electric Canberra B2 WD932,
commanded by Sqn Ldr AE Callard, completed
the first direct unrefuelled crossing of the
Atlantic by a jet
March
29 Operation Musgrave ended as 61 Sqn
departed Tengah
June 29, 1950: The Meteor F.Mk 8 entered
service with 245 Sqn. Key Collection
April
Scottish nationalists returned the Coronation
Stone, although there remains a question over
its authenticity
5 The Avro Shackleton entered service with
120 Sqn at RAF Kinloss
May
The RAF’s first jet bomber, the English Electric
Canberra B.Mk 2 entered service with 101 Sqn at
Binbrook, Lincolnshire
July
The de Havilland Vampire NF.Mk 10 entered
service with 25 Sqn
The Bristol Brigand T.Mk 4 entered service
with 228 OCU at Leeming
4 It was announced that command of BAFO
would pass to HQ, Allied Air Forces Central
Europe
August
The Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.Mk 11
entered service with 29 Sqn at Tangmere
The USAF’s 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing
(FIW), transferred its F-86A Sabres from Moses
Lake AFB, Washington to RAF Bentwaters,
Suffolk. It thus became the first unit of a major
1950-1959
overseas air force to participate in the UK’s
peacetime air defence
13–18 Bomber Command participated
in the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC)
Bombing Competition for the first time. Two
Washington B1 crews joined 45 SAC B/RB-29,
B/RB-36 and B-50 crews in the competition,
held at MacDill AFB, Florida
September
1 The highest RAF command formation in
Germany – British Air Forces of Occupation
(BAFO) – reverted to its earlier designation
of 2nd Tactical Air Force, a title more closely
representing its NATO role
15 Air HQ East Africa disbanded
October
1 The Vickers Varsity T.Mk 1 entered
service with 201 Advanced Flying School at
Swinderby
15 The Egyptian government abrogated a
1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty allowing Britain
to base military forces in the Suez Canal Zone.
Fighting now broke out around these bases
and 16 Independent Parachute Brigade was
flown from Cyprus aboard the Vikings of 70,
78, 114, 204 and 216 Sqns to provide support
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 65
1950-1959
1952: The de Havilland Vampire T.Mk 11 entered
service, with side-by-side accommodation for
student and instructor. Key Collection
November
1–March 31, 1955 1 Fighter Wing, RCAF,
began Canadair Sabre operations from RAF
North Luffenham on NATO duties. The Wing
comprised 410, 439 and 441 Sqns, all of which
relocated to airfields in Germany and France
between 1954 and 1955. They had previously
served in the UK in fighter, night-fighter, or
fighter-bomber roles during World War Two
1952
The Boulton Paul Balliol T.Mk 2 entered service
with 7 FTS
The de Havilland Vampire T.Mk 11 entered
service with the Advanced Flying Schools at
Valley and Weston Zoyland
January
13 The Lockheed Neptune MR.Mk 1 arrived
at St Eval. The type was used as a stop-gap
while Shackleton deliveries continued. Four
UK-based squadrons were equipped before the
aircraft were returned to the US in 1956
15 RAF Wildenrath opened as the first of four
‘Clutch’ stations in Germany
February
13 An informal agreement led to RAF pilots
being attached to the USAF’s 4th and 51st FIWs
in Korea. By the end of the Korean War, 21 RAF
officers had served
April
Three USAF North American RB-45C Tornado
jets, in RAF markings and flown by RAF crews,
took off from RAF Sculthorpe for long-range
radar reconnaissance sorties over the USSR
May
2 BOAC began the world’s first scheduled jet
airliner service, using the de Havilland Comet.
The route linked London and Johannesburg
66 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
August
The de Havilland Venom FB.Mk 1 entered
service with 11 Sqn in Germany
September
15 After a Saudi Arabian party occupied the
village of Hamasa during a dispute concerning
the border between Oman and Saudi Arabia,
three 6 Sqn Vampire FB5s, and a Valetta,
deployed to RAF Sharjah. They carried out
demonstrations and leaflet drops over the village
20 Plt Off Jean Lennox Bird, WRAF VR, was the
first woman to receive RAF pilot’s wings
October
Trials with aerial broadcasting equipment for
psychological warfare were flown over Malaya.
A borrowed USAF C-47 was used at first, but RAF
Vikings, Dakotas and Austers were subsequently
employed during Operation Firedog. 267 Sqn
established a ‘Voice Flight’ and propaganda
leaflets were also dropped
2/3 Operation Hurricane saw Britain’s first
atomic device detonated aboard the Royal
Navy frigate HMS Plym, anchored in the Pacific
off Trimouille in the Monte Bello Islands
9 Growing unrest amidst the Kikuyu tribe over
Britain’s administration of Kenya led extremist
members of the Kenya Land Freedom Party
– the Mau Mau – to murder Chief Waruhiu, a
local leader closely allied to the colonists
21 A State of Emergency was declared
in response to Waruhiu’s murder and the
1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers flew into Nairobi
on 511 Sqn Hastings to support British Army units
in Kenya. Anti-terrorist operations followed, aided
by Kenyan Police Reserve Air Wing light aircraft
November
14 The first UK pop music chart appeared, in
New Musical Express. The rundown was: No.1 –
Here is my Heart, Al Martino; No.2 – You Belong
to My Heart, Jo Stafford; and No. 3 – Somewhere
Along the Way, Nat King Cole
December
The English Electric Canberra PR.Mk 3 entered
service with 540 Sqn at Benson
3 Flt Lt Daniel Kerns flew the RAF’s first
helicopter rescue, off Great Yarmouth. He
saved four Danish sailors
1953
Tea rationing ended and Tetley Tea Co
introduced tea bags into the UK market
Cambridge University geneticists James
D Watson and Francis Crick used the science
journal Nature to announce that they had
deduced the structure of the deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) molecule
January
1 ACM Sir William Dickson succeeded Marshal
of the Royal Air Force Sir John Slessor as Chief
of the Air Staff
February
1 194 Sqn re-formed from the FEAF Casualty
Evacuation Flight at RAF Sembawang,
Singapore, equipped with Dragonflys as the
RAF’s first operational helicopter squadron
13–15 Operation Sandbag saw 14 Halifaxes
and six Valettas fly several million sandbags from
the Continent to repair breaches in sea defences
caused by floods from Lincolnshire to Kent
March
The Canadair (North American) Sabre F.Mk 1
entered service with 67 Sqn at Wildenrath as the
RAF’s first operational swept-wing jet
An air blockade was imposed after
negotiations failed to remove the Saudi Arabian
presence at Hamasa. Initially enforced by
6 Sqn Vampires, blockade duty subsequently
passed to 208 Sqn Meteor FR9s, then 37, 38 and
683 Sqn Lancasters, and 1417 Flt Ansons. The
Saudis withdrew on August 15, 1954
1 275 Sqn re-formed at Linton-on-Ouse on
the Bristol Sycamore HR.Mk 13/HR.Mk 14,
becoming the first RAF search and rescue (SAR)
helicopter squadron
1 The Lincoln B2 returned to Malaya under
Operation Bold, with the arrival of an 83 Sqn
detachment at Tengah. 7 and 148 Sqns
subsequently provided replacement aircraft
3 Canadian Pacific Airlines Comet Empress of
Hawaii crashed on take-off from Karachi
12 Seven airmen died when a Soviet MiG-15
shot their RAF Central Gunnery School Lincoln B2
down. The aircraft had accidentally strayed over
the Soviet zone during a training flight
23 1340 Flt moved from Thornhill, Rhodesia
to RAF Eastleigh for intensive anti-terrorist
operations supporting the British Army in
Kenya. The Flight’s Harvard IIB advanced
trainers had previously been used by the
Rhodesian Air Training Group, armed with 20lb
fragmentation bombs
May
2 BOAC Comet I G-ALYV suffered structural
failure and crashed near Calcutta, with the loss
of 43 lives

4 Flying from Filton, Wg Cdr WF Gibb used a
Canberra to establish a new altitude record of
63,668ft
Having successfully completed flying
training, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh received
his wings from ACM Sir William Dickson, Chief
of the Air Staff
24 RAF Geilenkirchen opened as the second
of four ‘Clutch’ stations in Germany
29 Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing
Norgay completed the first successful ascent of
Mount Everest
July
RAF Brüggen opened as the third of four ‘Clutch’
stations in Germany
15 RAF Odiham hosted HM Queen
Elizabeth II’s Coronation Review of the RAF. The
flypast included 640 aircraft
27 Fighting in the Korean War came to an end
with the signing of an armistice
August
1 The Bomber Command Armament School
(BCAS) formed at RAF Wittering, under Wg Cdr
JS Rowlands. It was charged with training RAF
personnel in the custody, storage, servicing,
transportation and use of nuclear weapons
September
The Scottish Aviation Pioneer entered service
with 1311 Flt
7 Flying a Hunter, Sqn Ldr NF Duke averaged
a speed of 727mph (1,170km/h) over a 3km
course at Littlehampton, Sussex, setting a new
world speed record
11 The US Navy announced that the
Sidewinder air-to-air missile had made its first
completely successful interception, destroying
a Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat drone
25 Flying a Supermarine Swift, Lt Cdr Michael
J Lithgow averaged 737mph (1,186km/h)
over four runs of a 3km course at Tripoli,
establishing a new world speed record
October
6 FTS at South Cerney became the first unit
equipped solely with the Hunting Percival
Provost T.Mk 1. It delivered its first course on
the type in October
8–10 The London to New Zealand Air Race
included five RAF/RAAF Canberras. Captained
by Flt Lt Burton with navigator Flt Lt Gannon,
the winning Canberra PR3 (now preserved
at Royal Air Force Museum Hendon) covered
the 12,270 miles (19,747km) from London
to Christchurch, New Zealand in 23 hours
50 minutes 42 seconds (elapsed time)
and 22 hours 28 minutes flying time, for a
world record average speed of 494.5mph
(795.8km/h). Sqn Ldr Bob Currie and Wg Cdr
Bob Hodges’ PR7 suffered generator failure at
Perth, although they had achieved the fastest
flying time and a world record for the London
to Colombo leg
14 The second British atomic test, Totem/T1,
involved a 10kT weapon, detonated atop a 102ft
(31m) tower. Operation Hotbox saw a Canberra
enter the atomic cloud six minutes after the
explosion, to assess the aircraft’s behaviour and
1950-1959
the cloud’s effects on the crew. RAF squadrons June
operating modified Canberras were called upon The English Electric Canberra B.Mk 6 entered
to conduct extensive sampling in support of service with 101 Sqn
the UK’s atmospheric nuclear test programme
between 1952 and 1958 July
18 The Runnymede Memorial was unveiled 31 The Hawker Hunter F.Mk 1 entered service
27 HRH the Duke of Edinburgh was appointed with 43 Sqn at RAF Leuchars
Honorary Air Commodore of 601 (County of
London) Sqn, RAuxAF, in succession to Marshal August
of the Royal Air Force Lord Douglas of Kirtleside 3 Capt RT Shepherd made the first free flight in
the Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig, or ‘Flying
November Bedstead’. The rig was produced to explore the
The de Havilland Venom NF.Mk 2 entered service possibilities of using jet thrust for vertical or
with 23 Sqn at Coltishall near vertical flight
7 The first atomic bombs for the RAF were 18 Two 13 Sqn Meteor PR10s arrived in Kenya
delivered to the BCAS at RAF Wittering for post-strike reconnaissance
11 A first Lincoln detachment arrived at RAF 30 The Supermarine Swift F.Mk 2 entered
Eastleigh, Kenya, to supplement 1340 Flt’s service with 56 Sqn
Harvards. UK-based Bomber Command
squadrons furnished Kenya detachments until September
July 1955; the Lincolns bombed terrorist camps The Hawker Hunter F.Mk 2 entered service with
and operating areas 257 and 263 Sqns at Wattisham
14 Delivery of bombs to the BCAS continued
December June 1955: The
The Canadair Sabre F.Mk 4 entered service with Hawker Hunter
F.Mk 4 entered
66 Sqn at Linton-on-Ouse
service. Key
The Handley Page Marathon T.Mk 11 entered Collection
service with the RAF Flying College at Manby
1954
Britain, France and the US rejected a Russian
application to join NATO
The German Federal Republic was fully
incorporated into NATO
Research establishing the relationship
between smoking and lung cancer was
published in the UK
The English Electric Canberra T.Mk 4 entered
service with 231 OCU at Bassingbourn
The Hunting Percival Pembroke C.Mk 1
entered service
January
10 After Comet G-ALYP crashed soon after
departing Rome for London, BOAC announced
the suspension of Comet passenger services
February
The Supermarine Swift F.Mk 1 entered service
with 56 Sqn at RAF Waterbeach
April
Three USAF RB-45Cs, in RAF markings and
crewed by RAF personnel, flew long-range
reconnaissance sorties over the USSR from
Sculthorpe. Once again, all returned safely,
although one aircraft was engaged by radar-
predicted anti-aircraft artillery (AAA)
April–May 8 Sqn detached Vampire FB9s
from Aden to RAF Eastleigh in Kenya. The
deployment coincided with Operation Anvil,
the mass detention of suspected Mau Mau
supporters around Nairobi, which took place
between April 24 and May 7
1 The Spitfire flew its last operational
sortie in RAF service, an Operation Firedog
photographic-reconnaissance mission
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 67
1950-1959
October
14/15 RAF Flying College Canberra B2 Aries IV
completed the first jet flight over the North
Pole, with Wg Cdr Andrew Humphrey (later
Marshal of the RAF Sir Andrew Humphrey) at
the controls. The aircraft flew from Bardufoss,
Norway, to the Pole, and then to Bodø, Norway
15 RAF Laarbruch opened as the last of four
‘Clutch’ stations in Germany
November
11 It was announced that Peter Twiss had
flown the Fairey Delta 2 research aircraft
beyond the speed of sound in a climb
1955
After Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal,
preparations began to seize it by force
The Auster AOP.Mk 9 entered service
The Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.Mk 1
entered service
The de Havilland Heron C.Mk 2 entered
service with the Queen’s Flight
The Saro Skeeter T.Mk 13 entered service
with the CFS Helicopter Wing at South Cerney
January
The first of the new V-bombers, the Vickers
Valiant B.Mk 1 entered service with 138 Sqn at
RAF Gaydon, Warwickshire
February
17 The government’s Statement on Defence
1955 was published, announcing its decision to
develop and produce thermonuclear weapons
19 The South-East Asia Treaty Organisation
(SEATO) was established. The original
signatories included Australia, France, New
Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, the
UK and the US
January 1955: The Vickers Valiant
was the first of the V-bombers into
service. Here a crew practises a
scramble. Key Collection
68 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
March
1 The final Firedog Lincoln detachment left
Tengah for the UK
A first Canberra B6 detachment deployed
to Butterworth under Operation Milage, for
participation in the Malayan Emergency. The
aircraft and crews were drawn from 101 Sqn,
subsequent detachments of between six
and eight aircraft coming from 9, 12 and
617 Sqns
April
The Hawker Hunter F.Mk 5 entered service with
263 Sqn at Wattisham
Sir Anthony Eden took over from Sir
Winston Churchill as prime minister
4 The Baghdad Pact, a mutual defence
agreement between Iraq, Turkey and the UK,
was signed. Subsequent signatories included
Iran and Pakistan; although not a signatory, the
US was closely associated with the pact
May January 1956: The Canberra B(I).Mk 8 entered
1 AHQ Iraq was retitled AHQ Levant service in West Germany. Key Collection
5 Britain, France and the US ended their
occupation of West Germany 28 The last Lincoln detachment in Kenya
13 Under Operation Planters Punch, 542 Sqn (49 Sqn) returned to the UK
detached Canberra PR7s to RAF Changi for
Operation Firedog August
An experimental all-jet training programme
June commenced at 2 FTS, using the Jet Provost
The de Havilland Venom NF.Mk 3 entered service 18 70, 84, 114 and 216 Sqns used their Valettas
with 141 Sqn to move 8,000 government troops from
The Hawker Hunter F.Mk 4 entered service Khartoum after a revolt by troops from the
with 111 Sqn at North Weald south of Sudan
The Westland Whirlwind HAR.Mk 2 entered 29 Wg Cdr WF Gibb used a Canberra B2 to set
service with 22 Sqn at Thorney Island a new world altitude record of 65,890ft
July September
17 Disneyland opened to the public at 3 Sqn Ldr JS Fifield made the first ejection and
Anaheim, California. The 244-acre (99ha) park parachute escape from an aircraft travelling
cost US$17 million to build at speed on the ground. It was a live test
Disneyland opened to the
public at Anaheim, California

February 24, 1956: 46 Sqn introduced the
Javelin FAW.Mk 1 into service. The type began
a transition from relatively simple combat
aircraft towards integrated weapons systems.
Key Collection
of a Martin-Baker ejection seat installed in
a modified Gloster Meteor T7. The jet was
travelling at 120mph (194km/h) when Fifield
ejected and he was carried between 70 and
80ft (21 and 24m) into the air
22 Coincident with ITV’s first broadcast, the UK
saw its first ever TV commercial. Transmitted at
2101hrs, it featured Gibbs SR toothpaste
30 1340 Flt disbanded. During the Mau Mau
emergency it dropped 21,936 20lb bombs and
lost eight aircraft to accidents
October
15 308/5 Air Task Force (later redesignated
308.5 Task Group) was formed at RAF Weston for
the British atomic test at Monte Bello Island, off
the northern coast of Australia
17 Hullavington saw its first all-jet pilot fly solo,
after 8 hours 20 minutes instruction
25–27 Following the air insertion of Saudi
personnel into Buraimi, Oman, Trucial Oman
Scouts, supported by RAF aircraft, surrounded
the town. RAF transport aircraft subsequently
flew the Saudis found at Buraimi to Bahrain, other
aircraft flying demonstration sorties over Hamasa
to demonstrate the government’s authority
December
9 The Air Ministry announced that flying from
RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, would begin in early 1956
1956
January
The Canberra B(I).Mk 8 entered service with
88 Sqn in Germany
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle
succeeded Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir
William Dickson as Chief of the Air Staff. Sir
Dermot was the first RAF College graduate
appointed to the post
15 AHQ Cyprus was disbanded and AHQ
Levant transferred from Habbaniya to Nicosia
25 Six 9 Sqn Canberras left Britain for West
Africa. The detachment visited Nigeria, the
Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and the Gambia, the
squadron’s presence in Nigeria coinciding with
a state visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
February
The Supermarine Swift FR.Mk 5 entered service
with 2 Sqn in Germany
24 The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 1 all-weather
fighter entered service with 46 Sqn at Odiham
10 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount
Trenchard of Wolfeton died at his home in
London, aged 83. He was buried in the Battle of
Britain Chapel, Westminster Abbey
March
The Blackburn Beverley C.Mk 1 entered service
with 47 Sqn at Abingdon
10 The second Fairey Delta 2, WG777,
piloted by Lt Cdr Peter Twiss, captured the
World Absolute Speed Record at 1,132mph
(1,822km/h), achieved in two runs at 38,000ft
over a 9-mile (14km) course between Ford and
Chichester, Sussex. It was the first aircraft to
exceed 1,000mph in level flight
May
The Avro Vulcan B.Mk 1 became the second
V-bomber to enter service, equipping 230 OCU
at Waddington
14 Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East
Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and
the USSR signed a mutual defence treaty in
Warsaw, known as the Warsaw Pact
16 A British atomic device was detonated on
the Monte Bello Islands
20 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Barbara Grace
released the first air-dropped US hydrogen
February 1957: It fell to 141 Sqn to introduce the
Javelin FAW.Mk 4. The variant introduced an all-
moving tailplane to the type. Key Collection
1950-1959
bomb, over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
Estimates put the weapon’s yield at a minimum
of 15mt (megatons)
24 The first Eurovision Song Contest was held
in Lugano, Switzerland. The host nation’s Lys
Assia won with Refrains
June
216 Sqn at Lyneham became the world’s first jet
transport squadron, after re-equipping with the
de Havilland Comet C.Mk 2
13 The last of Britain’s troops withdrew from
Egypt, ending a 74-year military presence
14 The Operation Planters Punch Canberra
PR7 commitment at RAF Changi reduced from
four to two aircraft
July
26 Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal
August
2 Preparations began for operations to seize
the Suez Canal by force. It was announced that
Canberras would be despatched to Cyprus and
that British reservists would be called up
31 The final Firedog Canberra B6 detachment
at Butterworth closed
September
2 A Valiant completed the first V-bomber
direct transatlantic crossing. The aircraft flew
between Loring AFB, Maine and RAF Marham,
in 6 hours 25 minutes
9 Under Operation Tasman Flight, the first
Vulcan taken on RAF charge, B1 XA897,
departed Boscombe Down en route to
Melbourne, Australia via Aden and Singapore.
Sqn Ldr DR Howard flew the aircraft, with Air
Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, AOC-in-C Bomber
Command, in his crew. The jet arrived at
Melbourne on September 11, after a flight time
of 23 hours 15 minutes. A tour of Australia and
New Zealand followed
October
The Hawker Hunter F6 entered service with 19
and 66 Sqns
The Operation Planters Punch Canberra PR7
commitment at RAF Changi ended. However,
Bomber Command PR Canberras were detached
for periods of two months, twice every year, for
the remainder of the Firedog campaign
1 Vulcan B1 XA897 departed Aden at 0250hrs
on the final leg of its return journey from
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 69
1950-1959
July 11, 1957: The HAF was established at Biggin
Hill. BBMF Archives/© UK MoD Crown Copyright
2018
Australia, captained by Sqn Ldr Howard and
with Sir Harry Broadhurst as co-pilot. The
aircraft crashed in extremely poor weather on
approach to land at Heathrow airport; the pilot
and co-pilot successfully ejected, but the four
remaining crew were killed
11 49 Sqn Valiant WZ366, flown by a crew of
six captained by Sqn Ldr EJG Flavell, dropped
Britain’s first air-dropped fission weapon
(Blue Danube) during Operation Buffalo over
the Maralinga test area, South Australia. The
weapon produced a yield of 3–4kt
October 11, 1956: Blue Danube was the UK’s first air-dropped fission bomb. RAF Waddington
Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
70 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
15 The Nicosia Helicopter Flight separated
from the RAF Levant Communications Flight
to form 284 Sqn. Equipped with Bristol
Sycamores, 284 supported British Army units
conducting internal security operations against
EOKA terrorists seeking the union of Cyprus
with Greece
23 The Hungarian people rose against Soviet
oppression
29 The Israeli Army launched Operation
Kadesh, attacking Egyptian positions in
the Sinai Peninsula to destroy Fedayen
(commando) bases from which Israel had
been raided. The attack was also intended to
provide the British and French governments
with a pretext for a military intervention to
seize the Suez Canal
30 The British and French governments
presented an ultimatum to Israel and Egypt
demanding the cessation of hostilities within
12 hours. Troops from both combatants were to
be withdrawn to positions ten miles east (Israel)
and west (Egypt) of the Suez Canal. Additionally,
the Egyptian government was required to allow
British and French forces to be stationed at Port
Said, Ismailia and Suez, to safeguard shipping
passing through the canal. Israel accepted the
terms, but Egypt rejected them
31 The Suez Crisis, Operation Musketeer,
began. After failing to stop Egyptian and Israeli
forces clashing around the Suez Canal, RAF
Canberras and Valiants, flying from Malta and
Cyprus, in conjunction with French Air Force
aircraft, attacked 12 airfields in the Canal Zone
and Nile delta
Hungary’s new, pro-Western prime minister,
Imre Nagy announced that the country would
leave the Warsaw Pact
November
1/2 The UN General Assembly urged an
immediate ceasefire in Suez
4 The continuous attacks on airfields in the
Canal Zone ended after the Egyptian Air Force
had been decimated
Enraged by Nagy’s intentions, the USSR
restored order in Hungary, sending tanks
into Budapest. As many as 30,000 people
were killed and 200,000 Hungarians fled their
homeland
5 Anglo-French airborne troops captured key
installations in the Canal Zone, prior to a major
seaborne offensive
6 Following air strikes against Egyptian
positions on the selected landing beaches
and a short, intense naval bombardment,
British Army, Royal Marine and French army
units mounted an amphibious assault on
Port Said. During operations to secure the
town, British and French ground forces
received extensive air support from RAF, FAA
and Aéronavale fighter-bombers. Bowing to
intense international political and economic
pressure, at 1800hrs the British prime minister,
Sir Anthony Eden, announced that following
the acceptance of a ceasefire between Egypt
and Israel, and Egypt’s agreement to the
deployment of a UN force to safeguard the
Suez Canal, the British and French would order
a ceasefire by midnight
7 A ceasefire brought operations in the Canal
Zone to an end. So deep was the crisis that the
USAF was brought to a high state of readiness
in case of Soviet intervention
14 UN forces began arriving in Egypt
1957
January
Sir Anthony Eden resigned as prime minister,
passing the responsibility to Harold Macmillan
July 11, 1957: The Vulcan entered frontline
service with 83 Sqn at Waddington. This
aircraft was actually the first to arrive at the
station, with 230 OCU in 1956. RAF Waddington
Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

February
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 4 entered service
with 141 Sqn at Horsham St Faith
Under the UK’s commitment to the
Baghdad Pact 32 Sqn, the first MEAF Canberra
unit, deployed to RAF Akrotiri. 73, 6 and
249 Sqns deployed their Canberras to the
same station, in March, July and November,
respectively. Collectively, the squadrons were
designated as the MEAF Strike Wing, becoming
the North East Air Force (NEAF) Strike Wing
after February 1961. 13 Sqn provided PR with
Canberra PR7s. The NEAF Strike Wing acquired
a nuclear capability in 1961–62
March
6 Ghana was the first British colony in Africa to
gain independence
10 All RAuxAF and Royal Naval Volunteer
Reserve flying squadrons were disbanded
25 The Treaty of Rome created the European
Economic Community
April
4 A Conservative Government Defence White
Paper suggested the days of manned aircraft
were numbered as Britain chose to concentrate
on advanced interception and nuclear strike
missiles. The infamous paper, presented by
Duncan Sandys, forced the cancellation of almost
all new British military aircraft projects, with
the notable exceptions of the English Electric
Lightning fighter and controversial BAC TSR2
strike/attack and reconnaissance aircraft
May
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 5 entered service
with 151 Sqn at Leuchars
15 Wg Cdr K Hubbard and crew dropped the
first British hydrogen bomb (Yellow Sun) near
Christmas Island in the southwest Pacific, in
one of a series of tests known as Operation
Grapple. The weapon yielded between 100
and 150kt while the aircraft involved, 49 Sqn
Valiant XD818, is preserved at Royal Air Force
Museum Cosford
July
11 The Historic Aircraft Flight, precursor to
the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial
Flight, was formed at RAF Biggin Hill
The Avro Vulcan B.Mk 1 entered operational
service with 83 Sqn at Waddington
31 The North American DEW Line distant early
warning system became fully operational
August
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 2 entered service
with 46 Sqn
The Avro Shackleton MR.Mk 3 entered
service with 220 Sqn at St Eval
28 Michael Randrup and Walter Shirley set a
new world altitude record of 70,308ft, using a
rocket-assisted Canberra
October
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 6 entered service
with 89 Sqn at Stradishall
4 The Soviet Union put the world’s first
artificial satellite into Earth orbit. It was named
Sputnik 1
30–November 4 Bomber Command returned
to the SAC Bombing and Reconnaissance
Competition after a five-year absence.
Three Vulcans and two Valiants entered the
competition, held at Pinecastle AFB, Florida.
Despite problems with the navigation and
bombing system (NBS) aboard the RAF
bombers, a Valiant crew from 214 Sqn,
July 1958: A new era
in air defence began
when the Bloodhound
SAM was introduced.
In this 1960s’ photo a
Belvedere is managing a
Bloodhound and trolley
as a two-ton underslung
load. Key Collection
June 1959: 2 FTS introduced the Jet Provost
T.Mk 3 into service. Key Collection
1950-1959
commanded by Sqn Ldr RW Payne, finished
11th of the 91 crews competing
31 Intermittent Valiant B1 and Vulcan B1
detachments to RAF Changi began under
Operation Profiteer. The aircraft remained
in the Far East for two weeks every three
months until June 26, 1960 and from June
6, 1958 detachments also operated from
RAF Butterworth. No Operation Firedog
sorties were flown, the emphasis being on
practice attacks against the Song Song and
China Rock ranges, and flag-waving missions
demonstrating the RAF’s ability to project
power in defence of the Commonwealth
November
3 The USSR launched Sputnik 2, carrying space
dog Laika
29 232 OCU at Gaydon received the first
Handley Page Victor B.Mk 1, the third and last of
the V-bomber types
1958
Bill Richards and his son Mark introduced the
skateboard, through the Val Surf Shop, at Dana
Point, California
January
31 Explorer 1, the first US satellite to enter
Earth orbit, was launched
February
The Vickers Valiant B(PR)K.Mk 1 entered service
with 214 Sqn
6 A BEA Airspeed Ambassador crashed at
Munich airport, killing 23 passengers, among
them Manchester United players of the
‘Busby Babes’
April–May
With relations between the UK and Guatemala
worsening over the status of British Honduras,
Operation Quick Flight saw HRH Princess
Margaret conduct a royal visit to demonstrate
the UK’s commitment to preserve the integrity
of the Crown Colony. Two armed 59 Sqn
Canberra B(I)8 interdictors escorted the Vickers
Viscount carrying the princess, while two 58 Sqn
Canberra PR9s flew as navigation leaders
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 71
1950-1959
October 1959: This 15 Sqn Victor B.Mk 2 was staging through Akrotiri on a long-range Lone Ranger
deployment. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
May
5 2TAF’s Canberras became nuclear capable
14–20 SAC units participated in the Bomber
Command bombing competition for the first
time. Six 92nd Bomb Wing B-52s detached
to RAF Brize Norton for the event, their crews
winning five of the six awards for which they
were eligible
June
6 Operation Profiteer V-bomber detachments
began operating from RAF Butterworth
20 The Westland Wessex, derived from the
Sikorsky S-58, flew for the first time
July
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 7 entered service
with 33 Sqn
The Bloodhound surface-to-air missile
entered service with Fighter Command at
North Coates, Lincolnshire
16 Following the overthrow and assassination
of King Faisal of Iraq, HM King Hussein of
Jordan appealed for assistance from the
UK. In response, the UK mounted Operation
Fortitude; the RAF flew 16 Parachute Brigade
Group from Cyprus to Jordan, and 208 Sqn
deployed its Hunter F6s to Amman
August
The Hawker Hunter T.Mk 7 entered service with
229 OCU at Chivenor
72 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
September
1 The first Cod War, an argument over fishing
rights, began between Britain and Iceland. It
ended on March 11, 1961
19 The first US-built Thor intermediate-
range ballistic missile (IRBM) was handed
over to 77(SM) Sqn, Bomber Command at
RAF Feltwell
October
The Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer entered
service with 78 Sqn in Aden
1 The US National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) became active
19 Following an RAF appeal for funds,
St Clement Danes was restored and re-
consecrated as the Central Church of the
Royal Air Force
November
2 British forces withdrew from Jordan
3 HQ, RAF Signals Command was formed at
RAF Medmenham from HQ, 90 Signals Group,
under Air Vice Marshal L Dalton-Morris
December
5 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan opened
the UK’s first motorway, an 8½-mile (14km)
section of the M6 Birmingham-to-Carlisle
route at Preston, Lancashire
1959
The Handley Page Hastings T.Mk 5 entered
service with the Bomber Command Bombing
School at Lindholme
Fidel Castro took power in Cuba
January
2TAF was redesignated as RAF Germany
1959: This USAF C-124 Globemaster II visited RAF Scampton in support of the Thor
installation at RAF Helmswell. RAF Scampton Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
March
The Bristol Britannia entered service with
99 Sqn
April
1 RAF Home Command was disbanded and
control of the Air Training Corps passed to
Flying Training Command and, subsequently,
the Air Ministry
16 The first RAF-controlled Thor missile
launch took place at Vandenberg AFB,
California
May
15 Two 205 Sqn Sunderlands, working
out of RAF Seletar, made the RAF’s last
operational flying boat sorties
June
The BAC Jet Provost T.Mk 3 entered service
with 2 FTS
9 A 214 Sqn Valiant completed the first non-
stop UK-Cape Town flight. Captained by Wg
Cdr MJ Beetham, the aircraft refuelled twice
and covered the 6,060-mile (9,753km) route
in 11 hours 28 minutes, achieving an average
speed of 530mph (853km)
August
The British Motor Corporation launched its
all-new Morris Mini Minor, or Austin Seven.
In 1961 it was renamed as the Austin Mini
20 After Iraq had withdrawn from the
Baghdad Pact during the spring, the
agreement was renamed as the Central
Treaty Organisation (CTO)
November
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 8 entered service
with 41 Sqn
1 The first RAuxAF Maritime Headquarters
Unit (MHQ) was set up at Edinburgh. Others
were later formed at Northwood, Plymouth
and Belfast
December
The English Electric Lightning F.Mk 1 entered
service with the Central Fighter Establishment
(CFE) at Coltishall
The Gloster Javelin FAW.Mk 9 entered
service with 25 Sqn at Waterbeach
30 USS George Washington, the first nuclear-
powered, ballistic missile-armed submarine,
was commissioned
 The RAF Families Federation

Celebrating 10 years of
providing an independent
voice for all RAF personnel
and their families.

Working together to
influence policy, signpost
families to the best experts
being greeted by his son after arriving back at their homebase at RAF Scampton in the UK.

and support the work of the

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raf-ff.org.uk
Untitled-1 1
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10:10:52
1960-1969
1960-1969

The 1960s saw fundamental change in the RAF’s command structure, while the
English Electric Lightning ushered in the Mach 2-era and V-force stood alert

C
onflict and humanitarian disasters
in Africa, the Far East and the Middle July 1960: 30 Sqn’s Blackburn
Beverleys joined the Ghanaian
East continued to occupy the RAF
airlift effort. Still in Africa, this
into the 1960s. Deployments of transport aircraft was over Kenya in 1965.
and combat aircraft were commonplace, RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown
and at times weapons were delivered Copyright 2018
in anger. Yet fundamental change was
in the air. The government attempted
to equip V-force as its nuclear deterrent
with the abortive Skybolt, procured the
Avro Blue Steel, and then abandoned the
airborne nuclear deterrent altogether in
favour of submarine-launched missiles.
Thus the field was clear for a far-reaching
rearrangement of the command structure,
Bomber and Fighter Commands merging
into a new Strike Command. Meanwhile,
when the decade was barely five months
old, dramatic events over Sverdlovsk
brought fundamental tactical change
almost overnight. If Soviet SAMs could
reach a US spyplane at 65,000ft they
could definitely destroy a Victor or Vulcan
flying 10,000ft and more lower – V-force
was obliged to equip itself with powerful
defensive systems and adopt low-
level tactics.

1960
Cyprus gained independence from the UK
and became a Republic; administration of the
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
passed to AOC-in-C MEAF
Surgeon John Charnley fitted the first
artificial hip-joint at Wigan, Lancashire
January
The Hawker Hunter FGA.Mk 9 entered service
with 8 Sqn at Khormaksar, Aden
1 38 Group re-formed as a specialised tactical
airlift group within RAF Transport Command
Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Pike
succeeded Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir
Dermot Boyle as Chief of the Air Staff
February
13 France exploded an atomic weapon in the
Sahara Desert
16 In a change to UK defence policy, the
government decided that instead of a ground-
based nuclear deterrent, air- and submarine-
launched missiles would be used
17 The Air Ministry announced that a ballistic
missile early warning station (BMEWS) would be
built at Fylingdales, Yorkshire. It was scheduled
to become operational in 1963
March
21 South African police opened fire on black
protesters. Fifty-six people were killed in what
became known as the Sharpeville Massacre

April
13 The government’s nuclear policy was further
amended when development of submarine-
launched missiles was abandoned in favour of
arming the V-bombers with the new US-built
Skybolt missile

May
7 A Lockheed U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance
aircraft operated by the US Central Intelligence
Agency and piloted by Gary Powers, was shot
down by a Soviet surface-to-air missile near
Sverdlovsk, while flying over the Soviet Union
at an altitude of 65,000ft. MiG fighters also
January 1960: 8 Sqn took the Hunter FGA9 on strength. Key Collection attempted to intercept

74 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

 1960-1969

June 29, 1960: The Lightning

F1 entered service with
74 Sqn. Key Collection

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 75

1960-1969
September 15, 1960: The Belvedere entered
66 Sqn service. Key Collection
25/26 A 214 Sqn Valiant completed the first
non-stop UK–Singapore flight. Covering a
distance of 8,100 miles (13,053km) in 15 hours
35 minutes, the aircraft was refuelled over
Cyprus and Karachi
27 BOAC introduced Boeing 707-436 airliners
on its London–New York schedule, flying its
last Comet 4 service on the route in October
June
26 Operation Profiteer ended
29 The Lightning F1 entered operational
service with 74 Sqn at Coltishall
July
216 Sqn Comets, 99 and 511 Sqn Britannias,
and 30 Sqn Beverleys flew Ghanaian
troops and their equipment from Accra
to Leopoldville to join the UN force in the
Congo. Two 114 Sqn Hastings subsequently
supported the Ghanaian contingent
31 Operation Firedog ended, after
361,422 flying hours in 375,849 sorties
76 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
August
12 NASA launched the Echo 1 satellite. The
US Post Office used it to demonstrate the
communications potential of satellites, using
Echo 1 in the high-speed transmission of a
‘speed mail’ letter from Washington DC to
Newark, New Jersey, by bouncing microwave
signals from its surface
September
Scrambles by each of the V-bombers during
the Farnborough Airshow demonstrated an
average of 1 minutes 47 seconds to get four
aircraft airborne
15 The Bristol Belvedere HC.Mk 1 entered
service with 66 Sqn at Odiham
October
23 Sqn, the first unit equipped with Javelin
FAW.Mk 9R aircraft equipped with inflight-
refuelling probes, undertook a proving flight
to Singapore, demonstrating how the UK
could rapidly reinforce its overseas bases. The
Javelins were refuelled by Valiant tankers
21 The first tethered flight of the vertical/
short take-off and landing (V/STOL) Hawker
P.1127 took place
December
The Minister of Defence announced that the
UK would form one of four NATO air defence
regions
The Hawker Hunter FR.Mk 10 entered
service with 4 Sqn in Germany
1961
January
1 Conovid, the first oral contraceptive marketed
in the UK, was launched
March–April
Transport Command and Air Forces Middle East
aircraft airdropped supplies to famine-stricken
people in Kenya
April
12 The Soviet Union launched Vostok 1 into
Earth orbit from Baikonur, Western Siberia. It
carried Flight Major Yuri Alexeyvich Gagarin,
the first man in space. He landed successfully
after one Earth orbit and a flight time of 1 hour
48 minutes
May
1 Fighter Command’s fighter and missile
squadrons, and control and reporting centres,
were assigned to NATO under the command of
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).
AOC Fighter Command, Air Marshal Sir Hector
McGregor, assumed the additional title of
Commander UK Air Defence Region (UKADR)
5 Alan B Shepard became the first American in
space. In a flight time of 15 minutes 22 seconds
he was carried into a sub-orbital trajectory in a
Mercury capsule
June
20/21 A 617 Sqn Vulcan made the first non-
stop UK–Australia flight. It refuelled over
Cyprus, Karachi and Singapore, and covered the
11,500 miles (18,510km) in 20 hours 3 minutes,
for an average speed of 573mph (922km/h)
July
1–6 Following Iraqi claims on its oil-rich
neighbour Kuwait, the threat of invasion
prompted Kuwait’s ruler to request British
military support. Under Operation Vantage,
7,000 men and 720 tons of materiel were flown
into the Persian Gulf area from airfields in the
UK, Cyprus, Aden and Kenya. Two squadrons
of ground-attack Hunters were despatched to
Kuwait, RAF Germany Canberra squadrons were
concentrated in the region and V-bombers
were held at readiness on Malta
August
13 East German troops and construction
workers began building the Berlin Wall
October
The Handley Page Victor B.Mk 2 entered service
with 232 OCU at Gaydon
1 Under Operation Tana Flood, Transport
Command and Air Forces Middle East aircraft
began dropping food to communities isolated
by floods in Kenya. Large-scale operations, later
extended to Somalia, continued into January
1962. Approximately 6,000,000lb of food was
dropped

4 The US launched the world’s first active
communications satellite, Courier 1B
14 V-force participated in a US national air
defence exercise for the first time. Four 27 Sqn
and four 83 Sqn Vulcans joined Exercise
Skyshield
31 Hurricane Hattie devastated much of British
Honduras
November
The BAC Jet Provost T.Mk 4 entered service
2 Launched in response to Hurricane Hattie,
Operation Sky Help saw RAF Transport
Command ferry supplies to Kingston, Jamaica,
for onward movement to British Honduras.
Transport Command and Coastal Command
introduced a shuttle service between Kingston
and Belize
December
5 Bomber Command held its first Micky Finn
command-wide, no-notice readiness and
dispersal exercise. V-force was required to
disperse to its designated wartime dispersal
airfields and assume a war posture. Micky Finn
exercises were conducted annually throughout
the 1960s
11 The first direct US military support for
South Vietnam arrived when a US Navy carrier
delivered two US Army helicopter companies to
Saigon
1962
The Air Force Board formed a committee to
advise on historical and museum matters, under
the chairmanship of Marshal of the Royal Air
Force Sir Dermot Boyle
Nelson Mandela was jailed in South Africa
February 1963: RAF Waddington revealed Blue
Steel to the press, in a carefully managed media
event. The missiles required considerable
supporting infrastructure and meticulous
handling for safe operation. RAF (AHB)/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
February 1963: The Blue Steel
missile became operational
on 617 Sqn’s Waddington-
based Vulcans. RAF (AHB)/©
UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
January
Two squadrons of Hunter fighter/ground-attack
aircraft were transferred from Fighter Command
to 38 Group, Transport Command
February
The de Havilland Comet C.Mk 4 entered service
with 216 Sqn at Lyneham
The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.Mk 1
entered operational service with 114 Sqn at
Benson
The Folland Gnat T.Mk 1 entered service
with the CFS at Little Rissington
1 V-force began its quick reaction alert
readiness commitment, normally holding one
loaded weapon system and crew at 15 minutes
readiness per operational squadron
20 Lt Col John H Glenn, USMC, completed three
Earth orbits in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7,
in a flight time of 4 hours 55 minutes 23 seconds
1960-1969
March
12 The Air Minister announced that 38 Group
would include Canberras and reconnaissance
aircraft
April
26 A Thor-Delta booster put Ariel 1, containing
six UK space experiments, into orbit. It was
the first US/UK satellite launched from Cape
Canaveral
A 72 Sqn Belvedere, flown by Sqn Ldr JR
Dowling, lifted an 80ft (24m) pedestal and its
surmounting sculpture into place on the roof
of the newly constructed Coventry cathedral
May
25 Following a Pathet Lao offensive in
Laos earlier in the year, SEATO established
a multinational Joint Task Force, JTF 116, to
defend Thailand against the threat of Pathet
Lao or North Vietnamese incursion. The RAF
element, Operation Bibber, comprised an initial
detachment of six 20 Sqn Hunter FGA9s, later
increased to ten, which deployed from Tengah
to Don Muang, Bangkok
June
5 The Operation Bibber Hunter detachment
transferred to Chieng Mai in northern Thailand,
from where it operated until November 15.
Despite an invasion scare during the month,
there were no incursions across the Thai border
16 A flying and static display at RAF Upavon
marked the golden jubilee of military aviation
July
2 Field Squadron, RAF Regiment, converted to
the parachute role
1 The RAF Flying College was renamed as the
RAF College of Air Warfare
11 The first transatlantic satellite TV
transmission, via Telstar I, took place. An image
of American Telephone & Telegraph’s chairman,
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 77
1960-1969
Frederick Kappel, was transmitted from
Andover, Maine to Goonhilly Downs, Cornwall
August
The Westland Whirlwind HAR.Mk 10 entered
service with 22 Sqn
5 The UK signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty, along with the US and USSR
27 NASA launched Mariner 2, the world’s first
successful interplanetary vehicle. The craft
scanned the surface of Venus for 35 minutes
as it flew past at a distance of 21,000 miles
(34,000km), recording a surface temperature of
428°C (834°F)
October
22 US President Kennedy announced that
US reconnaissance aircraft had identified the
erection of offensive missile sites in Cuba. The
subsequent confrontation between the US and
Soviet Union, the Cuban missile crisis, ended
following lengthy exchanges between Kennedy
and Khrushchev. The US agreed not to invade
Cuba and the USSR agreed to halt construction
and remove the missiles
In response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, all
Bomber Command and RAF Germany nuclear
strike squadrons, and Thor missile units, were
placed on alert
March 1963: IX(B) Sqn became
a Vulcan operator, posted to
Cyprus for the Akrotiri Strike
Wing. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
78 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
Egyptian Air Force MiGs based in Yemen
struck at Nuqab, Aden. The RAF flew border
patrols in response and a retaliatory attack,
Hunters destroying a fort in Yemen. In a further
show of strength, a 90 Sqn Valiant, engaged
on a regular V-force Lone Ranger exercise, flew
along the frontier. 13 and 58 Sqns detached
their Canberra PR7s to Khormaksar to monitor
Egyptian vessels suspected of carrying arms
through the Red Sea to Yemen
November
The last Mosquito serving the RAF was retired
from a Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit
2 The Soviet Union began to dismantle its
missile bases on Cuba
14 Three Avro Vulcans from 27, 83 and 617 Sqns
departed on a round-the-world flight during
which they covered 30,000 miles (48,280km)
in 50 hours flying time. Stops included Perth,
Australia, to coincide with the Commonwealth
Games; New Zealand, to coincide with
celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Royal
New Zealand Air Force; and the US
20 The US terminated its blockade of Cuba
December
The English Electric Lightning F.Mk 2 entered
service with 19 and 92 Sqns at Leconfield
8 An Indonesian-sponsored North Kalimantan
National Army (TNKU) revolt began with
the aim of deposing the Sultan of Brunei. In
response, British forces initiated a contingency
plan, Operation Ale (later changed to Borneo
Territories). Elements of a Gurkha battalion
deployed from RAF Seletar to Brunei Town in
three 34 Sqn Beverleys, and to Labuan in a
99 Sqn Britannia. Further reinforcements were
flown in by 48 Sqn Hastings, 52 Sqn Valetta
and 205 Sqn Shackleton, supported by 38 Sqn
RAAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules and 41 Sqn,
RNZAF Bristol Freighters. 20 Sqn Hunters and
45 Sqn Canberras later detached to Labuan
for close air support, while 209 Sqn deployed
its Twin Pioneers and 66 Sqn its Belvederes to
Brunei, for local transport
17 Prompt action to seize areas taken by
the TNKU led to the collapse of its rebellion,
although low-level mopping-up operations
continued for several months
18–22 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan met
President John F. Kennedy, at Nassau in the
Bahamas. The ‘Nassau Conference’ centred
upon the future of the UK nuclear deterrent.
The US announced its decision to terminate
the Skybolt programme and the UK agreed
to acquire Polaris submarine-launched
missiles

1963
February
617 Sqn’s Vulcans were equipped with the Blue
Steel nuclear stand-off missile at RAF Scampton.
The weapon was acquired following Skybolt’s
cancellation
March
27 The Beeching Report on British Railways
recommended the closure of 2,128 stations and
the axing of 67,700 jobs
31 Fighter Command was reorganised, three
Sectors replacing 11 and 12 Groups
April–August
Following an unsuccessful attempt to depose
the Sultan of Brunei on December 8, 1962,
President Soekarno of Indonesia, driven by
the desire to unite Malaya, the Philippines
and Indonesia within an Indonesian empire,
began supporting insurgent attacks across the
970 mile (1,560km) border between Kalimantan,
Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo.
Between the declaration of the Federation of
Malaysia on September 16, 1963 and 1966,
Indonesian Air Force Hercules transports also
moved insurgents and troops into Singapore
and Malaya.
In response, Britain mounted an intensive
counter-insurgency operation to guarantee
the security of the states making up the
new Malaysian Federation. RAF transport
aircraft and helicopters supported the
British Army presence in Sarawak and
Sabah, while an Air Defence Identification
Zone (ADIZ) was established over Sarawak
and Sabah, policed by 20 Sqn Hunters, and
60 and 64 Sqn Javelins, flying from Kuching
and Labuan
May
23 Following the Nassau Conference, V-force
was assigned to SACEUR for the targeting,
planning, co-ordination and execution of
nuclear strikes. AOC-in-C Bomber Command
retained day-to-day control, while the Air
Ministry was responsible for V-force’s efficiency
and war readiness. The government reserved
the right to withdraw the bombers where UK
supreme national interests were judged to be
at stake
June
16 Vostok 6 carried the first woman into
space, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She
completed 48 Earth orbits
August
5 The UK, US and USSR signed the Limited
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which outlawed
nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere,
underwater and in space
September
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Elworthy
succeeded Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir
Thomas Pike as Chief of the Air Staff
19 The formation of the state of Malaysia on
the 16th resulted in an upsurge in hostility
towards UK nationals living and working in
Indonesia. Three 215 Sqn Argosys and a 48
Sqn Hastings began airlifting British citizens
wishing to leave Indonesia to Singapore. Four
hundred passengers were flown out over the
next few days
October
18 Ill health forced Prime Minister Harold
Macmillan’s resignation, Sir Alec Douglas-
Home stepping into the role
November
22 President John F Kennedy was assassinated
in Dallas, Texas
1964
The Hawker Siddeley Andover CC.Mk 2
entered service with the Queen’s Flight
The RAF Gnat Aerobatic Team was
established at RAF Valley, soon becoming
known as the Yellowjacks. The team was
subsequently expanded to become the Gnat-
equipped Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team The
Red Arrows
1960-1969
January 20, 1966: The Short Belfast
entered service with 66 Sqn.
Withdrawn in 1976 due to budget
cuts, it provided an outsize freight
capability only regained when the C-17
was acquired. Key Collection
January
The English Electric Lightning F.Mk 3 entered
service with the CFE at Binbrook
The Westland Wessex HC.Mk 2 entered
service with 18 Sqn at Odiham
4 RAF and FAA aircraft supported British Army
units during Operation Nutcracker, a major
intervention in the Radfan. The merger of
Aden into the existing Federation of Emirates
of the South, renamed the Federation of South
Arabia, heightened tension within Aden and the
surrounding countryside, and between Aden
and Yemen. A state of emergency was declared
after a grenade attack on the high commissioner
at Khormaksar. Strife focused particularly on the
Radfan area, where the Qutebibi tribe attacked
traffic on the Dhala road
15 The Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station
(BMEWS) at RAF Fylingdales, North Yorkshire,
commenced sustained operations
April
1 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) was created.
The Air Ministry became the Air Force
Department; the Air Council became the
Air Force Board of the Defence Council; and
the Secretary of State for Air was retitled the
Minister of Defence for the RAF
September
27 The BAC TSR.2 supersonic strike/
reconnaissance aircraft, designed to replace the
Canberra, flew for the first time
October
A Tripartite Squadron (UK/US/West Germany)
was established at RAF West Raynham to
evaluate the Hawker Kestrel V/STOL strike
fighter
Technician and Craft Apprentice Schemes
replaced those for (Aircraft) Apprentices and
Boy Entrants (initiated in February 1920 and
September 1934, respectively)
12 The Soviets launch Voskhod 1 into earth
orbit. This was the first spacecraft to carry a
multiple crew – Vladimir Komarov, Konstantin
Feoktistov and Boris Yegorov. They operated
without spacesuits during the mission
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 79
1960-1969
15 Harold Wilson became Labour prime
minister, replacing Douglas-Home
16 The People’s Republic of China detonated its
first atomic weapon
1965
The Beagle Basset CC.Mk 1 entered service
January
24 Sir Winston Churchill died at the age of 91
March
18 The Soviet Union launched Voskhod II
with Pavel Belyayev and Lt Col Alexei Leonov
on board. Leonov made the first spacewalk,
spending 12 minutes 9 seconds tethered to the
spacecraft while floating in space
April
2 In response to the proposal to hold a special
session of the West German Bundestag in Berlin,
the Soviet Union announced that an air exercise
would take place to the west of Berlin between
April 5 and 10
4 An RAF Germany fighter squadron deployed
to the Luftwaffe station at Celle to escort flights
into Berlin, should it prove necessary
5–10 As tension rose, UK-based Argosy
transport aircraft conducted a series of ten
probing flights into and out of Berlin
6 During his budget speech, Labour’s
Chancellor of the Exchequer James Callaghan
announced the cancellation of the TSR.2 project
as part of a massive programme of defence cuts,
citing rising costs as the primary cause
May
15 The Red Arrows performed their first display,
flying seven Gnats at the Biggin Hill Air Fair
80 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
1964/65: Latterly employed
as a tanker, late in 1964 the
Valiant was found to be
suffering fatigue problems. By
early 1965 the fleet had been
withdrawn. Key Collection
June
10 A BEA Hawker Siddeley Trident became
the first airliner to make an automatic landing,
touching down at London Heathrow after a
flight from Paris
28 The Hughes Early Bird I communications
satellite became operational in geo-stationary
earth orbit. Carrying public telephone calls, it
was the first commercial satellite
August
5–January 1966 Both sides made extensive
use of airpower during the Indo-Pakistan War
September
19 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of
Edinburgh attend a thanksgiving service
in Westminster Abbey to mark the 25th
anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Approximately 200 aircrew from the Battle,
along with many next of kin, were also present.
Ten Fighter Command Lightnings performed a
flypast, while a Spitfire and Hurricane overflew
Sir Winston Churchill’s grave at Bladon,
Oxfordshire
23 19 Sqn transferred its Lightning F2/F2A jets
from RAF Leconfield to RAF Gütersloh, Germany,
becoming the first Lightning squadron
stationed overseas
December
The Hawker Siddeley Dominie T.Mk 1 entered
service with 1 Air Navigation School at
Stradishall
3 29 Sqn deployed its Javelins from Akrotiri to
Ndola, Zambia, to provide air defence following
the Rhodesian government’s unilateral
declaration of independence (UDI)
10 The English Electric Lightning F.Mk 6 entered
service with 5 Sqn at Binbrook
19 Following Rhodesia’s UDI, the UK imposed
sanctions on the country. In order to support
neighbouring Zambia – which depended on
vital supplies delivered via a railway link from
Mozambique through Rhodesia – the UK and
Canada mounted an oil airlift. By its conclusion
on October 31, 1966, more than 3.5 million
imperial gallons had been flown in to Zambia
22 An experimental 70mph speed limit was
introduced on UK motorways. It was made
permanent in 1967
31 Fighter Command’s constituent Sectors were
disbanded
The RAF Technical College merged into the
RAF College Cranwell. The Technical College’s
relocation from Henlow to Cranwell was
completed on January 3, 1966
1966
Mao Zedong proclaimed a ‘great proletarian
cultural revolution’ in China
January
20 The Short Belfast C.Mk 1 entered service
with 53 Sqn at Brize Norton
February
Sufficient numbers of Short Tigercat missiles (a
variant of the Seacat maritime surface-to-air-
missile system) were ordered to equip 48 Sqn,
RAF Regiment
In a revision of the stance adopted in July
1964, the British government announced that
it would not retain a military base in Aden after
independence. This led to a further worsening
of security as elements previously loyal to the
British administration became disaffected –
terrorism within Aden became rife. RAF units
supported the British Army in its attempts to
control the situation
3 Luna 9, an unmanned Soviet spacecraft,
became the first manmade vehicle to soft land
on the Moon’s surface
22 With TSR.2 cancelled, it was announced that
50 General Dynamics F-111K strike aircraft would
be ordered from the US to replace RAF Canberras.
The order was cancelled in January 1968
March
A 37 Sqn Shackleton detachment arrived at
the French airfield at Manjunga, Malagasy, for
commence patrol supporting the RN’s blockade
of the port of Beira, Mozambique, following
the imposition of sanctions against Rhodesia.
The ‘Beira Patrol’ commitment was maintained
until February 1972, successively by Shackleton
detachments from 37, 38, 42, 204 and 210 Sqns
April
1 The RAF Airfield Construction Branch was
disbanded; its personnel were transferred to
other branches, or to the Royal Engineers
7 The Vickers VC10 C.Mk 1 transport entered
service with 10 Sqn at RAF Brize Norton
June
The Supply Control Centre opened at RAF
Hendon. Its £2.5m computer represented the
largest stock control system in Europe

April 30, 1968: This dramatic
flypast at RAF Scampton
marked the merging of Bomber
and Fighter Commands. RAF
Scampton Archive/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
The Hawker Siddeley Andover C.Mk 1
entered service
July
30 England beat West Germany 4-2 in the
World Cup final at Wembley
August
11 A peace treaty brought the Indonesian
confrontation to an end
French President General de Gaulle announced
that France was withdrawing from NATO’s
military committee and would retain only a
liaison mission. NATO command structures
and bases had to be transferred from French
soil
October
The RAF Technical Branch was renamed the
Engineer Branch
November
30 Following the withdrawal of the last flying
unit based on Gibraltar, flying Shackletons, in
October, AHQ Gibraltar was disestablished at
midnight. RAF North Front was renamed RAF
Gibraltar, under the command of HQ, 19 Group,
Coastal Command
December
The English Electric Canberra T.Mk 17
electronic countermeasures trainer entered
service with 360 Sqn at Watton
1967
The lightweight aluminium baby buggy
was invented; Owen Finlay Maclaren, an
aeronautical engineer and test pilot who
had worked on the Spitfire, designed and
manufactured the Maclaren B-01 in the UK
The go ahead was given to and Anglo-
French helicopter agreement. It created the
Gazelle, Lynx and Puma
February
A Defence White Paper announced that
Bomber and Fighter Commands would merge
in April 1968 to become Strike Command. The
headquarters of the new formation was to be
that of Bomber Command, at High Wycombe
March
28–31 Operation Mop Up – repeated bomb
and rocket strikes by Hunters from RAF Chivenor
and RAF West Raynham, assisted Fleet Air Arm
Buccaneers to break up Torrey Canyon, a very
large crude carrier (VLCC) that had run aground
on the Seven Stones Reef, near Land’s End
April
The Lockheed Hercules C.Mk 1 entered service
with 242 OCU at Thorney Island
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir John Grandy succeeded
Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Elworthy as Chief of
the Air Staff
June
5–10 The Arab-Israeli Six-Day War began with
pre-emptive Israeli Air Force strikes that all
but destroyed Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian
airpower
July
4 The government began sonic boom tests over
the UK, using Lightnings to produce random
booms
August
1 Transport Command was renamed Air
Support Command and given greatly increased
responsibility for fulfilling the long-range
strategic and tactical air support, and assault
1960-1969
roles. Air Marshal Sir Thomas Prickett was Air
Support Command’s first AOC
September
8 The prototype Westland Sea King helicopter
flew for the first time, at Avonmouth
November
1–26 The military withdrawal from Aden
required the largest RAF airlift since the Berlin
Airlift of 1948–49. Hercules, Britannias and
Belfasts flew 5,800 British Army troops out to
Muharraq, Bahrain. The last unit out departed
on November 26
28 HQ Middle East Command disbanded.
Command of British forces in the Persian Gulf
transferred to HQ, British Forces Gulf, in Bahrain.
The extant HQ Air Forces Gulf became the RAF
component of this HQ
29 British forces completed the withdrawal
from Aden
December
3 Professor Christian Barnard led the team of 30
doctors that performed the world’s first heart
transplant. The operation took place at Groote
Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa and
took 6 hours. The patient, Louis Waskansky, died
from pneumonia 18 days later
1968
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Dermot Boyle
launched an appeal for donations to help found
the RAF Museum, Hendon
January
16 Sweeping defence cuts were announced,
including cancellation of the 50 F-111Ks on
order for the RAF. In addition, British forces
were to be withdrawn from the Far East and
Persian Gulf by December 1971, and phase-out
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 81
1960-1969
of the RN carrier fleet was to be accelerated,
accelerating the transfer of the FAA’s fixed-wing
aircraft to the RAF. Reductions in RAF personnel
numbers were also to be accelerated
March
31 The ‘Clutch’ station at Geilenkirchen was
handed over to the Luftwaffe
April
1 RAF Odiham hosted celebrations for the
RAF’s 50th anniversary
20/21 The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
ended the ‘Prague Spring’, a programme of
wide-ranging democratic reform begun by the
country’s Dubcek government from April 5
30 Bomber and Fighter Commands merged to
create RAF Strike Command, using the former
Bomber Command HQ at High Wycombe.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Kyle was Strike
Command’s inaugural AOC
June
1 Flying Training and Technical Training
Commands merged into a revived RAF Training
Command
14 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II performed
a royal review at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, to
mark the RAF’s 50th anniversary
14–April 22, 1969 Completing the first non-
stop solo circumnavigation of the world, Robin
Knox-Johnston arrived at Falmouth in his 32ft
ketch Suhaili after a 312-day voyage
August
20 After the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia,
RAF Germany was placed on a high state of
readiness to guard against the possibility of a
Soviet assault on West Germany
23 228 OCU at RAF Coningsby received the first
McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.Mk 2. The
Phantom had been intended for the air-to-
ground role, but soon became an interceptor
alongside the Lightning
November
28 Coastal Command merged with Strike
Command, forming 18 (Maritime) Group
June 30, 1969: V-force stood its Vulcans and Victors down from the QRA nuclear
deterrent role. RAF Scampton Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
82 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
December
31 The prototype Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic
transport, dubbed ‘Concordski’ in the West,
completed its maiden sortie. The USSR was
therefore first to fly a supersonic transport
aircraft
1969
January
A Beagle Husky entered service with 5 Air
Experience Flight (AEF) at Cambridge
1 Signals Command disbanded and reformed
as 90 (Signals) Group, Strike Command
10 A disbandment parade was held for the
squadrons of the North East Air Force Strike
Wing (6, 32, 73 and 249), which proceeded
to disband through January and February.
Subsequently, a new CTO-dedicated Strike
Wing formed from 9 and 35 Sqns, each with
eight Vulcan B2s
February
9 The Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ flew for the first
time
March
26 The three partner countries involved in the
Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) project,
Britain, Germany and Italy, announced the
formation of Panavia to manage the project
April
1 The world’s first operational vertical/short
take-off and landing (V/STOL) combat aircraft,
the Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.Mk 1 entered
service with 233 OCU at RAF Wittering
9 UK-built Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde
prototype 002 made its first flight
May
4–11 The Daily Mail sponsored an air race
between London and New York to mark
the 50th anniversary of the first Atlantic
crossing by air. An RAF team co-ordinated
British military participation and the shortest
overall time between London and New
York was achieved by Harrier-equipped
1(F) Sqn’s Sqn Ldr Tom Lecky-Tompson.
Lieutenant Commander Brian Davies (pilot)
and Lieutenant Commander Peter Goddard
(observer) managed the shortest time
between New York and London, flying an
892 Naval Air Squadron Phantom FG.Mk 1
June
30 Responsibility for Britain’s strategic nuclear
deterrent passed to the Royal Navy’s Polaris
submarines and Strike Command stood down
its QRA commitment
July
14 A first detachment of RAF support
helicopters flew into Northern Ireland to
assist British Army units attempting to
control violence between Protestant and
Catholic communities. Four 72 Sqn Wessex
were despatched to Ballykelly, an 18 Sqn
detachment providing relief in March 1970
21 Neil Armstrong became the first human to
set foot on the Moon. NASA’s Apollo 11 had
carried the lunar mission, with Armstrong,
Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins as crew
September
3 The BAC Jet Provost T.Mk 5 arrived with the
CFS at Little Rissington
15 The feature film Battle of Britain premiered
at the Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court
Road, London at 8:30pm
October
The Blackburn Buccaneer entered service in
the Maritime Strike role with 12 Sqn at RAF
Honington
2 The first Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.Mk
1 maritime patrol aircraft was delivered to
236 OCU at RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall
November
17 The US/Soviet Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks (SALT) began in Helsinki, Finland
 AVIATION SPECIALS ESSEN T IA L R E AD I N G F R OM KE Y P U B L I S H I N G

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It is hard to believe that 25 years
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173/18
1970-1979
1970-1979

The 1970s marked a period of consolidation after the changes of the previous decade,
with important new types – Buccaneer, Harrier and Jaguar – becoming established

I 1970
f any single type stands for RAF
operations during the 1970s, it is
most likely the Harrier. Its dramatic
capabilities enabled a rethink of tactical,
dispersed operations and it soon became
far more than a novelty. A capable
ground-attack platform, for a while
it represented a degree of insurance
against the destruction of RAF airfields
and stood as a vital component of RAF
Germany. The Buccaneer, a supreme low-
level penetrator, and the Anglo-French
Jaguar, also took their place at home
and in Germany. In terms of future strike
and attack capability, the first flight of
Panavia’s MRCA in 1969 preceded a decade
of test and development, culminating in
rollout of the first production Tornado
GR.Mk 1 in 1979. The type’s advanced
avionics and high performance ultimately
enabled it to replace the Buccaneer, Jaguar
and Vulcan.
British Leyland launched the Range Rover
January
The RAF began using the Air Weapons
Installation at Decimomannu, Sardinia
21 The first scheduled Boeing 747 service flew
from New York to London, heralding a new era
of mass international air travel
February
15 Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding,
AOC‑in-C Fighter Command during the Battle
of Britain, died at the age of 87
March
28 Following a successful military coup
d’état in Libya on September 1, 1969, the RAF
withdrew from the airfield and associated
ranges at El Adem at the request of the new
government
April
4 The Dakota was retired after 27 years’ service.
One aircraft, actually an ex-USAAF C-47,
remained in service with the Royal Aircraft
Establishment, later the Defence Equipment
Research Agency, becoming surplus in 1992. In
March 1993 it entered service as the Royal Air
Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s ZA947
13 After launching from the Kennedy Space
Center on the 11th, Apollo 13 suffered a
catastrophic oxygen tank explosion during
the outbound leg of the third mission to land
on the Moon. The resulting emergency was
resolved through brilliant improvisation,
returning astronauts James Lovell, John
Swigert and Fred Haise safely to Earth on the
17th
June
18 Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath returned
the Conservatives to power

April 4, 1970: The Dakota was officially retired, only to return to service
in 1993 with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Here ZA947 takes off
for a display in 2015. Cpl Phil Major/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

84 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


1970s: Although it took its first Harrier GR1 in 1969, 1(F) Sqn only became operational in 1970. It
converted to the GR3, as here, in the mid-1970s, its NATO commitments including deployments to
Norway. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
August
72 Sqn returned a Wessex detachment to
Northern Ireland under Operation Marginal.
The commitment was a permanently manned
throughout the 1970s. From 1972, 72 and
33 Sqn detachments formed RAF Helicopter
Detachment Northern Ireland
September–November
The RAF mounted a medical airlift to Jordan
following a Jordanian Army offensive against
Palestinian terrorists
12 Palestinian terrorists hijacked a BOAC
Vickers VC10, a TWA Boeing 707 and a Swissair
Douglas DC-8 and flew them to Dawson’s Field,
Jordan, while a Pan Am 747 crew was forced
to fly to Cairo. The 707, DC-8 and VC10 were
blown up after most of their 255 passengers
had been released, while no one was aboard
the 747 when it was blown up
November
The RAF participated in an emergency airlift
of food and medical supplies to East Pakistan
following a cyclone
December
Operation Breakfast/Intragon saw 72 Sqn
deployed from Sharjah to support the Trucial
Oman Scouts and the SAS during a ten-day
internal security operation in the mountains of
the Musandem Peninsula, Oman
1970-1979
1971
January
A second Buccaneer unit formed when 15 Sqn
received the type at RAF Honington. In 1972
it became the first NATO Buccaneer squadron
when it moved to West Germany in the low-
level penetration role
February
17 The UK moved to an entirely decimal
coinage system
April
The Hawker Siddeley 125 CC.Mk 1 entered
service
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir Dennis Spotswood
succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir John Grandy as
Chief of the Air Staff
17 A new air freight service was founded.
Federal Express guaranteed overnight delivery
anywhere in the US
19 The Soviet Salyut space station was launched
June
The Westland/Aerospatiale Puma HC.Mk 1
entered service with 33 Sqn at Odiham
June–July RAF aircraft mounted an
emergency airlift to East Pakistan and India
after heavy flooding in the coastal regions of
the Bay of Calcutta
October
16–December 17 War between India and
Pakistan broke out again. East Pakistan
emerged from the conflict as the newly
independent Bangladesh
31 With the withdrawal from most of the RAF’s
stations in the Far East, FEAF disbanded
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 85
1970-1979
January 1971: 15 Sqn became
the RAF’s second Buccaneer
unit. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
December
15 The RAF’s Gulf HQ at Bahrain (formerly HQ
RAF Persian Gulf ) disbanded
1972
January
The Shackleton AEW.Mk 2 entered service as
8 Sqn at RAF Kinloss became the RAF’s first
airborne early warning unit
May
1 90 (Signals) Group transferred from Strike
Command to Maintenance Command
30 Three Japanese terrorists killed 25 people
and injured 72 at Tel Aviv Airport when they
took guns and grenades from their luggage
and began firing. The terrorists had just
stepped off a flight from Rome
June
17 Burglars were caught in the offices of
the Democratic National Committee in the
Watergate building complex in Washington
DC, leading to political scandal President
Richard Nixon’s resignation
July
The Harrier T.Mk 2 entered service with
233 OCU at Wittering
86 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
1 38 Group, Air Support Command, transferred
to Strike Command
September
1 Strike Command and Air Support Command
merged to establish a unified Strike Command.
The assets previously controlled by Air Support
Command formed 46 Group, Strike Command
November
15 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opened
the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon, North
London
December
18 President Nixon ordered a concentrated
bombing offensive over Vietnam under
Operation Linebacker II
19 Apollo 17, the last mission to the Moon,
was completed successfully, but public and
political enthusiasm for the moon shots had
waned and a further three planned moon
landings were cancelled
26 117 B-52 bombers attacked Hanoi, North
Vietnam in the Vietnam War’s largest raid to
date
1973
Trevor McDonald, working for ITN, became
Britain’s first black TV newscaster
January
1 The UK formally became a member of
the European Economic Community (EEC).
Among the everyday consequences of EEC
membership, value added tax (VAT), at a rate of
10%, was introduced
March
Operation Khana Cascade, the largest
airlift since Berlin, saw 46 Group Hercules
drop 2,000 tons of grain, maize and rice to
Himalayan villagers in Nepal
April
The Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.Mk 1 entered
service with the CFS at Little Rissington
May
17 With the beginning of the Second Cod
War, Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft flew
surveillance missions to establish the locations
of Icelandic gunboats and UK trawlers within
the 50-mile zone proclaimed by the Icelandic
government. Britannias also flew a small
number of these fishery protection sorties, in
an effort to conserve Nimrod flying hours
20 The Icelandic government announced that
British military aircraft would no longer be
permitted to use Icelandic airfields
30 226 OCU at Lossiemouth took delivery of
the first RAF’s initial pair of SEPECAT Jaguar
GR.Mk 1 attack aircraft
January 1972: In a major change of role,
8 Sqn stood up as the Shackleton AEW3
operator. Key Collection

June
26 The Scottish Aviation Jetstream T.Mk 1
began replacing the Varsity with 5 FTS
July
17 The first Gazelle HT.Mk 3 training and
communication helicopters were delivered to
Training Command at RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire
September
1 RAF Maintenance Command and 90 (Signals)
Group disbanded, with the newly formed RAF
Support Command assuming their duties. The
new command also absorbed the functions
of several medical units previously the
responsibility of Strike and Training Commands
October
3 Following the start of talks between the UK
and Iceland, the last Second Cod War fishery
protection sortie was flown
6 Massive Egyptian Air Force air strikes
against Israeli artillery and command positions
heralded the beginning of the Yom Kippur
War. The large-scale, effective use of Soviet
SAMs and AAA frustrated Israeli counterattacks
against Egyptian air and ground forces
26 The Yom Kippur War ended
November
21 With a diplomatic settlement to the Second
Cod War, Iceland lifted the ban on British
military aircraft using its airfields
1974
January
7 The RAF College of Air Warfare was
amalgamated with the RAF College, Cranwell,
becoming the RAF College’s Department of Air
Warfare
February
28 Labour’s Harold Wilson took control of a
minority government after a general election
resulted in a hung parliament
March
The BBC introduced Ceefax, its Teletext
service
April
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Humphrey
succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir Dennis
Spotswood as Chief of the Air Staff
6 A detachment of four 72 Sqn Wessex
from RAF Odiham arrived at RAF Salalah,
Oman to assist in the construction of a new
defensive measure, the Hornbeam Line. The
Sultan of Oman Air Force (SOAF) tasked the
detachment and the aircraft carried SOAF
camouflage and markings. They airlifted
materials for new defensive positions, moved
troops and artillery, and acted as artillery
spotters and forward air controllers. The
detachment was withdrawn in November
1974
May
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.Mk 1 entered
service with 51 Sqn at Wyton
22 In a fly-in to mark the 25th anniversary of
the first flight of the Canberra, 33 marks of
the aircraft gathered at RAF Cottesmore
23 Flying between Paris and London, an
Air France Airbus A300B2 delivered the
inaugural fare-paying service by a European-
built widebody airliner
June
26 The first barcode was scanned at the
Marsh Supermarket, Troy, Ohio. The marked
product was a pack of chewing gum
1970-1979
March 29, 1974: 54 Sqn became the latest
Jaguar squadron. These ‘Jags’ were taking fuel
from a TriStar later in their career.
British Aerospace
July
20 Turkey invaded Northern Cyprus with
extensive use of airpower. Although the
conflict between Greek and Turkish troops
following the invasion did not directly threaten
the British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs), more
than 10,000 dependants and tourists were
evacuated from RAF Akrotiri to RAF Lyneham
and RAF Fairford between July 21 and 30
23–24 A 203 Sqn Nimrod MR1 out of RAF Luqa
assumed control of SAR efforts after Turkish
aircraft sank the Turkish destroyer Kocatepe
in a ‘blue-on-blue’ incident off Paphos on July
21. An 84 Sqn Whirlwind and two 1153 Marine
Craft Unit, RAF rescue launches were also
involved
23 Two 41 Sqn Phantom FGR2s arrived at Akrotiri
to provide tactical reconnaissance for British
forces on Cyprus following the Turkish invasion
24/25 12 Phantom FGR2s from 6 Sqn and
228 OCU were despatched to Cyprus to
provide additional offensive support and air
defence for UN operations. In the event, there
were no Phantom air-to-ground missions but
combat air patrols were flown in support of
Canberra and Nimrod reconnaissance sorties
from Malta and to guard against infringements
of British SBA airspace. The Phantom drew
down through August, with the final aircraft
and crews returning to the UK on September
12/13
25 A detachment of four Puma HC1s from
33 and 230 Sqns, and 240 OCU, was flown to
Akrotiri aboard two 53 Sqn Belfasts
26 RAF Support Command aircraft, including
VC10s, Comets and Hercules, ferried more than
7,500 tourists off Cyprus
15 Sqn, RAF Regiment, was despatched to
Akrotiri to bolster the ground defence of RAF
installations on Cyprus, working in conjunction
with British Army units. 26 Sqn, RAF Regiment
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 87
1970-1979
replaced it at the end of September and was
withdrawn during November
30 With its aircraft reassembled, the Cyprus
Puma detachment commenced operations,
flying reconnaissance along the original
ceasefire lines between Greek and Turkish
forces, and communications tasks. The
detachment ended on October 31, the Pumas
and personnel returning to Odiham between
November 1 and 7
August
14 The prototype Panavia Multi-Role Combat
Aircraft (MRCA) made its first flight at
Manching, West Germany, piloted by Briton
Paul Millet. They type entered RAF service as
the Tornado
14–17 Following the failure of peace talks, a
further 9,989 dependants were evacuated from
RAF Akrotiri to the UK
21 The Hawker Siddeley Hawk flew for the
first time, from the company’s airfield at
Dunsfold, Surrey
September 1977: Dispersed operations were a real possibility
in the event of a major confrontation with the Warsaw Pact.
Here a 31 Sqn Jaguar T2 is working from a German autobahn.
RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
88 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
September
1 A Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, flown by
Majors James Sullivan and Noel Widdifield, flew
from Beale AFB, California to Farnborough. It
set a new New York–London speed record,
covering a distance of 3,490 miles (5,617km) in
1 hour 55 minutes 42 seconds
1975
January
With the de facto collapse of the Central
Treaty Organisation (CENTO) in the aftermath
of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the British
government terminated its declaration of
forces to CENTO and redirected all resources
to NATO. As a consequence, all RAF fixed-wing
aircraft were withdrawn from Cyprus and re-
deployed to RAF Strike Command
13 The US government announced that the
USAF had selected the General Dynamics
YF-16 as winner of its Light Weight Fighter
(LWF) Programme
February
6 Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, AOC 11
Group during the Battle of Britain, died in New
Zealand
March
10 In the final hours of the Vietnam War, RAF
Hercules evacuated civilians from Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
April
30 The last US personnel left Vietnam in
a dramatic helicopter airlift from secured
locations in Saigon. In all, 7,014 US and South
Vietnamese personnel were evacuated in the
days before the North Vietnamese captured
the city. The evacuation ended US involvement
in the Vietnam conflict
July
The Handley Page Victor K.Mk 2 entered service
with 55 Sqn
17 In a combined US/USSR space mission,
Soyuz 19 and the Apollo ASTP (Apollo/Soyuz
Test Project) docked together in Earth orbit.
Gen Thos Stafford and Col Alexei Leonov shook
hands 140 miles (225km) above Bognor Regis,
marking a new era of co-operation in space
October
11 Following the breakdown of
negotiations between Britain and
Guatemala with regard to the status of the
British colony of Belize, Guatemalan troops
begin massing on the border between the
two countries. In response, the British Army
garrison was reinforced and 53 Sqn Belfasts
flew a detachment of three 33 Sqn Pumas
to Belize
November
6–8 Six 1(F) Sqn Harrier GR1As were
despatched to Belize in an effort to deter
Guatemalan military action. When the threat
was judged to have diminished, the Harriers
were dismantled and flown back to the UK in
April 1976
10 The band Queen helped set the
precedent for pop videos with a seven-
minute film of its Bohemian Rhapsody single.
The film, made in four hours with a £4,500
budget, was produced to promote the song
on BBC’s Top of the Pops show
24 The Third Cod War began and Operation
Heliotrope saw Nimrods resuming intensive
surveillance flights within the 200-mile fishing
zone announced by the Icelandic government.
230 OCU Hastings T5s flew a small number of
sorties to supplement the Nimrod
26 The Icelandic government announced that
all airfields on Iceland were closed to British
military aircraft
1976
A Labour government remained in power, but
under Prime Minister James Callaghan, after
Harold Wilson resigned

January
1 38 and 46 Groups, Strike Command were
amalgamated under the 38 Group designation
21 Air France and British Airways began
transatlantic Concorde passenger services,
from Paris and London, respectively, to
Washington Dulles International Airport
March
31 The Near East Air Force (NEAF) disbanded
as part of the continuing drawdown of RAF
commitments worldwide
April
1 The RAF staging post on Gan (Addu Atoll, the
Maldives) was closed. RAF Gan had been a key
element in the RAF’s transport route network
to the Far East since the late 1950s
Air Headquarters Cyprus was reformed
to control RAF units in the Mediterranean; it
reported to HQ Strike Command
May
The Vickers Varsity, also known as ‘The Flying
Pig’, was withdrawn as a pilot and navigator
trainer with the full establishment of the
Jetstream in service
June
2 Following the conclusion of a UK-Iceland
agreement, Operation Heliotrope and the Third
Cod War ceased. Between November 24, 1975
and June 2, 1976, some 158 Nimrod and 20
Hastings sorties had been flown in support of
the Royal Navy
24 Iceland lifted its ban on the use of its
airfields by British military aircraft
July
4 Israeli commandos freed more than 100
hostages from a hijacked Air France A300 after
it landed at Entebbe, Uganda. Three hostages,
the commando leader and all seven hijackers
were killed in a 35-minute gunfight
20 NASA’s Viking 1 successfully landed on
Mars, transmitting pictures of the surface back
to Earth
January 6, 1976: 99 Sqn disbanded and the Britannia was withdrawn
from service. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
August
6 Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Cameron
succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew
Humphrey as Chief of the Air Staff
September
6 Lieutenant Viktor Belenko defected to Japan
from the USSR in a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
Foxbat fighter. Landing unannounced at
Hokkaido airport, he requested asylum in the US
November
The Hawker Siddeley Andover E.Mk 3 entered
service with 115 Sqn at Benson
4 RAF Valley took delivery of the first pair of
operational Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.Mk 1 jets
1977
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee
April
29 British Aerospace (BAe) was formed from
the merger of British Aircraft Corporation,
Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Hawker Siddeley
Dynamics and Scottish Aviation
June
13 Support and Training Commands merged
into a new and enlarged RAF Support
Command
July
7 Following the breakdown of negotiations
between the UK and Guatemala, the
Guatemalan armed forces mobilised in June.
In response, the British garrison was again
strengthened and a detachment of six 1(F)
Sqn Harrier GR3s flew to Belize, refuelled by
Victor K2 tankers. The threatened invasion
did not take place, but RAF assets remained
in Belize as part of British Forces Belize
(BRITFORBEL)
29 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conducted
The Silver Jubilee Review of the Royal Air Force
at RAF Finningley
1970-1979
August
208 Sqn became the first RAF squadron to
participate a USAF Red Flag exercise, operating
its Buccaneers from Nellis AFB, Nevada
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Beetham was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
16 Elvis Presley died
September
5 NASA launched its Voyager 1 space probe,
which subsequently became the first human-
manufactured object to enter interstellar space
1978
The RAF Museum’s Battle of Britain Hall was
opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the
Queen Mother
July
25 Louise Brown – the first ‘test tube baby’–
was born at Oldham, Lancashire following
laboratory fertilisation by Cambridge
physiologist Dr Robert Edwards and
gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe
August
The RAF Sea King Training Unit at RNAS
Culdrose had trained sufficient aircrew for
202 Sqn to be established at RAF Lossiemouth
on the new helicopter. The Westland Sea King
HAR.Mk 3 replaced the Whirlwind and Wessex
in the SAR role
September
18 A ceremonial flypast took place at
RAF Lyneham to mark the completion of
500,000 flying hours by the RAF Lockheed
Hercules fleet
October
The last RAF squadron based on Malta, 13 Sqn
departed the island. Equipped with Canberra
PR7s and PR9s, it had provided photo-
reconnaissance capability in the Mediterranean
region as part of the Near East Air Force
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 89
1970-1979

This image and opposite bottom: 1979 – The

Red Arrows flew the Gnat for the last time,
beginning the 1980 season on the Hawk.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

90 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


1979
The RAF Museum’s Regional Collection opened
as the Aerospace Museum at RAF Cosford in
the West Midlands
January
10 Sqn VC10s and Hercules from the Lyneham
Tactical Wing evacuated British nationals from
Tehran during the Iranian Revolution
June 5, 1979: The first production Tornado GR1 rolled out. British Aerospace
March
31 The RAF withdrew from Malta, ending a
60-year presence on the island
May
4 Margaret Thatcher became the UK’s first
woman prime minister, replacing Callaghan
and returning a Conservative government to
power
1970-1979
July
10 The first full production standard Panavia
Tornado GR.Mk 1 completed its maiden flight
November
Having entered service with 4 FTS in November
1976, the Hawk replaced the final Gnat trainers
in RAF service and became the mount of the
Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team The Red Arrows
December
Under Operation Agila, seven Hercules and
six Pumas joined a five-nation Ceasefire
Monitoring Force (CMF) established to oversee
the disarming of Zimbabwe African National
Union (ZANU) and Zimbabwe African People’s
Union (ZAPU) guerrillas in Rhodesia
15 Chris Haney and Scott Abbott devised
the Trivial Pursuit board game in a single
evening in Montreal, Canada. Haney’s brother
John created many of the first questions in
Weymouth Public Library
25/26 Soviet airborne troops invaded
Kabul at the beginning of the Soviet conflict
in Afghanistan. More than 100 transport
aircraft movements airlifted five regiments
into Afghanistan and the Soviet/Afghan
border region
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 91
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1980-1989
1980-1989
The 1982 Falklands’ War dominates the RAF memory of the 1980s, yet it was also
the decade in which the Tornado entered service and the Vulcan was withdrawn
E 1980
arly in April 1982, a surprised nation
learned that Argentina had invaded
the Falkland Islands, a UK overseas
territory. The UK government reacted
swiftly and decisively, assembling a
powerful Royal Navy Task Force and
despatching advanced RAF units to
Ascension Island, an advanced operating
base still around 4,000 miles from the
Falklands. The conflict that followed,
involving RAF Harriers, Vulcans and a
single surviving Chinook, flying alongside
Fleet Air Arm and Army Air Corps units, has
become the stuff of Royal Air Force legend.
A brief, intense action, the war changed
UK military thinking, especially in the face
of courageous and extremely determined
anti-shipping strikes from Argentine air
force and navy pilots. It saw the Vulcan’s
only combat missions, just as the type was
on the brink of withdrawal, and witnessed
the Nimrod maritime patrol and Victor
inflight-refuelling tanker fleets playing
roles without which the islands might well
have been lost. And with the departure of
the Vulcan, and Lightning, from service, so
the Tornado opened a new RAF chapter.
1989: The Shorts Tucano T.Mk 1 underwent
trials with the Central Flying School at RAF
Scampton, as shown here, before entering
service with 7 FTS at year-end.
Key Collection
94 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
January
10 The Hercules C.Mk 3, a modified, ‘stretched’
variant of the C1, flew for the first time
July
The Tornado GR1 entered service with the Tri-
national Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE)
at RAF Cottesmore
September
22 The Iran-Iraq war, commonly known as the
Gulf War, broke out. Iraqi warplanes struck
Iranian airfields and oil installations and the
capital, Teheran. Air operations continued
through more than eight years of conflict,
generally against similar airfield and oil targets,
and civilian centres of population. Attacks on
oil tankers in the Arabian Gulf began in 1983
and in 1986 city targets took on renewed
importance. Few ground support missions
were flown by either side
HMS Ark Royal, the Royal Navy’s last
conventional aircraft carrier, left Plymouth for
scrapping
December
240 OCU placed the RAF’s first Boeing Vertol
Chinook HC.Mk 1 into service
8 Former Beatle John Lennon was murdered
outside the Dakota Building in New York
1981
January
5 The TTTE began its first course
March
The Harrier GR3 detachment in Believe
was designated 1417 Flt, while the Puma
detachment deployed in support of the British
army garrison became 1563 Flt
30 US President Ronald Reagan was wounded
in an assassination attempt
April
12 Space Shuttle Columbia launched
successfully from Cape Canaveral for the
programme’s first mission
June
5 Moira Stewart, the UK’s first black female
broadcaster, first appeared on television for the
BBC
25 The UK Defence Secretary announced
the government’s intention to purchase 60
McDonnell Douglas/Bae Harrier IIs, as the
Harrier GR.Mk 5 for the RAF
August
18 Sqn accepted the Chinook into frontline RAF
service at Odiham
19 US Navy Grumman F-14 Tomcats flying
from USS Nimitz shot down two Libyan Sukhoi

Su-22 Fitter attack aircraft over the Gulf of Sirte,
off the Libyan coast. The engagement came
amid rising tensions between Libya’s Gaddafi
government and the US
September
3 The prototype BAe 146-100 completed its
maiden flight
October
Flight trials with the Active Control Technology
(ACT) SEPECAT Jaguar began. British
Aerospace modified the aircraft with a Marconi
Avionics/Dowty fly-by-wire control system
using electric control-surface actuation
without mechanical back-up
November
5 The first full scale development (FSD) Harrier
II completed its maiden flight
9 The UK’s first hardened aircraft shelters were
put into use at RAF Honington, Suffolk
12 72 Sqn deployed from England to
RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. It had
maintained a detachment in Northern Ireland
through the 1970s
30 The larger Westland Wessex replaced the
last Whirlwinds active on search-and-rescue
duties
1982
April
2 Operation Rosario saw Argentinian forces
invade the Falkland Islands
Four Lyneham Wing Hercules C1s from
24, 30, 47 and 70 Sqns were despatched to
Gibraltar to establish an airbridge between
the UK and the British forward operating
base at Wideawake Air Base, Ascension Island.
Ascension became central to RAF participation
in the Falklands campaign
3 A 10 Sqn VC10 was despatched from Brize
Norton to Montevideo, Uruguay, to collect
the Governor of the Falkland Islands and
Royal Marines of Naval Party 8901, captured
by Argentinean forces when they seized the
Falkland Islands. A series of similar 10 Sqn
repatriation flights followed during April. After
hostilities commenced, 10 Sqn was charged
with flying home British casualties from the
hospital ships Hecla, Hydra and Herald, docked
at Montevideo
5 Under Operation Corporate, the lead
elements of a Royal Navy Task Force sailed from
the UK bound for the South Atlantic, with the
intention of liberating the Falkland Islands
5–6 Two 42 Sqn Nimrod MR1s flew from RAF
St Mawgan to Wideawake AB to begin long-
range patrols in support of the Task Force. A
detachment of Nimrod MR2s from 120, 201
and 206 Sqns later supplemented the MR1s
18 Five Victor K2s, drawn from 55 and 57 Sqns,
arrived at Wideawake. The detachment
was initially tasked with maritime radar
reconnaissance of the waters around the
Falkland Islands and South Georgia
20 In the longest operational reconnaissance
mission yet flown, a Victor returned to
Ascension after a 14-hour 45-minute sortie
during which it carried out a radar search
covering 150,000 square miles (388,498km2) of
ocean around South Georgia
25 British Task Force aircraft engaged in
combat for the first time when FAA Lynx
helicopters attacked the Argentine submarine
Santa Fe. Later that day, Royal Marines were
airlifted to South Georgia
28 British forces recaptured South Georgia
The Argentine government was given
48 hours’ warning of the UK’s intention to
impose a 200-mile radius no-fly zone around
the Falkland Islands
29 The first Waddington Wing Vulcan B2
bombers from 44, 50 and 101 Sqns arrived at
Ascension Island
30–1 May The RAF mounted the first offensive
mission against Argentinian forces on the
1980-1989
Falkland Islands. Operation Black Buck saw
18 Victor K2 tanker sorties support Vulcan B2
XM607 as it dropped 21 1,000lb bombs on Port
Stanley airfield. The bomber returned safely to
Ascension after 15 hours 45 minutes in the air
May
3 Supported by Victor tankers and with
a Nimrod providing SAR cover, the first
Operation Corporate Harrier GR3 deployment
delivered three aircraft to Ascension, for
onward transfer by ship to the Falkland Islands
3/4 During Black Buck 2, the second Vulcan
B2 sortie against Port Stanley airfield, 21
1,000lb bombs were dropped on Port Stanley
airfield. Post-attack Sea Harrier reconnaissance
revealed that bombs had fallen some 50 yards
west of the runway and also that no repairs had
been carried following Black Buck 1
4 An Exocet anti-shipping missile, launched by
a Dassault Super Etendard of the Argentinean
Navy’s 2 Escuadrilla de Caza y Ataque, hit the
Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield, on radar
picket duty west of the Falklands. The warship
was abandoned and subsequently sank
7 Six 1(F) Sqn Harrier GR3s departed the UK
aboard the merchant vessel Atlantic Conveyor,
en route to the Ascension Islands
The first Nimrod MR2 modified for inflight
refuelling with a hastily installed probe, Nimrod
MR2P XV227 was deployed to Wideawake. A
206 Sqn crew subsequently used it for the first
air-to-air refuelled Nimrod mission, patrolling
to a point 2,750 miles (4,425km) south south-
west of Ascension on an anti-submarine
tasking in support of Task Force elements en
route to the Falkland Islands
8 A 202 Sqn Sea King HAR3 was flown to
Ascension from the UK aboard a Heavylift
cargo airline Belfast, to provide SAR cover
for the Ascension area. It also flew transport
sorties around the island. The detachment
ended on September 7 and the aircraft
returned to the UK in HMS Invincible
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 95
1980-1989
15 A 201 Sqn crew set new world distance
record for an operational reconnaissance
mission, covering 8,300 miles (13,357km) over
the South Atlantic in 19 hours 5 minutes
18 The 1(F) Sqn Harriers and eight 809 NAS
Sea Harriers arrived in theatre aboard Atlantic
Conveyer. Four Harrier GR3s flew off to the
aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, the remaining
aircraft reaching the carrier on May 19 and 20
20 1(F) Sqn flew its first attack of the
campaign. Harrier GR3s flown by OC 1(F) Sqn,
Wg Cdr PT Squire, and Sqn Ldrs RD Iveson and
JJ Pook delivered a successful cluster bomb
attack on a fuel dump at Fox Bay, West Falkland
21 Argentine air attacks sank Type 21 frigate
HMS Ardent
23 HMS Antelope came under heavy air attack
24 Phantom FGR2s arrived on Ascension,
taking over the island’s air defence from
Sidewinder-armed Harrier GR3s
HMS Antelope exploded and sank
25 Argentine Air Force Douglas A-4 Skyhawks
sank Type 42 destroyer HMS Coventry
An Exocet fired by an Argentine Naval
Aviation Super Etendard hit Atlantic Conveyor
north-east of the Falkland Islands. The vessel
was lost, together with its cargo of stores, three
RAF Chinooks, five Royal Navy Wessex HU5s
and a Royal Navy Lynx HAS2. One Chinook –
ZA718/BN – survived to play a vital role in the
remainder of the campaign
27 A 1(F) Sqn Harrier was shot down during
an attack in the Goose Green area – its pilot
ejected successfully
28 His Holiness Pope John Paul II arrived at
Gatwick Airport to begin a six-day UK tour
Goose Green and Darwin were retaken
30 The RAF used laser-guided munitions
in combat for the first time, two Harriers
attempting to engage targets around the
Falkland’s capital, Port Stanley. The mission
was unsuccessful, since target designation
from the ground proved impossible, but
its intent heralded a new era in precision
targeting
96 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
May–June 1982: RAF Harrier GR3s joined the
Operation Corporate Task Force, operating off
Royal Navy carriers and from a FOB at Port San
Carlos. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Another 1(F) Sqn Harrier was shot down;
again, the pilot ejected successfully
30/31 In Black Buck 5, a Vulcan launched
AGM‑45 Shrike anti-radiation missiles in an
effort to destroy an AN/TPS-43F radar in the Port
Stanley area; the radar was slightly damaged
June
2/3 In Black Buck 6, a Vulcan launched two
more Shrikes, destroying a Skyguard anti-
aircraft artillery fire control radar near Port
Stanley. The Vulcan’s inflight-refuelling probe
broke in contact with a Victor tanker on the
homeward run and the bomber was forced
to divert to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where it was
detained until June 10
5 Harriers and Sea Harriers used a forward
operating base (FOB) completed by Royal
Engineers at Port San Carlos. Known to
1(F) Sqn aircrew as ‘Sid’s Strip’ in honour of its
commanding officer, Sqn Ldr BS Morris, and
to Fleet Air Arm aircrew as HMS Sheathbill, the
FOB enabled the Harrier GR3s to be held on
ground alert while awaiting tasking
11/12 In Black Buck 7, Vulcan XM607 attacked
facilities at Port Stanley airport, using a mix of
1,000lb HE and air-burst anti-personnel bombs
14 Army Air Corps Scout helicopters, armed
with SS11 wire-guided anti-tank missiles,
attacked Argentine positions at Port Stanley in
the last offensive air operations of the conflict.
Argentinean forces on the Falkland Islands
surrendered later in the day
22 The initial VC10 KC.Mk 2, the first of several
tanker conversions of VC10 airliners for the
RAF, completed its maiden flight at Filton
October
15 Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Williamson was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
17 After the reconstruction and extension
of the runway at Port Stanley, RAF Phantoms
arrived at RAF Stanley to provide air defence of
the Falkland Islands
1983
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother opened the RAF Museum’s Bomber
Command Hall
The first computer mouse was introduced,
with Apple’s LISA computer
June
Fighting between Israeli, Syrian and Palestinian
forces based in Lebanon escalated after Israeli
troops invaded Southern Lebanon
18 Challenger launched with the US’s first
female astronaut aboard. Aged 32, Dr Sally Ride
was also the youngest US astronaut to date
August
The Lockheed TriStar entered service with
216 Sqn at RAF Brize Norton
September
1 All 269 passengers and crew were killed when
a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 shot down a Korean Air
Lines Boeing 747 near Sakhalin Island. The
airliner had strayed into Soviet airspace and its
crew failed to respond to radio calls
September–March 1984 A UN Multi-National
Intervention Force comprising US, British,
French and Italian units deployed to Beirut in
a peacekeeping role. 7 and 18 Sqn Chinooks
supported the British Army detachment in
Lebanon, while 12 and 208 Sqn Buccaneers
provided an offensive and ‘show of force’
capability, using RAF Akrotiri as a forward base
November
18 1 and 38 Groups, RAF Strike Command
were amalgamated as 1 Group
December
16 The Chiefs of Staff of the British, French,
West German, Italian and Spanish air forces
signed a preliminary agreement for a Future
European Fighter Aircraft
1984
Apple launched its first Macintosh computer
Professor of Genetics Sir Alec Jeffreys
developed the genetic fingerprinting technique,
in the University of Leicester’s Genetics
Department. Leicester Constabulary was first to
use it, during an investigation in 1987
February
The Soviet space vehicle Soyuz T-10B launched,
on its way to setting a new space endurance
record of 237 days
3 Challenger launched from the Kennedy
Space Center. Bruce McCandless made the
first ever untethered spacewalk during the
flight. He left Challenger 164 miles (264km)
over Hawaii, wearing a jet-powered Manned
Manoeuvring Unit he had helped design, then
‘walked’ 300ft and back without a safety line
March
6 The UK miners’ strike began
31 50 Sqn disbanded, bringing frontline
Vulcan operations to an end
May
1 101 Sqn took the first VC10 K2 to enter
operational service
July
25 Exiting the Salyut 7 space station,
cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the
first woman to complete a space walk
September
3 35,000 British troops were airlifted to West
Germany for Exercises Lionheart and Cold Fire.
It was the largest deployment of British troops
since World War Two
October
74 Sqn re-formed at RAF Wattisham to operate
the F-4J(UK) Phantom F.Mk 3

November
3–December 16 Six Hercules were despatched
to Ethiopia under Operation Bushel, to
participate in an emergency airlift of food and
supplies in the wake of severe drought, famine
and civil war. By the time the detachment
ended on December 16, the aircraft had flown
1,198 sorties to land 17,788 tonnes of supplies,
and a further 954 air-drop sorties, delivering
14,380 tonnes
5 The Panavia Tornado F.Mk 2 entered service
with 229 OCU at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
1985
The VC10 K3 entered service with 101 Sqn
March
3 The UK miners’ strike ended
May
Then the world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov
An-124 Ruslan arrived at Le Bourget for the
Paris Air Show and its first public appearance
12 His Royal Highness Prince Andrew opened
Mount Pleasant Complex on the Falkland Islands.
Twelve days earlier, an RAF TriStar had been the
first aircraft to land at the new Mount Pleasant
Airport, after a proving flight from Ascension.
With construction work ongoing and RAF units
needing to relocate from various stations around
the islands, however, RAF Mount Pleasant
officially opened only on May 1, 1986
July
13 Organised by Bob Geldof, simultaneous
Live Aid concerts in the UK and US raised
£40 million for Ethiopian famine relief
October
Two 33 Sqn Puma HC1 helicopters were
detached from Belize to Mexico City to assist in
earthquake relief work
15 Air Chief Marshal Sir David Craig was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
1987: The Sea Eagle anti-ship missile
entered service on the RAF’s Buccaneers.
Sgt Rick Brewell/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
December
Italy, Spain, West Germany and the UK agreed
on a specification that would ultimately define
the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA), which went
on to become the Eurofighter Typhoon
1986
The largest ever UK health campaign: ‘AIDS –
Don’t Die of Ignorance’ – was launched
January
28 Challenger exploded 75 seconds after
take-off. The crew of seven was killed. Among
them, school teacher and payload specialist
Christa McAuliffe was the first to fly under
NASA’s Teacher In Space Project
February
20 The base block, or core module of the
Soviet Union’s Mir (Peace) craft, the world’s
first permanently manned space station, was
launched. Its initial crew arrived in March
March
12–15 Launched on July 2, 1985, BAe’s Giotto
satellite passed within 370 miles (596km) of the
nucleus of Halley’s Comet
31 The RAF Marine Branch was disbanded
April
The BAe 146 entered service with 32 (The
Royal) Squadron at RAF Northolt
14/15 US Navy aircraft launched from carriers,
plus US Air Forces Europe (USAFE) F-111 bombers
and Grumman EF‑111A EW aircraft flying from UK
bases, attacked targets in Libya. The raid followed
terrorist attacks carried out against Western
targets with suspected Libyan support
26 A major accident occurred at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant, near Kiev, Ukraine
August
8 BAe’s Experimental Aircraft Programme
(EAP) advanced fighter technology
1980-1989
October 17, 1982: The first Phantom FGR2s
arrived at RAF Stanley, taking over Falklands air
defence from the Harrier GR3. Key Collection
demonstrator made its first flight, achieving
Mach 1.1 on this initial outing. The
aircraft proved technologies subsequently
incorporated into the Typhoon
December
George Younger, UK Secretary of State for
Defence, cancelled the BAe Nimrod AEW.Mk 3
due to major integration difficulties with the
proposed mission system. Instead, Britain
ordered Boeing’s E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning
And Control System (AWACS) to replace the
obsolete Shackleton AEW2
14 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager took off from
Edwards AFB, California, to attempt the first
unrefuelled non-stop flight around the world,
in their specially-designed Voyager aircraft
23 After 9 days 3 minutes and 44 seconds,
Voyager landed at Edwards, setting new world
distance records for straight flight and for a
closed-circuit course of 24,986 miles (40,212km)
31 The Panavia Tornado F.Mk 3 became
operational with 229 OCU
1987
January
Operation Saif Sareea (Swift Sword) in Oman
included the first operational turn-around of
Tornados, from 617 Sqn and 229 OCU. It also
included the first air-to-air refuelling of an RAF
passenger aircraft, a 216 Sqn Tristar K1
February
22 The Airbus A320 flew for the first time,
heralding a new era of ‘digital’ airliner, with its
fly-by-wire and other advanced technologies
March
6 Herald of Free Enterprise, a Townsend
Thoresen car ferry, capsized off Zeebrugge,
killing 193 passengers and crew. RAF aircraft
were heavily involved in the rescue operation
April
A 101 Sqn VC10 set a new non-stop record
flying between the UK and Australia,
completing the 9,000-mile (14,484km) route in
16 hours 1 minute 30 seconds
May
The Harrier GR5 entered service with 233 OCU
at RAF Wittering
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 97
1980-1989
17 An Iraqi Exocet missile hit USS Stark, killing
37 of its crew
28 19-year old West German Mathias Rust
landed a Cessna 172 lightplane in Moscow’s
Red Square
June
RAF fire tender colour schemes reverted to red,
after many years of toned-down green with
yellow cheatlines
July
1(F) Sqn deployed its Harriers aboard HMS Ark
Royal for a week’s training under Operation
Hardy Crab
2 Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson
launched their Virgin Atlantic Flyer balloon
from Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine, at the
beginning of the first successful transatlantic
flight by hot air balloon. The largest hot-air
balloon yet built, the Flyer covered 3,075
miles (4,950km), landing at Eglinton, County
Londonderry, Ireland, 31 hours 41 minutes
later, on July 3
September
24 A Tornado F3 returning to the UK from
Canada completed the first unrefuelled
transatlantic crossing by a British fighter. It
flew the 2,200nm (4,076km) route in 4 hours
45 minutes
October
The Queen’s Medal, awarded to the RAF
College Cranwell graduate assessed as the
most outstanding officer cadet of the year, was
presented to a female officer for the first time.
Flying Officer Susan Forbes, of the Engineering
Branch, was its recipient
9 The EH Industries EH101 flew for the first
time. Later known as the AgustaWestland
AW101 and latterly as the Leonardo AW101,
the aircraft entered RAF service as the Merlin
HC.Mk 3
16 Subsequently known as the ‘Great Storm’,
an exceptionally powerful weather system hit
the UK. Considered to be the worst storm in
more than 300 years, its winds – a speed in
excess of 100kt was noted on the Sussex coast
98 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
– uprooted 15 million trees. Eighteen people
were killed
November
5 A Brymon Airways de Havilland Canada
DHC-7 Dash 7 took off bound for Paris, on
the inaugural passenger-carrying flight from
London City Airport
December
8 The US and USSR signed the Intermediate-
range Nuclear Forces Treaty
1988
The USSR began withdrawing its armed forces
from Afghanistan
June
30 Air HQ Cyprus ceased to operate as an
independent formation, its functions being
subsumed by HQ British Forces Cyprus
August
25 Students received General Certificate of
Secondary Education results for the first time
November
The Harrier GR5 entered service with 1(F) Sqn
at RAF Wittering
10 The USAF officially unveiled the F-117A
14 ACM Sir Peter Harding succeeded ACM Sir
David Craig as Chief of the Air Staff
December
21 A terrorist bomb destroyed Pan Am Boeing
747 Maid of the Seas over the small town of
Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway. Along with
the 243 passengers and 16 crew aboard the
aircraft, 11 people were killed on the ground
The Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world’s
heaviest aircraft, flew for the first time
1989
January
4 US Navy F-14 Tomcats shot down a pair
of Libyan MiG-23 Flogger fighters off the
1987–August 1988: The Lightning was phased out of
service. 5 Sqn (foreground) relinquished its aircraft in 1987,
followed by 11 Sqn (second in line) during August 1988.
country’s coast. The Gaddafi government
claimed an act of ‘premeditated aggression’,
while the US said the jets acted in self defence
February
15 The USSR completed its withdrawal from
Afghanistan
June
4 Chinese authorities cracked down
on pro-democracy demonstrators in
Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, using troops
and armoured vehicles. Some 2,000
demonstrators were killed
July
4 A MiG-23 Flogger crashed onto a house
near Courtrai, Belgium, killing an 18-year
old man. Its Soviet pilot had ejected after
experiencing engine trouble during take-off
from his Polish base. The aircraft overcame
its technical issue, however, and continued
flying, shadowed by USAFE fighters
17 The Northrop B-2 Spirit ‘stealth bomber’
completed its maiden flight
20 In response to a question in the House of
Commons, it was announced that the RAF’s
policy had been revised to permit female
aircrew to be employed in non-combat roles.
It was not proposed that women should be
accepted for the fast jet, support helicopter or
maritime reconnaissance roles
November
9 After 20,000 East German citizens gathered
at the border crossing under his control,
Lieutenant Colonel Jäger ordered his troops
to open the barrier at 2330hrs, allowing
free access to the West. Soon, all the border
crossings between East and West Germany
were opened and demolition of the Berlin
Wall began
December
7 Flying Training School began the first ab
initio Shorts Tucano T.Mk 1 course at RAF
Church Fenton, after earlier trials with the
Central Flying School at RAF Scampton had
been completed
Key Collection
 Standing Side by Side with
the RaF Family FoR 100 yeaRS

The RAF Benevolent Fund has been standing side by side with members of the RAF Family
since 1919. Back then we spent £919 helping young airmen get back on their feet.

Today we spend almost £18m every year helping veterans, serving personnel
and their dependents in their time of need.

Help us to continue our work. www.rafbf.org/get-involved

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Untitled-1 1 by side ad 8 Feb.indd 1 09/02/2018
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09:14:50
1990-1999
1990-1999

Operation Corporate may have influenced 1980s’ thinking, but Granby had a profound
effect on the 1990s, the decade in which the Buccaneer and Phantom were withdrawn

T
he Royal Air Force flew its first
Granby anti-airfield mission using
Cold War weapons and tactics on
the night of January 16/17, 1991. Aircraft
losses were expected and one aircraft was
shot down, but the nature of the air war
changed quickly and soon the Tornado was
bombing from medium altitudes, above
the deadly Iraqi AAA, but suffering poor
accuracy with its unguided bombs. Enter
the veteran Buccaneer and its ageing laser
designation pod. With the ‘Bucc’ marking
targets for a new breed of laser-guided
bomb, the Tornado instantly became a
precision attack aircraft and the RAF was
finally able to embrace and expand upon
the latest weapons technologies.
1990
Prime Minister John Major replaced Thatcher
after a change of Conservative leadership
January
5 The first Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.Mk 1,
ZH101 made its initial flight from Boeing’s
Seattle facility
February
11 Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years
in prison in South Africa
May
Twelve RAF SNCO’s became the first to
wear a new aircrew brevet, ‘AT’, for Airborne
Technician. They were training as E-3D Sentry
aircrew at the NATO base at Geilenkirchen on
the Dutch/German border
10 Flight Lieutenants Julie Ann Gibson and
Sally Cox become the first female pilots to fly
solo in RAF jet aircraft, operating Jet Provosts
as part of their flying training at 1 FTS, Linton-
on-Ouse
June
The Red Arrows performed behind the Iron
Curtain for the first time, displaying at Kiev and
Budapest
10 A British Airways BAC One-Eleven made
an emergency landing at Southampton after
a windscreen panel blew out and its captain
was partially sucked from the flight deck in the
resulting depressurisation

July 31, 1993: The British withdrawal from Belize included 1417 Flt’s
three Harrier GR3s. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

100 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


August
The McDonnell Douglas/BAe Harrier
GR.Mk 7 entered service with the Strike
Attack Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) at
Boscombe Down
2 Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait
6 King Fahd of Saudi Arabia issued a request
for security assistance. In response, the
President George Bush immediately initiated
the deployment of US forces to Saudi Arabia,
under Operation Desert Shield
9 The UK Secretary of State for Defence
announced the imminent despatch of
12 Tornado F3 fighters and a similar number
of Jaguar GR1A attack aircraft to Saudi Arabia,
under Operation Granby. Hercules and TriStar
aircraft began transporting support personnel
and equipment to the Saudi airfield at Dhahran
11 12 Tornado F3s, drawn from 5 and 29 Sqns
attending an armament practice camp at RAF
Akrotiri, deployed to Dhahran as 5 (Composite)
Squadron
12 Jaguar GR1As and personnel drawn from
the Coltishall Wing (6, 41 and 54 Sqns), plus
personnel from 229 OCU, departed the UK en
route to Thumrait, Oman, where they arrived
on August 13
Two 101 Sqn VC10 tankers were despatched
to Seeb, Oman
13 Three Nimrod MR2s arrived at Seeb
27–29 The first Tornado GR1 detachment
departed RAF Germany for Muharraq, Bahrain.
Further Tornado GR1 detachments were
established at Tabuk, on October 8, 1990 and
Dhahran, on January 3, 1991
July
The Secretary of State for Defence spoke in the
House of Commons on the MoD’s Options for
Change studies, describing force reductions
following the end of the Cold War
September
27 United Airlines became the first commercial
operator to use satcom (satellite data
communications), on a flight between San
Francisco and Hong Kong
October
3 East and West Germany were unified
1990-1999
7–10 The Granby Jaguar detachment
redeployed from Thumrait to Muharraq
November
1 An Air Transport Detachment (ATD)
comprising 24, 30, 47 and 70 Sqn, and
242 OCU Hercules drawn from the Lyneham
Wing, was established at King Khalid
International Airport, Riyadh
December
2 The first paying passenger in space was
Japanese TV journalist Toyohiro Akiyama, for
whom TBS Television paid US$37 million to
accompany the crew of a Soviet Soyuz TM-11
spacecraft
14 A detachment of four 55 Sqn Victor
K2 tankers deployed from RAF Marham to
Muharraq. The detachment was increased to
a maximum of eight aircraft during January
1991
23 Lockheed C-130 Hercules drawn from
40 Sqn, Royal New Zealand Air Force
supplemented the ATD at King Khalid
International Airport
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 101
1990-1999

1991 January–February 1991: The Tornado GR1, as here, and

The restriction on female aircrew flying GR1A, Buccaneer and Jaguar all adopted ‘Desert Pink’
camouflage for Granby. Nose art was also commonplace.
support helicopters and maritime
RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
reconnaissance aircraft was lifted

January
14 A reconnaissance detachment of six
Tornado GR1As drawn from II(AC) and 13 Sqns
was established at Dhahran
16–17 The Coalition air assault on Iraq,
Operation Desert Storm, began. RAF Tornados
armed with the JP233 airfield denial weapon
and 1,000lb bombs flew airfield attacks during
the opening phase of the assault. One Tornado
crew ejected and were taken prisoner after
their aircraft was shot down during a low-
altitude toss-bomb attack just after dawn
17–18 Tornado attacks on airfields and other
key installations continued, with some aircraft capability for laser-guided bombs (LGBs) February
firing Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile dropped from Tornados 1–2 Tornado GR1s attacked the oil refinery at
(ALARM) weapons for defence suppression 30 RAF Jaguars and US Navy Grumman A-6E Al Azzizyah, causing extensive damage and
18 A Tornado was shot down and its crew Intruders attacked three Polnocny-class tank large fires
killed landing craft. The Jaguars sank one using 2 The Buccaneer detachment flew its first
RAF and l’Armée de l’Air Jaguars attacked Bristol CRV-7 high-velocity rockets operational sortie
Iraqi munitions depots in Kuwait and Ras-al-
Qulayah
19 The Tornado GR1A flew its first operational
sortie. The Tornado reconnaissance
detachment joined the Coalition search for
mobile Scud missile launchers, particularly in
Western Iraq
20–22 The air offensive continued, with
particular emphasis placed on the location
and destruction of Scuds. Two more Tornados
were lost
23 Tornado GR1s armed with 1,000lb
bombs switched to medium-level attacks on
airfields. One was lost when a bomb exploded
prematurely; the crew ejected and were taken
PoW
26–February 8 After the cessation of low-
level JP233 airfield attacks, 12 and 208 Sqn,
and 237 OCU, deployed Buccaneer S2Bs
to Muharraq. The Buccaneer’s Pave Spike
laser-designation pod provided a targeting
January–February 1991: The Jaguar, seen here in the background, took on
enemy armour, boats and battlefield targets, while the Tornado engaged
strategic assets. RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

August 11, 1990–February 28, 1991: The

Tornado F3 flew combat air patrols throughout
Granby, but did not engage enemy aircraft. RAF
(AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

102 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

 1990-1999

5 The first of eight SAC B-52s deployed to RAF February 2, 1991: The Buccaneer entered
Fairford, Gloucestershire for participation in combat, designating for Tornado-dropped LGBs,
Desert Storm and later for its own weapons. RAF (AHB)/© UK
6 A detachment of Tornado GR1s modified to MoD Crown Copyright 2018
employ the Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser
Designator (TIALD) pod arrived at Tabuk
10 The Tornado/TIALD combination flew its
first mission, an attack on hardened aircraft
shelters thought to contain mobile Scud
launchers at the H3 Southwest airfield in
Western Iraq
11 Four Muharraq Tornado GR1s dropped
1,000lb bombs in a high-level attack on the Al
Jarrah barracks, west of Kuwait City
13 During a Tornado attack on the Fallujah
highway bridge, an LGB suffered a guidance
failure and exploded in a built-up area, killing
130 people and injuring 78 June September
14 A SAM destroyed a Tornado GR1 during a Flight Lieutenant Julie Ann Gibson became 3 Under Operation Warden, 54 Sqn Jaguars
medium-level attack on Al Taqaddum air base. the RAF’s first female pilot. She went on to fly began patrolling the airspace over Northern
The pilot ejected and was captured, but the Andovers with 32(TR) Sqn Iraq, in an effort to reassure Kurdish refugees
navigator was killed. It was the sixth and last 13 A current Russian combat aircraft was sheltering in ‘safe havens’
Tornado GR1 lost in hostilities shown to a Western audience for the first time,
15–23 Attacks on Iraqi troop concentrations when a MiG-31 appeared at the Paris Air Show December
in and around Kuwait intensified with the 16 An official press release announced that
approach of ‘D-Day’ for the land offensive. As July the RAF’s restriction on female fast jet aircrew
a result of Coalition air attacks on bridges, 1 The Boeing Sentry AEW.Mk 1 became had been lifted
highways and rail communications, the operational with 8 Sqn at Waddington 25 The USSR ceased to exist. President
battlefield was all but isolated Gorbachev, an advocate of dramatic reform
24 The Coalition air forces delivered an August and subject to a failed Communist coup in
intensive bombing effort before ground forces 12 Pan American World Airlines ceased flying August, formally resigned and Boris Yeltsin
began the offensive to liberate Kuwait after 73 years. The company was unable to became president of the newly independent
28 On the orders of President George continue because of financial difficulties Russia
Bush, offensive operations against Iraq
ended at 0500hrs local time. During the
conflict, Coalition forces lost 68 aircraft to
a combination of Iraqi AAA and SAMs, and
accidents

March
1 Flying Officer Anne-Marie Dawe became
the RAF’s first female qualified navigator
(multi-engine) after graduation from 6 FTS,
Finningley. She was posted to 242 OCU at RAF
Lyneham
August 9, 1990–February 1991: The TriStar was fundamental to Operation Granby, with two aircraft
April based in theatre for tanker support. Painted in Desert Pink, they were known as ‘Piny’ and ‘Perky’.
1 The Royal Aerospace Establishment, RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Farnborough, became the Aerospace Division
of the Defence Research Agency February 24–28, 1991: RAF Chinooks
14 Operation Haven saw Chinooks supported the brief ground war. RAF
participating in an airlift of humanitarian aid to (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Kurdish refugees sheltering in Turkey
17 8 Sqn Shackleton AEW2 WL757 made the
Shackleton’s final flight, after 40 years in RAF
service. With a transfer of command on July 1,
8 Sqn handed AEW duties over to the Sentry
unit at Waddington

May–July 15
Hercules and Chinook detachments operating
from bases in Turkey delivered tons of food,
clothing and medical supplies to Kurdish
refugees in Northern Iraq
Helen Sharman became the UK’s first female
astronaut and the 15th woman in space,
spending seven days on the Russian space
station Mir

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 103

1990-1999

the RAF Germany stations to stop flying under

Options for Change
6 Serb and Federal Yugoslavian troops began
bombarding Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina

May
31 HM The Queen Mother unveiled a statue
of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur
‘Bomber’ Harris, outside St Clement Danes
Church in the Strand

July
1 56 Sqn re-equipped with the Tornado F3,
becoming 56 (Reserve) Squadron as it took
over the duties of the type OCU
3–January 3, 1996 RAF Hercules began
flying humanitarian aid into Sarajevo as part of
Operation Cheshire, a UN-sponsored mission.
The operation’s namesake, Baron Cheshire
of Woodhall, better known as Group Captain
Leonard Cheshire VC, DSO, DFC, founder of the
Cheshire Homes and a great humanitarian, died
on July 31, 1992, shortly before his 75th birthday

July 1, 1991: The Sentry
became operational at RAF
Waddington and the RAF
at last had a modern AEW
platform. Here a Sentry is in
formation with two of 56 Sqn’s
outgoing Phantoms and a
pair of its incoming Tornado
F3s. The unit completed the
transition process in 1992.
Key Collection
August
Under Operation Southern Watch, UN aircraft
began enforcing the No-Fly Zone over
Southern Iraq to prevent Iraqi aircraft attacking
Shi’ite Muslims
Operation Jural saw 617 Sqn Tornados
deployed to Saudi Arabia to enforce the
Southern No-Fly Zone over Iraq
October
RAF Regiment officers deployed to Cambodia
as observers for the UN Transitional Authority
16 The RAF’s first female helicopter pilot, Flt
Lt Nicky Smith graduated from Number 89
Course, 2 FTS at RAF Shawbury

1992
January
A 10 Sqn VC10 C1 flew Gurkha engineers
and medical supplies to the Western Samoan
Islands in the wake of Cyclone Val. The five day
storm hit early in the previous December
14 Flt Lt Sally Cox, the first female selected
for RAF fast jet pilot training, joined 2 Tactical
Weapons Unit, at RAF Chivenor
April
With the disbandment of 60 Sqn, fixed-wing
flying ceased at RAF Wildenrath, the first of
November
1 The Phantom performed a final flypast in RAF
service as 74 (Tiger) Squadron disbanded at
RAF Wattisham
38 Group reformed within Strike Command
13 RAF Fylingdales’s famous ‘golf balls’ gave
way to the three-sided pyramid structure of a
new AN/FPS-115 phased-array radar

December 14, 1990–February 1991: As it had during

Operation Corporate in 1982, the Victor K2 provided
essential tanker support to RAF combat aircraft.
RAF (AHB)/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

104 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


September 30, 1993: The Buccaneer was withdrawn from service.
Sgt Rick Brewell/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
November
6 Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
December
12 Two Hercules and four crews took part in
Operation Vigour, delivering relief into Somalia.
Based near Mombasa, Kenya, the aircraft flew
missions to Mogadishu and Kismayu airports,
and several rough fields in Somalia. The 90
deployed RAF personnel worked closely with
USAF assets in theatre
1993
Boeing and Airbus Industrie began examining
the possible development of a ‘Super Jumbo’,
capable of carrying up to 800 passengers
Lockheed acquired General Dynamics’s
Military Aircraft Division in a US$1.525-billion
deal that included the highly successful F-16
Italy leased 24 Tornado F3s from the RAF, as
a stopgap following Eurofighter delays
The first trains passed through the Channel
Tunnel
January
19 The first of the upgraded Chinook
HC.Mk 2s for the RAF was rolled out at Boeing’s
Philadelphia plant. The HC2 was comparable
to the US Army’s CH-47D, but with additional
equipment
March
It was announced that RAF Greenham
Common, a former USAF base in Berkshire,
and RAF Gütersloh in Germany, which had
been an RAF station for 48 years, would both
close
31 NATO established a No-Fly Zone over
Bosnia under Operation Deny Flight. The
assets implementing the zone included RAF
Tornado F3s, Sentry AEW1s, Jaguars and VC10
tankers
April
1 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
conducted a royal review of the Royal Air
Force at RAF Marham, to mark the 75th
anniversary of the Service’s formation. Her
Majesty also presented a new colour
As a consequence of the rapid reduction
in RAF strength following the end of the Cold
War, Royal Air Force Germany disbanded. At
2359hrs, the RAF in Germany relinquished
its status as an overseas command and
headquarters, while 2 Group formed
at Rheindahlen as a Strike Command
subordinate unit
May
29 The prototype of the upgraded Tornado
GR.Mk 4, XZ631 made its first flight at Warton,
Lancashire
1990-1999
June
3 47 Sqn Hercules completed 600 sorties,
in which they delivered 19 million lb of
humanitarian aid to Bosnia-Herzegovina
July
The Slingsby Firefly entered service with the Joint
Elementary Flying Training School at Topcliffe
30 The first VC10 K.Mk 4 tanker, ZD242 made
its maiden flight from Filton, near Bristol
31 British forces ended a three-month
withdrawal from Belize. BRITFORBEL had
included permanent detachments of Harrier
GR3s as 1417 Flt and Pumas as 1563 Flt
August
12 Under Operation Irma, a 47 Sqn Hercules
medically evacuated (medevaced) selected
casualties from Sarajevo to Britain for
specialist treatment
September
30 The Buccaneer was withdrawn from service
October
Secretary of State for Defence Malcolm Rifkind
announced that no replacement for the WE177
free-fall nuclear weapon would be procured
15 55 Sqn disbanded, ending a 33-year
association with the Victor, a record for a
single RAF squadron operating a single aircraft
type; 55 Sqn had first flown the Victor B1
bomber in 1960
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 105
1990-1999
April 23, 1993: Long since the Canberra
conversion unit, 231 OCU disbanded at RAF
Wyton. Sgt Rick Brewell/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
November
1 The Maastricht Treaty came into force
and the European Community became the
European Union (EU)
30 The final Victor flight delivered XH672 to
RAF Shawbury for onward road transport to
the Aerospace Museum, Cosford
December
17 The first B-2 Spirit was delivered to the
USAF
1994
At 12 years old, Vicki van Meter became the
youngest female pilot to fly the Atlantic
February
28 USAF F-16s shot down four Serbian Soko
G-4 Super Galeb light attack aircraft bombing
Croatian townships within the UN No-Fly Zone
March
23 The Aerospace Division of the Defence
Research Agency, formerly the Royal Aerospace
Establishment, Farnborough, closed
April
NATO aircraft attacked Serbian air bases and
missile sites to prevent attacks on Bosnian
forces and NATO aircraft
1 Following a 1991 study of MoD HQ
structures, RAF personnel and logistics staff
were removed from London and incorporated
into the Support Command staff, creating two
new commands: RAF Personnel and Training
Command at RAF Innsworth, and RAF Logistics
Command at RAF Brampton and RAF Wyton
106 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
The Women’s Royal Air Force was disbanded.
The WRAF was the last of the Service
organisations for women to be dissolved
28 The VC10 K4 entered service with 101 Sqn
May
4 The BAe factory and airfield at Warton
hosted the public debut of the Eurofighter
2000. ZH588, a British prototype, led a
diamond-nine formation of types from the four
nations involved in the programme, before test
pilot Chris Yeo flew a spirited solo display
6 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and President
Mitterrand officially opened the £6-billion
Channel Tunnel. The project had taken eight
years to complete
June
5 The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s
Dakota led 12 RAF Hercules to Pegasus Bridge,
Normandy to deliver 1,000 paratroops as part
of the D-Day 50th anniversary celebrations
July
31 The last operational RAF unit in Belize
ceased flying when 1563 Flt stood its Pumas
down
August
The RAF’s first female fast jet pilot, Flt Lt
Jo Salter was posted to 617 Sqn at RAF
Lossiemouth, to fly the Tornado GR1B
September
17 Large paratroop drops from Eindhoven
to Nijmegen and Arnhem in the Netherlands
marked the 50th anniversary of Operations
Market and Garden
November
19 The first British National Lottery draw was
made. Seven winners shared £5.9 million
1995
January
17 An earthquake devastated the Japanese
city of Kobe; 4,000 people died
February
The first of six new Sea King HAR.Mk 3A SAR
helicopters completed its maiden flight. The
HAR3A’s much improved avionics and systems
included a new automatic flying control system
March
20(R) Sqn, the Harrier OCU, began operating
the Harrier T.Mk 10, a two-seat trainer
equivalent of the GR7
Lockheed merged with Martin Marietta,
forming Lockheed Martin
31 More than 100 years of British military
ballooning came to an end with the
disbandment of the RAF’s Balloon Operations
Squadron. Its balloons had been used as jump
platforms for trainee parachutists and were
replaced by civilian contracted Short Skyvan
aircraft
April
4 Armed Forces Minister Nicholas Soames
announced in the House of Commons that
the WE177 free-fall nuclear weapon would be
withdrawn from operational service in 1998
19 Anti-government militants destroyed the
Oklahoma City federal building using a truck
bomb. More than 100 people were killed

June
27 Two 84 Sqn Wessex HC2s helped fight
the largest fire in Cyprus for a century. The
helicopters used ‘rainmaker’ buckets to deliver
80,000Imp gals (363,690 litres) of water in
43 hours
August
1 IV Sqn deployed 12 Harriers to Gioia
del Colle, Italy, for ground attack and
reconnaissance under Operation Deny Flight
8 Five Chinook HC2s and six Puma HC1s
deployed to the port of Ploce, Croatia,
to provide airlift support to elements of
24 Airmobile Brigade already in theatre
30 Operation Deliberate Force saw NATO
commence air operations in support of the UN
Protection Force (UNPROFOR) protecting the
Sarajevo Safe Area
September
A Luftwaffe Tornado ECR took part in
Operation Deliberate Force. It was the first
combat mission flown by a Luftwaffe aircraft
since the end of World War Two
14 Deliberate Force combat operations
were suspended. RAF aircraft had flown 268
missions, releasing 32 1,000lb bombs and
48 LGBs against 22 targets
October
16 The amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean
was launched on the Clyde
18 The RAF’s first Hercules C.Mk 4, ZH865
was rolled out at Lockheed Martin’s Marietta,
Georgia factory
December
Under Operation Lodestar, three RAF Chinooks
joined two Royal Navy Sea Kings to form the
Support Helicopter Force (SHF) at Divulje
Barracks, near Split, Croatia. The SHF was
established to assist the British-led Multi-
1993: Harrier Force assumed the Operation
Warden commitment from Jaguar Force. © UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
National Division, tasked with implementing
the Dayton Peace Accord
1996
January
9 The last relief flight into Sarajevo under
Operation Cheshire, the UN humanitarian
effort in Bosnia, was made by an RAF Hercules
March
Corporal Tracey Wardle was the first woman
to join the RAF Regiment. She had previously
been a member of 2624 Sqn, RAuxAF
Regiment
4 1 Group HQ at High Wycombe took over the
responsibilities of 2 Group
15 The Dutch aircraft company Fokker
was declared bankrupt and ceased aircraft
manufacturing after 77 years
31 The Hercules tanker force disbanded on
return of the last Hercules tanker from its
detachment with 1312 Flt at Mount Pleasant in
the Falklands
11 and 18 Groups, Strike Command
amalgamated to form 11/18 Group
April
1 HQ 2 Group at JHQ Rheindahlen, the final
RAF HQ in mainland Europe, closed
July
5 Dolly the sheep, the first mammal created by
cloning from an adult cell, was born
25 The Ministry of Defence announced a
£1.8-billion upgrade programme for 21 Nimrod
MR2s. The Nimrod MRA.Mk 4 was planned with
a new radar, new engines and rebuilt airframes
August
9 Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle died,
aged 89
1990-1999
November
4 28 Sqn moved its six Wessex HC2s from RAF
Sek Kong to Kai Tak International Airport, Hong
Kong, from where it continued to operate until
1997
7 The Mars Global Surveyor was launched
from Cape Canaveral, to look for evidence of
water on Mars
20 Following a joint service reconnaissance
mission, Operation Purposeful saw a 39 (1 PRU)
Sqn Canberra PR9 and three Hercules, drawn
from 24, 47 and 70 Sqns, and carrying ground
personnel and equipment, depart for Entebbe,
Uganda. The detachment was tasked with
high-altitude photographic sorties in support
of possible humanitarian assistance during the
ongoing crisis in Rwanda and Zaire
December
31 The RAF Staff College Bracknell closed, a
new Joint Services Command and Staff College
forming on the site on January 1, 1997
1997
January
RAF Sek Kong in the New Territories, Hong
Kong, closed
April
1 The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
(RAFVR) and RAuxAF were combined into
a single reserve force in line with a revised
Reserve Forces Act. The transition was
accomplished by integrating RAFVR members
into the RAuxAF and disbanding the RAFVR,
after 60 years’ service
Operations Support Branch was established,
incorporating the Air Traffic Control, Fighter
Control, Intelligence, RAF Regiment and Flight
Operations staff specialisations
10 The Defence Helicopter Flying School
(DHFS) opened at RAF Shawbury to
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 107
1990-1999
consolidate the helicopter training of all three
services. 2 FTS, RAF; 705 NAS; and 670 Army
Air Corps Squadron were amalgamated into
the new school. The RAF’s component of
DHFS, equipped with the Bell Griffin HT.Mk 1,
was subsequently designated 60 (Reserve)
Squadron
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Johns was
appointed as Chief of the Air Staff
May
Under Operation Determinant, four 33 Sqn
Pumas deployed to Libreville and Brazzaville
in the Congo, with support troops, as a
precaution against the possibility that British
citizens might need to be evacuated from the
Zairian capital, Kinshasa
2 Labour’s Tony Blair replaced John Major as
prime minister
June
3 Six 28 Sqn Wessex marked the ending of the
RAF’s presence in Hong Kong with a final flight
around the city. On landing, the aircraft were
handed over to the Uruguayan Air Force
19 The last RAF personnel departed Hong
Kong
July
1 The British colony of Hong Kong was
returned to Chinese rule
August
1 Boeing completed its merger with
McDonnell Douglas
31 The Gazelle HT3 training helicopter was
retired from RAF service. The Eurocopter
Squirrel HT.Mk 1 replaced it as the basic
helicopter trainer at the DHFS
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris
hospital following a car accident in the tunnel
under the Pont de l’Alma bridge
September
8 The Boeing 777-300 was rolled out
October
15 A Cassini-Huygens Saturn probe was
launched from Cape Canaveral, on a
108 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
February 1995: Photographs were released of
this 617 Sqn Tornado GR1B, being flown by Flt
Lt Jo Salter, the RAF’s first female fast jet pilot.
Key Collection
932,055 million-mile journey planned to take
seven years. The probe had been despatched
to gather data about Saturn and its moon Titan
31 The first upgraded Tornado GR4 was
delivered to the RAF at Boscombe Down for
trials
December
6 Boeing delivered the first of the new-build
Chinook HC.Mk 2As. It delivered 13 more
HC2As and HC.Mk 3s over the next three years
1998
Operation Bolton replaced Operation Jural
The Aerospace Museum was renamed Royal
Air Force Museum Cosford and taken into
Grant-in-Aid status. The Duke of Gloucester
opened a new visitor centre, art gallery and
exhibition galleries
Tornado production ended. BAe at Warton
completed the 992nd aircraft for the Royal
Saudi Air Force as it switched to upgrading in-
service RAF and, subsequently, RSAF Tornados
March
31 The RAF relinquished its nuclear role at
midnight
June
18 The MoD announced that the Grob G 115E
Tutor had been selected to replace the Bulldog
in UAS service. Ninety aircraft would be
supplied to UASs and Air Experience Flights
(AEFs) at 14 locations
July
8 The Strategic Defence Review set out
sweeping changes for Britain’s air forces. For
the RAF, early retirement of the VC10 and
TriStar, and their replacement with an as yet
undecided type, as well as procurement of four
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transports for the
Rapid Reaction Force were postulated. The
Royal Navy was to acquire two new aircraft
carriers, while its Sea Harriers amalgamated
with the RAF’s GR7s into Joint Force 2000
(JF2000). The helicopter forces of all three
services were to pool in a further example of
‘jointery’, as the Support Helicopter Force (SHF)
August
7 al-Qaeda terrorists, under the leadership of
Osama bin Laden, bombed the US embassies
in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya.
Ten and 270 people, respectively, were killed
November
The first US and Russian elements of the
International Space Station (ISS) were
connected together in orbit
25 The first RAF Merlin HC3 to come off GKN
Westland’s production line was rolled out at its
Yeovil, UK factory
December
16/17 Operation Desert Fox commenced
with cruise missile attacks and air strikes by
carrierborne US Navy aircraft on targets in Iraq.
RAF Tornado GR1s operating from Ali al-Salem
AB, Kuwait, later attacked military targets
near Basra. Desert Fox had two objectives: to
degrade Iraq’s ability to manufacture and use
weapons of mass destruction, and to diminish
the military threat posed by Iraq towards its
neighbours
19 US President Bill Clinton was impeached
after an affair with a former White House intern
1999
January
Twelve 12 Sqn Tornados flew 32 sorties
over Iraq, dropping in excess of 60 Paveway
LGBs. Targets included bunkers housing Iraqi
remotely piloted vehicles capable of dispersing
chemical and biological agents
6 The first engagement between US and Iraqi
aircraft for seven years took place over the
Southern No-Fly Zone. US F-15s and F-14s
fired six missiles at Iraqi MiG-25s but all the
enemy aircraft escaped
25 Secretary of State for Defence George
Robertson announced that the RAF’s Chinook,
Puma and Merlin Support Helicopters would
transfer to Joint Helicopter Command (JHC)
31 Two Tornados attacked a radar site with
LGBs following Iraqi violations of the Southern
No-Fly Zone over Iraq
February
2 Four II(AC) Sqn Tornados attacked Iraqi air
defence installations after being illuminated by
their radars
10 II(AC) Sqn Tornados engaged air defence
sites near Tallil after Iraqi aircraft violated the
No-Fly Zone over Southern Iraq
23 More details of JF2000 were announced.
The new land- and carrier-based force
would be located at RAF Wittering and RAF
Cottesmore, combining the RAF Harrier fleet
and the Royal Navy’s Sea Harrier F/A.Mk 2
aircraft under one HQ at RAF Strike Command
March
1 The Breitling Orbiter 3 hot-air/helium balloon
launched from Chateau d’Oex, Switzerland on a
non-stop, free-balloon circumnavigation attempt

June 3, 1997: A flight of 28 Sqn Wessex HC2
helicopters marked the end of RAF flying
operations in Hong Kong. 28 Sqn Archive/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
21 Breitling Orbiter 3 completed its flight,
setting a new distance record for any type of
aircraft of 25,360 miles (40,804km)
24/25 Following the collapse of diplomatic
efforts to achieve a settlement over the status
of the province of Kosovo, NATO launched
Operation Allied Force, a systematic bombing
campaign against Serbian forces in Kosovo
and infrastructure targets in Serbia. Six Harrier
GR7s, four of them carrying Paveway II LGBs,
participated in the first night of attacks. The
Sentry, TriStar tanker and Nimrod supported
NATO throughout Allied Force
31 A parade at RAF Laarbruch marked its
formal closure
April
4/5 Tornado GR1s based at RAF Brüggen
flew their first Allied Force sorties. Six aircraft
attacked bridges and tunnels on the main
supply routes between Kosovo and Serbia,
with support from three VC10s that also flew
from Brüggen
May
15 It was announced that 12 Tornado GR1s
would deploy to the French Air Force airfield at
Solenzara, Corsica for Allied Force
June
5 The RAF Tornado detachment at Solenzara
flew its first Allied Force mission; the aircraft
were recalled because their designated targets
had been destroyed by other NATO aircraft
10 NATO Allied Force air operations were
suspended following Serbian agreement to an
Allied-imposed settlement
12 The success of the Allied air campaign over
Serbia and Kosovo, and intense international
diplomatic pressure, forced the Serbian
leadership to begin withdrawing its forces
from Kosovo. NATO forces entered the region
at daybreak, although Russian troops entering
Kosovo via Serbia had already occupied part of
the province. In Operation Agricola, elements
of the RAF SHF, including six Pumas and eight
Chinooks, assisted in the rapid deployment of
British troops into Kosovo. Agricola was the
largest SH deployment since Operation Granby
15 The RAF chose a Raytheon-led consortium
as its preferred bidder for the Airborne Stand-
off Radar (ASTOR) requirement. The joint
RAF/Army battlefield surveillance system
would be installed in five Bombardier Global
Express business jets and be based at RAF
Waddington for service entry in 2005. A team
of 350 RAF and Army personnel, plus 50 civilian
contractors was expected to support the type
20 Allied Force ended with the withdrawal
of Serbian forces from Kosovo. A Kosovo
Peacekeeping Force was deployed to re-establish
stability and security within the province
22 The RAF’s Allied Force Harrier and Tornado
detachments returned to their home bases,
although six Harrier GR7s remained in theatre
to support NATO ground forces
August
18 An RAF Hercules flew aid to Turkey after
an earthquake hit the country. Flown by a 30
Sqn crew, the aircraft carried search equipment
and passengers, including fire brigade
rescue teams, search dogs and handlers, and
1990-1999
aeromedical evacuation specialists from the
Tactical Medical Wing at Lyneham
September
18 HRH The Prince of Wales unveiled the Battle
of Britain London Memorial. Situated on the
Victoria Embankment, it records the names of
all 2,936 aircrew who flew in the Battle
October
5 Joint Helicopter Command – encompassing
the RAF’s SHF, the Army Air Corps, and FAA
squadrons equipped with the Westland
Commando assault helicopter was formed
19 The last anti-personnel landmine in the UK
inventory, an HB876 submunition from a JP233
airfield denial weapon, was dismantled
November
21 The first of the RAF’s new-generation
Hercules arrived at RAF Lyneham. Both the
long-fuselage C-130J-30 Hercules C.Mk 4 and
C-130J Hercules C.Mk 5 were soon in service
30 British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic
Systems merged to form BAE Systems
August 31, 1997: The Squirrel HT1 entered
service with the DHFS. SAC Rich Dudley/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 109
2000-2009
2000-2009

The 2000s, saw UK forces returning to combat in Iraq and a theatre last vacated in the
late 1930s – Afghanistan. The RAF also exercised a vital new capability, that of the RPAS

I
raq and Afghanistan were the consuming theatres
of the 2000s, the RAF engaging in intensive
action with combat aircraft and helicopters. It
introduced new precision-guided weapons and
made a careful progression into remotely piloted
air systems, with the MQ-9 Reaper.

March 11, 2005: 16(R) Sqn stood down as a Jaguar

unit. The type was withdrawn on April 26, 2007.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

110 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


2000
The Boeing 737 became the first airliner
in history to accumulate more than
100,000,000 flying hours
Italian helicopter manufacturer Agusta and
the UK’s GKN Westland Helicopters announced
that they would merge as AgustaWestland
February
26–March 26 Operation Barwood saw the RAF
deliver more than 32,000 tons of supplies to an
earthquake-hit region of Mozambique
March
3 Four RAF Pumas deployed to Mozambique
in the wake of raging floods
9 The London Eye Millennium Wheel opened
to the public
15 The Army Air Corps took delivery of the
first of 67 WAH-64 Apache AH.Mk 1 attack
helicopters. Built under license by Westland,
the aircraft include millimetric radar, Rolls-
Royce engines and blade folding for ship-board
storage
April
A 78 Sqn Sea King flew a 600-mile (966km)
long-range rescue of a sailor from HMS
Southampton, south of the Falkland Islands.
RFA Grey Rover provided a refuelling facility for
the helicopter
1 Joint Force Harrier was established at RAF
Wittering
21 Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
2000-2009
May
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opened the Tate
Modern art gallery
16 It was announced that the RAF would lease
four Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transports
and purchase 25 Airbus A400M airlifters
July
25 An Air France Concorde crashed onto a
hotel shortly after take-off from Charles de
Gaulle airport, Paris, killing 113 people, all
those on board and five on the ground
August
It was announced that the navigator,
air electronics officer and air signaller
specialisations were to be merged
4 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother celebrated her 100th birthday
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 111
2000-2009

August 21, 2001: Forming the Brüggen Wing, 31, 17

and IX(B) Sqns (lead to rear) moved to RAF Marham
when RAF Germany’s last flying station closed.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

September May addition, 12 Tornado GR4s, 12 Tornado F3s,

10 A hostage rescue operation in Sierra Leone
involved RAF Hercules and Chinooks. Eleven
members of the British Army’s Royal Irish
Regiment, led by Major Alan Marshall, and their
Sierra Leone Army liaison officer, Lieutenant
Mousa Bangura, were held hostage by an
armed rebel group led by Foday Kallay and
known as the West Side Boys
November
The government announced that up to 72 RAF
aircraft could be committed to a new European
Rapid Reaction Force
14 A 24 Sqn C-130J carried out the type’s first
scheduled operational flight in RAF service,
flying to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto
Rico
20 Prime Minister Tony Blair announced
the formation of the European Union Rapid
Reaction Force
December
21 The Royal Air Force Red Arrows display
team returned to RAF Scampton, having been
based at nearby RAF Cranwell
23 The C-17 Globemaster III was formally
accepted into RAF service, with 99 Sqn
June
30 Sqn Ldr Justin Paines became the first RAF
pilot to fly the Lockheed Martin X-35B
August
10 A Tornado GR4 attacked Iraqi air defence
locations in co-operation with USAF assets
RAF Brüggen, the last station in RAF
Germany, closed. A formal ceremony on
June 15 had officially ended the continuous
RAF presence in Germany since World War Two
and the final Tornado left for RAF Marham on
September 4
September
Under Operation Saif Sareea, 24,000 UK
personnel deployed to Oman to work
alongside 12,000 Omani personnel. In
eight Harrier GR7s, eight Puma HC1s, four
Chinook HC2s, two Sentrys, three Nimrod
MR2s, three VC10 tankers and four Hercules
were involved, in one of the UK’s largest
peacetime training exercises. It was used to
validate Strategic Defence Review decisions
taken in 1998
11 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners
with the intention of crashing them into
major US facilities. Two hit the twin towers
of the World Trade Center in New York, one
hit the Pentagon in Washington DC and the
fourth crashed after its passengers and crew
overpowered the hijackers
British Airways resumed Concorde
transatlantic flights for fare-paying
passengers, following the suspension
imposed in 2000. Extensive aircraft
modifications had been made as a result of
the accident investigation following the July
25, 2000 Air France crash

2001
February
19 The UK detected its first cases of foot and
mouth disease in livestock since 1967

March
7 The Merlin HC3 was delivered to 28 Sqn at
RAF Benson

March 7, 2001: 28 Sqn accepted the Merlin

HC.Mk 3 into service. Paul E Eden

112 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


October
7 On the evening of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,
US President George W Bush had declared that
the US military would destroy the perpetrators,
effectively beginning the so-called War on
Terror. The first phase of this response began
as Operation Enduring Freedom, intended to
remove Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which
was harbouring al-Qaeda, and track down the
organisation’s leader, Osama bin Laden
The UK’s Operations Veritas and Fingal
were launched against Taliban forces in
Afghanistan
After Operation Saif Sareea II, RAF tanker
and reconnaissance support was provided to
the Enduring Freedom Coalition
26 Lockheed Martin’s X-35 was selected as
winner of the Joint Strike Fighter competition
2002
European Transport ministers approved the
creation of the Galileo satellite navigation
system to ensure technical independence from
the dominant US Global Positioning System
(GPS)
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael
Beetham opened the RAF Museum’s Michael
Beetham Conservation Centre at Cosford
March
18 A Royal Marine Brigade Group deployed
to Afghanistan under Operation Veritas,
supported by 27 Sqn Chinooks
30 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen
Mother died, aged 101
November
13–June 12, 2003 Operation Fresco – 3,000
RAF personnel stood ready to provide
emergency cover during a Fire Brigade Union
industrial dispute
2003
The Airbus A400M military transport was
ordered into production. First deliveries were
scheduled to begin in 2007, with the first of 25
for the RAF delivered in 2009
January
The Wessex was retired from RAF service
when 84 Sqn at Akrotiri received new Bell
Griffin HAR.Mk 2 helicopters. The retirement
and re-equipment process was overseen
by Sqn Ldr Nicky Smith, the first woman to
command an RAF flying unit
7 First delivery of the USAF’s Lockheed Martin
F/A-22 Raptor was made to the 422nd Test &
Evaluation Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada
February
1 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on
re-entry. The seven astronauts on board were
killed and wreckage fell over California, Arizona
and Texas
14 The world’s first cloned mammal, Dolly the
sheep, died
March
20 Operations Northern Watch and Southern
Watch were stood down
20–April 9 The UN declared Iraq in breach of a
series of resolutions and the scene was set for
what became known as the ‘Second Gulf War’,
although it was actually the third, following the
Iran-Iraq War and Desert Storm.
Operating under Operation Telic, the UK’s
contribution to the US-led Operation Iraqi
Freedom, the RAF flew 2,519 sorties, 1,353 of
which were offensive strikes. Around 30% of
the RAF’s available strength was deployed,
its aircraft providing approximately 6% of
Coalition sorties. Of 900 weapons released,
85% were precision-guided. The RAF also
made important contributions to airspace
control, reconnaissance and transport, while
its tanker fleet dispensed 19 million lb of fuel,
more than 40% of it going to US Navy and
Marine Corps aircraft. Baghdad was overrun
and on April 9
May
16 The new weapons systems officer
and weapons systems officer badges
were presented for the first time, during a
graduation ceremony at RAF College Cranwell.
The awards followed the April 1 merger of the
navigator, air electronics operator, air engineer,
air loadmaster and air signaller specialisations
June
27 Air France flew its final Concorde sortie
August
1 Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
October
24 British Airways flew its final Concorde sortie
December
17 The RAF Museum’s Milestones of Flight
exhibition hall and the rebuilt Grahame-White
factory building were officially opened
18 17 (Reserve) Squadron, the Eurofighter
Typhoon OEU, received its first of the type at
2000-2009
BAE Systems’s Warton airfield in Lancashire,
beginning the process of service entry
2004
The MoD announced that a variant of the
Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport
(MRTT) would satisfy the Future Strategic
Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) requirement
3(F) Squadron deployed aboard HMS
Invincible, the first time the Harrier GR7A had
gone to sea
27 Squadron’s ‘A’ Flt took part in Operation
Joint Winter Force. It was the first time RAF
Chinooks had taken part in Arctic operations
The Jetstream T1 was withdrawn from
service, marking the end of the RAF’s long
association with Handley Page products. The
Beechcraft Super King Air 200 took over the
multi-engine training role at RAF Cranwell
March
11 A series of bomb blasts hit four morning
commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people
and injuring more than 1,000. Evidence
suggested that Islamic extremists, possibly
linked to al-Qaeda, were responsible
2004: The King Air 200 took over the
Jetstream’s role at RAF Cranwell. Gordon
Elias/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
16 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated
a tribute to personnel who had served with
Coastal Command and its successors. Sited in
Westminster Abbey’s south cloister, the tribute
includes a book of remembrance listing the
10,875 names of those lost in the Command’s
service
April
1 The existence of 1115 Flight was announced.
Based at Indian Springs, Nevada, the unit was
flying the General Atomics Predator unmanned
air vehicle. Embedded within the USAF’s 15th
Reconnaissance Wing, RAF crews were using
the facility to train for remotely piloted air
system (RPAS) operations
July
The MoD announced that the Jaguar would
reach the end of its service life in 2007
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 113
2000-2009

November 25, 2008: Armed with Paveway IV bombs and carrying a Sniper targeting
pod, this Harrier GR9A was flying a 2008 Herrick sortie. The Harrier originally joined the
Veritas effort over Afghanistan in 2004. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

September being hit by a SAM. Nine RAF personnel and a April

24 Six 3(F) Sqn Harrier GR7As deployed
to Kandahar, Afghanistan as the UK added
combat aircraft to the Operation Veritas
effort
October
Mojave Aerospace Ventures’ SpaceShipOne
made a third flight into sub-orbital space, thus
claiming the US$10-million Ansari X Prize
30 A first deployment of Tornado F3s (from
43 Sqn) was made to the Baltic states to
provide NATO policing of their airspace
November
16 NASA’s X-43 broke the world speed record
for an aircraft powered by an air-breathing
engine, reaching 7,000 mph (11,200km/h)
soldier were killed
2 A 99 Sqn C-17 delivered the first UK aid into
Sumatra following the December 26 tsunami
February
28–Mach 2 Piloting the Virgin Atlantic Global
Flyer jet, Steve Fossett completed the first solo
circumnavigation of the globe in 67 hours
2 minutes
March
Merlin helicopters deployed to Iraq for the first
time
2 Pope John Paul II died. Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger succeeded him as Pope Benedict XVI.
He began the process to beatify John Paul II in
May
27 The first Airbus A380, F-WWOW took its
maiden flight from Toulouse, France
July
7 Bombs were detonated on three crowded
London underground trains and a bus during
the morning rush hour. The synchronised
suicide bombings, thought to be the work of
al-Qaeda, killed 56 people and injured 700. It

December
26 A massive earthquake close to Sumatra
generated a massive tsunami. Approximately
150,000 people died in countries across Asia,
with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand
hardest hit. The earthquake measured 9.0 on
the Richter scale, placing it among the largest
quakes in recorded history

2005
January March 2005: The Merlin deployed to Iraq for the first time. This aircraft was working with the
A 47 Squadron Hercules C1 special duties Queens Royal Lancers during a patrol in Maysan Province in 2007. Cpl Ian Forsyth/© UK MoD Crown
transport crashed north-west of Baghdad after Copyright 2018

114 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


was the largest attack on Great Britain since
World War Two
August
7 A 99 Sqn C-17 flew a specialist Royal Navy
team and the Scorpio 45 rescue vehicle to the
Kamchatka peninsula, to help save the lives of
seven sailors trapped in a Russian submersible
off the North Pacific coast
29 Hurricane Katrina slammed into the US
Gulf Coast, causing massive damage to New
Orleans and along the coasts of Mississippi and
Alabama, and other parts of Louisiana
September
18 A new Battle of Britain monument was
unveiled on the Embankment in London
25 The Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) officially disarmed, before independent
weapons inspectors
October
8 A 7.6-magnitude earthquake devastated the
mountainous Kashmir border region between
India and Pakistan. An estimated 80,000
people were killed, 70,000 injured and more
than 3 million made homeless, without food or
basic supplies
18 An RAF Hercules landed in Pakistan,
delivering the first post-earthquake
humanitarian aid
22 99 Sqn Globemasters flew three 27 Sqn
Chinooks into Islamabad
26 With its helicopters reassembled,
27 Sqn flew its first Chinook aid mission
in Pakistan
28 Flying out of Chaklala, near
Islamabad, 27 Sqn began delivering aid
to mountain villages
2006
February
8 Again at the controls of Virgin Atlantic
GlobalFlyer, Steve Fossett broke the world
distance record, taking off from Kennedy
Space Center and landing in Kent, UK after
a 76-hour 45-minute flight that covered
26,390 miles (42,469km)
March
31 The RAF introduced a major new
organisational structure, including
nine UK-based Expeditionary Air Wings
(EAWs), enabling greater flexibility
when planning combat strategy, and
five overseas:
• 34 EAW (Intelligence, Surveillance,
Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance
(ISTAR)), based at Waddington
• 38 EAW (Air Transport), Lyneham
• 121 EAW (Multi-role), Coningsby
• 122 EAW (Fighter/Ground-Attack),
Cottesmore
• 125 EAW (Fighter), Leuchars
• 135 EAW (Fighter), Leeming
• 138 EAW (Fighter/Ground-Attack),
Marham
• 140 EAW (Fighter/Ground-Attack),
Lossiemouth
2000-2009
October 23, 2007: The Reaper flew its
first operational mission. Fg Off Owen
Cheverton/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
• 325 EAW (Marine Patrol & Surveillance),
Kinloss
• 901 EAW, Al Udeid, Qatar
• 902 EAW, Seeb, Oman
• 903 EAW, Basra, Iraq
• 904 EAW, Kandahar, Afghanistan
• 905 EAW, Mount Pleasant, Falkland
Islands
The first operational Typhoon unit, 3(F)
Sqn, formed at RAF Coningsby
April
13 Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
May
6 A SAM downed an FAA Lynx helicopter
over Basra, killing all five on board. Among
them, Flt Lt Sarah Mulvihill was the first UK
servicewoman to die on operations in Iraq and
Wg Cdr John Coxen the most senior UK officer
killed in the country
July
19 Two Chinooks evacuated 76 people to RAF
Akrotiri from Beirut, as Israel began attacks on
the city
27 The RAF Chinook fleet achieved 25 years’
service and more than 252,500 flying hours
28 39 (1 PRU) Sqn disbanded at RAF Marham,
concluding 55 years of Canberra operations
31 The RAF completed its final Canberra PR9
sortie
August
An order for a fifth C-17 was announced
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 115
2000-2009
August 1, 2008: A Typhoon marked for
11(F) Sqn intercepts a Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H.
The Typhoon had assumed QRA on June 29,
2007. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
October
17 Secretary of Defence Des Browne
opened the RAF’s new HQ at High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire, where Strike Command,
and Personnel and Training Command were
based
116 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
2007 February
7 HRH The Princess Royal opened Royal Air
January Force Museum Cosford’s Cold War Exhibition
3 1115 Flt was redesignated as ‘A’ Flight,
39 Squadron April
9 Apple launched the iPhone 1 Air Command came into existence with
the combination of Strike Command and
Personnel and Training Command. Its HQ was
at High Wycombe
26 The Jaguar was retired from service after
33 years
June
27 Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as
prime minister
29 The Typhoon F.Mk 2 assumed QRA
responsibility for the southern part of the UK
(known as Southern QRA, or Southern Q) out
of RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
July
20 RAF personnel and Sea Kings joined the
relief effort as floods hit Gloucestershire and
the southwest Midlands. Some 250 people
were rescued by helicopter, including 87 lifted
by one ‘E’ Flt, 202 Sqn Sea King over multiple
sorties
October
23 ‘B’ Flight, 39 Squadron flew its first Reaper
mission over Afghanistan. It was also the RAF’s
first operational RPAS sortie
July 14, 2009: The Tornado took over the Herrick
commitment from Harrier Force. Cpl Dave
Blackburn/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
 2000-2009

July 13, 2009: 43(F) Sqn (lead aircraft) stood

down at RAF Leuchars as the Tornado F3 force
was gradually withdrawn. Both aircraft are
armed with AMRAAM and ASRAAM. © UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018

2008
January
7 HRH The Prince of Wales presented Flg Off
William Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, with his
RAF wings

March
6 28 Sqn’s Flt Lt Michelle Goodman became
the first female DFC recipient after flying
her Merlin into Basra at night, under fire,
including a mortar attack, to evacuate a
wounded soldier
27 The MoD announced a £13-billion private
finance initiative (PFI) under which AirTanker
would deliver FSTA capability

May
29 A 39 Sqn Reaper dropped a GBU-12 LGB on
a mortar position in Afghanistan – it was the
RAF’s first RPAS strike
June
2 Reaper employed the Hellfire missile in
combat for the first time in RAF service
July
Typhoon Force was declared operational as a
multi-role asset
11 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presented
the RAF and RAF Regiment with new colours
November
V(AC) Sqn flew the first operational Raytheon
Sentinel R.Mk 1 mission
2009
V(AC) Sqn took delivery of the first Beechcraft
Shadow R.Mk 1
July
14 12 Sqn and its Tornado GR4s took over the
Operation Herrick commitment from Harrier Force
31 Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton was
appointed Chief of the Air Staff
August
Henry Allingham, a founder member of the
RAF, died. He was buried with full military
honours
September
16 Four Typhoon FGR4s arrived to take over the
Falklands’ air defence mission from the Tornado
November
Reaper Force began continuous operations
over Afghanistan
17 A 230 Sqn parade and Puma flypast at
Aldergrove marked the end of RAF operations
in Northern Ireland, after 91 years
December
The MoD announced that 22 new Chinooks
would be purchased for operations in
Afghanistan

March 6, 2008: Flt Lt Michelle Goodman

became the first female DFC recipient
2009: V(AC) Sqn placed the Shadow (foreground) in service,
alongside the Sentinel. © UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 117

2010-2018
2010-2018

With the withdrawal from Afghanistan there ought to have been time for
regrouping, but instead the RAF plunged into Operations Ellamy and Shader

T 2010
ornado and Typhoon fought side-
by-side over Libya in 2011, in
parallel with the continuing Herrick
Tornado commitment. RAF leaders had
fully expected a return to contingency
operations after the fast jet presence in
Afghanistan concluded in autumn 2014,
but by then Tornado Force was already
deployed for Operation Shader. Involving
multiple aircraft platforms, Shader remains
the RAF’s primary operational commitment.
January
14 The first pair of Chinook HC.Mk 3
helicopters was delivered to RAF Odiham
15 101 Sqn ceased regular passenger flying
with the VC10 C.Mk 1(K)
March
The government announced its decision to
reduce Joint Force Harrier to 1(F) Sqn and
the Naval Strike Wing, plus 20(R) Sqn, the
Harrier OCU. All three units would be based
at Wittering, enabling the closure of nearby
Cottesmore
22 Secretary of State for Defence Bob
Ainsworth announced that under
Project Airseeker, three Boeing KC-135R
Stratotankers, purchased from US
Air Force stocks, would be modified
as RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic
intelligence gatherers to replace the
Nimrod R1 with 51 Sqn

118 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


26 The final pair of operational Nimrod MR2s
made a last flypast over Kinloss, ending three
decades of maritime Nimrod flying from the
Moray station
30 20(R) Sqn disbanded as the Harrier OCU and
was renumbered to become IV(R) Sqn
April
The Fast Jet Test Squadron disbanded at
Boscombe Down, its duties passing to two
Coningsby units: 17(R) Sqn continued as the
Typhoon OEU, while 41(R) Test & Evaluation
Squadron (TES) took responsibility for the
Harrier and Tornado GR4
1 The RAF Regiment introduced the lance
corporal rank
May
Conservative David Cameron took control of
a coalition government, replacing Labour’s
Gordon Brown as prime minister
19 IV(R) Sqn received the first upgraded Harrier
T.Mk 12A
June
Flt Lt Kirsty Moore became the first female
pilot to wear the red flying suit of the Royal Air
Force Aerobatic Team The Red Arrows, when
the team was granted its 2010 public display
authorisation
Chinook and Merlin crews deployed to
Jordan for the first Desert Vortex exercise, in
preparation for deploying to Afghanistan
4 HRH Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge,
opened the Defence Medical Rehabilitation
Centre at RAF Headley Court
July
11 The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight marked the 70th anniversary of
the Battle of Britain, with a flypast at Capel-de-
Ferne on the White Cliffs of Dover
12 BAE Systems unveiled its Taranis unmanned
combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology
demonstrator
2010-2018
August
12 A pair of Tornado GR4s arrived to increase
the type’s presence at Kandahar, Afghanistan
to ten
September
6 6 Sqn stood up on the Typhoon at RAF
Leuchars, with the expectation of assuming
the Tornado F3’s QRA duties from the station in
March 2011
13 The first Airbus Defence and Space Voyager
completed its maiden flight at Getafe, Spain
October
2 On his first shift as a SAR co-pilot with ‘C’ Flt,
22 Sqn, Flt Lt Wales and crew were scrambled
to evacuate a crewman from a gas production
platform accommodation rig
19 Prime Minister David Cameron announced
the conclusions of the 2010 Strategic Defence
and Security Review, including sweeping
changes for the RAF as the government
struggled to manage burgeoning national debt.
Among SDSR’s more severe requirements, the
Nimrod MRA4 was cancelled, the Harrier was
November 1, 2016: The
Red Arrows made their
debut appearance in
China, performing at the
Zhuhai Airshow. Cpl Steve
Buckley/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 119
2010-2018
November 19, 2010: Tied down aboard Ark Royal,
Harrier GR9A ZG477 was marked to commemorate
1(F) Sqn’s 41 years with the Harrier. SAC Mark
Dixon/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
withdrawn with immediate effect and Sentinel
marked for retirement in 2015, upon the UK’s
withdrawal from Afghanistan
November
24 Harriers flew off HMS Ark Royal for the last
time
December
15 Joint Force Harrier disbanded and the
aircraft was withdrawn from service. Gp Capt
Gary Waterfall led a 16-jet formation over bases
associated with the Harrier
2011
February
22/23 Under Operation Deference, RAF
Lyneham deployed three Hercules to Malta in
anticipation of a non-combatant evacuation
(NEO) of entitled persons (EP) from Libyan
120 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
desert airstrips, as the country’s Gaddafi
government attacked civilians and the nation
descended into civil war
26 Two Sentrys deployed from RAF
Waddington, the detachment immediately
standing patrols over the Mediterranean to
monitor and co-ordinate Deference activity
26/27 The RAF evacuated in excess of 400 EPs,
from more than 30 nations, to Malta. Gunfire hit
one Hercules as it was being loaded
March
17 UN Resolution 1973 was signed concerning
the situation in Libya. It authorised: ‘All
necessary measures, short of the deployment of
a foreign occupation force, to protect civilians
and civilian populated areas from attack’
18 Under Operation Ellamy, orders were
received from 0300hrs, instructing RAF
commanders to prepare for war over Libya
19 Storm Shadow-armed Tornado GR4s
departed Marham on the first RAF attack
missions flown from the UK since 1945. They
April 2010: 41(R) Sqn took responsibility for Harrier operational test and evaluation, but lost the
type to defence cuts just a few months later. 41(R) Sqn Archive/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
were bound to strike key Libyan command and
control facilities
20 A second Storm Shadow strike from
Marham was aborted off the Libyan coast after
an RAF Sentry crew received news from other
intelligence assets that civilians were in the
target area
Coningsby deployed ten Typhoons to Gioia
Del Colle (GDC) in southern Italy. Tornado
GR4s also began arriving at GDC, including
some landing off Storm Shadow sorties. The
Tornado force peaked at 16 aircraft
20–24 C-17 and Hercules transports moved
materiel and personnel into the Mediterranean
region to help establish RAF FOBs
21 The RAF debuted the Typhoon in combat,
flying combat air patrols in support of the No-
Fly Zone over Libya
31 Typhoon switched to the air-to-ground role
April
7 Combined Tornado/Typhoon operations
began
May
1/2 US Special Forces killed al-Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden in his Pakistan compound
June
28 A 51 Sqn Operation Ellamy Nimrod R1
mission was the Nimrod’s final operational
sortie
July
22 Space Shuttle Atlantis landed safely,
concluding the Space Shuttle programme
September
26 Boeing delivered the first 787 Dreamliner, to
All Nippon Airways
October
31 NATO’s Operation Unified Protector, of
which Ellamy was the UK component,
officially ended
 2010-2018

March 20, 2011: A fully armed Typhoon

departs Coningsby for Italy and
Operation Ellamy. Cpl Andrew Seaward/
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

September 16/17, 2013: RAF Fylingdales marked
its 50th anniversary. SAC Emma Walker/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
2012
2013
January
13 A C-17 launched for Evreux, near Paris,
France at the beginning of Operation
Newcombe, supporting the French Operation
Serval against extremist groups in Mali
23 XI(F) Sqn deployed its Typhoons to the US
for Exercises Western Zephyr and Red Flag 13-3
25 A V(AC) Sqn Sentinel R1 deployed to
Senegal in support of French forces in Mali
28 The RAF took delivery of its 100th Typhoon. June 13, 2013: The Hawk T2 training system,
FGR4 ZK339/FG was destined for 1(F) Sqn at lead component of MFTS, graduated its first
Leuchars pilots. Cpl Paul Oldfield/© UK MoD Crown
30 One-year command of the NATO Response Copyright 2018
Force fell to the RAF
to fly the MQ-9 Reaper. They debuted a revised
March version of the standard pilot’s wings, with blue
15 The first Chinook Mk 6 completed its maiden laurel leaves signifying their speciality
flight at Boeing’s Pennsylvania facility 9 NASA confirmed that on August 25, 2012,
1(F) Sqn deployed to Malaysia for Exercise the Voyager 1 spacecraft had become the first
Bersama Shield human-made object to enter interstellar space
17 Formerly the Typhoon OEU, 17 (Reserve)
April Squadron stood down at RAF Coningsby to
2 The RAF announced the graduation of the re-form at Edwards AFB, California, as the F-35
first four airmen trained and qualified specifically Lightning OEU

June
28 HM Queen Elizabeth II unveiled the Bomber March 22, 2011: A newly arrived Tornado
GR4 at Gioia del Colle for Operation Ellamy.
Command Memorial in Green Park, London
By midnight the Tornado force was ready
for combat. SAC Neil Champman/© UK MoD
July Crown Copyright 2018
27 Operation Olympic included a Red Arrows
flypast over London’s Olympic Stadium during
the Summer Games opening ceremony. The
security effort for the games included Typhoons
based at RAF Northolt and Puma-mounted
RAF Regiment snipers trained to engage ‘slow
movers’. A large accommodation centre for
games staff was established at Hainault Park,
where 3 Mobile Catering Squadron completed
the RAF’s largest ever UK field catering task

August
25 Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first human
to walk on the moon, died at the age of 82

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 121

2010-2018

25 The MoD confirmed that XIII Sqn at RAF

October 6–16, 2013: Exercise Capable Eagle saw
Waddington had begun operating the MQ-9 RAF Typhoons and French Mirage 2000N attack
Reaper over Afghanistan aircraft working together. Sgt Ralph Merry/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
June
13 The RAF’s revolutionary BAE Systems Hawk
T.Mk 2 training system at RAF Valley graduated
its first four pilots

July
31 Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford
succeeded Sir Stephen Dalton as Chief of the
Air Staff. He was the first helicopter pilot to
command the Royal Air Force

August
1 Air Vice Marshal Elaine West was appointed
Director of Projects and Programme Delivery.
She was the first woman to reach two-star rank
in the RAF
13 Sqn Ldr Jim Schofield became the first
British pilot to fly the F-35B Lightning II from an
aircraft carrier

September
4–13 Exercise Saudi British Green Flag saw
RSAF Typhoon and Tornado fast jets flying joint
missions with their British equivalents from RAF
Coningsby
10 Flt Lt William Wales served his final
operational duty with the RAF. His last,
uneventful 24-hour search and rescue shift at
RAF Valley ended at 0930hrs
20 The VC10 flew its final air-to-air refuelling
mission
25 The VC10 was retired at RAF Brize Norton,
after 47 years in RAF service

October
6–16 British, Canadian, French, German and
US forces took part in Exercise Joint Warrior,
incorporating Exercise Capable Eagle, under
which French Mirage 2000N strike aircraft
operated from RAF Leeming, alongside RAF
Typhoons. The exercise reflected the increasing
co-operation between UK and French forces, with

November 2013: This C-17 was

delivering aid to the Philippines in the
wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Sgt Ralph
Merry/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

September 10, 2013: Flt Lt William Wales.

SAC Faye Storer/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

122 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100

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2010-2018
l’Armée de l’Air personnel also embedded within
the RAF’s Joint Force Air Component (JFAC). JFAC
provided command and control of air assets for
the first time in a Joint Warrior exercise
November
23 The first 51 Sqn RC-135W Rivet Joint arrived
at RAF Waddington
December
5 The first in a series of severe storms that
continued into January 2014 hit the UK. In
the weeks that followed, RAF personnel were
involved in relief efforts in the air and on the
ground
19 Flt Lt Tim Eddy flew a 99 Sqn C-17 into
Juba, Southern Sudan, to evacuate 45
British nationals as rebel fighting flared in
the ongoing civil war. He arrived to find
182 people in need of rescue, successfully
124 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
recovering them all by nightfall, while also
negotiating the airfield’s blocked runway. He
received the Air Force Cross for his efforts
2014
January
30 617 Sqn ‘The Dambusters’ completed its last
operational sortie as a Tornado operator. The
mission was flown over Afghanistan at the end
of the unit’s final Operation Herrick deployment
February
13 With parts of the UK badly affected by
flooding, RAF Marham launched a Tornado
equipped with the Reconnaissance Pod
Airborne Tornado (RAPTOR) pod to provide
high-quality imagery of the devastated areas
March
7 Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols became the first British
pilot to complete a short take-off and vertical
landing in the F-35B Lightning II. He flew the
sortie at Eglin AFB, Florida, during his US Marine
Corps exchange posting
24 The TriStar completed its last operational
RAF mission
April
19 An initial RAF contingent arrived at Šiauliai,
Lithuania in preparation for Operation Azotize,
the deployment of Typhoons in support of the
NATO Baltic Air Policing (BAP) effort
May
14 RAF Typhoons encountered a Russian
aircraft for the first time during a BAP mission.
The Kamov Ka-27 helicopter landed on a
Russian Navy ship
September 19, 2014: RAF Lossiemouth
launched its first live QRA scramble.
© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Above left: April 27, 2014 – A Chinook
moves mail in Afghanistan. La(Phot) Dave
Hillhouse/© UK MoD Crown Copyright
2018
Above right: June 20, 2014 – 6 Sqn moved
from Leuchars to Lossiemouth. SAC Rich
Dudley/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
 2010-2018

May 2014: Typhoons began providing BAP

cover in Lithuania. Cpl Neil Bryden/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018

June
16 UK Secretary of Defence Philip Hammond
officially unveiled the Chinook HC.Mk 6 at RAF
Odiham
XI(F) Sqn began operations out of Konya,
Turkey, under Exercise Anatolian Eagle
July
2 38 Group reformed at Wittering under Air
Vice-Marshal T Bishop. It grouped engineering,
logistics, communications and medical units at
one location
3 The RAF deployed five brand new General
Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft to
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, doubling its in-
theatre fleet of the type
17 The NATO Eurofighter Tornado Management
Agency and Eurofighter GmbH signed a
£120-million agreement to integrate the Storm
Shadow cruise missile onto RAF Tranche 2 and 3
Typhoons by 2018
25 31 Sqn deployed to Afghanistan to begin
the final Herrick Tornado deployment
30 3(F) Sqn at Coningsby hosted officers from
the 201st Hiko-tai (Squadron), Japan Air Self-
Defense Force (JASDF). The visitors examined
Typhoon operations and the use of synthetic
training
Full Voyager capability was accepted in
a formal ‘graduation’ ceremony at RAF Brize
Norton
13 Three Tornado GR4s departed RAF Marham,
bound for RAF Akrotiri. They were to provide
reconnaissance support for the ongoing
Shader humanitarian aid effort
The CWHM Lancaster flew with BBMF
Lancaster Mk I PA474 for the first time
September
1 RAF Lossiemouth assumed QRA duty for the
first time in its history
19 Lossiemouth launched QRA jets on a live
scramble for the first time. The 6 Sqn Typhoons
investigated Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear-H
bombers outside UK airspace
23 The CWHM Lancaster departed RAF
Coningsby for Iceland on the first leg of its
return journey to Hamilton, Ontario. It arrived
safely on the 28th
26 The UK government approved air strikes
against Daesh targets in Iraq
29 Tornados began flying armed
reconnaissance missions over Iraq
30 A ceremony at RAF Benson marked the
passing of the RAF’s Merlin Force to the Royal
March 18, 2015: The BAe 125 was
withdrawn. Paul E Eden
Navy. Suitably modified, the ex-RAF machines
replaced the Sea King HC.Mk 4 with the
Commando Helicopter Force
October
1 The RAF completed its initial Shader
strike when a II(AC) Sqn Tornado GR4 used a
Paveway IV precision-guided bomb to destroy
a Daesh vehicle
30 Wg Cdr Matt Radnall, Officer
Commanding 7 Force Protection Wing,
arrived back at RAF Brize Norton with the
Camp Bastion Union flag. Three days earlier,
he had been the last man out of Camp
Bastion, Afghanistan
November
11 31 Sqn crews flew the six Tornados
based at Kandahar out to RAF Akrotiri,
Cyprus at the conclusion of the final Herrick
Tornado detachment
15 Five of the Tornado GR4 aircraft from
the Kandahar detachment flew back to
RAF Marham

August
An initial pair of Galileo satellite navigation
system satellites was launched
8 The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
(CWHM) Avro Lancaster Mk X arrived at RAF
Coningsby for a series of appearances at air
displays alongside Royal Air Force Battle of
Britain Memorial Flight aircraft
9 RAF Hercules began dropping aid to
displaced Iraqi citizens trapped on Mount
Sinjar in northern Iraq by so-called Islamic State
(IS), or Daesh, forces. The mission marked the
beginning of Operation Shader

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 125

2010-2018
20 The government signed an £800-million
contract for active electronically scanned array
(AESA) radar development for the Typhoon
28 The first RAF Airbus Defence and Space
A400M Atlas C.Mk 1 was officially unveiled at
Brize Norton
December
3 Aircraftman Tim Morris was the first Reservist
to graduate alongside Regular colleagues from
the Recruit Training Squadron at RAF Halton
2015
The upgraded Airbus Helicopters Puma HC.Mk 2
became fully operational
January
6 1(F) Sqn deployed to Nellis AFB, Nevada for
Exercise Red Flag
30 The E-3D Sentry joined Operation Shader,
flying from Akrotiri, Cyprus
February
4 Six 3 FTS Tutor training aircraft landed at RAF
Wittering, returning the station to flying status
10 17(R) Sqn began operational F-35B Lighting
II testing, 100 years after it was established
March
5 The Atlas completed its first operational
sortie, delivering freight to Cyprus
16 The Puma Mk 2 arrived in Afghanistan to
take over the Operation Toral commitment from
the Chinook Force
18 32(TR) Sqn retired its final BAe 125 jet after
more than 40 years of operations with the type
26 The first of the last three Chinooks in
Afghanistan departed by C-17 for Brize Norton.
The type had been in theatre more than 13 years
31 Leuchars became a British Army facility, its
Typhoon units, 1(F) and 6 Sqns, continuing their
UK QRA role from new facilities at Lossiemouth
April
30 A C-17 carrying humanitarian aid arrived in
earthquake-hit Nepal
November 27, 2015: 32(TR) Sqn took an AW109
GrandNew on strength. © UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
126 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
October 21, 2015: The Chinook
HC4 arrived at RAF Benson, to
join 28 Sqn. Sgt Dave Rose/©
UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
May
David Cameron was re-elected as prime
minister, but now as leader of a Conservative
government
1 6 Sqn deployed Typhoons to Estonia for the
BAP mission
28 A 30 Sqn Hercules arrived back at Brize
Norton after four weeks of humanitarian flying
in Nepal
June
10 Typhoons scrambled from Ämari air base,
Estonia to identify a Russian Il-20M Coot-A
reconnaissance aircraft and were then re-tasked
in the air to another location, where they
identified an An-26 Curl transport
16 BAP Typhoons launched to identify Russian
aircraft over the Baltic Sea
17 BAP Typhoons launched to identify Russian
aircraft over the Baltic Sea
18 BAP Typhoons launched to identify Russian
aircraft over the Baltic Sea. Between June 16
and today, they intercepted four MiG-31BM
Foxhounds, two Tu-22M3 Backfire-Cs, two An-26
Curls and an A-50 Mainstay
26 Six II(AC) Sqn Typhoons deployed to RNAS
Culdrose for training with the Royal Navy’s
Type 45 destroyer
29 A C-17 departed RAF Brize Norton for
Tunisia, to recover British nationals injured in a
terrorist attack on Sousse
July
17 A C-130, C-17 and four Sukhoi Su-30MKI
fighters from the Indian Air Force arrived in the
UK for Exercise Indradhanush IV. The Su‑30MKIs
were based at RAF Coningsby and flew
alongside the station’s Typhoons
23 Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal
presented LXX Sqn with its new standard, as the
first frontline Atlas C.Mk 1 squadron
24 BAP Typhoons intercepted ten Russian
aircraft in a single mission
August
25 6 Sqn returned from its BAP deployment to
Estonia
October
1 Personnel from RAF Odiham embarked
in HMS Ocean for the multinational Exercise
Trident Juncture
4 22 Sqn at Chivenor completed the final
operational RAF UK SAR Sea King sortie
7 6 FTS re-formed to manage the University Air
Squadrons
21 Four Chinook HC4 helicopters arrived at
RAF Benson from RAF Odiham as the Chinook
Conversion Flight became part of 28 Sqn
24 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael
Beetham died, aged 92
November
23 The last of 14 Chinook HC6 helicopters was
delivered at Boeing’s Ridley Park, Philadelphia
facility
26 A 1564 Flt Sea King and 1312 Flt Hercules
from Mount Pleasant Airfield worked with HMS
Clyde to recover a casualty from a Russian ship
800nm (1,480km) off the Falkland Islands
27 The AgustaWestland AW109SP GrandNew
helicopter entered service with 32(TR) Sqn at
RAF Northolt
December
2 The House of Commons voted to extend
Operation Shader air strikes into Syria
2/3 Tornado GR4s flew the UK’s first attacks
against Daesh targets in Syria, dropping
Paveway IVs against oil targets
3 Six Typhoons deployed to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus
to join the Tornado in anti-Daesh operations
17 Patronage of the Air Cadet movement
passed from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to
HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
28 RAF Odiham activated the UK stand-by
Chinook for Operation Shaku, the military
assistance response to flooding in the north of
England and southern Scotland
 2010-2018

April January 3, 2016: Shaku had the Joint Helicopter

2016
February
2 The MoD announced the award of contracts
to complete the Military Flying Training System
(MFTS). They included provision of 23 Grob
G120TP Prefect ab initio trainers, ten Beechcraft
T-6C Texan II basic trainers and five Embraer
Phenom 100C multi-engine trainers. Ascent, a
Babcock International/Lockheed Martin joint
venture, is the primary MFTS contractor
18 SAR Force disbanded at RAF Valley
March
31 1564 Flt stood down on the Falkland Islands,
ending the RAF’s helicopter SAR commitment
24 The MoD confirmed that Protector, the
replacement for the RAF’s Reaper RPAS, would
be based on the General Atomics Certifiable
Predator B
28 Four II(AC) Sqn Typhoons began operations
from Ämari, Estonia under Operation Azotize
29 The Search And Rescue Training Unit
at RAF Valley was officially redesignated as
202 (Reserve) Squadron
May
20 Ascent was announced as the winner of
the helicopter element of MFTS. It will provide
comprehensive training services based on
29 Airbus Helicopters H135 and three H145
helicopters
Support Squadron working in grim conditions.
Sgt Dave Rose/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
June
11 An RAF flypast concluded Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday celebrations
16 The last RAF Benson-based 845 NAS Merlin
HC3 departed for the Commando Helicopter
Force at RNAS Yeovilton. Merlin helicopters had
flown from Benson since 2001
23 The British people voted to leave the
European Union, paving the way to the ‘Brexit’
process
29 One RAF and two USMC F-35Bs arrived in
the UK, primarily for appearances at the Royal
International Air Tattoo and Farnborough
International Airshow (FIA)

December 3, 2015: As Shader’s scope broadened to include

Syria, six Typhoons and two more Tornados arrived at
Akrotiri. Sgt Emily Burns/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 127

2010-2018

February 18, 2016: SAR Force October

disbanded at RAF Valley. Cpl Rob
Travis/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
2 With support from Voyager tanker/transports
and C-17s under Exercise Eastern Venture, 1(F)
and II(AC) Squadrons deployed Typhoons to
Butterworth, Malaysia
4–21 Flying from Butterworth, 1(F) Sqn
Typhoons participated in Exercise Bersama Lima
22 Four II(AC) Sqn Typhoons arrived at Misawa
Air Base, Japan from Butterworth, for Exercise
Guardian North 16, alongside JASDF F-2 and
F-15 fighters

November
1 The Red Arrows performed in China for the
first time, flying at the Zhuhai Airshow
4–11 Four II(AC) Sqn Typhoons participated in
Exercise Invincible Shield at Osan AB, Republic
of Korea. They flew alongside Republic of Korea
Air Force and USAF aircraft, including F-15K Slam
Eagles and F-16s
10 The first MFTS Airbus Helicopters H145
Jupiter arrived in the UK
July
11 Speaking at FIA, Secretary of State for June 16, 2016: The final CHF Merlin
Defence Michael Fallon announced signature of departed Benson for Yeovilton.
a deal for nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime PO(Phot) Si Ethell/© UK MoD Crown
Copyright 2018
patrol/anti-submarine aircraft
12 Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB, CBE,
DFC, ADC, MA, RAF was appointed Chief of the
Air Staff
13 The last of 14 Voyager tanker/transports was
delivered to AirTanker at RAF Brize Norton
Prime Minister David Cameron stepped
down after the public voted contrary to his
belief that the UK should remain part of the
European Union. Theresa May succeeded him
26 Tornado employed Storm Shadow cruise
missiles against Daesh targets for the first time
29 The first H135 destined for MFTS completed
its maiden flight

August
31 The first Grob G120TP destined for MFTS
completed its maiden flight

March 31, 2016: 1564 Flt stood down on the Falkland Islands, bringing regular RAF SAR operations to a close. Cpl Ellie Marriott/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018

128 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100


November 8, 2016: An RAF Typhoon up with a RoKAF
F-15K and F-16, and a USAF F-16, during Exercise
Invincible Shield. Republic of Korea Air Force
15 Two Grob Prefects arrived at RAF Cranwell in
preparation for the onset of MFTS flying
December
4 Secretary of State for Defence Sir Michael
Fallon announced signature of a £100-million
contract with General Atomics for the Protector
RPAS. He confirmed the aircraft would be
armed with Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV
GPS/laser-guided bombs
8 The first MFTS Airbus Helicopters H135 Juno
arrived in the UK
15 Minister for Defence Procurement Harriet
Baldwin and her French counterpart Laurent
April 29, 2016: The SARTU at RAF Valley
became 202(R) Sqn. Cpl Peter Devine/©
UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
Collet-Billon, signed an agreement covering the
next phase of joint combat RPAS development,
aiming to produce two demonstrators in 2025
2017
January
23–February 10 6 Sqn flew its Typhoons
alongside USAF F-35A Lightning II and F-22A
Raptor fighters during Exercise Red Flag 17-1
from Nellis AFB. RAF Voyager, Sentinel and Rivet
Joint aircraft also participated in the exercise
July 1, 2016: RAF and USMC F-35Bs
flew formation work around the East
Coast. SAC Tim Laurence/© UK MoD
Crown Copyright 2018
2010-2018
July 26, 2016: Storm Shadow was launched
against Daesh targets for the first time. Cpl Tony
Rogers/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
March
22 The first Chinook HC.Mk 5, upgraded from
HC3 standard by Vector Aerospace at Gosport
Fleetlands, arrived back at RAF Odiham
31 XV(R) Sqn, the Tornado GR4 OCU, disbanded
at RAF Lossiemouth
April
17 1(F) Sqn Typhoons joined USAF and French
fighters for the Atlantic Trident 17 air combat
exercise at Langley AFB, Virginia
24 3(F) Sqn Typhoons arrived at Mihail
Kogălniceanu air base for a four-month
detachment supporting NATO’s Southern Air
Policing Mission under Operation Biloxi
May
18 The initial Jupiter and Juno MFTS helicopters
officially arrived at RAF Shawbury, although the
types had previously operated from the station
in civilian markings
23 The first T-6C Texan II for the MFTS
programme completed its maiden flight from
Beechcraft’s Beech Factory Airport, Wichita
facility. It will be known simply as the Texan in
UK service
June
6 The last of three Rivet Joints for 51 Sqn
arrived at RAF Mildenhall, moving on to its RAF
Waddington base next day
26 HMS Queen Elizabeth moved from the
Rosyth dockyard in which it was built, out into
the North Sea on its maiden voyage
July
5 During a visit to RAF Marham by the Chief
of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen
Hillier and the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip
Jones, Hillier announced that the Lightning OCU
would be designated 207 Sqn
10 The first MFTS Phenom 100 arrived at RAF
Cranwell. A second aircraft arrived on August 15
11 The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight marked its 60th anniversary
with a special event at RAF Coningsby
12 In a statement to Parliament, Minister of
State for Defence Earl Howe declared that the
initial 48 F-35 aircraft on order for the UK would
be to F-35B standard and that a decision on the
variant of subsequent jets would be taken ‘at
the appropriate time’
13 During a speech at the Air Power Conference
2017, Secretary of State for Defence Sir Michael
Fallon announced 120 and 201 Sqns as the P-8A
Poseidon operating units
ROYAL AIR FORCE 100 129
2010-2018
September 28, 2016: Two of the
eight Typhoons that headed for
Malaysia under Exercise Eastern
Venture. Sgt Neil Bryden/© UK
MoD Crown Copyright 2018
14 Sir Michael Fallon announced a £110-million
contract for centre wing box replacement work
on the RAF’s 14 Hercules C4 aircraft, extending
their service lives out to 2035
20 HRH Prince Henry of Wales KCVO visited RAF
Honington, first presenting the Firmin Sword
of Peace to the RAF Police. The award is given
to the unit judged to have made the most
valuable contribution to humanitarian activities
by establishing good and friendly relations with
the inhabitants of communities at home or
overseas. He then presented the RAF Regiment
with a new Queen’s Colour to mark the occasion
of its 75th anniversary
25 A 3(F) Sqn Typhoon intercepted a pair of
Russian Aerospace Forces Tupolev Tu-22M3
Backfire bombers over the Black Sea, during a
NATO Southern Air Policing Mission
August
1 Operational Prefect flying began
22 Romania’s Chief of the Air Force Staff,
General Laurian Anastasof, presented eight
135 EAW personnel with the Romanian Air
Force’s highest peacetime award. The Romanian
Air Force Emblem of Honour was awarded
December 8, 2017: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II commissioned her namesake vessel into Royal
Navy service. PO(Phot) Arron Hoare/© UK MoD Crown Copyright 2018
130 ROYAL AIR FORCE 100
March 31, 2018:
RAF100 anniversary
events begin
to recognise their contributions to NATO’s
enhanced air policing mission
September
8 A formal naming ceremony was held for HMS
Prince of Wales, the UK’s second new aircraft
carrier
9 Under Operation Ruman, C-17 airlifters
delivered two Puma HC2 helicopters to the
US Virgin Islands as the initial UK response to
Hurricane Irma
October
1 Eight 6 Sqn Typhoons began the two-week
Exercise Magic Carpet in Oman
6 A LXX Sqn Atlas returned the last UK troops
home from Operation Ruman
13 41(R) TES flew its final Tornado GR4 sortie
from RAF Coningsby. The mission marked
the end of more than three decades of near
constant Tornado operations from the station
November
3 Apple launched the iPhone X
27 Wg Cdr John Butcher, Officer Commanding
617 Sqn, took his first F-35B Lightning flight
December
7 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II commissioned
the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into
Royal Navy service
2018
617 Sqn is scheduled to return to RAF Marham,
bringing with it the first of the UK-based
Lockheed Martin Lightnings
March
31 RAF100 anniversary events begin with an
Opening Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
April
1 The RAF100 Baton Relay commences
May
16–20 The RAF100 National Aircraft Tour opens
in Cardiff City Hall Gardens
June
10 RAF Cosford Airshow
21 Royal Air Force Museum Hendon re-opening
ceremony
July
6–9 National Aircraft Tour, Horse Guards Parade,
London
10 RAF100 Parade and Flypast, The Mall,
London
13–15 Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF
Fairford
August
4/5 Northern Ireland Airshow, Portrush
National Aircraft Tour, Newcastle, Northern
Ireland
25–27 National Aircraft Tour, Victoria Square,
Birmingham
September
1/2 National Aircraft Tour, Glasgow Science
Centre
15/16 National Aircraft Tour, Cathedral Gardens,
Manchester
16 Battle of Britain Service, London
 100 Years
of Royal Air Force History
2018 marks the centenary year of the Royal Air Force and its very own
‘home from home’, the Royal Air Force Club. Membership offers a whole
host of benefits, including use of the Grade II listed club in central London,
accommodation, exceptional dining and eight elegant private banqueting rooms
perfect for reunions and celebrations. With a unique shared history intertwined
through tales of heroism, innovation and exploration, the RAF Club is the RAF
Officers club of choice.
Be part of our high flying year, join now centenary@rafclub.org.uk
or call 020 7399 1001
Membership is open to those who hold or have held commissions in the RAF, The Royal Air Force Club,
PMRAFNS, RAF Reserve Forces and Commonwealth and Allied Air Forces. 128 Piccadilly, London, W1J 7PY
Other types of membership are available. www.rafclub.org.uk

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