On This Day, 1944: On 4 August 1944, Squadron Leader Ian Bazalgette saved crewmen after a V-1 marking raid, earning a posthumous…
Read the entry →Articles
Dispatches, analysis, long reads and On This Day entries from The RAF Chronicle.
The RAF and D-Day Air Power in Operation Overlord
How the RAF helped make D-Day possible through air superiority, transport missions, tactical support and the wider air campaign behind Operation Overlord.
Read the article →RAF Maritime Defence and Coastal Air Power in Wartime
How the RAF defended Britain’s coasts and convoys through patrol, reconnaissance and anti-shipping air power in home waters.
Ian Bazalgette Wins a Posthumous Victoria Cross in France
On 4 August 1944, Squadron Leader Ian Bazalgette saved crewmen after a V-1 marking raid, earning a posthumous…
Catafighter Success Proves the CAM Ship Defence Concept
On 3 August 1941, a Sea Hurricane launched from a CAM ship destroyed a German Fw 200, validating…
RAF Aircraft Support the Occupation of Archangel in 1918
On 2 August 1918, RAF aircraft supported the British-led occupation of Archangel during the wider North Russia intervention.
V-Bomber Force Reduced to 144 Aircraft in Principle
On 1 August 1957, ministers confirmed a 144-aircraft V-bomber frontline force, reshaping Britain’s airborne nuclear deterrent.
RCAF Sinks U-754: Canada’s First Confirmed U-boat Kill
On 31 July 1942, the RCAF destroyed U-754 off the Canadian coast, securing its first confirmed U-boat victory…
RAF and the Invasion of Sicily: Air Superiority Before Italy
How the RAF helped make the invasion of Sicily possible through air superiority, interdiction and Mediterranean air power…
RAF and Royal Navy Strike Kronstadt in North Russia
On 30 July 1919, RAF aircraft from HMS Vindictive joined a British strike on Kronstadt, hitting the Bolshevik…
RFC Ordered to Prepare for War Mobilisation in July 1914
On 29 July 1914, the Royal Flying Corps was ordered to ready aircraft, crews and equipment for immediate…
Bomber Command Mid-War Transition: Aircraft, Aids and Weapons
How Bomber Command changed in the middle years of the war through four-engined bombers, navigation aids, target marking…
Last Lincoln Leaves Kenya as RAF Bomber Detachment Ends
On 28 July 1955, No. 49 Squadron’s Lincoln detachment left Kenya, ending the bomber phase of RAF operations…
Gloster Meteor Flies First RAF Jet Sortie Against V-1s
On 27 July 1944, a No. 616 Squadron Gloster Meteor flew the RAF’s first operational jet patrol against…