Since that time the raf has made considerable use of the term. Raf bomber command life of legacy and controversy for. Cd41 are proud to announce a 72 minute audio cd collection of rare archive recordings from the second world war, featuring broadcast and actuality recordings made during raf bomber command raids on essen, stettin, kleve and berlin in 1943, together with crew debriefs and. Brothers colin and ewan mcgregor follow up their documentary the battle of britain with a film exploring bomber command, a rarely told story from the second world war. Royal air force combat reports 19391945 the national archives. Night bombers colour footage raf bomber command during world war 2. Your help is needed royal air force journal, september 1944 warrant officer ewan brookings logbook 1 sqn seac 100,000 airmen accounted for. Raf bomber command controlled the raf s bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. This is a list of royal air force commands, both past and present. In 1939 small groups of airmen set out day after day, night after night, from airfields all over britain. Although the concept of a command dates back to the foundation of the royal air force, the term command as the name of a formation was first used in purely raf context in 1936 when bomber command, fighter command, coastal command and training command were formed.
Ewan mcgregor fly in an original lancaster bomber used in ww2 and explore the awesome ww2 fighting force that was bomber command. And search more of istocks library of royaltyfree stock images that features 19401949. It is our great honour to maintain the bomber command memorial for future generations as a lasting symbol of all that they did in defence of our freedom. The crews were men from the united kingdom, other commonwealth countries, and occupied europe, especially poland, france, czechoslovakia and norway, as well as other foreign volunteers. Welcome to forces reunited the place where you can find information and friends from raf bomber command we are the largest and fastest growing community of uk forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members. The raf benevolent fund was there immediately after the war to repay the debt we owed bomber crews, and is still there today to help all those who served. Raf distinguished service order dso awards citation database did you buy this spitfire photo on ebay. Raf bomber command addon im intrigued by this, how are you handling the issues bomber crews had with spotting the night fighters before they were attacked.
From 1942 onward, the british bombing campaign against. Various excellent shots of a low level daylight raid on the naziheld philips wireless valve and radio. It was retired from raf bomber command service in late 1942, superseded by the larger fourengined heavy bomberslike the avro lancaster. Her film work includes sleepers, big night, grosse pointe blank, tarzan, return to me, ella enchanted, the phantom of the opera, conviction, barneys version, and beyond the lights. Raf bomber command at war 193945 vol 1, an album by various artists on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. Twentythree members won the victoria cross and in 2006 a memorial was placed in. The bomber stream was a saturation attack tactic developed by the royal air force raf bomber command to overwhelm the night time german aerial defences of the kammhuber line during world war ii. Download this ww2 raf bomber command aircrew member photo now. These are the main pages on this website about the rafs organisational structure, bomber command, and how the path finder force fitted in this structure. Get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming. Raf fighter command was one of three functional commands of the royal air force. Bomber command crew personnel were organized into trades. Raf bomber command project gutenberg selfpublishing.
Peter guy scotchmer was my dad, and he was helped by the french resistance, making it as far as perp. At the time it was argued that a strong bomber force provided a deterrent to aggression, as bombing would result in complete and inescapable destruction on both sides. Decorate your laptops, water bottles, notebooks and windows. In episode 3, rcaf veterans and others describe what it was like to fly bombing missions during the second world war and what it was like. The raf, bomber command, and the pff raf pathfinders.
The raf, bomber command and the pff raf wartime organisation harris v. The videos in my playlists are uploaded by many wonderful people who take a lot of time and effort to make these videos available for us to enjoy. The following descriptions are taken direct from the raf bomber command website. See more ideas about lancaster bomber, ww2 aircraft and royal air force. The royal air force bomber command memorial is a memorial in green park, london, commemorating the crews of raf bomber command who embarked on missions durin. Raf bomber command wikimili, the free encyclopedia. These changed in the course of the war, and new trades were introduced to adapt to. A group of raaf veterans who served with raf bomber command in wwii talk about their experiences. These are royal air force raf operations record books orbs, though the oldest books predate the. Bomber command squadrons rearming a bomber 1941 training film on youtube. During the second world war, it destroyed many german cities and several of nazi germanys industries. Anger as raf bomber command memorial is defaced for the. This isnt all they had to say i only caught the second half of the talk on video. Bomber command suffered heavier casualties than any other raf command during the battle of britain, with a total of 718 personnel lost.
Since the second world war, depictions of royal air force operations in film and television drama have become so numerous that they make up a genre worthy. In 2019, we helped more than 71,700 current and former members of the raf and their families. Along with the united states army air forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of germany in world war ii. Raf bomber command aircrew of world war ii wikipedia. It combines narrative based on deightons novel with real eyewitness accounts from both sides in the conflict. Raf bomber command 1940 vickers wellington mk ic bombers of no. Illustrated with gripping and dramatic combat footage, bomber command contains all of the major operations undertaken from 1939 through to the final victory in 1945. It served in the early stages of the second world war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over europe, taking part in the first night raid on berlin and the first 1,000bomber raid on cologne. A short video showing the unveiling of the raf bomber command memorial in london by her majesty the queen. This was followed the next night with a raid of 383 aircraft. From 1942 onward, the british bombing campaign against germany became less restrictive and increasingly targeted industrial sites and the civilian manpower base essential for german war. Air cdre paul godfrey has already enjoyed a distinguished raf career as a harrier pilot, the first non usaf pilot to fly the f16cj, a typhoon pilot and a previous station commander of raf lossiemouth. Raf bomber command controlled the rafs bomber forces from 1936 to 1968.
Iirc the vast majority of bombers never even spotted the fighters that where attacking them, even if they did it was rare they did so before the fighter had already opened fire. Paul has also spent three seasons with the battle of britain. Watch raf bomber command online full episodes of season. The efforts of the approximately 50,000 canadians who served with the royal canadian air force rcaf and royal air force raf in bomber command operations over occupied europe was one of our countrys most significant contributions during the second world war. The expansion of bomber command in 19423 began to put a severe strain on the organisational administration of its units resulting in the introduction of an intermediate level of command between group hqs and station. Visit the memorial bomber command memorial royal air force. In the 1960s, it became even more powerful because it had v bombers and canberras. The international bomber command centre ibcc is a worldclass facility to serve as a point for. Raf bomber command memorial address essay memorial command address raf essay bomber, one reason clinton lost ohio ohio dem party has been a disaster outside sherrod brown. Vandals have thrown paint over a war memorial to the british airmen who died fighting in the second world war. Bomber command books is the sales site for mention the war ltd.
Night bombers raf bomber command ww2 dailymotion video. Bomber and fighter commands merge to become strike command under reorganisation of the royal air force. Ww2 raf bomber command righteous might by thewaryears1939. A film about an operation of a squadron of 40 avro. Twenty thousand australian airmen served with the bomber command of the royal air force during the 193945 war.
Raf and aviation heritage in lincolnshire visit lincolnshire. The videos in my playlists are uploaded by many wonderful people who take a lot of. Bomber command opened the new year of 1944 with a raid on berlin with 421 aircraft on the nights of the 1st and 2nd of january. Royal air force operations record books 19111963 the national. We specialise in publishing and selling books about raf bomber command in the second world war and related topics. From 1942 onward, the british bombing campaign against germany became less restrictive and increasingly targeted industrial sites and the civilian manpower base essential for german war production. Raf bomber command stickers featuring millions of original designs created by independent artists. These men had been recruited into the royal australian air force and remained members of the raaf but after training in australia and canada were employed operationally within the raf which assumed full financial responsibility for such service except where australian rates of pay. This very long play was originally broadcast by the bbc throughout a single day, the anniversary of the events portrayed. Light bombers blenheim the twinengine bristol blenheim entered raf service in 1937, replacing obsolete aircraft such as the hawker hind biplane. This is where we put things right and give the honour and respect deserved to a. These records are royal air force combat reports written during the second.
In 1939 there were 6 groups in bomber command, 5 no. Please let them know how much we appreciate them by commenting on their videos and subscribing to their channels. About australians in the uk bomber command 1939 1945. Raf bomber command controlled the rafs bomber force from 19361968. From the dusky english coast to the flak filled night skies of wartorn europe, lancaster. Portal, the formation of the path finder force, 1942 see also this page.