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Explore the pathway taken to becoming a pilot during the WW2 and find out how pupils were trained and examined. Visit our online exhibitions for more.
The pilots who defended Britain against the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain came from across the globe. The largest foreign contingent to fight in the Battle of Britain were the Polish, and their contribution and skills during the battle have become legendary.
Jan 30, 2006 · I was an RAF pilot in World War II. In 1941 the Air Ministry started a programme of six-month university courses as initial training for RAF aircrew cadets. I was on the first of these to be...
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These records are Royal Air Force combat reports written during the Second World War. They are the official reports which pilots or air gunners filed after they had encountered enemy aircraft on operational flights. The reports cover action seen by the squadrons, wings and groups serving with Fighter Command, Bomber Command, Coastal Command and the...
The records mainly consist of either a ‘personal combat report’ or a ‘fighter command combat report’. They sometimes include correspondence or notes. The reports record details such as: 1. date and time of the combat 2. squadron of the person submitting the information 3. type and number of enemy aircraft 4. height and general location of where the...
You can search the surviving records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in any or all of the fields below. You don’t need to complete every field to find a record. You can search by the name of the author/s of the report, whether the pilot (for fighters) or air gunner (for bombers), but not by the name of any other crew members.
This series is incomplete and the record you are searching for might not be in this online collection. You may find what you are looking for in RAF operations record books and aircrew logs.
During the Battle of Britain, nearly 200 RAF pilots became air ‘aces’ – those who had shot down at least five enemy aircraft. Among the top aces of the war were Czech pilot Josef Frantisek, the Englishman Eric Lock and Brian Carbury, from New Zealand.
Pilots performed specific tasks during World War II. Many of them were civilian, non-commissioned and warrant officers, and women.
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WW2 Pilots. 1. Francis Gabreski. During World War II countless aerial battles raged in deadly skies above throughout the globe. Nearly 40,000 pilots gave their last measure in aerial combat between 1939 and 1945. The men (and some women) bravely fought and will be remembered forever in a heroic way, but there are legends who stand above the others.
