World War II Aircraft Maintenance

Images of Royal Air Force ground crews inspecting and maintaining various military aircraft during WWII, depicting teamwork and historical aviation.

Mechanics Of The 41St Fighter Group Checking North American P-51 "Mustang" For Mission Over Enemy Territory. Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. July 1945

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command Douglas DB-7 Boston I AE458 being readied for an inspection by the Duke of Kent during a display of new aircraft types at the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE), Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, 28 August 1940.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Groundcrew carrying out engine maintenance on a Bristol Beaufort Mark I, L4463 'MW-G' 'Swee'Pea', of No. 217 Squadron RAF at St Eval, Cornwall. The tarpaulin canopy over the starboard engine allowed work to continue in inclement weather. L4463 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire near Vannes, France, on returning from a bombing raid on the docks at Bordeaux, on 17 December 1940.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. 250-lb GP bombs being loaded into a Lockheed Hudson Mark I of No. 206 Squadron RAF, at Bircham Newton, Norfolk.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A naval pilot running to his Hawker Sea Hurricane which stands ready on an airfield in Malta.

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Hawker Hurricane Mark IIs of No. 185 Squadron RAF, lined up at readiness at Hal Far, Malta. Hurricane Mark IIB, Z5265 'T' (centre,) was the aircraft flown by the Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader P W O Mould, when he was shot down and killed after the Squadron had scrambled to intercept Italian fighters north-east of the Island on 1 October 1941.

Mechanics Of The 41St Fighter Group Checking North American P-51 "Mustang" For Mission Over Enemy Territory. Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. July 1945

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Junkers Ju 88A-4, EE205, of No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft Circus) Flight is started up at Collyweston, Northamptonshire. Originally 4D-DL of 3/KG30, the aircraft landed by mistake at Broadfield Down airfield (Lulsgate Bottom), near Bristol, after a night raid on Birkenhead on 23/24 July 1941. It was taken on charge by the Royal Aircraft Establishment and, after tactical trials with the Air Fighting Development Unit, was flown to No. 1426 Flight, then at Duxford, on 28 August 1942. In 1945 EE205 was transferred to the Enemy Aircraft Flight of the Central Fighter Establishment at Tangmere, Sussex, and finally to No. 47 Maintenance Unit for storage in November 1945. German markings have been temporarily re-applied to EE205 for film work.

Royal Air Force Flying Training Command, 1940-1945. Fairey Battle Trainer, R7365 12, of No. 1 Service Flying Training School, prepares for take off at Netheravon, Wiltshire.

Wellington Mk IIIs of No. 30 Operational Training Unit at Hixon, Staffordshire, 6 September 1943. Wellington Mark IIIs (BK347 BT-Z and DF640 BT-T in the foreground) of No. 30 Operational Training Unit, lined up at Hixon, Staffordshire, for a leaflet dropping ('Nickelling') sortie over France.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Some of the flight deck party assist in taxi-ing a Grumman Wildcat of No 881 Squadron Fleet Air Arm into position before taking off from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS in the Indian Ocean.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A mobile X-ray unit of the Indian Army Medical Corps is unloaded from Bristol Blenheim Mark V, BA576 'N', of No. 34 Squadron RAF at an airstrip in north-eastern India

The Royal Air Force in Britain during the Second World War

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspection requirement General P.L.G. Doorman 2e part Grote Oost (October 1946). Airplane crew at Mitchell B24 bomber. October 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

American Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service, 1939-1945- Martin Model 187 Baltimore. Baltimore Mark IV, FA463 U, of No. 223 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Celone, Italy, after completing 102 operational sorties with the Squadron over Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. 'U' for Uncle's total flying time on its retirement from operations amounted to 313.50 hours.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. An RAF officer talks with men of the Co-belligerent Italian Air Force in front of Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark III, FR435 'GA-K' of No. 112 Squadron RAF, at Bari, Italy, (formerly the Italian Air Force's 'Umberto di Savoia' airfield) shortly after the Squadron's arrival there on 24 September 1943.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. An aircrew of No. 149 Squadron RAF disembark from their Vickers Wellington Mark IA at Mildenhall, Suffolk, after a flight.

Anefo photo collection. Jeugdluitbrigade on Ypenburg. July 19, 1960. The Hague, Ypenburg, South Holland

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. De Havilland Mosquito B Mark IVs of No 139 Squadron RAF being prepared for a raid at Marham, Norfolk, while serving with No. 2 Group.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Bristol Blenheim Mark I of No. 62 Squadron RAF taxies past a line of Brewster Buffaloes of Nos 21 or 453 Squadrons RAAF, at Sembawang, Singapore.

Plane Japs Clamed Bombed Pearl Harbor -- The obsolete Jap Navy plane in the foreground (No.73) was one of those attacking Pearl Harbor, Dec.7, 1941, to start the war, a Japanese Interpreter told an army source. It rests among a litter of wreckage on Atsugi Airfield. In background is a C-54 loaded with American Troops, making a landing. September 01, 1945. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Hawker Hurricane Mk I of No. 601 Squadron RAF being serviced at dispersal at Exeter, November 1940. Hawker Hurricane Mk I, P3886 'UF-K', of No 601 Squadron RAF, being serviced in a dispersal at Exeter.

Glider PWS-101 during the competition in Wasserkuppe in 1937.

Aircraft Saab 17Bl / BS on the ground under Istyning of the airplane aircraft Saab 17BL / BS on the ground during Istigning of the flight driver.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command As the Battle of the Atlantic reached a peak the Air Ministry sought to publicise the sterling efforts of the WAAF in the U-boat war. This cheerful trio were photographed putting a finishing gloss to a No 210 Squadron Catalina IB (FP259/L) at Pembroke Dock in March 1943.

Royal Air Force- 1939-1945- Coastal Command Bristol Beaufort L4463/MW-C 'Swee'Pea' of No 217 Squadron, receiving engine maintenance at St Eval in Cornwall, October 1940.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Ground crew refuelling Hawker Hurricane Tac R Mark I, V7859 (73 & 274 Sqns, SOC 1.7.41). V7851 (missing 9.4.41)

Photograph showing a crashed German Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber, also known as a 'Stuka', somewhere in South East England during the summer of 1940. Two British soldiers are seen guarding the crashed airplane. Date: 1940

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Curtiss Tomahawk Mark IIBs of No.3 Squadron RAAF, lined up at Rayak, Lebanon.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1941-1945. Avro Lancaster Mark I, L7540 'OL-U', of No. 83 Squadron RAF's Conversion Flight undergoes an engine overhaul at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Note the armament has been removed from the front turret.

Anefo photo collection. Command Marvo Lockheed. April 28, 1948

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Hawker Hurricane Mark IIs of the Malta Night Fighter Unit wait at readiness at Ta Kali, Malta.

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940 A corporal runs to a waiting car with a magazine of undeveloped film from an F.24 aerial camera, just handed over by the aircrew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF at Bítheniville, after a photo-reconnaissance sortie.

RAF Bomber Command 1940 Wellington bomber pilot photographed in his aircraft at a press event after the first raid on Berlin, which took place on the night of 25/26 August 1940.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command A Stirling I of No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron being bombed-up at Downham Market, Norfolk, in the summer of 1942, soon after the airfield, which was a satellite of Marham, opened. The bomb train has arrived at the Stirling's dispersal and a pair of 1,000lb GP bombs are about to be pushed into position beneath the aircraft.

Transfer of Hato Airport by 320 Airplane Squadron of the Marine Carring Service to 336 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.

RAF Bomber Command The crew of a Vickers Wellington Mk II board their aircraft at Driffield. circa August 1941.

Preparing a Fighter, African-Americans

Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force Bomber Group in Britain demonstrate how aircraft fires are handled, at a big Canadian, air base in England. March 12, 1945. (Photo by Canadian W.I.B.).

Royal Air Force- Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. RAF ground crew, assisted by a soldier and a sailor, refuel and rearm a Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC(T) of No. 603 Squadron RAF, in a revetment constructed from empty fuel tins filled with sand at Ta Kali, Malta.

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. A Hawker Hurricane Mark II of No. 261 Squadron RAF, taxying at Ta Kali, Malta, following a sortie.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. A Handley Page Halifax Mark II Series 1of No. 10 Squadron RAF lands at Melbourne, Yorkshire, after a night raid to Turin, Italy.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Two crew members of Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, R3811 'BL-G', of No. 40 Squadron RAF enjoy the fresh air while waiting to take off from Wyton, Cambridgeshire. On 26 August 1940, R3811 failed to return from a night intruder sortie over Querqueville and Maupertus airfields in France, all the crew being killed.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War No 785 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm: A Fairey Swordfish Mk I Naval torpedo aircraft during a training flight from Royal Naval Air Station Crail.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB of No. 165 Squadron at Gravesend, Essex, 16 October 1942. Spitfire LF VB BM271/SK-E Kenya Daisy of No 165 Squadron returns to its dispersal at Gravesend on 16 October 1942.

American Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service, 1939-1945- Douglas Db-7 and Db-7b Boston. Boston Mark IV, BZ452 OA-E, of No. 342 (Free French) Squadron RAF, landing at B50/Vitry-en-Artois, France.

Royal Air Force- France 1939-1940. Sergeant G 'Sammy' Allard of No. 85 Squadron RAF being congratulated on his return to Lille-Seclin in France on the evening of 10 May 1940, after shooting down the second of two Heinkel He 111s claimed by him that day. Behind him, ground crew are busy refuelling and rearming his Hawker Hurricane Mark I, N2319 'VY-P'.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Having cleared their equipment from a dispersal at Digri, India, ground crew watch as aircrew board a Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of No. 159 Squadron RAF for a bombing raid on the Bangkok-Moulmein railway line in Burma. This particular aircraft belonged to 159 Squadron's 'Special Flight', whose task was the electronic detection and investigation of Japanese radar, which they undertook while flying with the main bomber stream.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Djambi. Air landing troops gather at the airport of Djambi. December 30, 1948. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Vickers Wellington. Wellington Mark IC, R1448 HA-L Akyem-Abuakwa, of No. 218 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Marham, Norfolk. R1448 was presented to the RAF by the Gold Coast Fund.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. The crew of an Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley of Coastal Command, which had come down in the Atlantic, being rescued by a Short Sunderland of No. 10 Squadron RAAF. The six crew are clambering into the Sunderland from a two-man dinghy, which they were forced to use after their main dinghy failed to function. The photograph was taken from the wing of the Sunderland by one of its crew.

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

The De Havilland Mosquito A Mosquito Mk VI about to take off on a night intruder operation over enemy territory, 1944.

Air Corps Ferrying Command Helps "Keep ***** Flying" Pilots of the Western Division United States Army Air Corps Ferrying Command stand under the wing of a Consolidated Liberator at the municipal Airport here, from which place bombers manufactured on the West Coast are flown by these pilots to undisclosed destinations in the North and East, where the planes are turned over to Royal Air Force pilots who fly them to the fighting zones. Ferry Command pilots are young men, many of whom have no more

No. 22 (army Co-operation) Group, Royal Air Force, June-november 1940. Westland Lysander Mark II, R1999 'LX-P', of No. 225 Squadron RAF, undergoing maintenance at Tilshead, Wiltshire. Note the single Lewis Mark III machine gun on its Fairey mounting in the rear cockpit.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Groundcrew servicing a Vultee Vengeance TT Mark I of No. 1571 Ground Gunnery Flight, or its successor unit, No. 20 Armament Practice Camp, at Ratmalana, Ceylon.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fighter Command In a scene rather too obviously set up for the camera, the pilot of a No 249 Squadron Hurricane looks on as his aircraft is re-armed, North Weald, 28 February 1941.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Opening RadioStudio v.H. Armed forces program in Padang; Visit Admiral Pinke to Studio. Padang. Vice-Admiral A.s. Pinke and officers and administrative officials at a catalina flight on an airport. November 8, 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies, Padang, Sumatra

Near Thing -- A Dutch Royal Air Force Hawker Sea Fury plane nearly goes over the side of the flight deck of the British Aircraft carrier, H.M.S. Illustrious, after a patrol in the north Atlantic during the giant NATO "operation mainbrace." The flight deck officer (right) coaxes the pilot away from the edge. Over 150 warships are taking part in the operation designed to test the defence of Northern Europe. September 21, 1952. (Photo by Associated Press Photo). ;Near Thing -- A Dutch Royal Air F

Anefo photo collection. Aviation: Schijndel airport. Junction flyer and ground staff posing at Spitfire. February 14, 1945. Noord-Brabant, Schijndel

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Loading dummy torpedoes on to two Fairey Swordfish Mk I Fleet Air Arm aircraft prior to a training flight from Royal Naval Air Station Crail.

8th AAF P-51 Mustangs queue up on their English-based airfield before taking off on long range bomber escort mission. Note auxiliary fuel tanks installed under each wing of the battle dressed Mustang. 361st Fighter Group.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

1940s WWII CREW OF MAINTENANCE MEN SERVICING CLEANING ENGINE SINGLE PROPELLER AIRPLANE WITH HIGH PRESSURE SPRAY

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Douglas Boston Mark IIIs of No 88 Squadron RAF, lined up at Attlebridge, Norfolk.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command Bombing-up a Stirling of No 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) on a bright spring day at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, 30 April 1942.

RAF Bomber Command 1940 The crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mk IV of No. 40 Squadron exit their aircraft at Wyton, July 1940.

Royal Air Force- Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Three Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC(T)s (BR130 'T-D' nearest), of No. 249 Squadron RAF at readiness in their dispersal at Ta Kali, Malta.

Anefo photo collection. Elder record Major J. L. Flinterman, Flinterman gets out of machine. August 15, 1949

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Pilots of No. 607 Squadron RAF, leave their Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIIIs to cross the rain-soaked airfield at Mingaladon, Burma, after returning from a sortie against Japanese troops and shipping on the Sittang river, (The Battle of Sittang Bend). They are (left to right): Flight Lieutenant D A Pidgeon of Tadworth, Surrey; Warrant Officer W G Yates of West Bridgford, Nottingham, and Flight Sergeant R H Whittle of Bracknell, Berkshire.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941 Three Vickers Wellington Mark ICs, R1378 KX-K' and T2541 KX-A and R1410 KX-M,, of No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF based at East Wretham, Norfolk, flying in port echelon formation over East Anglia.

A man dressed in the aircraft suit stepping into aircraft's 31 Spitfire. A man dressed in the aircraft suit stepping into aircraft's 31 Spitfire.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC REP. Airports m.l. (Banjoemas, Semarang). A Mitchell B-25 bombers. August 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Aircraft handling crew of the carrier "Vengeance" preparing to unloading planes from two flights deck along garden Is. March 12, 1953. (Photo by Winton Irving/Fairfax Media).

Royal Air Force- Air Defence of Great Britain (adgb), 1944. Fire-damaged De Havilland Mosquito NF Mark XVII, 'O', of No. 85 Squadron RAF, back at its base at West Malling, Kent, following the destruction of an enemy bomber on the night of 24/25 March 1944. Flying Officer E R Hedgecoe (pilot), and Flight Lieutenant N L Bamford (radar operator), flying 'O for Orange' intercepted the Junkers Ju 188 off Hastings, closing to 100 yards to deliver a burst of cannon fire upon which the enemy aircraft suddenly exploded, enveloping the Mosquito in burning oil and debris. The fabric covering of the aircraft caught fire and it was enveloped in flames. Hedgecoe ordered Bamford to bale out, but had second thoughts when the fire went out and he found the Mosquito to be stable in flight, despite the loss of rudder control due to the fabric being burned off. After wiping a clear patch in the soot-blackened cockpit canopy, Hedgecoe flew back to a safe landing at West Malling. Hedgecoe and Bamford were a

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Supermarine Seafire takes off from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS on the Clyde during recent trials of the aircraft. The pilots were very impressed with the short runs needed to take off.

Royal Air Force- Operations Over Albania and in Greece, 1940-1941. The Commanding Officer of No. 211 Squadron RAF, Squadron Leader J R Gordon-Finlayson, and his wireless operator/air gunner, Pilot Officer A C Geary, photographed in a Bristol Blenheim Mark I at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, after returning from Corfu. On 24 November 1941, Gordon-Finlayson's aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing raid on Valona, Albania. Unable to reach Menidi, he force-landed on a beach at Corfu, where he and his crew were toasted and feted before returning to the mainland by fishing boat and rejoining their unit. Gordon-Finalyson is carrying bottles of wine and other gifts given to them by their Greek hosts.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Torpedoes being loaded into a squadron of Grumman Avenger three seater torpedo bombers in preparation for a mock dawn attack at HMS SPARROWHAWK, Hatston, Orkney. The aircraft still have their wings folded.

RAF Bomber Command Aircrew of No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron in front of a Wellington Mk IC at Feltwell, October 1941.

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. The crew of Fairey Battle, K9273 'HA-R', of No. 218 Squadron RAF, walk from their aircraft at Auberive-sur-Suippes on returning from a sortie.

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

The Battle of Britain RAF personnel and soldiers inspect Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 (W.Nr. 1988) 'Black 7' of 5./JG 54, which belly-landed at Broom Hill, near Lydd, Kent at 9.30am on 25 October 1940. Oberleutnant Joachim Schypek was captured.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspection travel General P.L.G. Doorman (September-October 1946). Airport of .... September 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

USA/Solomon Islands: U.S. Marines of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing prepare for sorties in their Vought F4U Corsairs on Guadalcanal, 19 September 1944

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Maryland Mark II, AH284, of No. 39 Squadron RAF, undergoes servicing on a landing ground in the Western Desert as another aircraft returns from a reconnaissance flight.

RAF Bomber Command Vickers Wellington Mk Is of No. 149 Squadron in flight, 1940.

Four hunting aircraft on the ground Four aircraft J 7, Bristol Bulldog Mk IIa, on the ore. Mechanic in motion around the aircraft.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. A Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 198 Squadron RAF, taxy through clouds of dust on the perimeter track at B10/Plumetot, Normandy,.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Handley Page Halifax B Mark II Series 1A, HR952 'MH-X', of No. 51 Squadron RAF receiving a mixed load of 500-lb MC bombs and incendiaries in its dispersal at Snaith, Yorkshire, for a night raid on Germany.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vs and pilots of No 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF lined up at Kenley, Surrey.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Tjililitan airport at Batavia various activities. Pilot of P-51D Mustang works log. February 1947. Batavia, Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java, Dutch East Indies

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Local inhabitants take an interest as ground crew of No. 114 Squadron RAF inspect one of the first Douglas Bostons to be received by the Squadron at Canrobert, Algeria. This particular aircraft is a Douglas A-20B, which retains its USAAF serial number, 41-3243, and olive drab finish. The RAF flash has been added to the tail, and the individual aircraft letter 'J' to the nose, while the RAF roundel has been painted over the American fuselage markings.

Royal Air Force- Air Defence of Great Britain (adgb), 1943-1944. Flying Officer J Wustefeld of No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF surveys the airfield from the wing of his Supermarine Spitfire Mark XIV, lined up with other aircraft of the Squadron at Lympne, Kent.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. A De Havilland Mosquito B Mark IV (modified) of No. 692 Squadron RAF of the Light Night Striking Force, at Graveley, Huntingdonshire, showing the enlarged bomb-bay, fitted to accommodate the 4,000-lb HC bomb ('Cookie').

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Hawker Typhoon. Typhoon Mark IB, JP853 SA-K, of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF based at Tangmere, Sussex, in flight.

Pilots of No. 43 Squadron RAF at Wick, standing in front of one of the unit's Hawker Hurricanes, April 1940. Pilots of No. 43 Squadron RAF based at Wick, Caithness, standing in front of one of the unit's Hawker Hurricane Mark Is. Left to right: Sergeant J Arbuthnot Sergeant R Plenderleith Sergeant H J L Hallows Flying Officer J W Simpson Flight Lieutenant P W Townsend Pilot Officer H C Upton

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