The Royal Air Force

Emerging after the first World War, the Royal Air Force, RAF, was regarded as the largest air force in the world at the time. The RAF was composed of three main commands: Bomber, Fighter Control, and Training. During WWII, the RAF pilots weren't only from the Great Britain. Pilots included the Canadian, Czech, Dutch, Polish, Belgian, and Norwegian airmen, and each were split into their own squadrons. At its height in WWII, the RAF had nearly 1,208,000 aircrew. Some of the more famous RAF aircraft during the second world war included the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Typhoon, Grumman Hellcat, and the Vought Corsair.

After France had fallen to the Nazis, Britain was left vulnerable for an invasion. The only way for the Nazis to invade the UK was by the sea, because Great Britain is an island. However, the Royal Air Force played a vital role in repelling German ships and the Luftwaffe during WWII, which would be known as the Battle of Britain. For the Nazis, the main goal was to force a negotiated peace treaty with the British. Large-scale night bombings, known as Blitz, were a major occurrence during the battle of Britain. The Luftwaffe (Nazi air force) targeted infrastructure, British ports, and airfields. After failed attempts at weakening the RAF and the Royal Navy, Hitler issued Operation Sea Lion, which was a massive Nazi offensive from both the air and sea on Great Britain. Regarded as one of the most important aerial plans in RAF history, was the surprise attack by the Bomber Command of the RAF on Nazi destroyers, airfields, and other key locations. Not only did this destroy large amounts of Nazi aircraft and naval forces, this attack postponed Operation Sea Lion and preserved much of the RAF for the rest of the war.



The Royal Air Force also had a large role in Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk. After Nazi forces broke through the Maginot line, British and French infantry were vulnerable to the Luftwaffe. Trying to retreat across the English channel, allied troops were being chased by the Nazi army as well. Nazi forces in the North had also took over various ports along the coast. If they had reached the allied army, they surely would have perished. However, there was a halt order was issued by Nazi leaders for their army to stop advancing; this mistake by the Nazis saved the allied army. As the German army halted for three days, the British and French armies were able to set up their defenses and organize an evacuation. Though safe from ground forces, allied forces could have still been attacked from the air. The RAF was responsible for fending off the Luftwaffe and protecting the infantry throughout the entire operation.