Royal Air Force

Also known as: RAF

Date: Founded in 1918

Definition: The military air force of one of the world’s most powerful countries.

Significance: The Royal Air Force is credited with halting Adolf Hitler’s campaign to invade Britain in 1940 and has since taken part in many of the United Kingdom’s and the British Commonwealth’s military actions.

The Royal Air Force is the airborne fleet and pride of the United Kingdom. This air fleet's history dates back to 1880, when balloons were used in British military maneuvers at Aldershot. Britain’s first military air unit, the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers, was founded in 1911, and one year later, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was constituted. Three days after the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Ferdinand, which sparked World War I, the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was formed from the naval wing of the RFC. These two branches of the British military constituted Britain’s air force throughout most of World War I. Finally, on April 1, 1918, the Royal Air Force was founded by reamalgamating the RNAS and RFC. The RAF was engaged in several small wars between the two World Wars, but World War II offered the service the opportunity to show their true prowess.

The Battle of Britain

The RAF particularly distinguished itself in 1940 during the Battle of Britain and prevented a German invasion. The German dictator Adolf Hitler saw England as a critical target to be taken for his own designs. The Battle of Britain began its first phase of defense against German aggression in August and September of 1940, when the fall of France had left Britain exposed to immediate German invasion. This period also forms what has been referred to as the most dangerous period of the war. England had scarcely enough equipment to arm two divisions. Still, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, raised the fighting spirit in the people, particularly among the RAF pilots who were called night after night to fight in the skies over England. His famous words regarding the absolute need for victory are well known: “We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!”

Hitler’s plan for Operation Sea Lion, the German code name for their planned invasion of Great Britain, called for heavy use of the German Luftwaffe air fleet. To achieve a successful invasion, the Luftwaffe needed to gain control of the airspace above the English Channel and, geographically, the southern portion of England. In the first phase of the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe attempted to destroy the Royal Air Force and its bases. Initially, it seemed as if the Luftwaffe had a better advantage and would succeed in their battle for control of British airspace and, indeed, Britain. The British credit the determination and courage of the Royal Air Force pilots who fought the Germans in the air as one of the key factors that led to the success of the Royal Air Force. The RAF also greatly benefitted from a newly developed radar warning system. While the British suffered great damage and loss of life from the continued air raids and attacks from the Luftwaffe, the Germans suffered severe losses as well. Home defenses were prepared that had strengthened coastal areas, and local militia volunteers supported the RAF in any way they could. Later, called the Home Guard, their ranks swelled to about half a million, and they worked for the country's defense and helped the RAF in any way possible.

It was generally assumed that Hitler had a grandiose scheme for Operation Sea Lion, but there was no such plan. The Germans had hardly thought beyond the defeat of the French government, simply assuming that once France had been conquered and occupied—knocked out of the war, as it were—the British would see the folly of further armed resistance and capitulate. It was not until May 1940 that Hitler began to formulate thoughts about the invasion of Britain, and it was not until approximately July that preparations for a landing in England began to take shape. Such a plan required naval power and a command of critical airspace. Churchill and his war advisory ministers faced what he termed the “hateful decision” that the French fleet could not fall into German hands to be used against England. Thus, after a long and heated debate with the war ministers, knowing that superiority at sea was their only serious advantage, British warships began bombarding and destroying French naval fleets in Oran, Nigeria, and Dakar, French West Africa.

At the same time, Germany increased and intensified their air raids against Britain. Furious at the British for not capitulating and surrendering, Hitler issued orders for an all-out campaign, with orders to seek out and destroy the Royal Air Force, their bases, and the British aircraft industry itself. For approximately three weeks in late August and early September 1940, an average of one thousand Luftwaffe planes were over Britain daily. Their targets were airfields, known factories, suspected radar stations, and the famed docks of East London. The Germans successfully used a technique called Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” whereby they invaded by sea, land, and air. They could not use the Blitzkrieg successfully to land in England, but they did indeed blitz from the skies day after day, night after night, to wear down the pilots, people, and government of King George VI.

Initially, the RAF was unorganized, and there was doubt they could hold against the German onslaught. However, by the first week of September, the RAF grew in strength and sheer determination as the pilots flew around the clock to keep the Germans from gaining critical air superiority. By mid-September 1940, the RAF was displaying greater effectiveness and efficiency in the air and was downing two Luftwaffe planes for every British loss. Thus, the German attempt to invade England was a dismal failure and cost them dearly. Hitler conceded that his Operation Sea Lion plans were in defeat and postponed, eventually canceling further land or sea plans to invade England. He was forced to disperse the shipping units poised for the invasion, and by the end of September 1940, the British government felt safe in assuming that there would be no invasion of their island homeland.

The Germans continued heavy night raid bombing, as defenses were rendered more difficult at night because of darkness and cloud cover. Hitler moved to systematically destroy any identifiable center of British industry. Particularly during the winter of 1940–41, London was under constant bombardment from the Luftwaffe. On the night of December 8–9, 1940, more than four hundred Luftwaffe bombers blitzed London, inflicting great damage. Other industrial areas, including Coventry, Birmingham, Plymouth, and Liverpool, suffered the same heavy air attacks. In June 1941, Hitler focused on Russia, diminishing the pressure on England and its Royal Air Force. Ultimately, just a handful of courageous pilots had saved the island, and Prime Minister Churchill gratefully thanked the Royal Air Force pilots, saying that “never had so many owed so much to so few.”

There were great odds against the RAF, but one of their main advantages was their planes. The German planes were heavy and could only fly for a limited time without returning to refuel. The planes were also big and bulky, making changes in flight patterns and maneuvering difficult, if not impossible. The RAF flew in smaller planes, the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. While these are the most popularly known planes, others fought in the Battle of Britain and throughout the war, such as the Gloster Gladiator and the Bristol Blenheim. The British aircraft gained an advantage from their ability to dart and dive around, above, and below the heavier Luftwaffe planes. It was hard for the Germans to hit such moving targets. The British planes were lighter and smaller, proving far more efficient in the long run. Restoration programs attempted to restore some of the original Spitfire and Hurricane planes.

The Modern RAF

The Royal Air Force remained a viable fleet of aviation power despite changes over time. Their training is world-renowned and intense. The Battle of Britain is not forgotten as pilots and career service personnel train in various schools and branches of the Royal Air Force. They are the air defense system of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, incorporating other Commonwealth nation units, training together in a common cause of defense and international friendship. In May 2001, the British Ministry of Defense announced plans to incorporate New Zealand’s top combat pilots after that country decided to scrap the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s fighter squadrons. Anticipating what may be the largest-ever influx of New Zealand airmen into the Royal Air Force since World War II, the Ministry of Defense was looking to fill their many vacancies, primarily for pilots, but also for necessary support personnel like doctors and engineers. The Royal Air Force indicated its willingness to pursue any inquiry received from the New Zealand service. Ironically, the Royal Air Force had been suffering an outflow of pilots despite greater and special financial incentives to remain in RAF service. New Zealand’s termination of its fighter squadrons came at a beneficial time for the RAF, allowing the RAF to recruit fully trained pilots who could easily assimilate the RAF’s culture and traditions. By selling off its fighter planes and equipment, New Zealand’s fleet could easily supply the shortages the Royal Air Force was facing in planes and helicopters.

Career training in the Royal Air Force includes marching and drill lessons, a five-day force development course, force protection training, and field training.

In the early 2000s, the RAF continued to participate in crucial international conflicts, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the same time, the RAF suffered budget cuts over the first decades of the twenty-first century, which reduced the number of staff and aircraft. After a dedicated review of the country's defense budget in 2010, the Ministry of Defense was required to make cuts between 10 and 20 percent. The RAF experienced the greatest number of cuts, with approximately seven thousand pilots and nearly three hundred aircraft taken away. When the Islamist terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) began to violently overtake areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014, the RAF agreed to offer aid in the countries' attempts to fight off the militants. However, officials expressed concerns over the force's ability to sustain a campaign due to its decreased capacity. Military and humanitarian RAF operations continued in the region for more than a decade.

In 2014, the RAF deployed to Nigeria to support the country's efforts to counter Boko Haram, another Islamic terrorist organization. In 2023, the RAF helped evacuate individuals from Sudan. As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the UK's RAF also contributes to NATO missions. The RAF provided air support in Romania in 2017, air policing in Lithuania and Estonia in 2014, and bolstered NATO's response to Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022.

Bibliography

Allport, Alan. The Battle of Britain. updated ed., Chelsea House, 2021

Bishop, Patrick. Air Force Blue: The RAF in World War Two: Spearhead of Victory. HarperCollins UK, 2017.

Coughlin, Con. "After Years of Military Cuts, Can Britain Still Defend Itself?" Telegraph, 2 Feb. 2015.

Holland, James. Royal Air Force: The Official Story. Welbeck, 2020.

James, T. C. G. The Battle of Britain. 2000.

Nesbit, Roy Conyers. RAF: An Illustrated History from 1918. Thrupp: Sutton, 1998.

"Our History." Royal Air Force, www.raf.mod.uk/what-we-do/our-history. Accessed 20 July 2024.