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How the Battle of Dunkirk unfolded
The Battle of Dunkirk took place between 26 May and 4 June 1940 in Dunkirk, a small town on the northern coast of France. The Allies had been losing the Battle of France on the Western Front and the now-renowned Battle of Dunkirk saw Allied forces defend and seek evacuation from Dunkirk as the German forces closed in. As part of a dangerous and daring rescue operation, around 338,000 British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) and other Allied troops were evacuated.
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The RAF's hard battle to support the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk
During the Second World War, a myth began to circulate that the RAF did not do enough to protect the troops that were trapped on the beaches and the fleet of vessels trying to evacuate them.
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The RAF's vital role in the Dunkirk evacuation
On 26 May 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the start of Operation Dynamo – the evacuation of more than 330,000 Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk during WWII. RAF Fighter Command began to operate patrols from Boulogne to Dunkirk and the operations were to continue for the next nine days during the evacuation.
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Tribute to Terry Clark DFM
We are saddened to hear Battle of Britain veteran Terry Clark DFM passed away yesterday. Terry was one of two remaining air crew, The Few, who took to the skies in the summer of 1940 to defend Great Britain against Nazi invaders.
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Bomber Command veterans visit Holland to commemorate Operation Manna
Earlier this month, Second World War Bomber Command veterans, Jack Cook and Tom Rogers were accompanied by Jim Dooley and Mark Montgomery, as guests of honour, joining an international service at the Memorial of Tolerance in Haalen, Holland.
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Second World War pilot urges RAF veterans to get in touch
Second World War pilot George Dunn DFC spoke to Thales' staff earlier this week and explained why the RAF Benevolent Fund's appeal is so important.
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Why I'm proud of those who took part in Operation Market Garden
To mark the 75th anniversary of the biggest airborne assault ever mounted, Operation Market Garden, RAF Benevolent Fund Ambassador Rob Bugden explains why he is in awe of one of the Second World War's most infamous missions.
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Operation Market Garden – 75 years on
Seventy-five years ago today thousands of troops began to be dropped behind enemy lines during the Second World War in one of its largest airborne assaults. Operation Market Garden aimed to bring eight bridges under the control of the Allied Forces. The plan failed, leaving its mastermind General Montgomery to rebrand it as a 'glorious defeat'.
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Peenemünde raid – 76 years on
Seventy-six years ago one of the lesser known but perhaps most important Bomber Command raids of the Second World War took place. The raid on Peenemünde, credited with saving thousands of lives, was to strike at the heart of Nazi research into the destructive V weapons.
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Why the men of Bomber Command must never be forgotten
Before any troops even set foot on the beaches on 6 June 1944, Bomber Command had already lost almost 300 aircraft and 2,000 men (1,500 killed) attacking invasion targets. Wing Commander John Bell MBE tells us about the significant contribution made by the RAF and Bomber Command in D-Day and why this must never be forgotten.
