Helpline: 0300 102 1919
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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.
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"Abandon aircraft chaps"
Navigator John 'Jack' Lott had just celebrated his 25th birthday weeks before D-Day, sadly this was the last birthday he would ever celebrate.
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Spearheading the attack on Fortress Europe
Spearheading the attack on Normandy was just the start of Geoff Packham's extraordinary experience as the end of the war approached.
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"Without the film, who'd remember the 50 who were murdered?"
Of the 76 who escaped from Stalag Luft III, 50 were handed over to the Gestapo and shot dead. In this blog, former PoW Charles Clarke tells us how The Great Escape film has helped ensure that these men are never forgotten.
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"Our aircraft had been observed liked a great torch in the sky'"
Former Flight Lieutenant Jack Lyon was just 23 when he joined the RAF as an Aircraftman. He entered Stalag Luft III, the scene of the Great Escape, in 1942 when it opened and was later moved to the north compound, home to the tunnels 'Tom' , 'Dick' and 'Harry'.
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"The game is up"
As the PoWs began to escape through the tunnel on the night of 24 March 1944, it was a long wait for the late Jack Lyon as he stood in the queue in Hut 104. In an interview, Jack told us about that historic night and the eventual discovery of the tunnel by the guards.
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RAF Bomber Command veteran turns 100
On Monday 4 February 2019, RAF veteran John Oliver 'Jo' Lancaster celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by friends, family and his comrades from Bomber Command at Princess Marina House in Rustington.
