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On 24 September 1939, the Royal Air Force formally took over the "Heston Flight", a civilian photo reconnaissance unit headed by Sidney Cotton based at Heston Aerodrome. [4] The unit had previously been contracted by MI6 to perform clandestine photographic reconnaissance over Europe, using civilian-registered Lockheed 12A aircraft. [4]
Bristol Blenheim (RAF) long range fighter and night fighter. Curtiss Mohawk (RAF) Curtiss Kittyhawk and Tomahawk (RAF) de Havilland Mosquito (RAF) night fighter & fighter-bomber. de Havilland Vampire (RAF) prototype jet fighter. Douglas Havoc (RAF) night fighter. Fairey Fulmar (FAA) fleet fighter. Fairey Firefly (FAA) fleet fighter.
Formation and World War II. 683 squadron was formed out of 'B' Flight of No. 69 Squadron on 8 February 1943 [4][5][8] at RAF Luqa on Malta, as a photo-reconnaissance squadron operating the Spitfire fighter in the photo-reconnaissance role. The squadron added the Mosquito Mk.VI to its strength in May 1943, but they were only operated for a month.
This Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk XI (PL965) was a purpose-built long-range, high-altitude reconnaissance variant that was capable of flying from airfields in England and photographing as far afield as Berlin. A transformational growth in aerial reconnaissance occurred in the years 1939–45, especially in Britain and then in the United States.
The history of the Royal Air Force, the air force of the United Kingdom, spans a century of British military aviation. The RAF was founded on 1 April 1918, towards the end of the First World War by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. After the war, the RAF was greatly reduced in size and during the inter-war years ...
RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force 's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bombing campaign against Germany became less restrictive and increasingly targeted industrial sites and ...
Number 56 Squadron, also known as No. 56 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), [3] nicknamed the Firebirds for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both the First and Second World Wars.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. [7] It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the second independent air force in the world after the Finnish Air Force [8] merging the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). [9]