The Royal Air Force forms the British Army with the Royal Army and the Royal Navy. Its motto is Per Arduaad Astra, which means “through adversity to the stars”. The Royal Air Force was formed on April 1, 1918 as the world’s first independent air force by integrating the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
The First World War
The Royal Air Force was the successor to the Royal Flying Corps, which changed its name in April 1918. When it was created, it defended 20,000 aircraft and 300,000 soldiers and took part in the final operation of the First World War. The insular isolation founded the future doctrine of strategic bombing.
Between the two wars
After the war, budget constraints created fierce competition for resources. Between services such as the army, navy and air force. The very existence of the Royal Air Force could be questioned. To demonstrate their usefulness, the RAF acted as the Royal Air Force police. In support of small British troops scattered around the world. The Royal Air Force operated under a doctrine called Air Control. In May 1919, during the third Anglo-Afghan war, a large number of bombs were dropped on Afghanistan every day. Mainly in the city of Jalalabad, but Afghanistan did not have the opportunity to react. It reaches up to 2 tons of bombs per day. Kabul was also bombed on May 24, 1919. The royal palace was partially hit and the war was over.
The Royal Air Force in Africa
A rebellion broke out in Iraq in 1920, which was placed under the British mandate of the League of Nations. It was moistened with air. The Royal Air Force used 97 tons of bombs and 183,000 rounds of ammunition during numerous missions. Totaling 4,000 flight hours, recording nine dead, seven wounded and the destruction of 11 aircraft. About 9,000 rebels were killed in the conflict. Some were victims of poison gas and phosphorus weapons such as mustard.
From December 1928 to February 1929, the Royal Air Force carried out the first major evacuation during the Kabul Airlift. As a result, 586 foreigners and people were expelled from the Afghan capital during the civil war. In addition, in the 1920s, particularly under the influence of Trenchard, the RAF needed to develop and exploit the theme of the French threat 8 . And to develop a strategic plan for a very virtual prospect of war with France. By 1938, membership was 35,000.
The Second World War
During World War II, especially in the Battle of Britain, a resistance reinforced by the technical advantages of British radar made Britain lose control of the Wehrmacht in an attempt to make a stolen assault on the British Isles. Hundreds of Polish, Czech, French and Belgian pilots who fled to the Battle of Britain participated in the Battle of Britain. Then fought in various ways, mainly in Europe and Africa.
After the victory of the Battle of Britain, the Royal Air Force helped to put pressure on the accessible areas of Germany. The most intense bombing raids devastated the cities of Hamburg (Operation Gomorra), Berlin and Dresden. The British artillery operated mainly at night. It took over from the American squadron that operated during the day. At that time, the Royal Air Force was divided into three main commands. Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command.
The other side of the war
On the other hand, the Fleet Air Arm belonged to the Royal Navy instead of the Royal Air Force. The basic fighter and artillery unit was the squadron corresponding to the French group. Squadrons were often divided into wings (squadors) or groups (regiments) at the main bases. The combat squadron was divided into flights (squadrons), and the flights were divided into three patrols. Then four patrols. During the conflict, three tactical air forces were created. To support the ground forces, including a second tactical air force.
At the height of the operation, a balloon commander with more than 33,000 men commanding an RAF ferry with 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles interconnected hovering around Britain since 19410 and a plane to bring back the North Americans. All the losses of the German Royal Air Force in the European and Mediterranean theater of operations on May 8, 1945 destroyed 11,968 bombers and 10,061 fighters, leaving 79,281 missing. In 1940, the acting Prime Minister was Winston Churchill. He summarized the importance of the role of the Royal Air Force in the traditional writing.
The manpower of the Royal Air Force
In terms of manpower, the RAF has 31,250 full-time employees as of October 1, 2015, and is expected to have 31,750 employees by 202019 at that time. The cost of pilot training has risen dramatically from £15,000 during World War II to sometimes more than £1. From 4 million in 2011, the number of UK-trained pilots has dropped from thousands in the 1940s to 300 in the 2010s. It has been fighting in Afghanistan since 2002, Iraq in 2003 and Libya at the turn of the century. A total of 4,215 bombs and rockets were dropped on Iraq and Syria between September 2014 and September 2019 as part of a UN cover-up.
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