The Royal Air Force was the first air force to becompletely independent of other Forces, such as the Army and Navy. In November 1918, the British Royal Air Force had achieved air superiority with an elemental force of about 300,000 personnel and over 22,000 aircraft. The RAF continued to grow and laid the foundation for education and training by, among other things, establishing the Royal Air Force College.
When the Second World War broke out, the British RAF began to expand rapidly. Between July 10 and October 31, 1940, the Nazis, who had occupied Western Europe, had become a real threat to the UK.
The Nazi German Air Force Luftwaffe relentlessly launched airstrikes on strategic targets by bombing several cities, in an attempt to distress British spirits.
The Battle of Britain is one of the most momentous battles in the history of the British Empire. Between June and October 1940, as many as 2,000 Hurricanes and Spitfires aircraft were built, with the aim of fighting against German Messerschmitt and Junkers aircraft at full throttle to maintain the air sovereignty of the UK.
RAF fighter pilots, nicknamed “Few”, underwent only two weeks of training and their average age was about 20.
A total of 544 RAF flight crews lost their lives during the Air Battle in England known as the Battle of Britain.
The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, suffered its first major defeat in the Battle of Britain.
In 1942, the Royal Air Force dominated the sovereign airspace of the United Kingdom. The RAF Bomber Squadron conducted sorties every night, involving up to 1,000 strategic target areas over Germany, including strategic industrial targets and, more controversially, destroying other German cities such as Dresden and Hamburg. By the end of the war, the Royal Air Force had lost about 70,000 personnel.