Aerial Warfare Collection (page 4)

How the boys appreciate it!, 1940. From I m A Firegirl, booklet on the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), in Tucks Better Little Book series

The Barbican area of the City of London, World War II, 1942. Artists: Arthur Cross
The Barbican area of the City of London, World War II, 1942. View showing the devastation following the demolition of unsafe buildings damaged by German bombing

View looking south down Walbrook after an air raid, City of London, World War II, 1941. The photograph shows the street impassable with rubble

View from St Pauls Cathedral towards Southwark Bridge, London, World War II, 1942. The photograph shows the extent of Luftwaffe bomb damage following the demolition of unsafe buildings

Interior view of Middle Temple Hall, City of London, after an air raid, c1941. Artist
Interior view of Middle Temple Hall, City of London, after an air raid, c1941. The floor is strewn with rubble and the sky is visible through a large hole in the ceiling

View of Newgate Street, City of London, showing air raid damage, c1944, probably taken from St Pauls Cathedral

Air raid damage at Church of St Mildred, Bread Street, City of London, c1941. Artist
Interior view of Church of St Mildred, Bread Street, City of London, c1941, after an air raid, with figures clearing the debris

Holborn Viaduct, City of London, showing air raid damage, c1944

Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court, London, c1941. View of the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, in the aftermath of an air raid

Battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) sinking during the attack on Pearl Harbour, 1941. The Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the US military facilities at Pearl Harbour on the morning of 7

The wreckage-strewn Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbour, 7th December 1941
The wreckage-strewn Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, USA, 7 December 1941. The Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the US military facilities at Pearl Harbour on the morning of 7

Pursuit. Aerial warfare, World War I, c1916-c1918. A British plane swooping down and scattering a German formation (the German planes are marked with black crosses)

Dogfight between British and German aircraft, World War I, c1916-c1918

Aerial combat on the Western Front, World War I, 1914-1918. From Deutsche Gedenkhalle: Das Neue Deutschland compiled by General Von Eisenhart Rothe, 1939

Anti-aircraft women of the ATS operating an identification telescope, 1943. From Roof Over Britain. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

Women on duty on an anti-aircraft battery, 1943.The girls cannot be beaten in action, said the officer commanding a mixed battery. They are quite as steady, if not steadier, than the men

Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov (1887-1914), c. 1914. Found in the collection of Russian State Library, Moscow

A Squadron of the Royal Air Force Flying in Formation, 1927. From The Wonder Book of Aircraft, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward, Lock & Co, Limited, London & Melbourne, 1927]

War... 1941. Artist: Cecil Beaton
War... 1941. An air raid warden watches the night sky. From Air of Glory, by Cecil Beaton. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

Blankets for the homeless, 1941. Artist: Cecil Beaton
Blankets for the homeless, 1941. From Air of Glory, by Cecil Beaton. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

The result of an air raid: A wrecked house in Southend, 1915
The result of an air raid: A wrecked house in Southend. 1915. The destruction caused by a German Zeppelin attack, 10th May 1915. From The Manchester Guardian History of the War, Vol. II. - 1914-15

The Good Neighbour, c1941 (1942). A female Air Raid Warden comforts a victim of the blitz. Air Raid Precautions (ARP) was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to

A British triplane flying boat, c1918 (1919). Artist: RAF photographer
A British triplane flying boat, c1918 (1919). The manufacture and development of flying boat aircraft accelerated rapidly during World War I

Coast Defence: the Raiders Fate, c1918 (1919). Artist: WH Holloway
Coast Defence: the Raiders Fate, c1918 (1919). From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co. Limited, London, Melbourne and Toronto, 1919]

British staff officers examining the wreckage of a Zeppelin brought down in England, c1917 (1919). From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co

The Eyes of the Fleet: A Short Seaplane, c1918 (1919). Artist: Geoffrey Watson
The Eyes of the Fleet: A Short Seaplane, c1918 (1919). From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co. Limited, London, Melbourne and Toronto, 1919]

A French General conferring decorations on aviators, c1918 (1919). From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co

A coast patrol airship sending a despatch by motor launch, c1919 (1919) Artist: Frank Henry Mason
A coast patrol airship sending a despatch by motor launch, c1919 (1919).. From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co

A French aeroplane descends in a Paris street, c1917 (1919). From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co

A Zeppelin at home, c1917 (1919). From The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls, edited by Harry Golding. [Ward. Lock & Co. Limited, London, Melbourne and Toronto, 1919]

The Bomb Berlin Bus, c1918 (1919). One of the many planes that were ready to bomb Berlin had the Armistice not been signed. The plane?s wings folded to save space in the aircraft hangar

A British Biplane Bringing Down a German Taube, c1916 (1928). Artist: Cyrus Cuneo
A British Biplane Bringing Down a German Taube, c1916 (1928). The Etrich Taube was a German monoplane. The first mass produced German military aircraft

Hawker Hart biplanes flying in formation, c1936 (c1937). The Hawker Hart was a British two seater biplane light bomber aircraft of the Royal Air Force

Movable gun of a two-seater fighter plane, c1935 (c1937). The feature of a moving gun on the two-seater fighter allowed for precise firing

Major James H Doolittle, American aviator, c1936 (c1937). James Harold Doolittle (1896-1993) was one of the most famous pilots of the interwar period, achieving numerous pioneering aviation feats

All her eggs in one basket, 1940 (1943)
All her eggs in one basket. All six of italys battleships are shown safely at anchor in the outer harbour at Taranto, 1940 (1943)

The enemys hide-out, 1940 (1943)
The enemys hide-out. Taranto, where the Fleet Air Arm sought out the Italian fleet in their own anchorage, 1940 (1943). In November 1940 the British launched an air attack on the Regia Marina naval

All Night Raid on Britains Capital - Statue of John Milton, 1940, (1940). The Statue of poet John Milton (1608-1674) at St Giles-without-Cripplegate, damaged by a bombing raids on 24th August 1940

Work of the bombers and their destruction, 1940, (1940). The debris and destruction of German bombs in England. From The War in Pictures. [Odhams Press Limited, London, 1940]

Front page of The Battle of Britain, 1940. From The Battle of Britain. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1940]

Their hearts are high, 1941. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

RAF Bomber Command operations room, 1941. The Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, with his staff, plans the nights operations. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

The raid is over, but the crews task is not yet finished, 1941. RAF bomber crew being debriefed after a raid. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

RAF Bomber Command operations room during a raid, 1941. Meanwhile, at the Station, the positions of the raiding aircraft are now being plotted. From Bomber Command

The target to-night is... 1941. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

Back from Bergen, 1941. The crews of two of the Hampden bombers which attacked German fleet concentrations in Bergen Fjord, Norway. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

RAF bomber radio operator, 1941. He helps the navigator and, with the air gunner, does the fighting. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

Bomber Command pilot, 1941. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Aerial Warfare: The Skies Become a Battlefield" In the midst of the chaos and uncertainty of war, brave men took to the skies, becoming legends in their own right. Meet an RAF bomber pilot and his second pilot, soaring through the clouds in 1941, determined to defend their homeland. As tensions rose across Europe, Air Raid Precautions became a vital part of daily life. A cigarette card from 1938 serves as a reminder of those anxious times when civilians sought refuge from enemy attacks. The iconic image of an RAF Spitfire resting on the deck of an aircraft carrier en route to Malta in 1942 showcases the crucial role these agile fighters played during World War II. Refuelling and re-arming Spitfires on Maltese soil further exemplify their unwavering commitment to victory. However, aerial warfare was not without its perils. The haunting sight of air raid damage inflicted upon Clacton-on-Sea in April 1940 stands as a stark reminder that no place was truly safe from destruction. Looking back even further into history, we find ourselves amidst World War I's early days. Witness Crown Prince Wilhelm seeking shelter beneath his car as French aeroplanes dropped darts from above in 1915. In another instance captured by lithography, a German Zeppelin crashes into the North Sea after conducting a raid on England in 1916. Yet it wasn't just combatants who suffered; innocent lives were lost too. Two peasant women tragically fell victim to German aeroplanes' relentless onslaught during World War I - another painful testament to the horrors endured by civilians caught up in this new form of warfare. Amidst all this turmoil lies moments of respite for those involved behind-the-scenes. Lunchtime at Douglas Aircraft Company's plant brings temporary relief for workers laboring tirelessly towards victory - captured beautifully by Alfred T Palmer's lens in Long Beach, California, 1942.