Aerial Warfare Collection (page 5)

RAF bomber crew, 1941. Captain and crew form a team, upon a team, upon whose close co-ordination the success of every flight depends: (left to right) navigator, radio operator, rear gunner, captain

Front page of Bomber Command, 1941. From Bomber Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

Front page of The Battle of Britain, 1943. From The Battle of Britain, August - October 1940. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

Air raid damage in Croydon, 1915 (1935). Houses in Eridge Road damaged by bombs dropped from German Zeppelins. From King Emperors Jubilee, by F. G. H

The pilot of a British Coastal Command aircraft, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

Members of the WaF serving in Coastal Command, c1940 (1943). Members of the Womens Auxiliary Air Force packing parachutes during World War II.From Coastal Command

The men and the aircraft, c1940 (1943). Members of the RAF relaxing during World War II. From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

British military intelligence officers of World War II, 1943. A good Intelligence Officer must have something of the qualities of Herodotus, Socrates and Voltaire. From Coastal Command

What British Bombers Did at Bremen on the Weser, 1945. The Bombing of Bremen in World War II by the British Royal Air Force

The first British air aggressive action of the war, the raid on Kiel, 1940
An artists impression of the first British air aggressive action of the war, the raid on Kiel: Wellington Bombers in action, 1940

Ingenious camouflage, World War I, c1914-c1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Ingenious camouflage, World War I, c1914-c1918. Camouflage used to conceal lines of communication and gun emplacements from German aviators. From a box set of stereoscopic cards titled The Great War

Armour plated German plane used to attack the Allied trenches, World War I, c1914-c1918. From a box set of stereoscopic cards titled The Great War

Gondola of the Zeppelin shot down off the Essex coast, World War I, 1916. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Gondola of the Zeppelin shot down off the Essex coast, World War I, 1916. Stereoscopic card detail

Zeppelin shot down near Colchester, Essex, World War I, 1916. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Zeppelin shot down near Colchester, Essex, World War I, 1916. This Zeppelin, the L33, commanded by Captain Alois Bocker, took part in a bombing raid on London on the night of 23-24 September 1916

Sopwith Camel aircraft ready for a patrol over the German lines, World War I, c1917-c1918. The Sopwith Camel first entered service in June 1917. Stereoscopic card. Detail

Charred bodies of the crew of a Zeppelin shot down over Billericay, Essex, World War I, 1916. Stereoscopic card. Detail

A battle squadron in fighting formation, World War I, c1914-c1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
A battle squadron in fighting formation, World War I, c1914-c1918. Stereoscopic card. Detail

Impression of a body in the ground, Billericay, Essex, World War I, 1916. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Impression of a body in the ground, Billericay, Essex, World War I, September 1916. Impression made by a member of the crew of a German Zeppelin shot down over the town who fell from the airship

Damage done in the first bombing raid on London, 1915 (1937). Artist: Central Press
Damage done in the first bombing raid on London, 1915 (1937). On 31st May 1915, Zeppelin LZ38 of the German Army carried out the first air raid on London

Destruction wrought by German Zeppelin bombs, World War I, 1914-1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Destruction wrought by German Zeppelin bombs, World War I, 1914-1918. The Germans launched Zeppelin raids against various locations in Britain, including London, from 1915 onwards

Wreck of a German bomber that tried to break through the aerial defence, World War I, 1914-1918. Stereoscopic card detail

The damage done by a German Zeppelin bomb, World War I, 1914-1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
The damage done by a German Zeppelin bomb, World War I, 1914-1918. The Germans launched Zeppelin raids against various locations in Britain, including London, from 1915 onwards

Members of the RAF ready for action during World War II, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

Loading bombs on to an RAF aircraft during World War II, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

Heavy bombs in the racks of a RAF Short Sunderland flying boat, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

RAF Coastal Command radio operator on board his aircraft, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

An RAF rigger serving breakfast at 6. 30 am, c1940 (1943)
An RAF rigger serving breakfast at 6.30 am, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

RAF flight engineer on board an aircraft, c1940 (1943). The flight engineer watching his instrument board, which tells him how the engines are behaving. From Coastal Command

The midship gunners of an RAF flying boat alert at their stations, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

British Naval and Air Force officers working at Area Combined Headquarters, c1940 (1943). The officers worked side by side in two offices fronting the plot on which every new movement in the Battle

The picture that sank a battleship, 1941 (1943). Artist: Michael Suckling
The picture that sank a battleship, 1941 (1943). A reconnaissance photograph taken by Spitfire pilot Flying Officer Michael Suckling showing the German battleship Bismarck moored in Grimstadfjord

Front cover of Coastal Command, 1943. Coastal Command was a booklet issued for the Air Ministry by the Ministry of Information

The aircraft carrier HMS Eagle and a Fairey Flycatcher aircraft, (1937)
The aircraft carrier HMS Eagle and a Fairey Flycatcher aircraft, 1937. The Fairey Flycatcher was a carrier-borne fighter plane in service with the Royal Navy between 1923 and 1934

Cuxhaven Raid, 25 December 1914, (1926). Artist: Charles Fouqueray
Cuxhaven Raid, 25 December 1914, (1926). On Christmas Day 1914 the British launched a comined air and naval attack on the Zeppelin bases at Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany

Three-seated aeroplane on a photographic mission, protected by a Spad fighter aircraft, 1918 (1926)

General Duval, head of the French air force, 1918

A French squadron of daytime bombers above a sea of clouds, 1918, (1926). Artist: Etienne Cournault
A French squadron of daytime bombers above a sea of clouds, 1918, (1926)

Air cavalry, attacking the infantry, 1918, (1926). Artist: Maurice Busset
Air cavalry, attacking the infantry, 1918, (1926)

Aeroplane supplying ammunition to the British front line, World War I, 1914-1918 (1926). Artist: Joseph Simpson
Aeroplane supplying ammunition to the British front line, World War I, 1914-1918 (1926)

British air bombardment over the German lines, World War I, 1914-1918 (1926). Artist: Joseph Simpson
British air bombardment over the German lines, World War I, 1914-1918 (1926)

Raoul Lufbery, French-American fighter pilot and flying ace of World War I, 1914-1918
Raoul Lufbery, French-American fighter pilot and flying ace of World War I, 1918. Born in Clermont-Ferrand, Lufbery (1885-1918) moved to the United States when 6 years old

British Royal Flying Corps aircraft under repair, c1916, (1926)

Maurice Boyau, leading French fighter ace of the First World War, 1914-1918. The Captain of the French rugby team before World War I

French squadron on the objective; factories at the edge of a river, 1918, (1926). Artist: Etienne Cournault
French squadron on the objective; Factories at the edge of a river, 1918, (1926). French aircraft in action on the Western Front during the First World War

Rene Paul Fonck, French fighter ace, 1918. Fonck (1894-1953) was credited with six enemy aircraft destroyed in one day, a feat he achieved on 8 May 1918

A Breguet French biplane bomber in action, c1917 (1926)

Georges Guynemer, French fighter ace, 9 September 1917. Guynemer (1894-1917) became the first French ace to attain 50 victories, a mark he reached at the end of July 1917

Lieutenant Georges Guynemer meeting French generals, 19 February 1917. Generals Foch, Gerard, Guillaumat, and Lyautey inspecting one of the aircraft of Guynemers squadron, Groupe de Chasse No 12

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"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.