Americans at Duxford

Air and Sea

As an island, Britain’s control of the sea was vital to its defence. Air and Sea shows the changes in defence methods, from the giant battleships of the First World War to modern-day submarines and aircraft carriers.

Air and Sea also features the The X-Craft exhibition, which tells the story of the development and use of midget submarines during the Second World War. X-craft - the British code name for midget submarines - were developed for attacks on specialist naval targets in difficult waters, and the exhibition features two of these fascinating vessels: X-51 and the remains of X-7.

View a full list of aircraft and vehicles at IWM Duxford

Collections in Context

War in the Air during the First World War
The First World War was the first conflict in which air power was used by combatant nations...

The Battle of the Atlantic
Britain depended on vital supplies from North America and the Empire. These had to be transported in merchant ships across the Atlantic Ocean...

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Related Videos

U-boat warfare
British adaptation of Der Magische Gürtel (The Enchanted Circle). This film records the operations of U35 in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic in 1917.

Spitfire footage
Spitfire activity at Canne Aerodrome, Italy. Filmed by RAF Film Production Unit No. 2 in 1945.