After defeating France in June 1940, Hitler assumed Britain would sue for peace but ordered his armed forces to prepare for invasion. Hermann Goering assured him that a sustained air assault would destroy the RAF, winning the air superiority needed.
July 1940 saw German planes target shipping in the Channel, drawing the RAF into combat, before radar stations, communications centres and airfields faced round-the-clock bombing in August. The battle reached a climax with attacks on London in September.
Joan 'Elizabeth' Mortimer, Elspeth Henderson and Helen Turner of the WAAF. All three received the Military Medal for courageous conduct during attacks on Biggin Hill airfield. Biggin Hill suffered a total of ten major attacks between 30 Aug and 5 Sept.
A group of pilots of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF return from a sortie. The first Polish squadrons were formed in the summer of 1940. Pilots came from several other countries, including Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and the USA.
RAF Duxford was a Sector Station in 12 Group, responsible for defending the Midlands and East Anglia. As the fighting intensified, Duxford's squadrons were called on to support 11 Group's defence of London and the south-east.
Despite incessant attacks, the RAF's defences held. The Luftwaffe could not continue, and in the autumn switched to 'nuisance' raids and night operations. The failure to defeat the RAF convinced Hitler to postpone his invasion plans indefinitely.
Sponsored Gun Pull to raise money for the family of one of the victims of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. The widow and baby son (Elizabeth and William Taylor) of one of the victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York photographed with the Honourable Artillery Company Gun Pull Team at Armoury House in London on 27 March 2002. Steve Taylor, a former Warrant Officer who served with the HAC, died in the World Trade Center two months before his son was born. To help raise funds for the family, the Gun Pull Team were preparing to carry out a sponsored Gun Pull during the Boston Marathon.

Sponsored Gun Pull to raise money for the family of one of the victims of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. The widow and baby son (Elizabeth and William Taylor) of one of the victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York photographed with the Honourable Artillery Company Gun Pull Team at Armoury House in London on 27 March 2002. Steve Taylor, a former Warrant Officer who served with the HAC, died in the World Trade Center two months before his son was born. To help raise funds for the family, the Gun Pull Team were preparing to carry out a sponsored Gun Pull during the Boston Marathon.
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On the morning of 11 September 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger planes in the United States. Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse. A third plane was crashed into the Pentagon, just outside Washington, DC. The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania after the crew and passengers attacked the terrorists on board, preventing it from hitting another target in the US capital. These events took place in less than two hours. The attacks killed 3,000 people. The vast majority of the dead were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries.
A few days later, US President George W Bush declared a ‘War on Terror’. An invasion of Afghanistan was launched barely one month later, on 7 October 2001. American, British and Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) forces were deployed to destroy al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime that had harboured the terrorist group in Afghanistan.
Twelve years on, military operations in Afghanistan continue. But on 2 May 2011 the head of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, was killed by US Special Forces.