Remembering RAF Fighter Command
From 1936 to 1968, RAF Fighter Command played a key role in the skies. For 32 years the men and women of Fighter Command served in the air and on the ground, this is their story.
With the growing threat of war in Europe during the 1930s, the expansion of the Royal Air Force was deemed vital to Britain’s security. To meet this demand, the functions of RAF Command – the Air Defence of Great Britain – were transferred to two newly formed organisations: Fighter Command and Bomber Command.
Fighter Command, a new book from IWM, showcases 50 photographs of the iconic aircraft and crew behind Britain's spirited fighting force. This book traces the development of Fighter Command from its inception and growth in the 1930s, as war clouds gathered over Europe, to the dawn of the supersonic age in the early years of the Cold War.
The photographs below are six highlights from the book, which offer a fascinating snapshot into the wide remit and history of Fighter Command.
The book is available to purchase from the IWM Shop.
Mk I Spitfires, No. 19 Squadron
Three Mk I Spitfires of No. 19 Squadron, stationed at RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, fly in formation in October 1938.
Fighter Command pilots
Pilot Officer Arthur O’Brien Weeks, of Barbados, and Flight Sergeant Collins Alwyn Joseph, of Trinidad, pose for the camera.
The first V1 'doodlebug'
Flight Sergeant Morris Rose of No. 3 Squadron points out the essential characteristics of the V1 rocket to other Tempest pilots at RAF Newchurch, Kent, June 1944.
The Scottish pilot downed his first ‘doodlebug’, as the V1 was commonly known, on 16 June, and by the end of July had claimed a total of 11 destroyed.
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc, BE500
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc, BE500 ‘LK-A’, of No. 87 Squadron, RAF Charmy Down, flies over the Somerset countryside piloted by the squadron’s Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader Denis Smallwood.
BE500 is seen here in the ‘Special Night’ paint scheme – a matt black scheme used by the RAF during the early years of the war.
De Havilland Vampire FB.9s
Four de Havilland Vampire FB.9s of No. 213 Squadron from RAF Deversoir, part of the air defence force for the Canal Zone, fly in formation over the Egyptian desert in April 1954.
Gloster Javelin FAW.1 XA619
Gloster Javelin FAW.1 XA619 of No. 46 Squadron prepares for a night-time flight at RAF Odiham, Hampshire.
Fighter Command is available to buy now from the IWM Shop.
This title forms part of the IWM Photography Collection series. Purchase other titles in the series below:
