This edition of The Royal Air Force Day by Day is a diary of significant
daily events providing a fascinating record of the RAF's history. It
describes not only the great air battles and major events, but also the
tapestry of activities, traditions and culture that have created the
rich heritage of the world's oldest air force. Central to all these
themes are the experiences of RAF officers, airmen and women, ground
trades and aircrew during war and peacetime.Created in April 1918, the
RAF made a major contribution to the final victory in the First World
War, but soon found itself fighting for its very existence in the face
of savage defence cuts and a vigorous campaign by the Royal Navy and
Army to control their own air power. Under the guidance and vision of
the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard, the
foundations of the RAF were established and the junior service became
increasingly involved in the many 'air policing' operations that
dominated the next twenty years. In the Second World War air power came
of age, and by the end of hostilities in 1945 the RAF had become one of
the most powerful air arms in the world.With the decline of the empire,
the RAF's role changed as Britain made an increasingly important
contribution to NATO. The service played a vital role in the air defence
of the United Kingdom and for some years provided the country's
strategic and tactical nuclear deterrent. The ending of the Cold War
removed one threat, but others emerged and the RAF was at the centre of
operations in the Falklands, the Balkans, two Gulf Wars, the war in
Afghanistan and the current conflict in Syria - its most intense
operation for twenty-five years - not to mention peacekeeping and
international aid operations worldwide.Young in relation to the other
two services, there have been enormous changes in the way the RAF has
developed its capabilities and culture. These are graphically
illustrated in this book, which delivers a compelling mixture of the
exceptional, the unusual and the routine.
