Royal Air Force: Operational Records

Military Records Information 70

This research guide is intended to give a brief outline of the main series of operational records of the Royal Air Force and its predecessors from the beginning of the First World War until the end of the Second. It is not exhaustive, nor does it deal with either personnel or technical records: these are the subject of separate research guides RAF, RFC and RNAS: First World War, 1914-1918: Service Records and Royal Air Force: Research and Development Records.

1. First World War, 1914-1918

The Royal Flying Corps was constituted by Royal Warrant in 1912 to counter the potential threat of German air power, notably the airships. It was formed into Military and Naval Wings, together with the Central Flying School and the the Royal Aircraft Factory. In July 1914 the Naval Wing was detached to become the Royal Naval Air Service. The services were re-united as the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918.

Most of the surviving records covering the pre-war and wartime period can be found in Air Historical Branch Records: Series I (AIR 1) . This consists of documents brough together by the Air Historical Branch from the Air Ministry itself, and from the War Office and the Admiralty, service formations and other sources for use in official histories and narratives of operations. There is a comprehensive index to it at The National Archives. Additional information may be found in the Correspondence (AIR 2) of the Air Ministry which also includes papers of the Admiralty and the War Office relating to aviation and aeronautics.

A few early squadron Operation Record Books can also be found in AIR 27 . AIR 3 contains some airship log books. Official Histories of air operations are in The National Archives Library.

2. Between the Wars, 1919-1939

The Royal Air Force was involved in a number of minor campaigns in the Middle East and India during this period. Reports on operations can be found in Air Historical Branch Records: Series II (AIR 5) under Code 57/3 and in the class Director of Plans (AIR 9) . Many of the classes described more fully below for the period of the Second World War contain records relating to the inter-war period. The more important are:

3. Second World War, 1939-1945

Documents in The National Archives relating to the Second World War are described in J Cantwell, The Second World War: A Guide to Records in the Public Record Office, (HMSO 1972).

During the war the military, naval and air services were integrated in a way unparalleled in peacetime or during the First World War, and the process of integration was extended to encompass the civil government and allied forces. Information about operations can, therefore, be found in classes of records which are primarily concerned with other aspects of the conduct of the war.

3.1. High Command

The War Cabinet Minutes (CAB 65) and Memoranda (CAB 66) , CAB 67 , CAB 68) , records of the Cabinet Committees concerned with defence (CAB 69 , CAB 70 , CAB 78 , CAB 83 , CAB 85 , CAB 92-98) , records of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and its sub-committees (CAB 79 , CAB 80 , CAB 81 , CAB 82) and of the Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee and sub-committees (CAB 88) form the starting point for any study of military operations. The daily situation reports for the War Cabinet and the daily summaries of information prepared in the Central War Room are in War Cabinet: Daily Situation Reports (CAB 100) and Cabinet telegrams to overseas commands in War Cabinet: Telegrams (CAB 105) .

The Secretariat Files (CAB 120) contain information about the personal intervention of the Prime Minister of the day in operational matters. Similar papers are to be found in Prime Minister's Office: Operational Papers (PREM 3) and, to a lesser extent, in Confidential Papers (PREM 4) ).

3.2. Air Policy

The basic pattern for the direction and conduct of the war in the air was set in 1936 and remained essentially unchanged throughout hostilities. The Air Ministry at the centre was responsible for all aspects of policy. The Commands, divided by function within the United Kingdom and by geographical area overseas, were responsible for the conduct of both operations and administration. Files relating to policy, including some concerned with operations, are to be found in:

The Combined Operational Planning Committee was responsible for the preparation of plans for strategic daylight operations by British and United States bomber and fighter forces from June 1943 to June 1945. Its papers are in the class AIR 42 .

The class Periodical Returns Summaries and Bulletins (AIR 22) contains daily summaries of operations carried out, weekly intelligence reports and much statistical material on the strength of the Royal Air Force, losses sustained and allied and enemy air activity.

3.3. Expeditionary forces

Records of Royal Air Force staff detachments at military headquarters can be found in British Air Forces in France, 1939-1940 (AIR 35) , Air Component North West Expeditionary Force (Norway 1940) (AIR 36) . The British air element in the Allied Expeditionary Force (North-West Europe 1944-1945) is recorded in Allied Expeditionary Force and Second Tactical Air Force (AIR 37) . Planning papers for the invasion of North Africa in 1942 (Operation Torch) are in AIR 47 .

3.4. Commands

From 1936 onwards, the records of the Commands are the most important sources for the planning and conduct of operations, any search in them is likely to be difficult and prolonged. They are arranged in the following series:

3.5. Operations Record Books, combat reports and aircrew logs

Operations Record Books, comprising both 'Summary of Events' forms (Form 540) and 'Detail of Work Carried Out' forms (Form 541), together with their appendices (usually operational orders, miscellaneous reports and telegraphed messages) are a record of daily events kept by all units of the Royal Air Force. They are particularly important for detailed studies of operations.

These series include the Books of Units of Dominion and Allied air forces serving under British command. South African Air Force: Operations Record Books (AIR 54) contains microfilm copies of the Books of various operational units serving in Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Squadron Combat Reports are in AIR 50 and a selection of aircrew flying log books are in AIR 4

3.6. Bombing Missions in Europe

Brief details of all operations carried out by Bomber Command are recorded in the night and day reports in AIR 14 pieces AIR 14/2664-2680 , AIR 14/3360-3668 and in Bomber Command Intelligence Reports in AIR 24 pieces AIR 24/214-325 .

A selection of photographs taken by reconnaissance aircraft after raids and attack assessment reports is preserved in Central Interpretation Unit (AIR 34) , and in the appendices to the Operations Record Books of the Unit (AIR 29) pieces AIR 29/230-412) . Other reconnaissance photographs and detailed assessments of raids can sometimes be found in the final reports of operations (AIR 14 pieces AIR 14/3408-3412 ) and in Ministry of Home Security: Research and Experiments Department: Unregistered Papers (HO 191 ) pieces HO 191/113-121 . Similar reports on targets in Italy and the Far East are in AIR 23 . There is no adequate index to this material.

The Operations Record Books of squadrons (AIR 27 ) contain daily and monthly summaries, which include details of aircraft, crew, weapons and casualties. Supplementary information can sometimes be found in the Combat Reports (AIR 50) submitted by aircrew and in Aircrew's Flying Log Books (AIR 4) , of which the Public Record Office holds only a selection. Other operational reports can be found in AIR 20 [code 67/34]

Much additional information about operations over enemy territory is in AIR 14 : operations later in the war are better documented than those early in the war. Daily reports on Interception and Tactics (AIR 14/2681-2683 , AIR 14/3741-3745) begin in June 1941 and include precises of combat reports and other details about raids. Further, detailed assessments can sometimes be found in the Final Reports on Operations and Night Raids (AIR 14/3212-3227) : neither of these series is complete.

3.7. Narratives and histories

The class Air Historical Branch: Narratives and Monographs (AIR 41) contains narratives written by members of the Branch during and after the war. The narratives provide a useful introduction to the air campaigns and other Royal Air Force activities. The confidential editions in Official Histories: Military (CAB 101) sometimes provide document references omitted in the published versions.

3.8. Fleet Air Arm and naval aviation

Control of the Fleet Air Arm after its formation in 1924 was divided between the Air Ministry and the Admiralty, which had operational control. The dissensions which arose from this division of responsibility are summarized in Director of Plans (AIR 9/2) . In 1937, following the recommendations of a Cabinet Committee, total control passed to the Admiralty: the records of the Committee and associated Air Ministry papers are in Committee of Imperial Defence: Ad Hoc Sub-Committee 16/151 and CAB 16/152 , and AIR 8/229 .

Some operational records of the Fleet Air Arm for the period April 1933 to September 1943 are preserved in AIR 27/2387 . However, the main series for the Second World War are in Fleet Air Arm Squadron Records (ADM 207) ): AIR 50 contains some supplementary material. Other records relating to the service during the war can be found under Code 90 in both Admiralty and Secretariat Papers (ADM 1) and Admiralty and Secretariat Cases ADM 116 : additional information can be found in War History Cases and Papers (ADM 199) . Coastal Command papers in AIR 15 are also an important source for operations over the Atlantic.

3.9. Army Aviation and combined operations

Unit records for glider pilots regiments and air observation posts (AOPs) 1939 - 1945 can be found within the army war diaries series for ther respective theatres of operations.

The papers of the Directorate in the class WO 233 include a proportion on airborne operations which complements the record of the Army Co-operation Command in AIR 39 .

4. Post-war operations

Many of the wartime record series continue into the post-war period. In addition to the Operations Records Books the following sources are particularly useful:

Records of the British Air Forces of Occupation in Germany after 1945 are in AIR 55 . Unit records from the Army Air Corps from 1957 are in WO 295 .

5. Aerial photographs

Photographs are scattered among various records series. Some of the most important are:

First World War

For the inter-war period, smaller numbers of photographs can be found among the operational records.

Second World War photographs can be found in many series of records, including the Operations Records Books and RAF Commands headquarters papers. Other useful sources include:

The majority of reconnaissance photographs of Western Europe, excluding neutral and eastern bloc countries, are deposited in the University of Keele. Enquiries should be addressed to:

The Curator
Air Photo Library
Department of Geography
University of Keele
KEELE
Staffordshire ST5 5BG

6. Aircraft Production

Responsibility for the production of aircraft, their armament and equipment and the control of repair, research and development, including experimental establishments, lay with the Air Ministry until May 1940: it then passed to the newly established Ministry of Aircraft Production. The main record series of both Ministries are in the class Ministry of Aircraft Production: Files (AVIA 15 ): the class includes files covering the inter-war period. A separate Research Guide on records of research and development is available.

7. Military Airfields

Records about airfields from 1912 onwards are in AIR 2 . Additional material from the period of the First World War is in AIR 1 : maps and descriptions of airfields in use by the Royal Air Force in November 1918 are in AIR 1/452/15/312/26 Vol. I to AIR 1/453/15/312/26 Vol. VI .

Photographs, maps and descriptions of most Royal Air Force stations in use during the Second World War are in the classes Air Publications AIR 10/4038 and AIR 10/4039 , and Unregistered Papers AIR 20/7585 and AIR 20/7586 . A few detailed plans of airfields in the Grantham area are in Maps and Plans: Air Force Establishments (WORK 44) . Many detailed plans are held by:

Department of Research and Information Services
Royal Air Force Museum
Hendon
LONDON NW9 5LL
Telephone: 020-8205-2266

Few records of the construction of airfields before and during the Second World War have yet been transferred to The National Archives. A selection of papers of the Ministry of Works about the construction of airfields is in Official History of the Second World War: Works and Buildings: Unpublished Sources WORK 46/7 and WORK 46/8 . There is information about the construction by the Royal Engineers of Airfields in the United Kingdom and various overseas theatres of operation in Engineer in Chief Papers (WO 227) .

8. Foreign air forces

For the period before 1939 see AIR 1 , AIR 2 , AIR 5 . For 1939 onwards see AIR 2 , AIR 20 , AIR 40 .

For the Second World War, details of missions undertaken by the United States Army Air Force operating from bases in the United Kindgom can be found in AIR 40/394-1133 . The reports of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey are in AIR 48 . Some intercepted German cipher messages appear in HW 1 and HW 5 .

9. Further Sources

W Raleigh and H A Jones The War In The Air (6 vols HMSO, 1922-1935)
D Richards and H St G Saunders The Royal Air Force 1939-1945 (3 vols HMSO, 1974-1975) PRO Reader's Guide No 8: RAF Records In The PRO (1994)

A useful list of RAF acronyms (largely from the Second World War period) can be found on the internet on: www.associations.rafinfo.org.uk/acronyms.

(ri2274) Last updated: 14 July 2004 | © Crown Copyright 2003