RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation had been neglected in the inter-war period, due to disagreements between the Royal Navy (RN) and RAF over the ownership, roles and investment in maritime air power.
RAF Coastal Command badge
Philip Joubert de la Ferté, Coastal Command's second AOC-in-C. de la Ferté continually complained about the neglect of Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command crew holding a final conference before taking off in their Boeing B-17, from Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Azores, 1943
A De Havilland Mosquito of the RAF Banff Strike Wing attacking a convoy evacuating German troops from Kattegat on 5 April 1945. A flak ship and a trawler were sunk
RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940, when the Few held off the Luftwaffe attack on Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when it was disbanded and the RAF fighter force was split into two categories; defence and attack. The defensive force became Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) and the offensive force became the RAF Second Tactical Air Force. Air Defence of Great Britain was renamed back to Fighter Command in October 1944 and continued to provide defensive patrols around Great Britain. It was disbanded for the second time in 1968, when it was subsumed into the new Strike Command.
RAF Fighter Command badge
Shot of the fighter pilots of the Polish 303 Squadron, 1940. Foreign fighter squadrons began forming in July 1940.
A Spitfire tipping the wing of a V-1, which disrupted the missile's automatic pilot during Operation Crossbow, 1944.
The supersonic fighter English Electric Lightning, a mainstay of Fighter Command during the Cold War years.