RAF Forever

Hawker Typhoon in the wet

'Fighting Cocks Squadron': Pilots of No. 43 Squadron RAF sitting round the stove at readiness in their dispersal hut, at the RAF station just north of the village of Drem in East Lothian, Scotland 25 April 1941. Seated left is 'Joe' Pipa (name on chalkboard) and 3rd from right is Sgt Richardson. Other names on the board are Frank Carey and Ray Harries.

On 10 July 1940, the 310th Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron of the RAF was officially established at the base in Duxford. It was the first Czechoslovak air unit in Britain. Already in August 1940, our pilots joined the Battle of Britain in Hurricanes, where they demonstrated their courage. #RAF #Historie #Letci

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB fighter-bomber flown by Flight Sergeant JS Fraser-Petherbridge of No. 198 Squadron RAF takes off from Thorney Island to support the Allied landings in Normandy. June 6, 1944

Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB fighter-bombers from No. 56 Squadron RAF in flight. No. 56 Squadron was based at Matlask airfield from August 1942 to July 1943.

The squadron's primary mission from late 1942 until the second half of 1943 was to patrol the airspace over the southern coast of Great Britain and intercept low-flying German fighter-bombers. April 1943

British Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber during a test flight. 1941

Hawker Tempest Mk V’s of No. 501 Sqn RAF in Oct 1944. significantly improved derivative of Typhoon, improved in performance at high alt by replacing wing with thinner laminar flow design. Since it had diverged considerably from the Typhoon, it was renamed Tempest.

F/O Lewis E. Park Jr. (KIA 27/6/44) of 438 Squadron RCAF on his Norton motorcycle in front of Hawker Typhoon Ib R-D (MN518) the personal aircraft of W/C Robert Tremayne Davidson. RAF Funtington or Hurn, April-May 1944.

3 May 1943. Killed in action, Canadian 5 victory ace Wing Commander Howard Peter "Cowboy" Blatchford DFC (b. 25 February 1912). He achieved Canada’s first WW2 victory. Photographed with his 257 Squadron RAF Hurricane Mk. I at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk. in 1940.

The Hawker Hurricane, premier fighter with the Royal Air Force at the beginning of WW2. At the outbreak of hostilities, it was also the RCAF’s only modern fighter. This RCAF Hurricane has been preserved by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

The original photo is a blurred, low resolution scrap. I think that in memoriam of this brave Belgian pilot it is worth to get acquainted with is story.

Here a synopsis of the Belgian pilot's story, from FB The Historian's Den:

Jean de Selys Longchamps was a Belgian aristocrat who fled to Britain after the Nazi occupation and joined the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot. Though technically too old and inexperienced for combat roles, he pushed his way into active service, driven by a fierce sense of duty and a personal hatred of the regime that had overrun his country. His flying skills quickly earned him respect, but he remained restless, carrying the weight of what was happening back home.

In 1943, he learned that his father had been arrested, tortured, and killed by the Gestapo. The news shattered him, and hardened his resolve. Without authorization, de Selys Longchamps took off in his Hawker Typhoon, flew across the Channel, and descended low over Brussels. In a daring solo attack, he strafed the Gestapo headquarters on Avenue Louise, killing several officers and sending shockwaves through the occupation forces. As he escaped, he dropped the Belgian flag over the city as a final act of defiance.