morning after Bomber Command’s first of three raids on the city. It shows the area around the cathedral.

This first raid caused 1,300 casualties and displaced 25,000 people. By the end of the third raid in April 1945, 80% of the city center had been destroyed.

from Gibraltar to Benson for repairs. F/Lt Roy Johnson was plotted crossing the coast of the UK at 1400hrs but 15 minutes later his aircraft smashed into the ground. Roy was found just over a mile from the crash site, his parachute having not deployed.

photographs, that of late production PR.IV BS491. This particular aircraft was fitted with a radio and because it spent most of its life in Gibraltar and Africa, it was fitted with a tropical air filter. Flying an incredible 119 operational sorties, the aircraft was lost 82 years ago today returning

landed Benson at 16:15. Pictures really hazy, so bad it wasn’t worth printing the photographs”

odd pictures of factories; eventually returned to Roermond, made one run, then flew to Eindhoven to take the aerodrome. Set course again for Clacton but was forced down to 20,500 ft by condensation - over Scheldt. Crossed coast in over Orford Ness at 13:35 and

but did not see English or Dutch coasts. Condensation occurred so dropped from 28,000 ft to 22,500 ft crossing North Sea. Solid cloud but five minutes from ETA cloud broke; pinpointed myself over Roermond. Flew to Wesel and made three runs. As Ruhr was covered, tooled around pretty aimlessly taking

return. He is missing to this day and is commemorated on the memorial at Runnymede.

One of the most photographed of PR Spitfires, N3117 is seen here before John joined the unit.

with the Royal Tank Regiment. Transferring to the RAF in May 1940 as a F/o, he was posted to 1 PRU at RAF Benson flying his first operational sortie in N3117 on the 3rd October. Just over two months later on the 9th December he again flew N3117 but failed to

controls after he was shot down by fighters during his 11th reconnaissance sortie. He is remembered today on the RAF Runnymede memorial to the missing.

14 aircraft were lost over enemy territory or at sea, with a further 3 crashing in the UK. Some 23 aircraft were damaged not by enemy fire, but by bird strikes from their low-level operations.

which put production of parts for the German war machine back by 6 months.

Whilst the attack was carried out on a Sunday to minimise civilian casualties, 148 civilian lives were tragically lost due to the built up residential area around the factory. Of the raiding force,

works in Eindhoven - one of those was an unarmed Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft there to photograph the target at low-level during the attack.

Flying at ultra low-level, the reconnaissance crew were able to bring back accurate target photos that showed significant damage to the factory

operation to the Pas de Calais. He is commemorated on the Runnymede memorial to the missing.

Nov 1943, and is of the launch site at Bois Carre, near Yvrench on the Somme. The same site is shown after the attacks which started on this day.

James Aitkin would tragically be lost just a few weeks later on 21st January 1944 when he failed to return from a reconnaissance…