The RAF: A Hundred year experiment (original) (raw)
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Memory Studies, 2010
The 2000s saw a flurry of biographies in German of figures in the Baader-Meinhof Group (the Red Army Faction or RAF) or associated with it in one way or another. This is remarkable for a number of reasons. Germans, especially on the Left, are traditionally suspicious of this genre of life-writing because of its association with nationalism and related tendency to personalize rather than politicize complex questions and historical processes. Recent RAF biographies have contributed, however, to our understanding of the causes of domestic German terrorism in the 1970s and beyond in various ways, showing in particular personal continuities with the Nazi past that inflected the RAF's thoughts and actions. The prevalence of 'novelistic' approaches, including the dual or triple biography contrasting two or more lives (such as political outlaw and detective, perpetrator and victim, terrorist and legitimate campaigner) shows how the need for new narratives of the recent past often outweighs the value of new research, which, given the paucity of biographical material covering the time 'underground', can be hard to conduct. The competing interpretations of the life of Ulrike Meinhof, the subject of by far the highest number of biographies in the survey, shows also how far Germans are from a consensus on the significance of the RAF.
The origins of the organisational culture of the Royal Air Force
2018
The first independent air force, the Royal Air Force, was formed on 1 April 1918 during the First World War. It was a merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Its leaders and personnel brought cultural predispositions with them from their former services. Unsurprisingly, many aspects of the new independent Service that they created were similar to those in the Royal Navy and British Army. Despite that, a distinctive RAF culture emerged within a short time frame. Many elements of that culture have subsequently been emulated by other nations as they formed their own independent air forces. Those who serve or have served in the RAF intuitively know the power of its culture. RAF life is an immersive experience that evokes a range of assumptions, beliefs and emotions that can deeply affect combat performance. Despite this, little academic study of RAF culture has been conducted. This thesis will examine the history of the RAF from a new social angle. It will esta...
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Dr Kenton White examines Britain’s defence policy with regards to the air defence of the United Kingdom. He compares Britain’s commitment to air defence during the Cold War period with that of the present. With regards to the present, White concludes that given certain factors, the Royal Air Force (RAF) will struggle to regenerate if faced with a high-intensity conflict with a near-peer enemy.
Book Review: Royal Air Force 1939-1945
Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, 1977
Book Title: Royal Air Force 1939-1945 Book Author: Denis Richards & Hilary St George Volume 1: The Fight at Odds , by Denis Richards, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1974, pp xii 430. Volume 2: The Fight Avails , by Denis Richards and Hilary St George Saunders. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1975. pp x, 415. Volume 3: The Fight is Won , by Hilary St George Saunders. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1975, pp x, 441.
2001
I have been extremely fortunate in receiving the help of many people in completing this thesis. Foremost among these are my two supervisors, Professor Ian Clark and Dr Peter Jackson. It has frequently seemed that their contribution to the completion of this thesis has greatly outweighed my own. I would like to thank Peter particularly for his encouragement and faith in my ability throughout my time in Aberystwyth, in the face of very little supporting evidence of that ability. Ian must stand as exemplar to all Ph. D supervisors in his unfailing ability to provide detailed analysis of both the content and grammar of a thesis chapter in never more than twenty-four hours. It is an ability upon which his supervisee was perhaps overly reliant. I would also like to thank Dr Len Scott for first suggesting I investigate the strategic origins of Blue Streak, whilst simultaneously introducing me to the wholesome steadfastness of Pen Bryn cuisine. This thesis also owes an immense debt of gratitude to the 'Blue Streak Research Community', principally Nicholas Hill and David Wright. Dave, through his vast and assiduously acquired network of 'veterans' and his organisation of the British Rocketry Oral History Project conference, has immeasurably broadened academic understanding of British rocketry. Key questions in this thesis could not have been addressed without the network that he and his wife, Lesley, have created. Nick has also been a generous supporter of this research, both in terms of providing accommodation and time spent helping find the 'missing footnotes'. However, most important were the hours Dave, Nick and I spent discussing obsolete missile technology. This had a value to me that few can seemingly appreciate. I would also like to thank Kate Pyne for answering several queries with regard to the `business end' of Blue Streak, and Tony Buttler for his most valuable guidance with regard to undertaking aeronautical research. To my interviewees and correspondents who were `there'; Professor John Allen, Terry Dyke, David Andrews and Ken Carline, I thank them greatly for their time and hospitality, and only hope that one day my understanding will glimpse their experience. My former landlady, Roslyn Jehu, has been a friend and benefactress from the day of my first visit to Aberystwyth. However, at a crucial moment when it appeared I would have to abandon my studies through lack of funds, she simply waived my rent for the duration. This exceeded even the high standards of hospitality I had come to anticipate from the inhabitants of Ceredigion and ensured the completion of this thesis. Finally, I thank my family. Given the level of support my parents have provided me with over the years, it was difficult to see how they could have done more once I was at university. Nonetheless they did, and I had no reason for surprise. My sister and brother-in-law too played a crucial role, by suggesting I return to study in the first place and providing the 'creative accountancy' that oils the wheels of educational bureaucracy. Ultimately, I thank my wife, for her unstinting efforts to make this thesis the second best thing I did in my years in Aberystwyth.
The many behind the few : the lives and emotions of Erks and WAAFs of RAF bomber command 1939-1945
2015
This thesis examines the lives and emotions of male and female ground personnel who served in Bomber Command during the Second World War. Histories of Bomber Command usually focus on the flyers, or on the strategy of the bombing campaign. The experiences of four fifths of the service, the ground personnel, are often neglected. They are frequently reduced to two dimensional stereotypes, as the ‘Erk’ who serviced the aircraft, or the WAAF ‘chop girl’ whose sexual promiscuity presaged death. The RAF assigned personnel to different trades ranging from the most technical to the most mundane. The central theme of this thesis is the gendered hierarchy of trades within Bomber Command. It was constructed in part by widespread beliefs about fear, heroism and stoicism, the interconnected discourses of class and gender, and specific quirks of RAF culture. These included its trade selection process, dialect, pay scale, and trades’ perceived importance to the raison d’etre of Bomber Command. The ...