Search British Royal Air Force, Combat Reports 1939-1945
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Did your ancestor take part in a dramatic aerial encounter during the Second World War? Explore this collection of Royal Air Force combat reports, written by pilots and air gunners after engaging enemy aircraft on operational missions. Drawn from The National Archives AIR 50 series, these records provide first-hand accounts of air combat, including details of attacks, victories, losses, and survival. The collection covers personnel serving with Fighter Command, Bomber Command, and the Fleet Air Arm, including airmen from Allied and Commonwealth units based in the UK.
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What can these records tell me?
Each record includes a transcript and image of the original combat report. The amount of information you will see will vary. You may be able to find a combination of the following in the transcript:
First name(s)
Last name
Rank
Year
Date
Other dates of combat
Squadron
Archive
The National Archives reference
Original record link
The original images include rich detail about the day’s events. You will read stories of pilots engaging with enemy aircraft, reconnaissance encounters and catapulting from merchant ships. Use the arrows on either side of the image to browse through the reports.
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Findmypast has published the images from The National Archives’ AIR 50 series - Air Ministry: Combat Reports, Second World War.
The British Royal Air Force, Combat Reports 1939-1945 were filled out by pilots or air gunners after they had encountered enemy aircraft on operational flights.
The combat reports cover action that was seen by the squadrons, wings and groups that were serving with Fighter Command, Bomber Command, Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm.
Consisting of either a Personal Combat Report or a Fighter Command Report, they would record details such as the following:
Date and time of the combat
Squadron of the person submitting the information
Type and number of enemy aircraft
Height and general location of where the encounter took place
Whether the enemy aircraft was considered as a casualty
Whether there were allied aircraft losses and if so, the type of aircraft
Combat reports also give a detailed account of what happened, the pilot or air gunner would describe how many rounds he used, what hits they achieved and if the aircraft was destroyed, damaged or considered as probably destroyed.
**Archive series available **
AIR 50 is organised into subseries groups. The following organisations are represented in each subseries:
AIR 50/1-AIR 50/177 Fighter Command
AIR 50/178-294 Bomber Command
AIR 50/295-301 Groups
AIR 50/302-319 Coastal Command
AIR 50/320-331 Fleet Air Arm
AIR 50/332-386 United States Air Force
AIR 50/387-425 High Ranking Officers
AIR 50/426-454 Fighter Wings
AIR 50/455-504 Miscellaneous Units and Flights
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