| Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots run for their Hurricane Mark I fighters. RAF pilots began their day very early, waking at dawn and being driven out to their aircraft. Now ready for action, they waited for the order to ‘scramble’ – meaning enemy aircraft had been sighted, and the pilots needed to get up into the sky and intercept them. Each group of pilots was headed up by a senior pilot who gave instructions and led the aircraft towards the enemy. Once the Luftwaffe (“German Air Force”) had been encountered, the fight was on, and it was every man for himself. In the confusion and danger of aerial combat, it could be all too easy to suddenly find yourself outnumbered by a larger enemy formation. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0312.jpg |
| Image Size | 158.20 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1775 x 1282 |
| Photographer | William Vandivert |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 2, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | London |
| State or Province | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | HU 49253 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database