Showing 11 to 20 of 133 search results

Plotting Block, Hostile Raid

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1939-1945, London, Hangar Five, X002-6552

Plotting blocks and counters were used in Operations Rooms in the Second World War and particularly in the Battle of Britain to track the movements of incoming formations of enemy aircraft.

Wooden triangular prism-shaped block displaying numbers over two rows: ‘809’ on yellow cards and ‘30+’ on blue cards, © RAF Museum

4lb Incendiary Bomb Mk 4

Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1945, London, Hangar Five, 72/O/30

Fires started by incendiary bombs were found to be the most effective way of destroying industrial and urban targets. The 4lb incendiary was the smallest but most effective device used by Bomber Command – 80 million were dropped during the war.

grey metal hexagonal stick cylinder with red end. Partition of metal visible at midway point, small hole, small screw head., RAF Museum/Iain Duncan

The Enigma Machine

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940-1945, London, Hangar Five, 82/R/503

Engima was the trade name for the cypher machine used by the Germans to code their communications, the codes of which changed daily. British listening stations intercepted messages which were then passed to cryptographers at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park to decode.

Metal machine with individual keys for each letter and interconnecting wires, inside a wooden box, © RAF Museum

Type C Mk II Bomb Trolley

Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1945-Circa 1979, London, Hangar Five, 79/O/1724

Bomb trolleys were used to transport munitions from their storage area to aircraft. The versatile Type C trolley could carry a range of bombs of different shapes and sizes up to a weight of 6,000lb.

Image pending

500lb General Purpose (GP) Bomb Mk 4

Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1945-Circa 1965, London, Hangar Five, 65/O/1067

General Purpose bombs were the standard air dropped munitions used by the RAF at the outbreak of the Second World War.

Image pending

Rose Brothers Type R Gun Turret

Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1945-Circa 1950, London, Hangar Five, 73/O/403

The Rose Turret was fitted with two .5in. / 12.7mm Browning Heavy Machine Guns instead of the rifle calibre .303in. / 7.7mm versions which had been the standard armament for turrets during most of the war. When introduced in July 1944, they enabled gunners to engage enemy fighters with greater force and at longer range.

Image pending

Hazard Warning Flag

Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1945, London, Hangar Five, X002-7592

Warning flags were used to mark the locations of unexploded bombs and other possible hazards.

Red rectangular flag on a wooden stick, © RAF Museum

Tirpitz Anchor Chain Link

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940-1944, London, Hangar Five, 1992/0381/C

The Tirpitz was the largest battleship in the German Navy’s fleet with a loaded displacement of 52,600 tons. This single link of the anchor chain, which alone weighs 66lbs / 30kg was presented to the RAF Chief of the Air Staff by the Royal Norwegian Air Force on 9 June 1992.

Large metal link from anchor chain, light brown, IAIN DUNCAN

RAF Type B flying helmet, John Hannah

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940, London, Hangar Five, 82/U/787

John Hannah was wearing this flying helmet on the operation of 15 September 1940 when he won his Victoria Cross.

RAF Type B flying helmet, John Hannah | 82/U/787, RAF Museum/Iain Duncan

Tirpitz Bulkhead

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1941-NOV 1944, London, Hangar Five, X002-9495

This decorated bulkhead, recovered from the engine room of the Tirpitz, was presented to the RAF.

Section of bulkhead from the battleship Tirpitz, painted with image of two naval vessels and a Kriegsmarine flag, RAF Museum / IAIN DUNCAN