This year we will also be marking the 90th anniversary of the Bomber Command’s creation.  RAF Bomber Command was created in 1936.  At the start of World War II in September 1939, it had only 280 twin-engined aircraft, 23 operational squadrons and just 15,000 personnel.  As the war progressed, however, the addition of heavy aircraft, including the Avro Lancaster, combined with increased scope and manpower, led to it taking a pivotal role in some of the longest and most expensive campaigns of the war.  By September 1944, around a quarter of a million men and women were putting over 1,600 aircraft in the air every night, in an effort to bring the war to an end.  You can find out more about those who perished on our Losses Database.

The IBCC has been protecting and preserving documents and photographs of the era and recording interviews with those involved and you can find out more about the IBCC Digital Archive here