British Royal Air Force, Combat Reports 1939-1945

Each record includes a transcript of the original record. The amount of information you will see will vary. You may be able to find a combination of the following:

• First name(s)

• Last name

• Rank

• Year

• Date

• Other dates of combat

• Squadron

• Archive

• The National Archives reference

• Original record link

Findmypast has published the index from The National Archives in Kew, the records are from the AIR 50 series.

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.

• Begin your search broadly. Start with just a name.

• If needed, you can narrow your search results by adding additional search criteria such as a year or, squadron.

• Try different name combinations if you are having difficulty locating your ancestor’s entry. Occasionally, a first name was recorded as an initial only. Try searching with only a last name and year.