Unsung achievements of the wartime RAF
sir – I thoroughly enjoyed the BBC One programme, RAF at 100 with Ewan and Colin Mcgregor. There was, however, one glaring omission from the story: the Battle of the Atlantic.
RAF Coastal Command played a major role in winning this vital battle and, in doing so, helped to ensure Britain’s final victory. As Winston Churchill acknowledged, had we lost the Battle of the Atlantic, we would most certainly have lost the war.
RM Trowern
Longparish, Hampshire
sir – How many people know that there was a branch of the RAF, the Air Sea Rescue, that served at sea?
My father was one of the crew. Though small in number, they operated all over the world, racing to rescue downed British, American and even German aircrew from the sea using high-speed launches powered by aircraft engines.
The crew crossed minefields in the English Channel and were strafed by German fighters. At the time, the south-east coast of England was known as “Hell fire corner”.
It is estimated that the lives of about 14,000 aircrew were saved worldwide, yet this vital work of the RAF has never been officially recognised.
There are few veterans left now, and those that are alive are at least in their mid nineties. It is high time we honoured these men. Steven Hale
Chilton, Oxfordshire