First Aerial Major Campaign

However, a new chapter of air conflict was added to the war when German Luftwaffe attacked Britain in July 1940. The war was fought in the air and was later called the Battle of Britain. In the war, German Luftwaffe triggered a chain of bombing raids and the British force fought to save their home. The battle is considered to be the first-ever aerial major campaign.    

Not The End

The Royal Air Force managed to win that war but the aggression of the Luftwaffe did not end there. In fact, the German force launched a series of raids, popular as Blitz in the United Kingdom. Scaringly, the raids destroyed a major part of Britain. Well, the exact casualties are not known but it is believed that about 20,000 civilians died in the capital solely.          

Not Good Results

One of the greatest reasons Allies emerged victorious in the war was their ability to fight air conflict. As we all know wars only lead to destruction here too the battle saw 60,000 RAF Bomber Command airmen losing their lives. For those who don’t know, it is a fatality rate of 50 percent.  

Years After

Many decades have passed by and gladly, the mortality rate of British airmen is not that high, in fact, it is quite low. Well, this news is a good one for the commander Phil Richardson who is a pilot himself in the Royal Navy. The commander always wanted to know what exactly had happened with his grandfather Ron who got disappeared in 1944 during the war. Unfortunately, his existence always remained a mystery to the family.

Missing Grandfather

Phil had been hearing his grandfather’s stories since his childhood. He knew him but never got a chance to see him as he had gone missing long before he was born. The commander said in an interview, “He was in the Navy, he was a fighter pilot in World War II and did incredibly brave things. The inspiration that it gave me made me want to join the Navy and try to emulate him.”

The Inspiration

He had taken inspiration from his grandfather and grew up to be a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, a branch of the Royal Navy that runs naval aircraft. His grandfather even though wasn’t present with him, always guided him through his way. Phil had never expected that after 72 years of his grandfather’s disappearance, he was going to find something astonishing about his grandfather.