“Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world that man never gave up”. “Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles, au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n’ont pas cédé.” Général De Gaulle […]

By June 1944, the two French Squadrons that flew from Elvington were fully operational. They had been flying missions as part of the allied air forces over occupied Europe and while everyone knew that an invasion was inevitable and drawing ever closer, nobody knew exactly when that would take place. The evening of the 5th […]

A very special guest….The day Josephine Baker came to Elvington. On the 16th of May 1945, RAF Elvington hosted a very special surprise guest on the site of what is now the Yorkshire Air Museum. It is a few days only since VE Day and the capitulation of Germany. The 2,500 French airmen based at […]

As the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day approaches, Yorkshire Air Museum Director Barbara George has been delving into the history of RAF Elvington’s famous French Squadrons within RAF Bomber Command, to see how the announcement of the Allied Victory in Europe was celebrated back at base. She provides us with a fascinating glimpse […]

By of 1945, the Allied Air Forces enjoyed strong air supremacy across most of Europe. The home skies of the UK were growing ever safer. On the evening of 3/4th Match 1945, The Luftwaffe displayed a harrowing tactic that, had they only deployed it earlier in the war, could have had harrowing and far reaching […]