What were ROC posts used for?
Royal Observer Corps (ROC) Monitoring Posts were underground monitoring stations built for volunteers to monitor the effects of a nuclear blast. The first prototype was built in Surrey in 1956 and was used for a trial to see how effective they were to operate and live in.
When did observer corps become Royal?
1941
In 1941, in recognition of their contribution, the Observer Corps became the Royal Observer Corps (ROC).
What were British airmen ordered to target beginning in 1942?
From 1942 onward, the British bombing campaign against Germany became less restrictive and increasingly targeted industrial sites and the civilian manpower base essential for German war production. In total 364,514 operational sorties were flown, 1,030,500 tons of bombs were dropped and 8,325 aircraft lost in action.
What did the Royal Observer Corps do?
The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a civil defence organisation intended for the visual detection, identification, tracking and reporting of aircraft over Great Britain.
Does the Royal Observer Corps still exist?
The working life phase of ROC objects came to an end in September 1991 when the organisation was stood down. The Home Secretary’s statement on the review of emergency planning stipulated that the ROC was now obsolete and new developments in bomb detection instrumentation would fulfil their role.
What is an ROC monitoring station?
Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Posts are underground structures all over the United Kingdom, constructed as a result of the Corps’ nuclear reporting role and operated by volunteers during the Cold War between 1955 and 1991.
What was the Dowding system and how did it give the British navy an advantage over the German Luftwaffe?
Another major factor was the Dowding System, named after Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander in Chief of the RAF Fighting Command. The Dowding System’s pioneering use of radar (which could warn the RAF of enemy attacks), aircraft and ground defense gave Great Britain a competitive advantage.
What were the strengths of the RAF?
The RAF had several other advantages. First, its main fighter planes, the Hurricane and especially the Spitfire, were excellent machines, able to match the main German fighter, the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
How did the RAF win the Battle of Britain?
By July, nearly 1.5 million men had enrolled. The RAF was organised into different ‘Commands’ based on function or role, including Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands. While victory in the Battle of Britain was decisively gained by Fighter Command, defence was carried out by the whole of the Royal Air Force.
What are the different ranks in the RAF?
RAF other ranks fall into four categories: Warrant Officers, Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, Junior Non-Commissioned Officers and Airmen. All Warrant Officers in the RAF are equal in terms of rank, but the most senior Non-Commissioned appointment is known as the Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force.
What is the rank structure of the Royal Air Force?
Here is the rank structure for commissioned ranks of the Royal Air Force Ranks are shown in ascending order. In many cases, the Royal Air Force rank will be the junior of the three Services, the Royal Navy having seniority over both the Army and RAF.
What was the RAF like during World War II?
At that time it was the largest air force in the world. Its headquarters was located in the former Hotel Cecil. After the war, the RAF was drastically cut and its inter-war years were relatively quiet.
What is the Royal Air Force (RAF)?
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom’s aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world. Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world.