Skip to main content

Air warfare

 Subject
Subject Source: UK Archival Thesaurus

Found in 1041 Collections and/or Records:

 Item

(Untitled), 02 May 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/74/101-104
Scope and Contents

Telegram from Admiral Geoffrey Layton [Commander-in- Chief, Ceylon] reporting on progress in Ceylon [later Sri Lanka] since 5 April 1942: outlines reinforcements and withdrawals; describes defensive works and reports on the RDF [Radio Direction Finder] situation; comments on aerodrome facilities and the likely zone of the main enemy landing; reports present airforce and army dispositions.

Dates: 02 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 14 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/71B/165
Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to Field Marshal Sir John Dill [Head of British Joint Staff Mission, Washington, United States] suggesting alterations to an Allied document on war strategy: suggests "essentials" should be an assumption of an offensive against Japan, an air offensive against Germany to relieve the Soviet Union, and British mastery of the Indian Ocean.

Dates: 14 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 16 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/71B/171
Scope and Contents Telegram from Field Marshal Sir John Dill [Head of British Joint Staff Mission, Washington, United States] to WSC replying to comments by WSC [see CHAR 20/71B/165] on war strategy: comments on the security of Great Britain and the United States, the development of the American Pacific Fleet, the importance of the southern Soviet Union and Middle East theatres, the ineffectiveness of an air offensive against Germany from Britain and the impracticality of a land offensive in Europe; concludes...
Dates: 16 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 17 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/71B/183-193
Scope and Contents Telegram from WSC to the President of the United States [Franklin Roosevelt]: states that he has not yet heard from Australia and New Zealand but that in principle there are great merits resulting from the United States controlling the Pacific sphere and Britain controlling the Indian sphere; comments on the need for the American and British navies to work to a common strategy; describes British naval force in the Central Indian Ocean; comments on the need to co-ordinate all naval commands...
Dates: 17 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 19 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/20-21
Scope and Contents Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] regarding the aircraft position in Australia: comments on his representations to the President of the United States [Franklin Roosevelt] regarding the need for a United States - Australian Air Staff and Planning Staff, and the willingness of Australia to place its Air Force under the immediate control of Lieutenant-General George Brett [Commander of Allied Air Forces, Dutch East Indies, later Indonesia]; states that President...
Dates: 19 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 20 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/36-37
Scope and Contents Telegram from WSC to the President of the United States [Franklin Roosevelt]: accepts Roosevelt's proposals [on British and American commands in Burma, see CHAR 20/72/28-30] and has sent instructions to General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-Chief, India] and General Harold Alexander [General Officer Commanding, Burma, later Myanmar]; comments on plans for bombing U-boat construction yards, which has been held back by the weather; refers to the possibility of attack by long range...
Dates: 20 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 20 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/39
Scope and Contents

Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] to WSC: states that WSC will be advised as soon as possible about the [Australian] 9th Division; thanks WSC for assurances of support in the event of invasion; comments on the aircraft position in Australia.

Dates: 20 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 21 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/55-57
Scope and Contents Telegram from Sir Stafford Cripps [Lord Privy Seal] to WSC reciting his conclusions on the situation in the Middle East: states that "at present time neither our strength in tanks nor in air is such as to give any chance worth considering of a successful offensive"; gives details of tank and air strength; comments on the need for heavy bombers; comments on the view of General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] that there can be no offensive before mid-May; states that...
Dates: 21 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 21 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/60
Scope and Contents Telegram from WSC to the President of the United States [Franklin Roosevelt]: comments on his loan of American shipping and release of the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth and the Aquitania for British use; suggests that a further 9000 American troops be sent to Iceland; expresses pleasure at the level of shipping of American personnel; expresses anxiety at the level of air provision for the Levant-Caspian front and asks for American light bombers and fighters to be diverted to the Middle...
Dates: 21 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 26 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/104-105
Scope and Contents

Telegram from Sir Stafford Cripps [Lord Privy Seal] (India) to WSC regarding the defence of North Eastern India: states that the next few weeks will be critical for morale; warns that the result may be disastrous if Calcutta is bombed without any effective defence; comments on the desperate need for up-to-date fighters and suggests alternative means of obtaining these from Britain or the Middle East or Ceylon [later Sri Lanka].

Dates: 26 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 26 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/107-108
Scope and Contents Telegram from WSC to Sir Stafford Cripps [Lord Privy Seal] (India) regarding fighters for the defence of India: comments on the numbers of Hurricanes in India; states that nothing sent from Britain could affect the situation for at least two months; comments on suggestions for diverting fighters from Ceylon [later Sri Lanka] or the Middle East; refers to remarks by General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-Chief, India] regarding the inability of the Eastern Fleet to respond to a sea-borne...
Dates: 26 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 26 Mar 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/72/109-110
Scope and Contents Telegram from General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, to WSC regarding the need for air reinforcements in India: states that the Japanese are likely to seize Burma [later Myanmar] air bases and will then be able to attack Calcutta and industrial Bengal [parts of Bangladesh and India] and stresses the need for a bombing force capable of attacking a sea-borne expedition against India; comments on existing reinforcement flow and suggests that consideration be given to the...
Dates: 26 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 09 Jun 1942 - 10 Jun 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/76/67
Scope and Contents Telegram from Field Marshal Jan Smuts [Prime Minister of South Africa] to WSC marked "most secret and personal" opposing the plan by the United States to give priority to aircraft production for their own units: states that South Africa has thousands of trained men who only await aircraft; claims that South Africa needs aircraft for coastal defence and that politically it would be impossible to hand this task over to American units; offers to cable Franklin Roosevelt [President of the United...
Dates: 09 Jun 1942 - 10 Jun 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 29 Mar 1915

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 13/65/136
Scope and Contents

Telegram from Vice-Admiral John De Robeck, Dardanelles, to Admiralty, reporting unsuccessful German air attack on HMS "Ark Royal" [typescript copy].

Dates: 29 Mar 1915
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 10 Apr 1915

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 13/65/156-157
Scope and Contents

Telegram from Vice-Admiral John De Robeck, Dardanelles, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, report of work of the Naval Air Service, praising the work of Commander Charles Samson, and requesting that more aircraft be sent out [typescript copy].

Dates: 10 Apr 1915
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 10 Sep 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/2C/239-248
Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with thoughts on future action relating to Germany, advising against immediate bombing raids, commenting on supplies of artillery and munitions, and offering suggestions for the development of the Navy and Army. [carbon, with manuscript annotations by WSC].

Dates: 10 Sep 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open.
 Item

(Untitled), 16 Sep 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/2C/260-262
Scope and Contents

Letter from Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to WSC responding to suggestions for war preparation and discussing European strengths and weaknesses, commenting on the French Air Force. [annotated by WSC].

Dates: 16 Sep 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open.
 Item

(Untitled), 18 Sep 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/2C/263-266
Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreeing on production objectives of 2000 aircraft per month and the need for the Army to be planned on a 50 or 55 division scale. [carbon, with manuscript annotations by WSC].

Dates: 18 Sep 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open.
 Item

(Untitled), 01 Oct 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/2C/303-307
Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on issues such as training of territorial troops by deployment to India; the need for more Air Squadrons and the exaggerated emphasis placed on Air Raid Precautions. [typed copy, with manuscript annotations by WSC].

Dates: 01 Oct 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open.
 Item

(Untitled), 18 Sep 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/2C/314
Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, anticipating a German air attack on aircraft factories [carbon].

Dates: 18 Sep 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open.
 Item

(Untitled), 01 Oct 1939 - 31 Oct 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/3/2
Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, October 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: various naval directors; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; the Sea Lords, particularly 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound] and [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; other senior officers and civil servants.Subjects covered by the...
Dates: 01 Oct 1939 - 31 Oct 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 01 Nov 1939 - 30 Nov 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/3/3
Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, November 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; the Sea Lords, particularly [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser] and 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound]; various naval directors; Professor [F A] Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell] and Major...
Dates: 01 Nov 1939 - 30 Nov 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 01 Dec 1939 - 31 Dec 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/3/4
Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, December 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: the Sea Lords, particularly [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser], 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound], and 4th Sea Lord [and Chief of Supplies and Transport, Vice-Admiral Guy Royle]; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; Prime Minister [Neville Chamberlain]; [Permanent] Secretary...
Dates: 01 Dec 1939 - 31 Dec 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 26 Oct 1920

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/111/40
Scope and Contents

Letter from Lord Montagu of Beaulieu (62 Pall Mall, London) to WSC praising his work to promote air power and advocating a separate ministry for air. Invites WSC to Beaulieu [Hampshire] and points out that he and WSC are related by marriage.

Dates: 26 Oct 1920
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: The Churchill Papers are made available to researchers using Churchill Archives Centre and worldwide in digital format. The digital edition of the Churchill Papers is published by Bloomsbury Academic and is available online to subscribing institutions at churchillarchive.com. The Churchill archive is freely available in our reading rooms and onsite at Churchill College (via the Churchill College wireless network). Researchers can download images of documents directly from churchillarchive.com and so are encouraged to consider bringing a laptop or other device for this purpose. For conservation reasons, the fragile originals are no longer issued to researchers. This digital edition is open to researchers unless otherwise marked in the catalogue. Some material has been closed by the Cabinet Office or by Churchill Archives Centre in accordance with data protection legislation.
 Item

(Untitled), 09 Dec 1921

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/118/41-46
Scope and Contents Memorandum by WSC of a conversation with Louis Loucheur on: French policy towards Turkey; WSC's view that the French army is excessively large; the French air superiority over Britain; WSC's view that the development of a French submarine fleet would be interpreted as a threat by Britain; Loucheur's approval of [David Lloyd George's] position on reparations; the agreement between WSC and Loucheur that an effort should be made to bring the United States into a general waiving of war debts and...
Dates: 09 Dec 1921
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: The Churchill Papers are made available to researchers using Churchill Archives Centre and worldwide in digital format. The digital edition of the Churchill Papers is published by Bloomsbury Academic and is available online to subscribing institutions at churchillarchive.com. The Churchill archive is freely available in our reading rooms and onsite at Churchill College (via the Churchill College wireless network). Researchers can download images of documents directly from churchillarchive.com and so are encouraged to consider bringing a laptop or other device for this purpose. For conservation reasons, the fragile originals are no longer issued to researchers. This digital edition is open to researchers unless otherwise marked in the catalogue. Some material has been closed by the Cabinet Office or by Churchill Archives Centre in accordance with data protection legislation.