Royal Air Force Film Production Unit

A featureless land fit only for war, as the narrator, J. L. Hodson stated in the early scenes: "If war was to be fought then let it begin here". In endless miles of rock-strewn scrub desert, where civilians hardly existed. Desert Victory tells the story of the Allied campaign to drive Germany and Italy from North Africa is analysed, with the major portion of the film examining the battles at El Alamein, including some re-enactment. Won "Best Documentary Feature" at the 16th Academy Awards in 1944.

Two Englishmen train with the Royal Air Force, ending with a bombing raid on Berlin.

Showing 'round the clock' preparations for an offensive, especially in the air.

The story of direct air reinforcements from Great Britain to their overseas fronts.

The capture of Naples, the first great European city to be liberated, revealed the magnitude of the tasks involved in re-creating the means of livelihood and the machinery of government in a devastated, starving and disease-ridden city.

British Air Ministry short film highlighting the need for the public to stay clear of aircraft wreckage during World War II.

Eric Portman narrates this 1945 retrospective account from the RAF Film Production Unit, celebrating the RAF's role in the Normandy campaign, with outstanding footage of RAF Typhoons's blitzing targets with salvos of rockets and cannon fire.

A dramatised story demonstrates the importance of map-reading as the fundamental 'aid' in aircraft navigation.

Detailing the early history of the Royal Air Force Regiment, featuring footage of airmen training for battle, and on deployment in Tunisia in 1942.

Instructional film stressing the importance of preparation and an exact knowledge of the aircraft's position in the execution of low-level attacks.

An explanation of the increasingly important tactical rôle of air power, and the difficulties inherent in fulfilling this rôle on occasions, exemplified by the Salerno landings.

One of a series of World War II-era RAF training films, this instalment instructs Coastal Command pilots on proper formation and firing techniques for interdicting enemy shipping.