Search Royal Air Force, Operations Books 1939-1945

Each record includes a transcript of the original record. The amount of information you will see will vary. You may be able to find a combination of the following:

• Squadron
• Year
• Date
• Description
• Appendices
• The National Archives reference
• Link to the original record

Findmypast has published this index from The National Archives in Kew, the records are from the AIR 27 series.

The British Royal Air Force, Operations Books 1939-1945 provide a daily record of events within each squadron.

The operation record books provide a comprehensive record of each squadrons operations during the Second World War, the operation record books comprise of the following:

• Summary of event forms (also known as Form 540)
• Detail of work carried out forms (also known as Form 541)
• Appendices where applicable (which may include operational orders, miscellaneous reports and telegraphed messages)

The information included is the following:

• Aircraft type and number
• Names
• Rank of flight crew
• Names of passengers
• Weather conditions
• Flight/sortie details

The operation books can be used to create a list of all the flying operations that an RAF aircrew completed during the war, they are also an excellent resource for compiling a record of a squadrons operations.