WII RAF Ground Crew 1:48 A04702
While it is the pilots that often receive the most acclaim for their role in defending the United Kingdom from the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the late summer of 1940, they could never have completed this job alone. Supporting the pilots were many more men and women across the UK who served as ground crew, performing the vital tasks of refueling, re-arming and maintaining fighter aircraft in between sorties.
This was particularly hazardous task during the period of the Luftwaffe attacks and hit and run raids upon RAF airfields. In addition to refueling and re-arming Spitfires and Hurricanes with thousands of .303 rounds, these hardworking people also patched up damaged fighters, started the engines before sorties, assisted pilots to clamber into their cockpits and did their best to keep them as well maintained as they could, despite the hectic pace of the battle.
Many were killed or injured during bombing raid and strafing attacks by the Luftwaffe but they carried on, both through the battle and throughout the remainder of the war, often working both in the blazing sun and freezing cold, ensuring that the RAF had the means to defend the skies of Great Britain.
