Forthcoming Lectures at the RAF Museum

The Red Baron: Manfred von Richthofen and the Creation of a Legend​

RAF Museum London​

On 13 May 2016, Dr Nicholas Martin of the University of Birmingham will discuss 'The Red Baron: Manfred von Richthofen and the Creation of a Legend' as part of the RAF Museum's First World War in the Air Lunchtime Lecture series.

TALK OUTLINE

The lecture will examine Manfred von Richthofen’s memoir The Red Battle Flyer (1918) and attempt to establish the part played by Richthofen himself in creating and promoting the myth of the invincible, ruthless yet gentlemanly “Red Baron”. Richthofen’s presentation of his philosophy of aerial combat, his thoughts on the meaning of heroism and sacrifice, and his view of the role of air power on the Western Front will be outlined and discussed. Dr Martin will also briefly compare The Red Battle Flyer to other German ‘aerial’ memoirs of WW1 and trace the ‘afterlife’ of the Red Baron, both during the Nazi period and in contemporary popular culture.

LOCATION AND TIME

This lecture will be held in the RAF Museum lecture theatre at 12:30PM on Friday 13 May 2016.

TICKETS

This lecture is free of charge however we do ask that you pre-book a free ticket as seats are limited. Booking is quick and easy, we just need some basic contact information.

BOOK YOUR TICKET HERE TODAY

ABOUT DR NICHOLAS MARTIN

Dr Nicholas Martin is Reader in European Intellectual History in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Birmingham, and Director of the University’s Institute for German Studies. He is Editor-in-chief of the academic journal Forum for Modern Language Studies. His research interests are in modern German intellectual history and in the cultural history of war and political violence in twentieth-century Germany.

Any questions, then please ask.

Ross

 

The Nervous Flyer: Psychological Disorders and the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945​

HQ, Royal Aeronautical Society, London​

Dr Lynsey Shaw Cobden of the Air Historical Branch (RAF) will discuss neuropsychiatry in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War as part of the RAF Museum's Trenchard Lectures in Air Power Studies.

TALK OUTLINE

From the Second World War, the British public and historians have enjoyed a romantic relationship with the flyers of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The courtship began in the summer of 1940, when the Battle of Britain was fought in plain view of the villages of southern England. The rakishly-angled caps, silken cravats, and winged insignia of the superhuman ‘Brylcreem boys’ provided a tangible link to the war in the air. The actions of the wartime air force have been narrated and documented ever since but comparatively little is known of the effects of the war on the minds and bodies of flying personnel. With an academic and popular historiography that prioritises dash, technology, and operations, it is easy to overlook the human element of the air war. While flying personnel were ‘heroes’, they were also men who were subjected to significant physical danger and psychological strain in the course of their perilous duties. The RAF had recognised this and mobilised specialist medical knowledge to negotiate the inevitable burden of mental disorders and personnel wastage. This lecture will assess the administrative and therapeutic duties of the RAF neuropsychiatric division in the Second World War. The expertise of neurologists and psychiatrists was enlisted to prevent and treat the mental disorders of flying personnel. To meet these key objectives, the neuropsychiatric division undertook important responsibilities in the areas of personnel selection, service discipline, medical research, and the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions. This lecture will therefore assess how neurologists and psychiatrists responded to many of these challenges and contributed to the management of the war in the air.

LOCATION AND TIME

Please note that this lecture will be held at the Headquarters of the Royal Aeronautical Society at No. 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ at 18:30PM on Thursday 19 May 2016.

TICKETS

This lecture is free of charge however: we do ask that you pre-book a free ticket, as seats are limited. Booking is quick and easy, we just need some basic contact information.

BOOK YOUR TICKET HERE TODAY

ABOUT DR LYNSEY SHAW COBDEN

Lynsey Shaw Cobden is an historian of modern medicine, with specific interests in the medical aspects of flight, air power, and modern warfare. She works for the Air Historical Branch (RAF) as a Historical Researcher. She recently completed her doctorate on the subject of ‘Neuropsychiatry and the Management of Aerial Warfare: The Royal Air Force Neuropsychiatric Division in the Second World War’, at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Oxford. This work was supervised by Professor Mark Harrison and funded by the Wellcome Trust. Lynsey has lectured widely on aspects of her research to diverse audiences, including psychiatrists at Harvard University and serving senior officers of the US Army Medical Department. She hopes to publish this work as a monograph, which will be available in an open-access format and continues to research into the medical history of the RAF.

 

Thanks for sharing, Ross!

 

No problem Gorden. More to come shortly.

Ross

 

The RAF in the Korean War, 1950-1953​

RAF Museum, Cosford​

On 20 May, Ewan Burnet, Curator of Film and Sound at the RAF Museum, will talk on the RAF's forgotten role during the Korean War.

TALK OUTLINE

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, British resources, severely depleted by the Second World War, were already stretched by existing commitments in parts of the world such as Malaya. The RAF’s involvement and British involvement more generally, was limited by this and by more pressing Cold War concerns over Soviet intentions. However, the RAF was there. Sunderland flying boats, based at Iwakuni in Japan, patrolled the sea around the Korean peninsula; RAF pilots served on exchange tours with the USAF and RAAF; Auster’s, still under RAF authority although often manned by Army personnel, provided reconnaissance and artillery spotting capability and aircraft such as the Hastings evacuated casualties back to the UK.

Korea highlighted the importance of effective aircrew training and the inadequacy of the Gloster Meteor against modern Soviet designs such as the MiG-15. It underscored the flexibility of air power; a Shorts Sunderland could be patrolling the sea around Korea on one day, and very soon after be on search and rescue duty from Hong Kong or bombing targets in Malaya while based in Singapore.This lecture will explore the RAF’s involvement in Korea, and attempt to place it in a broader Cold War context.

LOCATION AND TIME

This lecture will be held in the National Cold War Exhibition Auditorium at RAF Museum Cosford at 12:30PM on Friday 20 May 2016.

TICKETS

This lecture is free of charge however we do ask that you pre-book a free ticket as seats are limited. Booking is quick and easy, we just need some basic contact information. If you would like to support the Museum by making a donation you can do so here.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE

ABOUT EWAN BURNET

Ewan Burnet is Curator of Film and Sound Curator at the Royal Air Force Museum. Prior to joining the RAF Museum, he worked at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. His role includes caring for the film and sound collection, cataloguing new material, recording of oral history interviews, processing enquiries from the public, film and television producers and the preparation of audio-visual material for the museum’s exhibitions.

 

Not a problem. Eventually, some of these lectures will appear on the Museum's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend.

Ross

 

Tactical Air Power Development in Britain, 1940-43​

University of Wolverhampton​

On 9 June, Dr Matthew Powell will examine the development of tactical air power in Britain during the early years of the Second World War.

TALK OUTLINE

The history of tactical air power development in Britain during the Second World War has largely neglected the work done by Army Co-operation Command. The Command was influential in developing the theoretical air support system that would be used to such effect in the Western Desert, North Africa, and Europe. The Command was responsible for the codification into doctrine of experiments conducted in the wake of the Battle of France, 1940. They also worked closely with the army’s School of Artillery to develop the Air Observation Post Squadron, which would be used to great effect in several different theatres of the Second World War. This history of Army Co-operation Command also demonstrates the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) attitude to the development of tactical air power in Britain. The RAF had neglected the development of tactical air power during the inter-war period and this impacted on their ability to provide this support. The army’s experiences in the Battle of France and the subsequent investigations, which placed the blame firmly on the shoulders of the RAF, forced the hand of the RAF regarding taking tactical air power development more seriously. To demonstrate this, they created Army Co-operation Command. It was created to be as toothless as possible while appearing to be what the army wanted. Tactical air power development moved at a fast pace in 1942 when a new formation was discussed: the Army Air Support Group (AASG) and the rise of Fighter Command in this area. There was a large argument between the Air and General Staffs over the correct command the AASG should be placed into Fighter or Army Co-operation Command. This argument ran for the whole of the spring and summer of 1942 and was only resolved by Winston Churchill. Army Co-operation Command was disbanded in 1943, the new formation created to replace it was, however, an upgraded Army Co-operation Command with the responsibilities it had been denied during its existence.

LOCATION AND TIME

Please note that this lecture will be held in the main lecture theatre (MC001) at the University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LY at 18:30PM on Thursday 9 June 2016.

TICKETS

This lecture is free of charge however; we do ask that you pre-book a free ticket, as seats are limited. Booking is quick and easy, we just need some basic contact information.

BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

ABOUT DR MATTHEW POWELL

Matthew Powell is an independent scholar who has taught at the University of Birmingham, UK. He has published on Army Co-operation Command in Canadian Military History, Air Power Review and the British Journal for Military History. His first book, The Development of British Tactical Air Power, 1940-1943: A History of Army Co-operation Command, will be published by Palgrave in 2016.