Aircraft-obsessive Ken Plowman grew up painting models and flying rubber motored planes across his hometown before deciding to join the Royal Observers Corps at just 16. One year later, he joined the RAF where he trained and served as a First Pilot in the Glider Pilot Regiment during WWII. In this interview, Ken recalls the important moments in his 20 year Flight Lieutenant career, particularly the highlight of his service in Operation Varsity in 1945. Ken was a quick learner and was allowed to fly solo after only 6 hours of Tiger Moth flights. As well as training as a firefighter and a train driver whilst on camp, he became an eager fan of aerobatics. Sadly, a lot of these his comrades lost their lives due to the danger of the job, especially during Operation Varsity as Ken flew to the mission with 440 other gliders and 6000 paratroopers. He considers himself lucky to still be alive as memories of close encounters with Germans, jumping out to avoid crash landings and faulty prop blades fill his memory even to this day. His service to WWII is greatly acknowledged in this interview.

In the initial stages of his interview, Fred retells the story of his younger years which led him to join the Parachute Regiment with the onset of war. He describes his disillusionment with the accustomed tactics of Western-front warfare, and his desire to join a new regiment where everyone chose to be there. Fred recalls the difficulty of training, and the seemingly impossible task of jumping from the planes. Describing his landing in Normandy in June 1944, Fred discloses that not only was he seriously injured on arrival but was also taken as a prisoner of war. In August, the opportunity to escape arose and Fred fled to Paris. Although the majority of his interview highlights Fred's enjoyment, then and now, of being a Para, it also showcases the emotional trauma that resides in those who fought in the war. In reflecting on his experience of patrol in the Ardennes, Fred describes the transformative power of war and its ability to turn men into killers. His account provides a thoughtful and emotional insight into the experiences of Parachute Regiments in the Second World War.

Before his involvement in the Berlin Airlift, Ken Weaden grew up in the small village of Easton-in-Gordano in Somerset, where he witnessed the devastating aftermath of the Bristol Blitz. As part of the RAF, Ken went first to Manchester, then to Canada to complete his training, before taking on the position of Navigator during the war, in which he helped with the transport of supplies across Europe. After being demobbed, Ken struggled to adjust to the monotonous routine of his old job and soon returned to the RAF. In this interview, he recalls being stationed in Wunstorf, Germany, then Lübeck, dealing with the fast-paced nature of the job and the frequent flights to Gatow, where new aircrafts would arrive every two minutes. Due to the shift system used, one downside of the role was its noticeable lack of downtime. On his only proper night out, Ken remembers being invited to a dance at a hospital club in Hamburg, which was surprisingly full of English medics.  In total, Ken spent 11 months on the Airlift. Despite the workload, he retains humorous anecdotes from his time in service, like one occasion shortly after the war when his crew were forced to land in a Japanese airfield, and attempted their first meal using chopsticks, with little success. Looking back at his work, Ken considers it a job well done, and affirms that the crews did what they were supposed to do. After two extra years in the RAF, he decided it was the right time to leave.

Frank Ashleigh was born in Stepney, London on the 23rd of December, 1924. In this interview he provides a detailed account of his service as a Horsa glider pilot with A Squadron. Following extensive training and some great stories, Frank talks about the 18th September and his role in Operation Market Garden. It's a thrilling account and the start of an amazing chapter of his life. Eventually, he is taken POW and although he admits to being Jewish, says he was treated impeccably. That's despite the long march! After the war he admits to being very anti-german and now puts this down to PTSD. He was a popular and active member of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen. This interview was one of several filmed in partnership with the Airborne Assault museum.

Stuart Holmes joined the RAF as soon as he was 17 ½ years old in 1949 and was soon sent to Southern Rhodesia for pilot training, travelling there in some style aboard RMV Stirling Castle. After 18 months he returned to the UK as a sergeant pilot and converted to Sunderland flying boats. In 1951 he was posted to Singapore, which was a permanent RAF base from which detachments of three or four Sunderlands were forward-based in Japan to support operations in Korea. He completed two detachments over Korea and was commissioned during his time there. He describes in some detail the operations he flew: patrolled the coast to spot any Chinese or Russian ships interfering; prevent the Chinese from inserting agents by sea; bombing designated patches of jungle before ethe army moved in; gathering accurate weather information for allied forces as the Chinese had stopped weather reporting. He highlights the challenges and excitement of learning to fly Sunderlands, including weapon training and adapting to different flying conditions.

Lyle was fascinated by aircraft and joined the RAF aged seventeen and a half. One of his first assignments was Singapore which was a long way for someone who had never travelled further south than Liverpool. In 1978 he was posted to the Nuclear Strike Force in West Germany, but further information on this is classified and he could not give details. He really enjoyed working with the Chinook helicopter and when the Falklands war began his squadron was assigned to the invasion fleet. On their journey through the Atlantic the RAF troops trained with the Army and a RSM informed the troops that some of them may not be coming home. It was then that he suddenly realised that they were really going to fight in a war. The paratroopers were psyched up before they landed, which affected the RAF personnel too. Lyle watched an Argentine plane bomb British positions which reinforced the feeling that this was a real conflict. After the first landings Lyle, carrying a large bag of cryptographic material, and nineteen others were put ashore temporarily on a hillside. They stayed there for four days and nights, with only sidearms and little food. It was cold, wet and windy but eventually they were brought back. His squadron lost all their aircraft but no personnel were killed. After this the men of the squadron were split up to help on board the invasion fleet. Lyle had an exciting time in the RAF and enjoyed his career.

Stories of the Korean war by the men who experienced it.

In the initial stages of his interview, Fred retells the story of his younger years which led him to join the parachute regiment with the onset of war. He describes his disillusionment with the accustomed tactics of Western-front warfare, and his desire to join a new regiment where everyone chose to be there. Fred recalls the difficulty of training, and the seemingly impossible tasking of jumping from the planes. Describing his landing in Normandy in June 1944, Fred discloses that not only was he seriously injured on arrival but was also taken as a prisoner of war. In August, the opportunity to escape arose and Fred fled to Paris. Although the majority of his interview highlights Fred's enjoyment, then and now, of being a Para, it also showcases the emotional trauma that resides in those who fought in the war. In reflecting on his experience of patrol in the Ardennes, Fred describes the transformative power of war and its ability to turn men into killers. His account provides a thoughtful and emotional insight into the experiences of parachute regiments in the Second World War.

George Duffee shares his extraordinary journey, serving as a young RAF pilot during World War II. Growing up in East London during the Blitz, he joined the RAF at the age of seventeen and a quarter. After his training, he was sent to an RAF station in Yorkshire where he was assigned to an air crew who were participating in the bombing of Germany. It was here, so early in his service, he witnessed his life flashing before his eyes when his plane was shot down by enemy forces above Holland. He describes feeling a strange sense of calm as the plane plummeted towards the ground, believing that it was already over for him. However, he managed to escape and reach the ground safely before it finally crashed. The next thing he knew, he was all alone in an unfamiliar environment, not knowing if his crew had survived. He would learn much later that he was the only survivor who did not become a POW. This marked the beginning of a long journey, crossing from border to border to escape enemy territory back into the safety of the British Military. After evading German patrols in Holland, he passed into Belgium where he met members of the Comet Line (a resistance organisation) who would be responsible for successfully helping over 700 Allied Airmen by escorting them away from Belgium and France into Spain where the British were occupied. After arriving in Paris, he exercised in preparation for his climb across the Pyrenees mountains into Spain, later taking a ship to Gibraltar where he finally felt a sense of freedom from the enemy. Along his journey, he met many interesting people of different professions or ranks who were willing to help him. This included a Dutch schoolmaster who he would later refer to as his Dutch brother, a French artist who offered him false papers to get through to Paris and a Gendarme who he initially thought was a potential foe but when George was forced to reveal his identity, he was no longer seen as a threat. However, his constant evasion from German patrols caused an inner battle with his morale as it became more compelling to surrender himself and become a POW, yet he managed to always fight back and regain control of himself. Some time later, after returning to England, he resumed his career as a pilot. He worked as a skipper, participating in 39 bombing missions, even after already being shot down and facing a near death experience so early in his military career. He also contributed to the Berlin Airlift, flying 236 flights in a Lancaster over Berlin while supplying food to the German people who were plagued by famine. George's journey is a fascinating example of the bravery, resilience and luck that is required to be an RAF pilot in WWII, especially when things don't go according to plan.

Michael Wainwright served with the RAF during WWII; he fought bravely and valiantly in the Battle of Britain, one of the most frightful chapters of the Second World War, and the first time British forces faced the terrifying Luftwaffe. During the interview, Michael recalls the horrifying moment at which war was announced; he joined the RAF in 1936 at the age of 37 where he trained flying a Hawker Fury. Although, in his early career, Michael flew the notorious Bristol Blenheim, a bomber plane. He was later assigned to 64 squadron where he would take up the cockpit of a spitfire in order to defend the English boats crossing to France. He talks about his friend and leader: sub/Lt. Dawson-Paul who was shot down during the conflict, and taken prisoner by a German patrol boat in the English Channel. As his career continued, Michael made the decision to move to 102 glider OTU and take up the role of an instructor, teaching budding new pilots how to safely glide their planes in the event of being shot down or engine failure - he also teaches them how to defuse situations with angry farmers when landing in their fields.

Having always wanted to fly with the RAF, Ralph Tyrrell MBE joined the newly-formed Air Training Corps in 1941. Starting as a Cadet, Ralph’s involvement in the war effort would take him all over the world, and introduce him to a wonderful crew with memories to last a lifetime.  Being part a reliable, high-spirited crew was important, especially in a unit as treacherous as Bomber Command. During the Second World War, the RAF’s Bomber Command suffered the highest number of casualties out of any British unit, and for Ralph and his crew, the risk was all too well-known. Although Lancaster Bombers weren’t the most comfortable to fly in, Ralph's crew was well prepared thanks to their intensive training, alongside the addition of a few lucky mascots to keep morale high. Looking back at his time in Bomber Command, in this film Ralph recalls the happy times and great camaraderie he shared with his crew, as well as his thoughts on some of the more controversial decisions made during the war, like the raids undertaken in Dresden, Germany. Returning to the UK as an Officer, Ralph was awarded an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 1993, for fifty years of service in the Air Training Corps, and continued to raise funds each year for the Wings Appeal, in aid of the RAF Association. At the end of the war, though it was difficult to say goodbye to his crew, who had all become like brothers, Ralph was deeply proud to have served his country, retaining his gratitude for the RAF, for helping to shape him from a boy into a man.