The struggle and success in achieving the required number of pilots is one of the overlooked battles of the war. Alloy main case section with stainless steel bezel and snap back. Omega watch worn by tom hardy in dunkirk has epic story. Fully signed dial with deep blued hands, fine movement in full working order. The dial with the omega brandname, 112 hour digits, and sweep seconds hand. Royal air force burtonwood or raf burtonwood is a former royal air force and united states army air forces base that was located in burtonwood, 2 miles 3. F and these are designated 6b159, whilst the hydrographic society are responsible for the royal navy and those issued to the fleet air arm. My now deceased grandfather was a navigator in the raf on the bombers in ww2. A compilation of mine and donated video taken during a rauxaf regiment ex omega, which i participated in. Which font is used by ww2 and modern raf and fleet air. Royal air force combat reports 19391945 the national archives. The close relationship between omega and the raf survived the end of the war too. Second world war raf ancestors who do you think you are.
Spitfire pilot was written in 1940 in the heat of battle when the raf stood alone against the might of hitlers third reich. My father said he was never the same after i bet there were many like that. When you are in the post, just click on the picture to enlarge it. It has always been known as the junior service because it was the last to be formed of the three services. Following the allied victory over the central powers in 1918, the raf emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time.
The story of the raf pilot and his omega ck2292 caliber 30t2 sc. Second world war flying training taking flight in september 1939 trained pilots were urgently needed if the royal air force raf was to meet its operational commitments. Was the back of raf watches snapped shut or screwed shut. The base was opened in 1940 in response to world war ii by the raf and in. Wwii omega fleet air arm hs8 img img wwii omega raf 6b159 with 56 mod. I think everyone can guess i am trying to identify a particular omega watch, dated by the serial number to aprox. You can see all of our listings by scrolling down to the seller information section and clicking on the view current listings button. May 11, 2012 my uncle who never married served in the raaf in ww2 but was attached to 15 flight raf, when they were stationed in australia towards the end of the war. In 1953, raf pilots began receiving the reference 27771. London client 1150 for 2000 watches equipped with a rotating bezel and intended for royal air force crews. Buy wwii royal air force militaria and get the best deals at the lowest prices on ebay. Omega 6b159 raf wwii issue pilots navigators watch c. The story of the dirty dozen the first wristwatches. These three vintage military watches from different brands offer a raw glimpse into the story of postww2 watches issued to the british raf.
Top 10 raf fighter aces of wwii war history online. Designwise the watch was close to models previously provided to the british army, notably the references ck2299 and ck2444. British pilot watches including raf 6b159, iwc, longines, jaeger lecoultre, omega fleet air arm hs8 and 1956 timepieces. The royal air force raf is the united kingdoms aerial warfare force. Omega raf royal air force ww2 wk2 military vintage. The case is in alloy with solid bars and has some pitting of the finish to the sides. Often called sailor malan and hailing from wellington, cape colony, south africa, the number 10 royal air force flying ace of world war ii had 27 confirmed single kills enemy aircraft shot down. Here is my 1943 omega pilots watch, original and posted for your reference. Omega military watches during world war ii time and. For the complete especial listing all 25, click here to download it.
Because of the expense it was most probably bought as a private purchase by an officer circa 1942. Proceeding the viewing of the post, just click beside the picture. Rare air ministry issued ww2 omega 1943 raf spitfire pilots. Indepth the dirty dozen, an incredible collection of 12 mostly inexpensive military watches. Trying to get my own decals set done as it seems that the subject you want is never available. The history of the royal air force, the air force of the united kingdom, spans a century of british military aviation the raf was founded on 1 april 1918, towards the end of the first world war by merging the royal flying corps and the royal naval air service. Raf distinguished service order dso awards citation database did you buy this spitfire photo on ebay.
Raf oxygen mask for sale in uk 49 used raf oxygen masks. Here are the top ten royal airforce fighter aces of world war ii. Fastforward to the 21st century, and today, these watches. Eagleeyed watch lovers, like myself, have identified that watch as an omega. Your help is needed royal air force journal, september 1944 warrant officer ewan brookings logbook 1 sqn seac 100,000 airmen accounted for. Anybody with a slither of knowledge of world war ii history would know what this. As the war progressed, omega delivered even more models to the ministry of defence. The case back would have originally been inscribed with the mod ref. Ww2 royal air force raf side cap fully stamped fergerson and co dated 1943.
He is trying to find if there would be any records in the uk relating to his service with the raf. Raf omega watches aircraft of world war ii ww2aircraft. This superb omega 56 raf navigatorpilots wristwatch has a nice chunky steel case. Buy ww2 raf watch in wristwatches and get the best deals at the lowest prices on ebay. The air ministry was responsible for buying and issuing time pieces to the r. Raf front line strength, 193945 axis history forum. In the movie, tom hardy, who plays an raf pilot, is seen periodically referencing his watch. A note dated january 5, 1940 is an urgent order by the sales subsidiary omega watch co. This omega 6b dates to 1953 as indicated on the case back, a bit earlier than those above, and features the omega 283 movement. It is a tremendous personal account of one of the fiercest and most idealised air conflicts the battle of britain seen through the eyes of a pilot of the famous 609 squadron, which shot down over 100 planes in that epic contest. It had its origins in watches supplied to britains royal air force in world war ii. Rare air ministry issued ww2 omega 1943 raf spitfire pilot.
Find great deals on ebay for raf ww2 and air ministry. Raf pilots were at the heart of the battle of britain. Omega ended up being the primary supplier of most of the royal air. D irector christopher nolans attention to detail is legendary, and his latest movie, dunkirk, has got watch lovers all up and excited. A brief guide to the iconic military watches of world war ii 60clicks. Royal air force world war 2 operations omega watch for sale. Julian told me that his grandfather was also in the pathfinders in wwii, as a squadron leader of 109 squadron and that he had inherited his raf. Bbc history raf fighter command pictures, video, facts. The back of the case has is stamped with the letters a. The first noncivilian wristwatches ever used by british forces, they are some of the most sought after military timepieces today. This is a very interesting vintage ww2 military style watch. Were all omega watches, issued to raf aimen, imprinted on the back with 6b159.
Historical information about the omega raf 1940, reference ck2129. Obtaining ww2 raf service records world war two page 1. For those who have military omega watches, can we see them please. I think it is time to find out what he did in the war. These military watches are typically available with stainless steel designs and are constructed with helpful 3hand analogue displays, so you can keep track of the time down to the exact second. Dirty dozen omega longines grana iwc grana raf ww2 watch xchange. Specifically, the watch in question is the omega ck2129, and here is the story behind it. This is, without a doubt, the nicest example of these hard to find air ministry issued ww2 omega raf pilots watches that we have ever seen. These records are royal air force combat reports written during the second world war. Rare vintage omega 56 raf pilots watch ex ww2 6b159 british. Issued to raf pilots and navigators, flying amongst other things, in spitfires, these watches are simple and beautiful. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft.
Listen to raf pilots tell the story of the battle of britain imperial. Aug 03, 2016 the close relationship between omega and the raf survived the end of the war too. Has the phrase modele depose ever been printe don the back of a raf watch. Military 1953 raf pilots watch with military issue numbers on caseback 664510. The case only shows light wear and tear consumerate with its age. Super rare all original british military issued omega raf. However, the raf soon found that colour to be rather bright in hue and in the 20s toned it down to the familiar greyblue. The russians had used that horizon blue colour for cavalry cloaks since the 18th century and possibly even earlier. An original longines wwii raf pilot watch circa 1942. Longines watches were worn by both allied and axis naval, army and airforce personnel during ww2. Vintage 1943 omega raf fleet air arm ww2 pilots military. The raf navigation watch with white dial, press fit caseback, chromed brass turned case 40.
Rare air ministry issued ww2 omega 1943 raf spitfire pilots watch. Uk2292 in fine original order, with faded white railtrack dial, blued steel hands in superb condition. In this excerpt from our omega milestones especial, we chronicle seven. Serving with 74 squadron, malan he was promoted to flight lieutenant six months. Show off your rugged side with an omega military watch. Super lightweight alloy case, which for uk military issue was made of aluminium, copper, magnesium and manganese. Rare air ministry issued ww2 omega 1943 raf spitfire pilots watch sold this is, without a doubt, the nicest example of these hard to find air ministry issued ww2 omega raf pilots watches that we have ever seen. During world war ii, omega delivered more than 110,000 pilots, navigators and soldiers watches to great britains ministry of defence mod to support its air force and navy pilots during service. Mar 09, 2016 this is my dads raf issue omega 6b159 from the 1950s. Omega ww2 raf military issued pilots watch, circa 1943.
Omega make sure to look at all of our 300400 vintage watches we have constantly listed on chrono24. Feb 19, 2016 super rare all original british military issued omega raf watch with original radium thin arrow dial from 1953 today. Great savings free delivery collection on many items. Nov 22, 20 the air forces of various commonwealth countries made a huge contribution to the royal air forces operations during world war 2. This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the axis nations and related topics hosted by the axis history factbook in cooperation with christian ankerstjernes panzerworld and christoph awenders ww2 day by day. The ww2, raf navigation pilot watch with coveted black dial, made by jaeger le coultre, switzerland, circa 1943 the vintage raf watch, with chromed brass turned case 43mm x 33mm excluding crown, and press fit caseback. Raf fighter command was one of three functional commands of the royal air force. Several of the long established forces deployed their own squadrons for service in many theatres whilst some of the smaller countries provided personnel to man raf units.
1378 1287 413 289 753 627 207 72 1556 665 980 713 1354 825 144 602 1254 1007 1274 802 126 1222 860 239 109 574 41 1415 618 885 318 1377 179 1113 847 160 1357 79 1462