Royal Air Force: Secret Intelligence, Jan 1946-Dec 1946

Part of British Online Archives's wide-ranging World Wars series, the resources contained within this collection shed light on the activities and attitudes of British military intelligence agencies during the Second World War and Cold War.

The majority of the documents are weekly, monthly, and quarterly intelligence summaries produced by the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. In addition, two volumes include records from the British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS), providing a fascinating insight into the internal politics and strategic calculations of Warsaw Pact countries.

The images were scanned from paper at the National Archives (UK), with Admiralty (ADM 223), Air Ministry (AIR 22 / AIR 40), Foreign Office (FO 371) and War Office (WO 208) files all featuring heavily. The collection is also accompanied by a contextual essay written by Dr. Stephen Twigge, the Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives (UK). 

This volume contains monthly intelligence summaries compiled by the Intelligence Air Branch of the Royal Air Force on behalf of the Air Ministry during the early Cold War. These summaries served to inform officers, qualified aircrew, and government officials about the contemporary political and military situation. 

The summaries largely focus on the capabilities, operations, and defences of the Soviet Air Force. Technical developments in the military aerospace industry are covered; as is the role of aircraft in nuclear strategies. Although less prominent than in comparable Army and Royal Navy publications, the summaries also include an overview of the diplomatic landscape under the heading ‘Foreign Affairs’. 

Series: Air 22 (Air Ministry: Periodical Returns, Intelligence Summaries and Bulletins).

Secret Intelligence Reports of the Royal Air Force Intel, Jan 1946-Dec 1946. These reports are digital copies of records held at the National Archives under the reference number: AIR 22/84.