THE HISTORY OF THE RAF celebrates and commemorates over 100 years of the Royal Air Force with access to rare RAF archives, Mike Lepine uses photographs and documents to bring the story of the people, planes and missions to life as never before. With a special feature on the Lancaster Bomber which took its maiden flight as a prototype in 1941 From its genesis in the horrors of the First World War when pilots were open to the elements in craft made of little more than wood and fabric, to the iconic air battles of the Second World War, through to the lifesaving missions carried out in today's trouble zones, RAF 100 looks at the men, women and aircraft that are at the heart of this great service.