Like a thief in the night, war took people completely unawares. On the one level it felt surreal. News broadcasts interrupted programmes. Stark headlines splashed across white paper. It was taking over everyday life - snatching freedom, tearing families apart, bringing suffering and despair, with an evil that menaced mankind, bringing the world to its knees as it tried to stave off an enemy intent on taking control. After the fall of France, the first year of war was dominated by the Battle of Britain. The threat of invasion was very real. The Navy was in full strength in the belief that, as an island, the enemy would always come from across the sea. The Army went from limited to full conscription as it was deployed in more and more countries around the world. The RAF bomber force however, was using obsolescent aircraft and equipment. But with the advent of the Avro Lancaster, 1,000 bombers a night were sent to bomb Germany. Aircraft and aircrew suffered increasingly heavy losses. Something new, something very different was needed … enter the very secret world of RAF No.100 (BS) Group.