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Swift action by the British in Operation Compass, 1940, led to the capture of 130,000 Italians at a cost of 2000 British casualties.

The Spitfire's maiden flight was on March 5th 1936. It finally entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1938. It remained in service with the RAF until 1955.

5288 Martin B-26 Marauder bomber planes were produced between February 1941 and March 1945.

By WW2 roughly 37% of adult women were employed in some way to aid the War effort.

The deep level tunnels at Goodge Street were equipped as General Eisenhower's headquarters during WW2.

A flying ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of air victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.

By 1944 there were 80,000 women volunteers working on the land in Britain.

Though it is assumed that 'Spitfire' came from the aeroplane's awesome firing capabilities, it was also an Elizabethan word that meant someone who had a fiery character. Other names considered for the aeroplane were 'Snipe' and 'Shrew'.

"Dogfight" means an aerial battle between two or more planes. Since the war broke out soon after planes were invented, there had not been time to create guns that could be built to the body of the plane. Early planes had guns connected to the top wing.

The term "The whole 9 yards" came from WW2 fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."