Royal Air Force
Across the River and into the TreesThe Royal Air Force appears as an operational partner in the Colonel’s account of the campaign in France: alongside his own tactical air force, it helped destroy German communications, a disruption that shaped the circumstances in which the fighting was directed and remembered.
Role in the Campaign
The Colonel describes the Royal Air Force as one of two tactical air forces involved in destroying German communications in France. He names it alongside his own force, presenting the work as a joint Allied effort rather than an isolated action by a single service.
Operational Consequences
The communications campaign provides the context for the Colonel’s remark that Erwin Rommel had been kept under wraps in France. With communications destroyed, the Colonel says he wished he could have discussed certain matters with Rommel, as well as with Ernst Udet. The passage does not specify the methods or precise effects of the attacks, but links the air forces’ work to the constraints on communication and consultation during the campaign.
Narrative Significance
The Royal Air Force enters the account in a compressed, matter-of-fact explanation of how the campaign unfolded. Its mention briefly widens the Colonel’s recollection beyond individual command decisions: the events he describes depended on coordinated tactical action, while the damaged communications also help explain the absence of a potential interlocutor whose experience he valued.
