This is an original WW2 Air Training Corps “Aircraft Recognition Test” fold-out chart, issued through the A.T.C. Gazette and priced at 3d. Produced as a practical training aid, it was designed to teach cadets how to quickly identify British, American, German and Italian aircraft by silhouette, layout and structural features.

The booklet unfolds into a large multi-panel chart. One side features detailed cutaway drawings by James H. Stevens of key RAF types including the Spitfire, Hurricane and Westland Lysander, each carefully annotated to highlight construction and identifying characteristics. The reverse opens out into an extensive aircraft recognition test chart covering 64 different aircraft types, supported by both a numerical key and an alphabetical key arranged by nationality. Aircraft include British, German, Italian and American examples, reflecting the real recognition challenges faced during the war.

During WW2, aircraft recognition was treated as a serious matter on the British Home Front. The Air Training Corps, formed in 1941 to prepare boys for potential RAF service, trained cadets to distinguish friend from foe at a glance. Items such as this were working documents — studied, carried, folded and marked as part of that instruction. The pencilled ticks beside several silhouettes and the handwritten note (“✓ = ones J.H. Kinrock (Sincock?) has seen”) give this example an added layer of authenticity, suggesting genuine period use rather than later storage.

Condition is honest and consistent with age and handling. There is edge wear, light creasing along the folds, age toning throughout and a noticeable stain to one panel. It remains fully intact, complete, and displays very well when opened out, making it both a research piece and an attractive display item. However, it would be unfair to omit something very important; it’s fragile. It IS all in one piece, but along some of the folds the paper has come apart so if you plan on unfolding it to have a look then you must be careful.

A genuine and increasingly scarce piece of WW2 Home Front training material, ideal for collectors of Air Training Corps, RAF-related or British wartime ephemera.