The Battle of Britain was the most important battle in British history. It represented a turning point. In the past Britain had been protected by a natural sea defence, the English Channel. But by the time WW2 had broken out, modern technology meant that the enemy could cross the water by air in a matter of minutes, carrying out devastating bombing raids that could kill thousands. The responsibility of defending the country fell on the shoulders of just a few thousand brave young men in the R.A.F. Defeat was not an option. It was victory or subjugation to a terrible tyranny.

War was declared on 3rd September 1939. Troops were despatched to the continent and R.A.F. fighters accompanied bombers on raids across the sea. For the next few months it was labelled the 'Phoney War' because nothing seemed to happen. But the following spring, Germany invaded Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg. When France fell in May 1940, the British Army was forced to retreat to Dunkirk, from where it was evacuated by a fleet of Navy and civilian vessels.

Britain stood alone that summer. Her continental allies had succumbed to the German invaders and the U.S.A. was not to enter the war until December of the following year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. The British army was still licking its wounds after the retreat from Dunkirk. But Germany knew that to defeat Britain or beat her into terms of surrender it would first have to crush the R.A.F. and gain control of the skies. The Air Ministry estimated that 52 squadrons would be needed to defend Britain, but only 36 were available. Fighter squadrons and factories producing aircraft were put into full mobilisation to counter the large scale bombing raids which began in the middle of June, when hundreds of German bombers were sent to destroy strategic targets all over Britain as a prelude to the planned invasion.

The Battle Rages
The Battle of Britain began on 10th July 1940. Radar and the Observer Corps helped to make Britain impregnable, even though the R.A.F. was significantly outnumbered by the Luftwaffe. The Germans didn't realise the British were using radar until it was obvious from the accuracy of their attacks. Their big mistake was not to continue a sustained attack on the radar system which would have left Fighter Command virtually defenceless. In Operation Rooms, the women of the W.A.A.F. (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) plotted the location of incoming enemy aircraft on large table maps. This meant that fighter squadrons didn't have to fly standing patrols, wasting fuel and man-hours, but could be deployed accurately for maximum strike effect.

As the battle raged, R.A.F. pilots attacked bombers and fought off the Luftwaffe fighters protecting them. Squadrons of fighters from either side met over England and dogfights raged each day for months. They would only take place for a few minutes at a time before planes needed fuel or ammunition, but they were exhausting for the pilots because of the immense concentration and energy they demanded. Swarms of planes could be seen fighting above East Anglia, Kent, Sussex, London and the Home Counties As well as out over the Channel. Fighter pilots tried to shoot down the enemy one by one whilst avoiding being shot down themselves. The fear was not only of dying, although some pilots said afterwards that they blocked that out of thier mind, but of being trapped in a burning aircraft and suffering horrific injuries. Another terror was bailing out into the Channel and drowning before you could be picked up, as there was no formal search and rescue system in operation.

Three Days
Three days have been pinpointed as decisive in the Battle of Britain. On 13th August (Eagle Day) and 18th August (Hardest Day) the Luftwaffe tried to strike the R.A.F with such force that they would no longer be capable of defending Britain. It failed. Mistakes were made and although targets were damaged it suffered huge losses in the process. It was clear the R.A.F was still a force to be reckoned with and because of changing tides, a land invasion would have to take place by 21st September in order to have any hope of success.

The next big assault was mounted on 15th September (Battle of Britain Day) - this time on London. The Luftwaffe launched 1,261 sorties. The sky over London was thick with bombers and fighters during the day and into the night. Although many pilots and planes were still recovering from the attacks of a month before wave after wave of squadrons was sent up to beat down the enemy. Through a combination of tactics, tenacity and skill, British fighters won the day. It was obvious the R.A.F. was not the spent force the Germans believed it to be but still had the energy, confidence and aircraft to fend off an invasion.

The Battle of Britain continued with less ferocity until the end of October. By then Hitler had to concede the Luftwaffe had not been able to defeat the R.A.F. and the invasion never came. A total of 544 R.A.F. pilots, from both Great Britain and overseas, lost their lives and a further 791 were killed during the rest of the war. Britain owes a great debt to the young people who fought so bravely that summer and saved her from destruction.