Our Finest Hour


Between July and October 1940, the German Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air Force waged a ferocious aerial campaign in the skies above southern England. Known as the Battle of Britain, it was the most colossal airborne conflict ever fought - adding a new chapter to the history of warfare.


Throughout the early summer of 1940, Germany rampaged through Europe. France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands had all fallen and Adolf Hitler turned his attention to the British Isles – in an invasion strategy codenamed, ‘Operation Sea Lion’.


On August 6th, 250,000 German troops were to land on the southern coast of England and quickly divide the country.

It was an ambitious plan and Germany’s commanders knew that, in order to succeed, they would have to demolish the RAF and seize control of the skies over the English Channel. However, the RAF proved sturdier than the Germans had anticipated.


Between August 24th and the first week in September, Germany mounted a devastating wave of attacks on airfields across southeast England. Breaking a crucial link in the chain, nearly all the Home Counties’ runways were left inoperable. But, whilst Fighter Command struggled to survive the onslaught, the Luftwaffe’s concentration suddenly switched to London.