THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN –
A BRIEFING NOTE FOR JOURNALISTS
Every year September 15 is marked as Battle of Britain Day. This note
explains the background. It has been prepared by the Battle of Britain
Memorial Trust, which maintains the National Memorial to the British and
Allied airmen who took part in the Battle. The National Memorial is situated
at Capel le Ferne, on the cliffs between Folkestone and Dover in Kent.
Further information on the Battle of Britain and the National Memorial, can be obtained 24/7 from:-
Geoff Simpson
Trustee
Battle of Britain Memorial Trust
Tel 0161 483 1790
Mob 07880 790191
geoffsimpsonemail@gmail.com
THE BATTLE
Early in the Second World War, in the summer of 1940, Britain was in danger of a German invasion. Before any modern invasion can take place the aggressor has to achieve domination in the air. The German Luftwaffe (air force) was therefore instructed to end the ability of Royal Air Force Fighter Command to interfere with the invasion force.
This fighting became known as the Battle of Britain, a phrase from a speech by the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
Later the official dates of the Battle were established as July 10 to October 31 1940, though the most intense fighting took place over southern England between early August and mid September.
THE FEW
In another speech – in the House of Commons on August 20 1940 – Winston Churchill declared that:-
"The gratitude of every home in our island, in our Empire and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen, who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and devotion."
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
From then on the airmen of Fighter Command who fought the Battle were known as "The Few".
It was decided that these men should receive the "immediate" award of the 1939-45 Star, with a Battle of Britain clasp. The qualification for this award was to have made one authorised, operational flight, with one of 71 squadrons and other units under the control of Fighter Command, between July 10 and October 31 1940.
About 2940 men met the qualification, of whom 544 died from all causes during the Battle and nearly 800 more during the rest of the war. As this is written (August 2007) about 140 are still alive.
Most of them are members of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, which only offers full membership to those entitled to wear the Battle of Britain clasp.
"The Few" came not only from the British Isles, but from a range of other countries including Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, South Africa, New Zealand, the United States, Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Though many were officers, many were not. Plenty of "The Few" were in their teens and 20s; a significant number were older. One air gunner was 51.
Two squadrons from the Fleet Air Arm (part of the Royal Navy) were attached to Fighter Command during the Battle and Fleet Air Arm pilots served with RAF squadrons.
The British Aircraft
The Hawker Hurricane was the RAF fighter which shot down most German aircraft in the Battle. It was joined in the front line by the Supermarine Spitfire. Other types which took part included the Boulton Paul Defiant, Bristol Blenheim, Gloster Gladiator and Fairey Fulmar.
Because some aircraft carried more than one crew member, not all of "The Few" were pilots.
The Progress of the Battle
In July and early August the objective of the Luftwaffe was to gain control of the sky over the Strait of Dover and to close the Strait to British shipping. From August 8 German bombing of inland targets intensified. From August 24, an all out effort was made to engage Fighter Command in combat in the air, coupled with a concentration on airfields, aircraft factories and radar stations as bombing targets.
On September 7 the Germans changed direction with the first mass attack on London - a decision brought about by a number of factors including the wish to force the RAF to throw its remaining reserves into the fight and the desire to regain face after RAF Bomber Command had bombed the German capital, Berlin. Though Londoners would now suffer night after night of bombing, some pressure was taken off Fighter Command.
The failure of the Luftwaffe to achieve a breakthrough during the mass attacks of September 15 was arguably the point at which a British victory in the Battle of Britain was achieved, though the fighting continued. There was no invasion.
The National Memorial
The idea of a National Memorial came from Wing Commander Geoffrey Page, who had been shot down and badly burned as a Hurricane pilot during the Battle. The Memorial, whose centrepiece is a sculpture of a seated airman looking out across the Strait of Dover, was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in July 1993. Geoffrey Page died in August 2000, shortly after attending the annual Memorial Day.
The National Memorial site today also features replicas of a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the Battle, as well as the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall (named in memory of a former Hurricane pilot who was first President of the Memorial Trust) which contains the names of all the airmen who fought in the Battle.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust website can be found at www.battleofbritainmemorial.org.
Thank you for your support.