…Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

1. The Battle of Britain …Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Prime Minister Winston Churchill, August 1940 Snap shots Defending the Nation -“The Nation at War” Press ‘Esc’ at any time to end the presentation.

2. You may like to consider: • How Luftwaffe tactics changed over the period of the Battle of Britain – • The targets of Luftwaffe bombers • The scale of the bombing raids • The types of aircraft used • How far R.A.F. tactics changed over the period of the Battle of Britain – • The scale of response to specific raids • The types of aircraft used • You may also like to compare aircraft losses and the impact that these losses may have had on the R.A.F. and Luftwaffe.

3. Battle of Britain Diary 1940

4. Examples of typical days during the Battle of Britain. 7th July 8thJuly 10thJuly 19thJuly 8thAugust 11thAugust 13thAugust 18th August 7thSeptember 11thSeptember 15thSeptember 27thSeptember 26th October 1st November

5. 7th July, 1940. British fighters were scrambled in force today tointercept Luftwaffe reconnaissance planes and Bf 109 fighters. Unfortunately, there was little chance of engaging the enemy as many of the planes fled when confronted by our Hurricanes. Some Spitfires from 54 Squadron however, were ‘bounced’ (attacked from above) by a number of Bf 109s near Manston airfield. They were all damaged but managed to land safely. During the evening shipping was disrupted in the English Channel by German bombers. Three Spitfires that engaged the enemy were shot down. None of the enemy fighters were badly damaged. Overall the R.A.F. lost six fighters today and the Luftwaffe five aircraft.

6. 8th July, 1940. It was a beautiful, clear day all day. The Germans sent reconnaissance aircraft over the English Channel at first light. Two of these were shot down. More Luftwaffe aircraft arrived in the afternoon and were intercepted by 610 Squadron. One Spitfire was lost but the formation of enemy bombers was broken up and failed to sink a single ship in the convoy that it was sent to attack. Hurricanes from 79 Squadron also engaged the enemy, but were prevented from intercepting a bombing raid by a number of Bf109s. Two Hurricanes were shot down. 234 Squadron intercepted a number of aircraft (Ju88s) off Dover, but did not manage to shoot any down. Overall the R.A.F. lost four aircraft today and the Luftwaffe seven.

7. 10th July, 1940. Spitfires chased an escorted Luftwaffe reconnaissance plane as it headed back towards France. One Spitfire was shot down and the reconnaissance aircraft escaped. During early afternoon a large formation of German bombers were spotted by radar. 30 British fighters intercepted the 26 German bombers and their fighter escort. A huge dogfight took place and in the confusion the Germans only managed to sink one ship in the convoy that they had been detailed to attack. The Swansea and Falmouth areas were also attacked today by Luftwaffe JU88s. Railways. Some ships in harbour and factories were damaged. Overall the R.A.F. lost one aircraft today and destroyed eight.

8. 19th July, 1940. The Rolls-Royce factory in Glasgow was bombed this morning. The bombers were not intercepted and escaped without loss. Nine Defiants of 141 Squadron were scrambled to protect a convoy in the English Channel. Unfortunately the Defiants were attacked by a pack of Bf 109s. Two Defiants were lost almost immediately. Hurricanes from 111 Squadron were sent to help, but by the time they got to the scene of the dogfight only three Defiants remained. The Hurricanes shot down 1 BF 109. Stuka dive-bombers attacked Dover harbour while Bf 109s kept British fighters at bay. Overall the R.A.F. lost 10 fighters and the Luftwaffe 4 aircraft.

9. 8th August, 1940. A bad day for the convoys leaving England today. A fierce air battle raged around convoy ‘Peewit’ in the English Channel and out of twenty ships four were sunk and six damaged. The R.A.F. lost 10 fighters today and the Luftwaffe 28 aircraft. 11th August, 1940. Bf 110s attacked Dover this morning. No fighters were sent to intercept as Fighter Command were waiting for larger Luftwaffe attacks that they felt sure would follow. Just after 10:00 a.m. 8 squadrons were sent up to meet 165 German bombers and escort fighters. A huge dogfight took place and the bombers got through and bombed Portland and Weymouth. The R.A.F. lost 30 aircraft and the Luftwaffe 35.

10. 13th August, 1940. Altogether today the Germans flew 1,485 sorties against targets in England. Their targets were primarily the naval bases at Portland and R.A.F. airfields. It was something of a confusing morning for the Luftwaffe. Orders were issued postponing many of the attacks that were to take place, but not all of the messages got to the pilots in time to prevent them taking off. This meant that many groups of German aeroplanes found themselves crossing the English Channel on their own instead of as part of a larger attacking force. In the late afternoon however airfields in England were attacked in force and at Detling alone 67 airmen lost their lives and 22 aircraft were destroyed. Today the R.A.F. lost a total of 14 aircraft and the Luftwaffe lost 39.

11. 18th August, 1940. A wonderfully clear sky today.Radar along the Channel coast reported the biggest build up of Luftwaffe aircraft. Just after noon an attack was launched by the Luftwaffe on Kenley airfield. While 39 bombers headed for the airfield at high altitude another 9 dipped below radar level and made a surprise attack from low altitude. Biggin Hill airfield was also attacked by 60 Heinkel 111s that were protected by 150 Bf 109s and Me 110s. Five R.A.F. squadrons totalling 53 aircraft were in the air by 1:00 p.m. and a further 50 Spitfires and Hurricanes were ordered to patrol above Kenley and Biggin Hill airfields. 615 Squadron lost 4 aircraft in quick succession defending Kenley, as well as 6 more aircraft on the ground. This was indeed the ‘Hardest Day’ yet. The R.A.F. lost a total of 31 aircraft in the air and 29 on the ground. The Luftwaffe lost 69.

12. 7th September, 1940. Goering announced today on German radio that he has personally taken command of the Luftwaffe’s battle for Britain. This announcement was accompanied by the first attack on London by the Luftwaffe. Over 300 Germanbombers and roughly 600 fighters crossed the English Channel at 4 p.m. The formations stretched 1 ½ miles high and spread out over 800 square miles of sky. Fighter Command scrambled 21 squadrons to meet the attack. The squadrons were vectored towards Thames Haven and Tilbury, but the size of the German attack ensured that large numbers of bombers broke through to London to inflict terrible damage. Luftwaffe attacks continued until early the next morning. 430 civilians were killed. The R.A.F. lost a total of 31 aircraft and the Luftwaffe 39.

13. 11th September, 1940. London was hit badly again. German bombers attacked during the afternoon. The bombers were vulnerable however once their fighter escort was forced to turn and make for France as its fuel began to run low. Quite a few enemy aircraft were destroyed, but unfortunately No.1 Canadian Squadron and 42 Squadron were set upon by Bf 109s and twelve aircraft were shot down and six pilots killed. I think the R.A.F. shocked the Luftwaffe today. Goering had told his pilots that Britain only had a handful of fighter aircraft left and yet Fighter Command were ordering sixty or seventy fighters to intercept German formations at a time. R.A.F. losses for today were 28 aircraft. Luftwaffe losses numbered 24.

14. 15th September, 1940. The R.A.F. reported strong winds at altitude today. Dense cloud was also been reported off the English Channel. These conditions seem to have affected the large forces put together by the Luftwaffe. Me 109 fighter-bombers were the first to attack London. This attack was ineffective however and caused little damage. The second attack was by a much larger force of Dornier 17 bombers. Due to the weather these planes were forced to break formation more than once before reaching their targets. They were then engaged by eleven squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes just as its fighter escort of BF 109s fled for bases in France as they were low on fuel. German bombers were forced out of formation quite easily without their protective escorts and were ‘picked off’ by the British fighters as a result. The R.A.F. lost 27 fighters today and the Luftwaffe 56 aircraft.

15. 27th September, 1940. London the target again. Bf 110s swept over the southern edge of the city which meant that 11 Group had to send up fighters to chase them off. Anti-aircraft defences also tried desperately to bring the aircraft down. The Bf 110s were followed by Ju 88s that must have hoped that the R.A.F. pilots had been drawn away from the target area. If this was the plan then the Luftwaffe will have been disappointed as Hurricanes and Spitfires met them in force. Bf 109s and Me 110s did arrive late to help their comrades, but not before a number of aircraft had been shot down. Filton aircraft factory in Bristol was also attacked today, but 10 Groups fighters engaged the enemy aircraft and shot down four aircraft including that of Martin Lutz, commander of Erprobungsgruppe 210. R.A.F. losses today – 28. Luftwaffe losses - 55.

16. 26th October, 1940. I feel that I have to record a strange event that occured last night. Italian aircraft of the Italian Air Force attacked Harwich. Fifteen Fiat BR.20 bombers were spotted, but none of the aircraft were shot down. This is the first time that Italian planes have been spotted over Britain. I expect that the leader of Italy and Hitler’s ally, Mussolini, feels a little left out and wants Italians to take part in the attack on our great nation. Does he really think that the Germans are going to win this battle and then invade and conquer Great Britain???? In fact it has been a fairly quiet day with few air raid warnings being given overall. The Luftwaffe certainly seem to be sending less aircraft over during the daylight hours. The R.A.F. lost 5 fighters today. The Luftwaffe lost 9 aircraft.

17. 1st November, 1940. It feels as if the Battle of Britain is fizzling out somewhat. We are still suffering bombing raids, but the attacks are nowhere near as big. Most bombing raids are also taking place at night when our defences are at their weakest. R.A.F. Squadrons have reported seeing enemy aircraft throughout the day, but it seems that the Luftwaffe have little desire to engage in dogfights. Most have simply turned tail and headed for France when Spitfires and Hurricanes have been spotted. One engagement that did take place near Faversham unfortunately resulted in the death of Squadron Leader Archie McKellar of 605 Squadron. Few other aircraft have been destroyed and pilots killed over the past twenty four hours. The R.A.F. lost 9 aircraft and the Luftwaffe 4.