When Britain Stood Alone: The Complete Story Of The Battle Of Britain | Full Series | War Stories

this channel is part of the history hit Network in the summer of 1940 a small group of young men and their aircraft were all that seemed to stand between the British people and Invasion by the Nazi war machine that followed the few of RAF fighter command would Engage The luftwaffe in Savage aerial combat over Southern England in the summer of 1968 some of those aircraft were in the skies again to help film The Classic British feature film Battle of Britain Now using unseen footage from the production this series will tell the real story of the Battle of Britain after the defeat of France Britain knew she would be next that she would have to fight for her own Survival the Nazi Onslaught would fall first upon the outnumbered Pilots of RAF fighter command foreign the morning of the 10th of July 1940. a German reconnaissance aircraft escorted by me-109s approaches a convoy of British shipping about to pass through the channel six Spitfires from 74 Squadron based at horn church are scrambled the reconnaissance aircraft and its fighter escorts are engaged and driven off but the Germans are now aware of the convoys position they prepare to attack in force foreign Squadron scrambles to protect the Convoy British radar detects a substantial buildup of enemy aircraft a further three British fighter squadrons are scrambled foreign the first RAF Squadron arrives over the channel and spots the enemy aircraft outnumbered ten to one they attack we were scrambled I came out of cloud for 18 000 feet underneath 51 of knives and they could see me coming for the last 500 feet of my climb that's okay melt Cloud they hit me from in front and behind at the same time how they did that crashing a new job that I do not get the Battle of Britain had begun other British squadrons joined the battle though outnumbered they engaged the fighter escorts and break up the bomber formations my first experience seemed to always be will then jumped and pull around and break in my innocence at the time I always try to retain height so I was probably going around in a circle with very little speed and I was the only aircraft up there on my own the Steep learning curve trying to pick up an aircraft you know to also just your eyesight to it knowing the performance of your aircraft for instance someone shall break I pull round in a steep turn and stole the aircraft you know um instead of probably diving to get some speed it was learning on the job the whole time by the end of the day the RAF had lost six aircraft the luftwaffe 13. no ships had been signed in the Channel History hit is a streaming platform that is just for history fans with fantastic documentaries covering fascinating figures and moments in history from all over the world from the Battle of Trafalgar and the revolutionary era right through to the second world war if you are looking for your next military history fix then this is the service for you we're committed to Bringing history fans award-winning documentaries and podcasts that you cannot find anywhere else sign up now for a free trial and War Stories fans get 50 off their first three months just be sure to use the code War Stories at checkout on the day that would later be described by the RAF as the start of the Battle of Britain the RAF had shown its capability this was largely thanks to the foresight of one man air Chief Marshals Sir Hugh Dowding commander-in-chief of fighter command most real but he wasn't uh assaulted chapter you can have a conversation with he was an intensely sincere man intensely patriotic and he loved us the chaps we did his fighting for him as though we were children it was doubting who two months earlier had argued with Churchill about sending Arya fighter squadrons to France as the German Blitzkrieg drove all before it doubting persuaded the Prime Minister that it was more important to preserve fighter strength for the upcoming defense of Britain than squander it on Goodwill gestures to the French foreign as it was nearly 500 Fighters had already been lost in France and Belgium and the pilots killed in Sir Hugh Dowding we had a superb technician and and leader and who had the foresight and wisdom to tackle Churchill to challenge Churchill who who had promised France fighter hurricane squadrons and doubting had the foresight that those hurricane squadrons had to be preserved for the defense of Britain during the time of Dunkirk squadrons were busy protecting our troops uh trying to get out of France at Dunkirk the army who were on the beaches at the time trying to get out were slating the RAF fighter command somewhat because they said they never saw any Fighters overhead what they didn't realize of course that if we intercepted their bombers over there it'd be too late they'd be dropping their bombs on them so we had to intercept them way in land over France before they got to Dunkirk and a number were destroyed of course that way and they never got to the beaches and that's why the Army got somewhat fraught because they couldn't see the fighters it was during the desperate evacuation from Dunkirk that many RAF Pilots had their first taste of the speed and intensity of modern air combat we're about 15 000 feet and flying around not seeing anything at all then without any warning at all suddenly the sky was full of message from IT 109 with yellow noses swastikas and big black crosses on them and this is very much a moment of truth because we haven't seen him coming and he just appeared like that unfortunately I was shot up and I managed to get away and Escape thank you what's General vegan has called The Battle of Bronx is over the Battle of Britain is about to begin two months on from the miracle of Dunkirk the experience gleaned in those early encounters with the luftwaffe would be sorely needed now Britain stood alone and it was for her very existence that she fought the luftwaffe continues to harass shipping in the channel hoping to draw large numbers of araf Fighters into the air but fighter command refuses the bait sending only the minimum number of fight is needed to break up and disrupt the enemy attacks foreign hard and fast it is a tactic that seems to be succeeding at the end of the second day of battle German losses were more than twice that a fight Hitler was perplexed irritated he had swept across Europe and now Britain stood alone surely the British would see reason recognized that the war was lost and seek a negotiated settlement but Hitler had badly misjudged the mood in Britain I think the atmosphere but Buffalo France was rather strange in that Spirit of no one's going to beat us filter through everybody every attack they had made every every battle they'd fought they had won in America and all over the world that sort of thing there were people who felt because of what had happened so far I had felt Germany won't be stopped they'll they'll they'll they'll get away with this Fierce battles continue over the channel convoys Keith Park air officer commanding in lovely group responsible for the air defense of Southeast England husbands his resources he commits his Squadron sparingly but aims to intercept every raid on this Sunday the luftwaffe lost two aircraft the RAF four German seaplanes clearly marked with a red cross were rescuing luftwaffe for pilots from the Waters of the town on the 14th of July concerned that these planes were also reporting the movements of convoys through the channel British Pilots were ordered to shoot them down foreign on the 16th of July 1940 Hitler issued directive 16. since England despite her militarily hopeless situation still shows no signs of willingness to come to terms I have decided to prepare a landing operation against England he made one final appeal to the British threatening unending suffering and misery unless they make peace with a Third Reich Churchill had already given the answer Britain would fight on if necessary for years if necessary alone after three days of poor weather air operations have been restricted but German preparations for The Landings continue 13 infantry divisions are ordered to embarkation ports on the French Coast General's new operations seat could not proceed without air superiority over Southern England a fight against the British Air Force must have top priority to break the will of the people to resist and force the government to capitulate The Landing will be the death blow to an England already paralyzed and no longer capable of fighting in the air foreign attacks on channel convoys and ports continue German Pilots intend to lure fight a command into Mass combat over the Waters of the channel um foreign the commander-in-chief of the luftwaffe was confident of success Reich Marshall Hermann Goering was ruthless ambitious and vain a man of innate cunning with an addiction to morphine his forceful personality had driven the expansion of the luftwaffe in the Years leading up to the outbreak of War he considered the luftwaffe to be his Air Force and he its absolute Master he also believed the luftwaffe had proved itself invincible the simple fact seem to support his Fame glorious assumption the luftwaffe had 2 700 operational aircraft the RAF would meet this threat with a mere 750 modern fighter aircraft foreign the raids on Britain's Coastal shipping continue The Straits of Dover become known as Hellfire corner German dive bombers heavily escorted by Fighters strike at an eastbound Convoy foreign Fighters vectored into position by ground controllers attack out of the Sun at the day's end the RAF have lost three aircraft to the luftwaffe as nine the luftwaffe pilots were learning to respect their opponents is foreign with almost 3 000 combat aircraft to hurl against the raf's stretched resources guring remained confident in his contempt for the RAF he failed to comprehend that behind the Stark figures of aircraft numbers Britain's Shield was Far stronger than he imagined although the oldest of the RAF senior commanders Hugh Dowding was well suited to plan and lead the air defense of Great Britain with his austere and scholarly manner doubting seemed to Merit the nickname stuffy given to him by his Pilots however he had recognized the important part technology would play in the control of the coming battle his vision helped develop rdf radio Direction finding later to be known radar the instructions have been given in 1936 to begin building a chain of radar stations covering the threatened coasts of Britain a remarkably good organization the commander-in-chief started outing are also a brilliant operator and he had conceived the whole layout the whole setup and uh and he run it perfectly if guring had known a little more about his opponent's extraordinary Advantage he might have been shaken out of his complacency for it was to dramatically redress the luftwaffe's superior numbers radar was to me the single biggest technical advance that happened in the war until the Advent of the jet engine it was very significant in that we had forewarning of the German formations their size their height their direction we had a lot of advanced information radar was absolutely vital because they put us in the right place at the right time without it I think we've been fighting one arm behind our back we could hear the people in the buses looking at the Aerials out of the window of our masts and remarking on them and wondering what they were the whole world of radar was totally and completely secret you could hear these people muttering and mumbling and say they do say that that'll stop your watch and they do say that if you stand in front of the Aerials you'll be safe for the evening with your girlfriend because it makes you sterile a lot of my good friends have had very large families since working on radar German bombers escorted by about 50 me 109s are engaged by Spitfires from 64 Squadron and hurricanes from 111 Squadron there is fierce dogfighting over the coast from Portsmouth to Dover thanks to radar no RAF Patrol is wasted effort foreign had overseen the creation of a control and Reporting System without parallel as information flowed into fighter command from rdf and ground observation emerging threats were plotted on map boards controllers watched and orchestrated the defense amongst the command groups 13 group in the North 10 group to the West 12 group guarding the east coast and the Midlands 11 group in the front line of Southeast England it was very exciting to watch a raid beginning to build up 90 miles 80 miles away a few little Echoes would appear on the screen and slowly it would get a bigger and bigger mass that they have all these Echoes are kind of trembling they they heave up and down and it got bigger and bigger and you knew and it was part of your job to be able to reckon how many all right did build up well like a thunderstorm somebody would tell you that there were 200 plus 100 plus 50 plus coming over plotting involved sitting at a large table which wasn't was mapped you would be given a a number which would be the number of aircraft and and where they were and you would put up a number of aircraft and put it on a book and then put the block to where they actually were 19 squadron at Readiness scramble a controller would say from Readiness to scramble and off they would go at Oxford 310 Squadron control give you a sizeable plot give you a course to fly on and a height to try and obtain which was you know gave you a great deal of confidence different instructions would go on and these were coming and going the whole time so the atmosphere was quite Electric starting from a few aircraft just suddenly having to put up 250 Plus it was very very scary and then the tanoi would still be on so we would hear them in battle controllers and plotters were expected to work through the most extreme conditions controller and the Ops be they would say you know um all right A Rage building up I suppose they would see uh everybody with that tin hats on there was a complete marrying up of the enemy plot and the fighters but at least it gave you an idea it it saved you twisting your neck around through 360 Degrees all the time you had a rough idea where to look but the plotting uh was a great help with radar of course we could clear we could be kept on the ground the controllers could watch it carefully and then at the right now and press the button and get us up there in the right place at the right time it soon became obvious to German Pilots that something was going on or else RAF Pilots had developed miraculous powers of navigation foreign as air combat over Southern England intensified radar would prove to be a vital asset to the RAF foreign two Spitfire squadrons and one hurricane Squadron are scrambled to intercept a large German raid October in the ensuing dogfight the South African pilot sailor Milan claims two 109s one of which is flown by German Ace Verna models as the RAF and the luftwaffe become locked in Daily duels British Pilots learn to appreciate the qualities of their modern fighter aircraft one day Spitfire lands on the Airfield and taxes over to our hangar and we sat in this scene that we walked around and we stroked it I fell a bit in love with the Surfers the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and it was a fighter you're fell in love with Spitfire the moment you see it and the moment you fly and enjoy it you've had it that is your aircraft Spitfire excelled and under extreme conditions it responded whatever the conditions of flight whatever the conditions of load whatever they speed or angle it will give you fair warning that it was being abused and you could do things with that with a with a Spitfire that certainly I've never been able to do with any other aircraft you don't fly a Spitfire you just strap it on the fly it is the most beautiful aircraft I have ever thrown in my life be uh careful on the ground because you had such a narrow undercarriage and intended to be nose heavy but once you got the aircraft into the air it was a wonderful aircraft to fly the Spitfire had entered service in 1938 only one year before the outbreak of War its elegant lines high speed and outstanding maneuverability made it an instant hit in RAF Pilots it was a match for the best German aircraft but throughout the summer of 1940 it was the Hawker hurricane that comprised the greater part of RAF fighter strength I would prefer fighting a war in a hurricane that is spitfire Google what do I have to fly docile he hit a handle he's a maneuver one for everybody then and I wonder about her you've had a very tight turning Circle good old Workforce you've taken off a lot of punishment and you had faith in the aircraft the hurricane was a good solid rugged aircraft it was really responsive to one's mood and feeling and just fitted in although the Spitfire dominates the popular memory of the Battle of Britain far more hurricanes were in the Skies over England 19 squadrons were equipped with Spitfires but 34 flew hurricanes opposing them was the me-109 the luftwaffe's single-engine fighter both the machine and a significant number of German Pilots had seen combat with the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War unequal then it would now meet its match in the Spitfire but although the Spitfire was faster and more maneuverable the me-109 could climb and dive faster and was far superior at very high altitudes br a he asked me who that noise foreign the Easter George a relative conduct with oil Air Force for the tactic to English the Spitfire was superior to the best in my view the hierarchy was not quite as good as the necessary the hurricane could not cope with altitude against the measure split uh but it could outmaneuver it the Spitfire I think was better than the Michigan this argument about this with the measurement Pilots by the way so it isn't necessarily true what I'm saying but it's my belief combat I've it was certainly as good as a hurricane despite what people say Firepower was better than ours and their pilots were experienced while some aircraft would make their reputations in the summer of 1940 others would have theirs shattered in the coming battles the Yonkers 87 the infamous Stuka dive bomber would prove easy prey for the Spitfires and hurricanes of the RAF the luftwaffe continues its attacks against Coastal targets four fighter squadrons from 11 group engage another raid on Dover by about 100 enemy aircraft now in constant action RAF Pilots were learning valuable lessons to hardware the RAF traditionally flew a tight Vic or v formation Pilots spent more effort maintaining formation than scanning the skies for the enemy but the Germans flew a far more flexible formation the finger 4 or schwarm formation an easier formation to fly in it allowed them to concentrate on the skies around them foreign formation of worship but that's flexibility of the uh the foreign fighting intensified factories worked Round the Clock to produce new aircraft and the civilian repair organization worked hard to repair damaged machines rebuilding some 160 aircraft in a week in some cases on a while you wait basis ready for flying again the same day foreign strength making full use of the warning command and control systems to give their squadrons every Advantage when intercepting much larger enemy formations 19 Squadron scramble Vector but now fighter command itself and the weapons upon which it relied were about to become the target on the 1st of August Hitler issued directive 17. the German air force is to overcome the British Air Force with all means at its disposal and as soon as possible the attacks on channel convoys and Coastal defenses had been only the opening act skirmishes to test the aerial defense of Britain now the luftwaffe had clear orders and a timetable the campaign to destroy fighter command and expose Britain to bombing and invasion was about to begin in earnest foreign Britain possessed the most advanced and sophisticated air defense system in the world radar assisted by the 30 000 Volunteers Of The Observer Corps and the command and control system which relayed this information would give the pilots a fighter command a crucial advantage thank you on the ground experience was being gained in The Cauldron of battle it was vital that every Link in the command and control chain worked ground staff and air crew both learned quickly home control was pretty good but it wasn't perfect and although you were told to Vector zero eight zero 50 Bandits ahead it didn't always work out that way he was spending most of your time trying to find these damn things I was number two to the leader too we went up and we trolled up and down the same Heights we told the enemy were which again was stupid you want to be above them we've trolled up and down some which is even more stupid we hadn't worked that one out in fact after one occasion we turned from downside to up sound to find there's only nine of us left we started off at 12. later we found that the one with the Pilot's been shot down killed foreign luftwaffe Crews prepared their aircraft for an intensive period of operations expected to begin on the 13th of August codename Eagle day to pave the way Goering had ordered an attack on the radar masts finally realizing the role of these tall towers and the buildings clustered around them but maybe not their crucial importance it was decided to destroy them denying the RAF whatever information they have been providing Stuka dive bombers would be assigned the task of knocking out these modern watchtowers there's still care you know they were they were really biggest Menace in the second world war they're not on the dive bombing but also the noise which was oh it was demoralizing German aircraft head for the English Coast the British respond with the same limited numbers the lukewar can now expect Spitfires from bigen Hill are the first into action some of the bombers get through and make their attacks five radar stations are badly damaged in the attacks for nearly six hours there is a massive blind spot in the country's defenses next three of the raf's forward airfields come under attack lymph Hawkins and manston foreign disappeared because 30 donors had landed 300 bonds all over it you see and all you could see was an enormous Splurge of black smoke and gray smoke and brown smoke and I remember thinking it's a slip lighters what they've done to our Airfield where we're gonna land now our three-ton lawyers said Don collectors and take it up the mess to book in and you know halfway up the mess there if it was raided the hangers were bombed they were flattened and I thought this is quite a an exciting sort of time isn't it some Spitfires refueling and re-arming are destroyed on the ground those that are still airworthy are rushed back into the air in time to catch some of the Raiders as they head for home the RAF airfields at manston and Hawkins have been particularly hard hit and eventually we landed and I remember racing between the bomb hurls so weaving like a dirt track Rider between the bomb holes nobody was in the least bit upset I suppose there were 100 holes on the Airfield itself kind of passed from all the buildings had been destroyed include a lot of 25 Squad blenheims all the bomb pills were filled in and the unexploded bombs exploded the thing that I remember particularly about is that they cut off all the water so nobody was able to wash for a couple of days Gering had decreed that the following day the 13th of August would be Adler tag Eagle day the all-out aerial Onslaught on the British Isles would finally commence but Eagle day depended on good weather for Maximum Impact the English summer now intervened cloud and drizzling rain arrived reducing the scope of air operations RAF Personnel meanwhile worked Around the Clock repairing damaged aircraft and filling in crated runways perhaps most importantly the radar stations were quickly back in service despite poor weather guring still hoped to deploy all his forces for the great assault of Eagle day the British were ready but the attacks on the radar stations and airfields had proved just how vulnerable their defenses were to concentrated German attacks now the German Pilots received their instructions strong fighter escorts were briefed to sweep the skies clear of Defending Fighters bomber Crews were allocated their targets Raf airfields in the south of England and aircraft factories are at the top of the list several hundred German aircraft are expected to be involved in this the beginning of the air campaign to knock Britain out of the war from Brittany to Norway luftwaffe aerodromes are a hive of activity foreign the first wave of bombers takes to the air Bombay is loaded with high explosives and incendiaries once Airborne they join their masked fighter escorts and together head for Britain foreign as the Defenders rose up to meet the aerial Armada RAF fighter command was entering a desperate fight for survival in the summer of 1940 a small group of young men and their aircraft were all that seemed to stand between the British people and invasions by the Nazi war machine in the months that followed the few of RAF fighter command would Engage The luftwaffe in Savage aerial combat over Southern England in the summer of 1968 some of those aircraft were in the skies again to help film The Classic British feature film Battle of Britain Now using unseen footage from the production this series will tell the real story of the Battle of Britain after Fierce fighting over the channel and South Coast guring is now ready to launch an overwhelming assault on the aerial defenses of Great Britain RAF fighter command is about to enter a fight for survival I intend to continue the air war against the English homeland more intensively the German air force is to overcome the British Air Force with all means at its disposal German military intelligence estimated that the RAF had only 300 fighter aircraft left concentrated in the south of England the luftwaffe seemed on the brink of achieving the air superiority needed for a seaborne invasion of Britain it was a grossly over optimistic assessment but it was exactly what guring wanted to hear the luftwaffe was now expected to smash British fighter strength in a series of massive assaults beginning on the 13th of August codenamed adlet the day scheduled for the start of the attack dawned with cloud and Mist over the channel gurring postpones the assault but the order fails to reach some units already in the air they do not receive the recall signal bomber formations fly towards England without their fighter escorts the RAF are waiting angered by the muddled start of the campaign guring orders the attack to go ahead after all there is heavy fighting over Southern England but gurring is determined to launch a properly coordinated attack as soon as the weather permits August the 15th Dawn's fine and clear three vast athletes over 2 500 German aircraft prepared to make the attack that will finally wipe out for guring the decisive day of the air campaign was at hand from the high command in Berlin to the luftwaffe airfields in France confidence was high but most Pilots were unconcerned with grand strategy um the plan was simple bombers would strike at Raf airfields aircraft factories and wore essential infrastructure masked fighter escorts would fly high above the bombers attacking with the advantage of height when RAF Fighters attempted to intercept the bombers at 11 30 am ju-87 Stuka died bombers with a heavy escort of me-109s crossed the channel and attacked the forward airfields of lymph hawkinge and manston foreign Squadron Spitfires are scrambled alongside hurricanes from the 501 Squadron these units will be an almost constant action over the following days but the dive bombers hit buildings and hangars and sever the cables carrying power to three of the radar stations on the Kent Coast there is now a blind spot in the warning system with the luftwaffe command convinced that British fighter strength is now concentrated in the South it sends air fleet 5 based in Norway across the North Sea foreign bombers head towards the Northeast Coast of Britain confident there will be no opposition they fly without me 109 fighter escort but the British radar stations that face out across the North Sea have registered their approach the information is passed to the fighter squadrons of 13 groups as the German bombers approached the tyneside coast the weather is fine and clear Spitfire Pilots of 72 Squadron vectored into position by Ground Control spot the heinkel bombers as they approach perfect attack position the Spitfire strike diving out of the sun hurricanes from 79 and 605 squadrons join The Fray in desperation the bombers jettison their bombs and turn back towards their distant bases German air Gunners fight back desperately hammering away with their 7.9 millimeter machine guns as swarms of British Fighters Buzz past at 300 miles per hour they could be brutally effective as some were to discover I can make color one bomber interception in this particular instance the bombers were coming in and we were at right angles I turned in with my flight and told the CEO I was going ahead on attack and then I'd go around to the rear we knocked down two in the head-on attack and it went around to the rear and I I went in after my third one I went in really close and I went in and sort of you know 150 yards I said and of course he got me severely mauled with 30 aircraft lost and many badly damaged air fleet fives participation in the Battle of Britain was over 13 groups casualties suffered only three damaged Fighters but over Southern England meanwhile a more finely balanced battle was raging as German bombers in the Northeast struggle back to their bases more German aircraft gathered over the padda Calais to launch raid after raid across the channel escorted by large numbers of 109s Striker targets throughout Southeast England for 50 plus speed 44 Northwest W for William two two three nine ref Fighters battle to break up incoming bomber formations but cannot penetrate the massive fighter escort the bombers reach their targets the Airfield at Raf model shim is bombed and put out of action further raids sweep in swamping 11 groups ground controllers two two three nine two two three two that by heavily outnumbered RAF Fighters attempting to hit the bomber formations to the West large formations of aircraft are detected heading for Portland and Southampton squadrons from 10 group rise to meet them nearly 150 Fighters throw themselves to the luftwaffe formations as fighting spreads along the English Coast not knowing what the hell's had in the sky around me I just did not know I haven't seen anything I didn't know what's been happening then all of a sudden the sky was full things were black crosses on and we exploded like a bomb we went every direction imaginable to try and avoid them it became a one-to-one after all you were attacking an enemy aircraft before he was attacking you in which case you were trying to get out of his way but if you were attacking him you concentrated on him and of course he was going all of the sky trying to evade you and you all apart from the two of you you got separated from everybody else I thought this is it and I've turned my guns on I fired at him and he turned over and dived down towards the sea this is fantastic because before we went out I was absolutely convinced that I'd be killed and when you've disposed of the Trap you were attacking you looked around and you couldn't see another aircraft in the sky because everybody had scattered off in different directions but a lot of time was spent trying to get into the ripe evening when you sighted your bombers you didn't want to be below them you wanted to be above you wanted if possible to be into the Sun so a lot of time is spent on following this your squadron commander around the sky trying to get into a favorable position to to attack I always recognized on the worst Parts in the spot and having shot something down myself I thought this is something as I've fallen down another one got behind me and started shooting at me but he was up terrible shot at all this man she overshot me so I've finished on the same position behind the second one so I settled down behind him and I shot him down as well in Staffordshire machine foreign foreign the fighting over the solent and Portland is fierce two hurricane squadrons scrambled from Exeter are heavily engaged losses on all sides are heavy after an afternoon of furious and continual combat the luftwaffe launched their final raids of the day against airfields at Croydon and west malling the luftwaffe had used almost 2 000 aircraft in repeated sorties in their effort to destroy fighter command in the air and on the ground they have caused considerable damage to RAF airfields and Facilities but have suffered heavily in the process the luftwaffe loss rate was so high on this day the German air Crews would refer to it as black Thursday foreign uh Seacrest design on Thomas were born in survival and evil England Mary 2013 machine on this attack had several of storage society as out of English society feed for lucid the attacks on RAF airfields and installations continue RAF training manuals with their out-of-date tactical lessons are being torn up Pilots replace complex detailed regulations with their own simpler mantras wait until you see the whites of their eyes always turn and face the attack never fly straight and level in the combat area for more than 30 seconds going quick punch hard get out flight Lieutenant James Nicholson badly wounded and his aircraft in Flames delays bailing out of his blazing machine to pursue and shoot down another enemy fighter that crosses his path badly burnt he wins fighter commands first and only Victoria Cross the reality of Air Combat was the swooping Ambush the bounce hitting sudden hard and fast many Pilots were shot down by an attacker they never saw I joined Squadron pilot and I saw him going down in frames probably about seven days later so it is a very sobering thought that you are vulnerable to start with in your innocence you don't really know you are but it only needed you know half a dozen flights when you came in contact with the Ant-Man that you realize you would in a dangerous game and they were playing for keeps throw it from a shoulder from the front and the cannon shower came in from behind and exploded on my parachute that I was sitting on put a lump through a foot which split and I kill his tendon so I had minus right leg his bullet came through the armor piercing behind and went through my watch which annoyed me into my hand left hand I had a couple skins of my shins in front the engagement initially only lasted a couple of seconds and then you would then break away and then attack them individually again until either you were out of ammunition or for one reason another you weren't able to attack anything um don't forget that we only had 15 seconds worth of ammunition in both Aragon and the Spitfire so if you attacked once twice three times but most of your ammunition was expended and you're then the best thing you could do is to get home and re-arm refuel get up again I suddenly saw a lot of black spots I thought there were Royal spectral on the windscreen but they rapidly turned into one of her mind going the old situations one of which passed so low for me I see the oil streaks on the fuselage and almost count the rivets in his wings and so on and we we passed in opposite directions there they were pretty smart and experienced of course and they turned around quite quickly and dived down to attack us but the strap would attack me missed and shot past so I managed to get on this town and shoot him down rather to my surprise and in fact uh one got a bit worried was that his Chums will have seen that and it will have made them very angry let's get out of here several large raids Target 11 groups airfields and radar stations losses are very heavy on both sides the faster Spitfires are being ordered to engage the fighter escort hurricane squadrons go after the bombs some Pilots are only now realizing the implications of their actions when a shot down this aircraft and the rear Gunner bailed out got caught over the tail I saw the aircraft go in with him broke down that was the first time it really got into it that I was shooting at a person up to that point obviously had been vaguely in there but certainly joined the Battle of Britain I was only sure to get aircraft that there were people involved virtually didn't come into it even if someone bailed out didn't didn't really I was just shooting at aircraft foreign because the Thomas signing machine give me a machine we have those clothes over here important foreign then foreign Fighters were hurriedly refueled rearmed and returned to Battle Ground controllers attempted to Vector them into favorable attacking positions amongst the countless hostile contacts the Germans must have been frustrated to the in the extreme in in in in other words they must have said to one another where the hell do they keep coming from and of course we've got them taped casualty rates amongst the pilots and air crew of both sides were climbing dramatically in the fighting of the 18th of August the RAF lost 30 Fighters with 10 Pilots killed the luftwaffe Lost 71 aircraft and 94 air crew but the British summer was about to intervene bringing a much needed respite for RAF pilots and the chance for commanders on both sides to reflect on the campaigns so far on the 19th of August after a week of intense air combat a spell of bad weather prevented major flying operations both sides took advantage of this respite to evaluate their tactics spite of goring's boast to Hitler the RAF had not succumbed guring himself a fighter Ace of the first world war rebuked his fighter pilots criticizing what he saw as their lack of aggression he replaced the older commanders with younger more hawkish officers foreign we have reached a decisive period of the air War our first aim is to destroy the enemy Fighters if they no longer take to the air we shall attack them on the ground or force them into battle by directing bomber attacks against targets within range of our own fighters in Britain doubting commander-in-chief of fighter command redeployed his battered squadrons principally those of 11 Group which had borne the brunt of the fighting exhausted units were rotated with fresh squadrons from quieter sectors in the north and west gentlemen I'm pleased to say that at long last we have 12 Keith Park Commander of 11 group had so far orchestrated a dogged resistance with limited resources red section with sandrovsky and you're protecting us he had ordered controllers to send the minimum of aircraft to attack enemy Fighters emphasizing that enemy bombers must be engaged at every opportunity be aware of the Hun in the Sun interceptions must be made quickly before the bombers reached their targets and he wanted squadrons from 12 group based in the Midlands to patrol and protect his airfields while his squadrons were away tackling incoming raids in the field of human conflict was so much old by so many to show fuel all our hearts go out to the fighter pilots whose brilliant actions received with our own eyes day after day I hope indeed I pray that we shall not be found Unworthy of our Victory if after toil and tribulation it is granted to us for the rest we have to gain the victory that is our talk but the constant challenge of aerial combat was taking its toll on the few on pilots during 1940 fairly great the pilots and squadrons were scrambling being being scrambled almost all the days through they were really flying their their guts out my overriding memory of the Battle of Britain is tiredness incredible scientists because we're on Readiness from half an hour before Dawn morning a little half an hour after dusk at night in dispersal art we had a bunch of Camp Beds which just threw ourselves on went to sleep as soon as you landed in fact at that stage in my life I went to sleep standing sitting all over the world and we slept in our clothes down a dispersal down we actually slept underneath the wings of our airplanes otherwise we would sleep in dispersal Huts next to our airplanes we very seldom slept at the mess the officer's mess or the sound is messed wherever we are located and uh I don't suppose I slept in the mess more than a couple of nights in the whole of a year my Batman shook me awake one morning only taking the blackout curtains down off the window and he said I suppose you were awake all night and I said no why and he saw look out the window and there was a a string of bomb craters across the garden right outside the window and I hadn't heard a bomb I hadn't heard the anti-aircraft firing or anything I was just asleep and that was it the poor weather persists unable to launch full-scale raids the luftwaffe resort to hit and run sorties by small groups of aircraft the luftwaffe pilots too were feeling the strain of daily sorties across the Waters of the channel which is height it does happen that's the phone to film fleeing to feel free to come to someone it was shaft concentrate of tea of garbage air yes the next I have students the German bomber Crews who have suffered heavy losses criticized their fighter escorts for failing to protect them but ordered to escort bombers to Targets in land German fighter pilots had to keep a careful eye on their fuel gauges they were accused of avoiding combat to conserve their fuel foreign on the 24th of August the weather began to improve the luftwaffe resumes its attacks against key RAF airfields and sector stations the heart of the defense system massive formations of aircraft stream towards their targets for the RAF the battle's most critical phase was beginning sheer weight of numbers frustrates the attempts of outnumbered RAF Pilots to disrupt the raids Dover and the RAF base at manston are the first targets 11 groups airfields and sector stations not for the first time are in the front line manston its Airfield crated and littered with unexploded bombs has to be abandoned a band with 11 groups fighter squadrons attempting to intercept several heavy rains across the southeast of England their airfields are left badly exposed urgent calls are made to 12 group to provide cover squadrons from Duxford scrambled but then take Precious time to gather in formation before heading to confront the enemy duxford's big win as it becomes known arrives too late by the end of the first day of renewed fighting the RAF have lost 22 aircraft to the luftwaffe's 38. but one raid was to help escalate the battle and drag the civilian population deeper into the conflict foreign the night of the 24th of August a small formation of heinkels fly up the Thames to bomb oil installations at thameshaven in the darkness they overfly their target and stray over Central London their in direct violation of orders they release their bombs fires rage and West India dock by this stage of the battle more than one thousand British civilians have been killed by the luftwaffe in raids all over the country despite orders to attack only War essential targets it was impossible for the luftwaffe to hit these especially in cities without killing civilians the bombers were not accurate enough but this latest provocation was the last straw now the British war cabinet authorized retaliatory raids on Berlin early the next morning large fighter sweeps by German aircraft over Sussex are ignored by RAF controls as instructed they save their strength for the bombers that follow Northwest Vic why for your face by the day's end 20 German aircraft have been destroyed for the loss of 16 RAF machines and that night the RAF bomb Berlin for the first time in the days that followed the battles between the RAF and the luftwaffe are intensified as another massive raid builds over France and then heads for England Keith Park officer commanding 11 group orders every Squadron he has available into the air RAF Pilots have been instilled with the importance of getting Airborne as quickly as possible every second is vital to gain sufficient altitude once again 12 group is asked to protect the southern airfields again the support arrives too late as Furious of the lack of cooperation from 12 group so there could be no further misunderstandings he instructed his controllers to ensure all future requests for support from 12th group went via fighter command headquarters tensions were beginning to grow between the British Commanders meanwhile losses continue to mount begin Hill Croydon and hornchurch are all bummed as RAF Fighters struggled to reach the bombers through a heavy screen of me-109s sector stations are put out of action as aircraft Clash overhead Personnel work desperately on the ground to repair the damage to the command and control system it was the day of the raf's heaviest losses 39 machines destroyed for 41 German aircraft brought down 14 RAF Pilots were listed killed or missing since the battle began 205 RAF Pilots have been injured 222 have been killed it is a rate of loss that is becoming unsustainable has 11 groups airfields come in for yet more punishment their fighter squadrons initiate large dogfights over Kent in Sussex aircraft factories are also under constantly look for upper attack but losses to fight a command's fighter strength are nevertheless being made good by industry mounting pilot losses were the primary concern at the beginning we were losing the best quarters Pilots you know the more experience of the ones who'd had the experience and and then our then our Replacements came in and I wouldn't allow them to fly until either myself or my other flight Commander I mean I remember I was acting so but I was also flight Commander one of us Kelly or myself would take them up and give them the best we could um a camera gun and uh combat tactics although it had a lot of new ones posted in how can they cope I mean these chapters come in and they'd sit down they've probably only done seven hours on the pitfires if that and they watched us taking off everything we just coming back two pilots short and every time we took off um the nerves must have been shot that glazes I don't know how they kept I think doubting was desperately worried deeply concerned of the loss of life amongst the young men of his fighter squadrons he also recognized the reality behind the losses Pilots are no longer being produced in sufficient numbers to fill the gaps in the fighting ranks the situation is extremely Brave it must be realized we are going downhill foreign guring had been humiliated when bombs fell on Berlin he had publicly promised such a thing would never happen Hitler was Furious The Landings planned for the British Mainland could not take place until guring's luftwaffe had gained control of the air over Southern England provoked and enraged Hitler removed his restrictions on attacking London he announced his intentions in front of a delighted and enthusiastic audience when the British Air Force drops two or three or four kilograms of bombs then we will in one night drop 150 230 300 or 400 000 kilograms in England they are filled with curiosity and keep asking why doesn't he come be calm be calm he is coming he is coming the luftwaffe receives new orders German bombers would pulverize the industrial areas of London simultaneously destroying Britain's industrial capacity and her will to fight on the remnants of RAF fighter command believed to have been decimated in the last three weeks of attacks would be destroyed in the air by fighter escorts forced into the air to defend the nation's capital as day dawned the radar screens remained clear in plotting rooms Personnel waited expectantly for reports The Familiar site of enemy aircraft building up over the padda Calais was absent Pilots began to relax at their dispersal points but on the coast of France there was activity guring had arrived to watch in person his mighty Armada of aircraft set off to deliver the death blow to the Royal Air Force and bring death and destruction to the people of London over a thousand aircraft prepared to launch the largest air attack ever made on a city the bombers climbed into the clear skies and met in one fast formation turning for the English Coast German fighter pilots had been increasingly accused of abandoning the bombers to their fate now they have new orders to stand by the bombers at all costs foreign at 4 15 in the afternoon guring enjoying a picnic and champagne watch us as the immense Fleet of aircraft stream overhead moving as one vast formation between Heights of 14 000 and 23 000 feet and 20 miles in length the aerial Armada appears Invincible impregnable with the English Countryside unfolding beneath them their target London was within sight will come when one of us will break and it will not be Nazi Germany the summer of 1940 a small group of young men and their aircraft were all that seemed to stand between the British people and Invasion by the Nazi war machine in the months that followed the few of RAF fighter command would Engage The luftwaffe in Savage aerial combat over Southern England in the summer of 1968 some of those aircraft were in the skies again to appear in the classic British feature film Battle of Britain Now using unseen footage from that production this series will tell the real story of the Battle of Britain throughout August 1940 the luftwaffe has Relentless attacks on the Raf in the air and on the ground and threatened to destroy fighter command but as the Germans switched to a terrifying new attack the RAF is given a vital breathing space and the opportunity to hit back foreign over the past months huge formations of German bombers have targeted vital RAF installations including airfields aircraft factories and radar stations many such as RAF manston are bombed repeatedly the outnumbered Pilots of fighter command fought back against this Onslaught few in number they hurled themselves again and again against vast enemy formations now people say to me how many did you shoot down now I never looked back who believe me I've never looked back to see what damage I'd done uh squirting down a whole row of bombers because we were outnumbered about four to one uh and in fact the the one one errors and the 109s got in one another's way trying to shoot at us so the The Secret of success and survival was not to fly in a straight line for any length of time you did a squirt here and a squirt there remembering of course that we had considerably more targets to shoot at than the enemy one day I did five trips in succession and it was very stressful it was more stressful waiting uh trying to read a book more sleep most people seem to appear to try and relax and sleep but you were obviously very much on edge and in a way I was much happier when we've been scrambled when I was crazy no I didn't know it was going to happen when we got in the air I start off about being petrified that I've been shot down on my first trip finish up the battle wanting them to bring more over so I could shoot more down because I was only 20 and was very Cocky by the end of August the RAF had lost more than 400 fighter aircraft and more than 200 Pilots had been killed or wounded Eric actually was shot down behind me and jumped out the parachute and it malfunctioned until he was killed but after that episode I definitely didn't make any more friends close friends that I had already shied away from most I I didn't even know the names of some of the people that uh joined the Squadron and subsequently got killed for all the skill and courage of its Pilots fighter command was in danger of losing the battle for air superiority over Southern England but Hitler was impatient he had been incensed by RAF bombing raids on Berlin now luftwaffe intelligence reported that Britain's fighter Shield was on the brink of collapse and so he ordered guring to proceed to the final climactic phase of the air war against Britain London and other industrial cities were to be targeted by Massive bombing raids Britain's War Industries would be obliterated attacks on the capital would force the raf's last fighter reserves into the air where they would be destroyed by waves of German fighter escorts the people of Britain would then see sense forcing their government to seek terms almost 1 000 German aircraft head for England RAF controllers alerted as always by the chain of radar stations guarding Britain's Coastline scramble 11 squadrons away they expect this fast formation to split up when it reaches the English Coast proceeding to RAF airfields and installations across Southern England but the huge formation continues on its steady course the controllers realize it can only have one target London okay time to scramble squadrons already Airborne patrolling 11 groups airfields are hastily redeployed a further 10 hurricane and nine Spitfire squadrons awaiting a dispersal are ordered into the air the Spitfires of 602 Squadron are amongst the first to make contact with a huge luftwaffe formation the RAF Pilots are no strangers to disparity in numbers outnumbered over ten to one they attack thank you swarms of me 109 fighter escorts pounce on the British aircraft beginning a desperate twisting dogfight as the bomber formations fly on every available RAF Squadron is in the air racing to intercept but the bombers reach London high explosive and incendiaries rain down upon the city's docklands the East End of London is soon Ablaze there were hundreds and hundreds going over there was no end to them and everybody was looking up and because my mother she when she heard a bomber she would bury her head in the couch and say oh my God help us there is intense air combat over Kent and the Thames Estuary as British fighter squadrons ripped through the returning bombers foreign as night falls more bombers arrive over London sheltered by the darkness they are now safe from Attack but the darkness offers no protection to the stricken City guided by huge fires they add their bombs to the destruction below the attacks continue throughout the night tons of high explosive and thousands of incendiary bombs rain down upon the capital my boyfriend and I were standing on the corner saying good night and we could see all these fires I mean really the sky was lit up red and Yonder you know you know well that's London Sirens would go in uh fire engines the first massed raid over London had cost the luftwaffe of 40 aircraft fighter command had lost 26 aircraft with 11 Pilots reported killed they had not started bombing in London and they'd stepped kept up bombing the airfields it may have kept up with um uh aircraft we would run out of Pilots and so with that being the case you know they could have won as luftwaffe Obama's turned their attention to the capital by both day and night fighter command was given a much needed respite and despite the terrifying destruction wrought at the nation's heart the new German strategy played right into the raf's hands as Dawn broke over London about 350 londoners lay dead killed by German bombs 1500 had been injured the German High command was encouraged their bombers had got through London was a blaze surely the end was near for Britain and her disintegrating defenses the strategy was confirmed the luftwaffe would concentrate its efforts on one target London of course when we see the papers and went to work they were all saying didn't land and have it last night at London's expense the country's air defenses had gained a reprieve doubting took action to nurse his battered organization back to health to overcome the desperate problem of fatigue amongst the most battle-weary squadrons and the lethal lack of combat experience in the squadrons that replaced them he introduced three categories for his operational squadrons the first category were the front line squadrons to be kept fully operational at full strength and fed Replacements as necessary the second category consisted of squadrons at full operational strength and capable of being called upon to assist the Frontline units gentlemen I'm pleased to say that at long last we have the final category consisted of squadrons in quiet sectors where experienced Pilots could be rested while they passed on their knowledge to others fresh from trains in red sections as Pilots recovered or newcomers gained experience they will be fed back into the Frontline squadrons a squadrons that he moved about he can conserve his forces during the actual business of fighting and you're as I say when you're 19 you are too busy ducking and weaving to pay too much attention as to what you're doing the strategy of the situation the strategy of the war and even some of the tactics of the world you know you're not really too worried about they don't concern you because you're too busy trying to keep yourself alive well gentlemen I'm pleased to say that at long last we have 12 Battle Tactics were refined what we'll be doing squadrons were to attack in pairs they were discouraged from pursuing damaged planes but to find fresh targets we'll be flying at 15 000 feet I want Keith Park Commander of 11 Group which had borne the brunt of the assaults emphasized the importance of early and accurate interceptions breaking up the formations stripping the bombers of their fighter escorts head-on attacks on the bomber formations were encouraged huge concentrations of aircraft continue to attack London number one Canadian squadron's hurricanes are amongst those engaged by the fighter escorts but this earns other squadrons a clear run at the bomber formations London was at the very edge of the ne-109s range burning fuel rapidly at combat speed they could spend only a few minutes over the capital he endurance foreign foreign thank you despite their successes tensions had surfaced among senior RAF Commanders Keith Park Commander of 11 group believed it was vital to intercept early using the advantage gained by radar small numbers of aircraft would hit the enemy as soon as they cross the coast disrupting German raids before they reached their targets as German escort Fighters became entangled in dogfights other squadrons could then attack the unprotected bombers foreign commander of 12th group believed in assembling several squadrons into one large formation before hitting the enemy with concentrated force and aggression Keith Park disagreed vehemently with this big Wing concept as did others okay can make a big impact but it could take take time and the one thing that wasn't available during the battle was time and we said well what a waste of time forming up and all at that time the bombers are coming in and they're probably on the way out and to imagine trying to sitting around and waiting to form up into a big wing I'd say would be a total fat would have been of a total failure as Autumn approached the weather became less suitable for air operations nevertheless the luftwaffe amounted large raids resulting in Fierce dogfights over Kent and London foreign and the nightly Blitz on London continue in spite of the difficulties of locating the enemy in the dark attempts were made to intercept these nighttime Raiders the only way you could identify what the airplane was was by getting underneath it at night and getting a plan view from looking from underneath up at the shape of the Wings and we slowly flew up and closed in formation behind it so I could get my gun sight onto it and open fire one or two interceptions later that the air Ministry were pressed by newspapers as to why I had had success at night the ominously were determined not to give away the fact that we had effective radar or something in our night fighter that allowed us to close in on other aircraft at night and the ominously said that I had exceptional night vision cat size cats are supposed to be able to see by night I think that was how my name started swiftly fighter command was recovering the numbers of trained pilots available for operations was increasing daily new fighter aircraft were being produced and delivered to squadrons at a rate that exceeded their losses right commercial guring meanwhile reassured by over-optimistic intelligence of the kind he liked and expected to hear believed the enemy to be fatally weakened now was the time for maximum effort a single raid of such overwhelming force that it would bring about London's ruins and the certain annihilation of fighter command German bomber squadrons Rendezvous over the padda Calais circling above them the fighter escorts burn fuel as they wait for the huge formation to assemble starting from a few aircraft to suddenly having to put up 250 Plus was very very scary in Hinterland is at 11 groups operations room at Uxbridge the day had begun quietly the Personnel in the underground plotting room wild away the time the Prime Minister had chosen this day to make an unexpected call on Park his command forbidden to light his cigar within the confines of the underground bunker Churchill settled himself above the operations room its large map and indicator boards reflected the uneasy calm watched by the electronic eye of the British radar chain the German formation continued to Mass on the other side of the channel because England in Massachusetts foreign acting on the information fed through the system moved the markers representing the first of the Hostile aircraft to head towards the English Coast with ample time to organize squadrons and alert supporting aircraft from surrounding groups the air defenses of Britain are ready and waiting for the incoming raid more markers crawl across the plotting table squadrons from biggin Hill Northolt and Kenley scramble to get airborne with radar giving the enemies course and height and knowing London is the target RAF controllers confidently position their forces as the leading German formations cross the coast the RAF Fighters sweep in the German Pilots braced themselves to receive these last few British Fighters the Spitfires dive out of the sun bouncing the fighter escort foreign the air is full of weaving aircraft as me-109s attempt to fend off five British fighting squadrons a second wave of RAF squadrons arrived attacking head-on the bomber formations struggled towards London most of the fighter escorts remain over Kent entangled in Desperate dogfights with RAF Spitfires at this moment the big wing of 12 group joins the action given plenty of warning five squadrons of 12 group 55 aircraft have assembled and now pile into The Fray foreign Fighters attacking them from all angles many bombers jettison their bombs immediately and turn for home but even as the remains of the morning's raid land back at their bases another larger formation was mustering over the coast as always it is monitored by the watchful eye of British radar RAF squadrons land on a rapidly re-armed and refueled exhausted Pilots will only have a few moments respite foreign the German formations fly out over the channel in three huge columns the British Fighters are scrambled for the second time every Squadron available to 11 group is soon Airborne 250 British fighter aircraft in the air and ready as the cumbersome formations cross the English Coast fighter squadrons from hornchurch Fall upon them all German bombers are destroyed before the 109s can intervene locking the RAF pilots in a frantic dogfight it is a repeat of the morning's fighting with one Grim variation the British controllers have assembled a large number of their fighter squadrons at the point where the German fighter escorts will be getting low on fuel 213 and 607 squadrons from Tang near tear through the enemy formation near biggin Hill the me-109 escorts attempt to fend them off their engines burning fuel as they push their aircraft to full power over London duxford's big Wing has returned to rejoin the fight the luftwaffe has battled its way towards London losing aircraft to constant attacks now over the city it is hit by a total of 17 fighter squadrons guring's claims of an enemy on its last legs are revealed as a fantasy of bad intelligence and his own complacency the German escorts their fuel warning lights glowing are forced to disengage the bomber formations scatter their bombs and turn to their bases staggering under the constant fighter attacks the surviving aircraft are harried all the way back across the channel foreign at the end of the day that would become known as Battle of Britain day the RAF had lost 26 aircraft and 13 Pilots killed or missing the luftwaffe had lost 60 aircraft an enormous toll if not the 179 aircraft claimed by RAF Pilots the following day guring again claimed that fighter command ought to be finished in four or five days he dismissed reports from his Pilots about the strength and skill of the British fighter defense but Gering was blind to the truth his luftwaffe had been decisively bloodly repulsed and Britain's aerial defenses were now stronger than ever on the 17th of September Hitler himself recognized that an invasion of Britain had become unfeasible the enemy Air Force is still by no means defeated on the contrary it shows increasing activity the weather situation as a whole does not permit us to expect a period of calm the fuhrer therefore decides to postpone Operation Sea Lion indefinitely now Hitler would try to bomb Britain into submission London would continue to suffer night after night the bombers returned to the battered city which burned like a terrible Beacon strangely enough we expected to be bombed that was part of the deal we knew the Germans had the bombers the worst part was first of all the sound of the um air raid warning it's a most frightening chilling sound because you knew then that they were coming over and then the Drone of the bombus which was a very familiar sound getting louder and louder and louder and the guns crash crashed crash crash and then the whistling and the bombs falling I was traveling through London and you could hardly get off the tube trains because of all the people sleeping in the jewels you have to walk walk first you walk everybody and I also remember the place shaking so the whole building shaking and one would have thought the building was going to fall down you just was in the air ride shelters and you just stay down there and that's all you did do petrified you're frightened to go out but the danger and destruction did not break the people's will instead it strengthened their determination after the bombing in London the shops will be damaged the roads will be damaged the buses weren't running but among everybody was this need to get back into the office that day whether they walked cycled got a lift and it was this determination to stay fighting we still went out seven o'clock in the morning to catch the tram to go to work and I mean you couldn't go out once you went in the building because she was too frightened we just went over the road to get something to eat and come back to work and then when we came out six o'clock at night we hadn't got down to the Old Bailey and the sirens would go and you just have to run for your life then to get on the tram to get home the the Courage the morale of the British people in 39 1940 um I I find absolutely wonderful despite their terrible losses on the 15th of September the luftwaffe did not entirely abandon daylight attacks with large numbers of fighter escorts sweeping ahead of them the bomber formations crossed the English Coast interception by 15 RAF squadrons is Swift foreign s have to fight their way back some this means a low-level desperate Chase across the English Countryside others use the 109's greater climb rate to escape the conflict and head for home at the end of a day when the luftwaffe failed to hit any of its primary targets they lost 55 aircraft the RAF 28. on the last day of September the luftwaffe launches a number of separate raids across the channel RAF Fighters intercept each raid as it crosses the English Coast rather than fight their way through to their targets the formations Retreat scattering their bomb loads at random but hidden by Cloud one small group of bombers and their escort managed to reach Central London is we are having everything working on fluke had therefore wall London fulfilled East field to spread um Spitfire and hurricane on this week is foreign as his Pilots perished in the cold Waters of the channel so too did guring's vain hopes for the success of his luftwaffe the German losses this day 47 aircraft the RAF lost 20. it was the last time the luftwaffe would Mount large daylight raids over England guring had sent his Air Force against a nation prepared as the pilots of fighter command rose up to meet the aerial Invaders from the All-Seeing Eye of radar to the system of communication and control the pilots of fighter command were supported by an air defense system of unparalleled sophistication far in advance of anything guring or love to offer intelligence had anticipated the consequences were more than 900 German aircraft destroyed the luftwaffe lost three thousand of its most experienced pilots and air crew killed injured or taken prisoner yeah linger is August September October here mayor why enticed from the deutschen funeral it is the Royal Air Force the Royal Air Force is the Battle of Britain had been won and although air combat would continue throughout the Autumn of 1940 the few who fought in the skies above England had held the luftwaffe at Bay they had stopped the seemingly Unstoppable March of the German military machine and ensured that Britain would not crash to defeat as others before them they had proved that Britain was willing and able to fight on by their example the few gave the people of both the Free World and the conquered Nations hope and belief in a final victory both would be desperately needed in the dark days ahead for there were many brutal costly battles yet to be fought I was very very proud to be taking part in what was going on in 1940 over this country it had tremendous fit for me because when I went in there because of my background I was immature scared afraid to say brutal goose I was just nobody and it was obvious to me I was made to feel that in a way but after the battle of written I could make decisions on anything I could do anything I was afraid of nothing my main feeling of course we didn't know it was a battle Bridge we didn't know this historical significance but I at the time or now feel that almost a hypocrite in other words these are always wonderful people died some of them were wonderful Aces and were killed some wonderful friends killed and I feel that now I'm getting Cersei some publicity or credibility which really belongs to them I feel enormously prevented in the sense that I must have feel I feel I suppose as same as the chaps who took part of Trafalgar or Cressy or Asian core or Battle of Waterloo we happen to be the right age the right place the right time but really all I am is representing those who died the RAF lost 715 fighter aircraft 544 Pilots were killed nearly one in five of those who flew on operations amongst those who died defending the Skies over Britain were pilots from Canada Australia New Zealand South Africa Poland Czechoslovakia France America and Belgium a quarter of the legendary few were from overseas a debt that is often forgotten in November 1940 the commander-in-chief of fighter command Sir Hugh Dowding sent a signal to his fighter pilots I wish I could say all that is in my heart I cannot surpass the simple eloquence of the prime minister's words never before has so much been owed by so many to so few the death remains and will increase God bless you all

Channel: War Stories

Views: 2,353,587

Keywords: military history, war, war documentary, military tactics, war stories, history of war, battles

Id: ZrzUW7EE92w

Length: 139min 19sec (8359 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 18 2022