In the summer and autumn of 1940, with France fallen and Britain standing alone, the first great battle fought entirely in the air was decided over the fields of southern England. To invade, Germany first had to destroy the Royal Air Force. It never could.
Britain alone
After Dunkirk, Hitler expected Britain to seek terms. When it refused, the Luftwaffe was ordered to sweep the RAF from the sky and clear the way for an invasion across the Channel. Everything turned on a few hundred fighter pilots and the machines they flew.
The system behind the pilots
Britain's hidden advantage was organisation. The Dowding system tied together a chain of coastal radar stations, the Observer Corps and a network of control rooms, so that scarce squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires were sent to the right place at the right height instead of wearing themselves out on patrol.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
The turning point
Through August the Luftwaffe hammered the RAF's airfields and came dangerously close to breaking Fighter Command. Then, in September, the Germans switched their weight to bombing London. It brought terror to the city in the Blitz, but it gave the exhausted airfields time to recover. On 15 September the RAF met the largest raids in strength and held.
What the day decided
Unable to win control of the air, Germany postponed the invasion of Britain, and then abandoned it. It was the first major defeat of the war for Hitler, and it kept Britain in the fight as a base from which, four years later, the liberation of Western Europe would be launched.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the Battle of Britain in 1940 so decisive?
In 1940 the Battle of Britain denied Germany the air control it needed to invade, so Hitler postponed and then abandoned the invasion. It was the first major defeat of the war for Hitler and kept Britain in the fight as the base from which Western Europe was later liberated.
What gave the RAF its real edge in the Battle of Britain beyond the pilots?
Britain's hidden advantage in the 1940 Battle of Britain was organisation. The Dowding system linked coastal radar stations, the Observer Corps and control rooms so that scarce Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons were sent to the right place and height instead of being worn out on patrol.
Why did the German switch to bombing London matter during the Battle of Britain?
Through August 1940 the Luftwaffe hammered the RAF airfields and came close to breaking Fighter Command. When the Germans shifted their weight to bombing London in September, they brought the terror of the Blitz but gave the exhausted airfields time to recover, and on 15 September the RAF met the largest raids and held.
What is the biggest misconception about the Battle of Britain?
It is tempting to see the 1940 Battle of Britain as won by fighter pilots alone, but the decisive edge was organisation. The Dowding network of radar and control rooms is what let a few hundred pilots be used where they counted, so the machine behind the pilots mattered as much as the men in the cockpits.
When was the Battle of Britain fought and who took part?
The Battle of Britain was fought from July to October 1940, with France fallen and Britain standing alone. The RAF defended the skies over southern England against the German Luftwaffe, which had been ordered to clear the way for an invasion across the Channel.
Who won the Battle of Britain?
The Battle of Britain in 1940 was won by Britain and the RAF, which denied Germany the air control it needed to invade. Unable to win the sky, Germany postponed and then abandoned the invasion, handing Hitler his first major defeat of the war.
Take to the sky over Britain
The Battle of Britain is one of 40 battles in Echoes of Battle, told scene by scene, with a real-time tactical mode in the works, and set over the real skies where it was won.
