Seventy years on, the Battle of Britain remains an important moment in British history, and 1940 a key date alongside 1066, 1588 and 1805, when Britain was imperilled as never before. Over the years, books, films and television programmes have continued to propel an image of Britain as David and Germany as Goliath. It wasn’t quite like that, but that does not mean the efforts of the RAF – or of Britain as a whole – in the summer of 1940 should in any way be belittled. And the myth does largely hold true. Britain was staring down the barrel in the summer of 1940 and her survival dramatically changed the course of the war. However, it is important, seventy years on, that the battle should be seen from both sides and in its wider context. In his despatch, Dowding wrote that the Battle of Britain really began in September 1939. He had a point, but certainly by the start of the western campaign, in May 1940, Britain’s struggle for survival against Germany, and Germany’s all-or-bust attack on Britain, had begun.
No other veterans of the Second World War are as hallowed as the Few, but equally no aircraft is as hallowed as the Spitfire. This aircraft, above all others, has gained an iconic reverence not given to any other. The Me 109E might have been better for air-to-air fighting than the Spitfire Mk I in 1940, but Mitchell’s plane was only at the beginning of its development back then. Subsequent models, complete with fuel injection, cannons and ever more powerful engines, were quite superb. No wonder that generations of children have built models of this beautiful aircraft, or that thousands still flock to air shows every summer to watch them fly. Certainly, watching the silhouette of those elliptical wings and hearing that deep roar of the Merlin never fails to be a highly moving experience.
There are some fifty still flying or close to flying, but there is one model, above all, that has special reverence for me. My fascination with the battle began with David Crook’s wartime memoir Spitfire Pilot, and since then I have always had a special interest in his old squadron, 609 (West Riding). One of the squadron’s Spitfires from the Battle of Britain remains. It was not flown by David Crook, but by that other 609 Squadron hero, John Dundas. Go to the Imperial War Museum in London and it can still be seen, suspended by wires from the ceiling. A favoured spot is on the second floor, along the balcony overlooking the atrium. From there it is possible to look down upon it, at its sleek, curving lines, and into the cockpit. It is always very still and quiet up there, but with a bit of imagination it is possible to see the Spitfire, not in some hall, but high in the burning blue above southern England, pirouetting and swirling, guns spitting bullets, and in a deadly duel with an Me 109. In fact, half close your eyes and one can even see John Dundas sitting in the cockpit, leather flying helmet around his head, leaning forward despite the straps of the harness, concentration etched on his face. He is not dead at the bottom of the English Channel, but suddenly very much alive.
* John Cunningham became the most famous RAF night-fighter of them all, nicknamed ‘Cat’s Eyes’ Cunningham and scoring twenty victories, of which nineteen were at night.
Glossary
Abwehr
Wehrmacht Counter-Intelligence Service
CIGS
Chief of the Imperial General Staff
DeTe
Dezimator Telegraphie Gerät- early name for German radar
Erpro
Erprobungsgruppe – experimental wing
Fallschirmjäger
German parachute troops, and part of the Luftwaffe
Freya
type of German radar
He
Heinkel
Jafü
Jagdfliegerführer – German fighter division
JG
Jagdgeschwader – German fighter unit
Ju
Junkers
KG
Kampfgeschwader – German bomber unit
Mae West
inflatable life jacket
Me
Messerschmitt
MT
motor transport
OKH
Oberkommando der Heeres – the Army High Command
OKM
Oberkommando der Marine – the Navy High Command, also the Kriegsmarine
OKW
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht – the combined Armed Forces High Command
RDF
Radio Direction Finding
R/T
Radio Telegraphy
SNO
Senior Naval Officer
St.G
Sturzkampfgeschwader, or Stuka-Geschwader – Stuka unit
Wehrmacht
the German Armed Forces, i.e. army, navy and air force
Würzburg
type of German radar
Notes
Abbreviations
AFRHA
Air Force Research Historical Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
AHB
Air Historical Branch, Northolt
BA-MA
Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Freiburg-im-Breisgau
BBK
Lord Beaverbrook Papers, House of Lords Archives
BfZ-SS
Bibliothek für Zeitgeschichte, Sammlung Sterz, Stuttgart
CAC
Churchill Archive Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge
CBP
Cecil Beaton Papers, St John’s College, Cambridge
DTA
Deutsches Tagebucharchiv, Emmendingen
HND
Harold Nicolson Papers: Diary, Balliol College, Oxford
IWM
Imperial War Museum, London
JPK
Joseph P. Kennedy Papers, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, Massachusetts
LHCMA
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King’s College, London
MHI
Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
MO
Mass Observation Archive, University of Sussex
NCP
Neville Chamberlain Papers, University of Birmingham
NHB
Naval Historical Branch, Portsmouth
RAFMA
RAF Museum Archives, Hendon, London
TNA
The National Archives, Kew, London
WS
War Speeches, Winston S. Churchill
WSC
Winston S. Churchill, The Second World War, Vol. II
Private papers
In addition, the private papers of the following have been used:
Bartley, Anthony, 92 Squadron
Bob, Hans-Ekkehard, III/JG 54
Bethke, Siegfried, I/JG 2 (c/o Chris Goss)
Brothers, Pete, 32 and 257 Squadrons
Corbin, Jimmy, 66 Squadron
Dundas, Hugh, 616 Squadron
Dundas, John, 609 Squadron
Hughes, Arthur, 18 Squadron
Field, Norman, 2nd Royal Fusiliers
Fraser, Stan, 4th HAA Regiment
Jackson, Andrew, 149 Squadron
Neil, Tom, 249 Squadron
Neumann, Julius, II/JG 27
Rawlings, Margaret, civilian
Wright, Allan, 92 Squadron
Author interviews
I have not cited the following author interviews, all of which can be found on either www.secondworldwarforum.com or in the Sound Archives at the Imperial War Museum:
Beamont, Roland, 87 Squadron
Bob, Hans-Ekkehard, III/JG 54
Brothers, Pete, 32 and 257 Squadrons
Corbin, Jimmy, 66 Squadron
Drake, Billy, 1 Squadron
Field, Norman, 2nd Royal Fusiliers
Herrmann, Hajo, III/KG4
Jackson, Andrew, 149 Squadron
Mann, Douglas, Marlborough College, LDV
Miese, Rudolf, II/JG 2
Müller, Hildegard, civilian
Neil, Tom, 249 Squadron
Neumann, Julius, II/JG 27
Rall, Günther, III/JG 52
Steele, Joe, HMT Dalmatia and Darthema
Wellum, Geoffrey, 92 Squadron<
br />
Wilson, John, Marlborough College, LDV
Wright, Allan, 92 Squadron
References
Introduction
1
‘The Battle of Britain …’ TNA AIR 8/863
Part I: Miracles
1. First Flight
8
‘Practically everybody …’ This description comes from Crook, Spitfire Pilot, pp. 19–20, but also from: Clive Denney, a latter-day Spitfire pilot; Moss and McKee, Spitfires and Polished Metal; Price and Blackah, Supermarine Spitfire: Owners’ Workshop Manual; and Pilot’s Notes Spitfire IIA and IIB published by the Air Ministry
2. The Eve of Battle
10
‘grand evening’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 20
11
‘The battle which begins …’ Cited in Below, At Hitler’s Side, p. 57
12
‘What now?’ Cited in Schmidt, Hitler’s Interpreter, p. 158
12
‘Our enemy Number One’ Cited in Speer, Inside the Third Reich, p. 239
12
‘England is our enemy’ Cited in Ian Kershaw, Hitler: 1936–1945, p. 193
12
‘They are nerve food’ Cited in Eberle and Uhl (eds.), The Hitler Book, p. 55
15
‘Out this morning …’ MO diarist 53967, 7/5/1940
16
‘If we allow him to remain in office …’ Ibid.
16
‘“You know how obstinate old people can be …”’ Ibid.
18
‘The Prime Minister looked stunned …’ JPK, diary, 9/5/1940
18
‘A terrible world …’ Ibid.
21
‘I think I shall…’ Cited in Martin Gilbert, Finest Hour, p. 305
22
‘My nose is much too big …’ Schroeder, Er war mein Chef, p. 100
22
‘Have you all got…’ Ibid.
23
‘The French and British … of the division’ Luck, Panzer Commander, p. 37
3. The Go-for-Broke Gamble
28
‘We had achieved surprise …’ Herrmann, Eagle’s Wings, p. 59
28
‘Meine Herren …’ Schroeder, Er war mein Chef, p. 102
29
‘air and sea war against England’ Cited in Frieser, Blitzkrieg Legend, p. 61
33
‘Surprise may now be regarded’ Halder, Diary, 18/2/1940
34
‘And then what … in any case’ Guderian, Panzer Leader, p. 92
34
‘You will be creeping by …’ Cited in Frieser, Blitzkrieg Legend, p. 98
36
‘It was a very long day …’ Knappe, Soldat, p. 164
38
‘To our surprise …’ BA-MA MSg2 2574
4. Hook, Line and Sinker
40
‘The last we saw of the planes …’ Fraser, wartime diaries, 10/5/1940
41
‘Here we go again …’ Cited in Bond, ‘Gort’, in Keegan (ed.), Churchill’s Generals, p. 38
45
‘pursuit of the common object … before executing that order’ Cited in L. F. Ellis, The War in France and Flanders, pp. 11–12
46
‘impenetrable … Europe’s best tank obstacle’ Cited in Frieser, Blitzkrieg Legend, p. 139
47
‘But of course it can be done …’ Pownall, Chief of Staff, 17/11/1939
47
‘If we can get there …’ Alanbrooke, War Diaries, 19/11/1939
48
‘It was hard to believe …’ Ibid., 10/5/1940
48
‘Well, Fraser …’ Fraser, wartime diaries, 30/4/1940
49
‘These precautions …’ Ibid., 10/5/1940
50
‘Oh, I don’t know about that…’ Cited in Martin Gilbert, Finest Hour, p. 306
50
‘Now we could give the Huns …’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 21
50
‘Now they’ll be wishing …’ MO diarist 53967, 10/5/1940
51
‘I asked Chamberlain …’ Cited in Martin Gilbert, Finest Hour, p. 313
5. The First Clash in the Air
57
‘Among the high command …’ BA-MA RL 3/2
59
‘Ack ack – ’ell! … got away with it’ Beamont, My Part of the Sky, p. 25
60
‘When we began at 8.10 …’ Hughes, diary, 10/5/1940
60
‘He also saw…’ Ibid.
61
‘Plots all over the board’ Richey, Fighter Pilot, p. 38
63
‘And you will take over …’ Kesselring, Memoirs, p. 51
63
‘I breathed a sigh of relief…’ Ibid., p. 55
65
‘Two out of three!’ Hughes, diary, 10/5/1940
65
‘It was an interesting experience …’ Beamont, My Part of the Sky, p. 26
6. Breakthrough
70
‘Morning reports show …’ Halder, Diary, 12/5/1940
71–2
‘Held up by artillery fire … a job for the infantry’ Luck, Panzer Commander, pp. 37–8
72
‘Hardly had the first boats … came to a standstill’ Ibid., p. 38
78
‘My whole attack …’ Guderian, Panzer Leader, p. 101
78
‘The flyers were doing …’ Ibid., p. 102
79
‘We’re almost disappointed’ Bethke, memoir, DTA 652.9
79
‘All we saw…’ Drake and Shores, Billy Drake, p. 27
80
‘You British are mad …’ Cited in Richards, Royal Air Force 1939–1945, Vol. I, p. 117
80
‘And I am next…’ Hughes, diary, 12/5/1940
81
‘By now I was covered in petrol…’ Drake and Shores, Billy Drake, p. 28
81
‘With a little difficulty …’ Ibid.
82
‘Joy riding in canoes …’ Guderian, Panzer Leader, p. 102
82
‘Something that is easy today …’ Cited in Frieser, Blitzkrieg Legend, p. 167
84
‘The order from Luftflotte 3 …’ Cited in Deichmann, Der Chef im Hintergrund, p. 100
7. Inside the Third Reich
86
‘The shadow of Nazi fanaticism …’ Shirer, Berlin Diary, 27/9/1939
87
‘The people in Berlin …’ Shirer, This is Berlin, 10/5/1940
87
‘a new record … Hitler has taken’ Shirer, Berlin Diary, 10/5/1940
88
‘There are lots … this is war!’ Wendel, Hausfrau at War, pp. 18, 38
89
‘Nonsense. Of course it will be over …’ Ibid., p. 39
89
‘This wicked man … individual responsibility at all’ Ibid., p. 64
90
‘The truth is that…’ Shirer, Berlin Diary, 28/10/1940
92
‘We did not lose the war …’ Cited in Noakes and Pridham (eds.), Nazism, Vol. 2, Doc. No. 267
93
‘He must be very busy …’ Wendel, Hausfrau at War, p. 36
94
‘Propaganda means repetition …’ Cited in Irving, Goebbels, p. 582
94
‘getting nearer …’ Boelcke, The Secret Conferences of Dr. Goebbels, 10/5/1940
95
‘Make clear that we are engaged … polemics against France’ Noakes and Pridham (eds.), Nazism, Vol. 4, Doc. Nos. 1223 and 1224
95
‘All we want… the last war’ Wendel, Hausfrau at War, pp. 50, 51
8. Crisis and Dilemmas
96
‘at this extremely grievous and formidable moment … inspiration to all’ NCP, WSC to NC, 10/5/1940
96
‘I must say that Winston …’ Self (ed.), Chamberlain Diary Letters, 11/5/1940
98
‘All the hatred …’ Nicolson, HND, 10/5/1940
98
‘I have nothing to offer … no survival’ Churchill, WS, 13/5/1940
99
‘Profound anxiety’ Nicolson, HND, 13/5/1940
The Battle of Britain Page 76
