The Battle of Britain

The battle begins, summer 1940
The battle begins, summer 1940

After defeating France in June 1940, Hitler assumed Britain would sue for peace but ordered his armed forces to prepare for invasion. Hermann Goering assured him that a sustained air assault would destroy the RAF, winning the air superiority needed.
A Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over London, September 1940
A Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over London, September 1940

July 1940 saw German planes target shipping in the Channel, drawing the RAF into combat, before radar stations, communications centres and airfields faced round-the-clock bombing in August. The battle reached a climax with attacks on London in September.
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)

Joan 'Elizabeth' Mortimer, Elspeth Henderson and Helen Turner of the WAAF. All three received the Military Medal for courageous conduct during attacks on Biggin Hill airfield. Biggin Hill suffered a total of ten major attacks between 30 Aug and 5 Sept.
Non-British personnel in the RAF
Non-British personnel in the RAF

A group of pilots of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF return from a sortie. The first Polish squadrons were formed in the summer of 1940. Pilots came from several other countries, including Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and the USA.
Sector 'G' Operations Room at RAF Duxford
Sector 'G' Operations Room at RAF Duxford

RAF Duxford was a Sector Station in 12 Group, responsible for defending the Midlands and East Anglia. As the fighting intensified, Duxford's squadrons were called on to support 11 Group's defence of London and the south-east.
Hawker Hurricane Mk Is of No. 85 Squadron RAF
Hawker Hurricane Mk Is of No. 85 Squadron RAF

Despite incessant attacks, the RAF's defences held. The Luftwaffe could not continue, and in the autumn switched to 'nuisance' raids and night operations. The failure to defeat the RAF convinced Hitler to postpone his invasion plans indefinitely.

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Mont St Eloi
(art) Made by: Nash, Paul 1917
image: a scene showing the ruins of the church at Mont St Eloi. The figures of lifeless trees dominate the foreground, and there is a soldier standing on the hill to the left. He appears to be looking out at the brilliant sun that beams down over the...
The Field of Passchendaele
(art) Made by: Nash, Paul 1917
image: a battle scarred Western Front landscape near Passchendaele in Flanders. A large water-filled shell hole dominates the foreground, with two dead soldiers lying nearby on the left. Beyond them is the entrance to a dugout, a small bomb damaged brick...
Arakan Campaign : Battle of Rathedaung, 1943
(art) Made by: Gross, Anthony 1944
image: an Indian soldier lies dead with his arms above his head in the thick undergrowth of the jungle. His Bren gun and helmet lie by his side. Through the jungle a river is just visible on the horizon.
Lieutenant-General B C T Paget CB, DSO, MC
(art) Made by: Lamb, Henry (MC) (RA) 1941
image: A head and shoulder portrait of Lieutenant-General B C T Paget in uniform, turning left.
Lieutenant-General H C Lloyd, CB, DSO, MC
(art) Made by: Lamb, Henry (MC) (RA) 1941
image: A head and shoulder portrait of Lieutenant-General H C Lloyd in uniform, turning to the right.
Lieutenant-General Sir Wilfred Lindsell, KBE, DSO, MC
(art) Made by: Lamb, Henry (MC) (RA) 1941
image: A head and shoulder portrait of Lieutenant-General Sir Wilfred Lindsell in uniform, turning left.
Dug-outs
(art) Made by: McBey, James 1917-08-09
image: a British soldier, possibly an officer, sits within the shadowed shelter of a dug-out in the arid desert. He sits in the left dug-out in a series, all constructed from sandbags and dug into a sandy earthen bank.
Wireless Operators : on duty in an observation post, hewn out of the sandstone
(art) Made by: McBey, James 1917-08-09
image: two British wireless operators stand in a cave-like observation post, wearing headsets over their ears. The foremost man writes with pencil and paper, the second man's face obscured behind him. The upper wall of the post is constructed with...
A Sentry : Samuel William Salmond, carman, of Peckham, on duty
(art) Made by: McBey, James 1917-09-18
image: a half length portrait of a British soldier on sentry duty. He is wearing his greatcoat with the collar up against the chill of the desert in the early morning, with his rifle shouldered and a soft peaked cap on his head.
A Wrecked Railway Bridge Near The Hindenburg Line : Near Villers Guislain
(art) Made by: Henderson, Keith (OBE) 1917
image: a railway bridge that has been completely destroyed by bomb damage and artillery fire. The composition is framed by two sections of thick wall and structure that are still standing, with the middle a mass of rubble and fallen blue girders.