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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Private Papers of Lieutenant Colonel M W Gonin DSO TD
(private papers) Made by: Gonin, M W
Ts account (11pp written 1945 - 1946) of the liberation and relief operation in Belsen concentration camp, April 1945, at which he commanded 11th Light Field Ambulance (6th Guards Armoured Brigade). He describes vividly the scenes in the camp, the...
Food Ration Books, 1941 - 1954
(private papers)
13 food ration books issued to H S and Mrs W M McGregor of Northwich and later Holloway, north London and Ware, Hertfordshire, 1941 - 1948 and 1952 - 1954, together with Mrs McGregor's clothing card valid to 31 May 1942 and two undated Supplementary...
Orders for Operation Neptune issued by the Naval Commander Force G, May 1944
(private papers)
Cyclostyled ts copy (5pp) of the Force G orders for Operation Neptune issued by Commodore C E Douglas-Pennant, the Naval Force Commander, May 1944, together with a ts addendum (1p) to the orders, a stowage plan (1p) for LCT 1097 for the operation, and a...
Private Papers of Captain V A Wight-Boycott OBE DSC RN
(private papers) Made by: Wight-Boycott, V A
Very extensive collection of ms and ts letters covering his service as a midshipman in the cruiser HMS SUSSEX and destroyer HMS WRYNECK in the Mediterranean Fleet (with his Midshipman's Journals) from April 1929 - March 1932; as a Sub Lieutenant in the...
Ministry of Security 'Chart of War Gasses', Second World War
(private papers)
Printed Ministry of Security 'Chart of War Gasses' (6pp) from 1942 detailing the nature, effects and first aid treatments required for exposure to different types of gas, together with two Ministry of Food ration books, 1945 - 1946, two clothing books,...
SOE Printed Notepaper, Second World War
(private papers)
Blank printed notepaper (4pp, 4.5 x 7" and 8pp, 7" x 8.75) headed 'Inter Services Research Bureau', a cover name for an SOE organisation in the Second World War.
Official Documents Relating to D-Day
(private papers)
Collection of documents relating to D-Day (6 June 1944), including a "Child's Guide to the Far Shore" concerning the locations of supplies and facilities for service personnel during the Normandy landings (2pp, 30 May 1944); a memorandum concerning...
No 310 Squadron RAF Combat Report, 15 September 1940
(private papers)
Ms combat report (1p) completed by Warrant Officer Josef Vopalecky, a Czech serving with No 310 Squadron RAF based at RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, concerning his attack on a large formation of He 111s over the Thames Estuary on 15 September 1940....
War Diary of No 73 Squadron RAF, July 1940 - January 1941
(private papers)
Ms unofficial war diary (56pp), July 1940 - January 1941, of No 73 Squadron RAF, which operated hurricanes in a night fighter role from RAF Church Fenton, June - September 1940, and in daylight from RAF Castle Camp, September - November 1940, during the...
Private Papers of Miss R Neumeyer
(private papers) Made by: Neumeyer, R
16 Red Cross messages (in English) sent during June 1940 - January 1943 between Ruth Neumeyer and her brother Raymond, living as child refugees from Nazi Germany with a family in Cambridge, and their parents Hans and Vera Neumeyer in Munich and their...