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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An AA Battery : River Medway
(art) Made by: Pitchforth, Roland Vivian (RA) 1943
image: a view looking down on several anti-aircraft guns, including two Bofors guns, in gun emplacements with a few soldiers moving around in between the maze of walls in the battery. The battery is positioned on the coast with the sea and a small dock...
An AA Battery
(art) Made by: Pitchforth, Roland Vivian (RA) 1943
image: Two figures stand in the centre of a road in the foreground. Behind them, just off the roadside, is a gun battery. An anti-aircraft gun points up to the sky, surrounded by a circular stone wall and sandbags. The rooftops of a large town lie...
A Searchlight Battery
(art) Made by: Richards, Albert 1942
image: a searchlight on a small paved area of a promenade, next to a lighthouse. The area is surrounded by barbed wire and also contains a small, manned anti-aircraft gun emplacement. There are several men in uniform in the battery, including one asleep...
AA Guns as Coastal Defence
(art) Made by: Ensor, Arthur John 1944
image: This appears to be two drawings, one above the other, showing lines of soldiers manning field guns on the edge of costal cliffs.
The Anti-robot Gun Belt on the Romney Marshes
(art) Made by: Ensor, Arthur John 1944
image: A flat landscape with anti-aircraft guns positioned over the fields. In the corner is a small group of military tents.
Anti-robot Defences on the South Coast : Light AA guns
(art) Made by: Ensor, Arthur John 1944
image: A cliff-top with a row of manned anti-aircraft guns, aimed out to sea. One of the guns is firing into the sky. A large cloud of smoke is billowing up from the sea. On cliff, behind the guns are several military tents.
Anti-robot Defences on a South Coast Dairy Farm
(art) Made by: Ensor, Arthur John 1944
image: A view across a field containing three manned field guns firing into the air, surrounded by grazing cows.
The Gun Belt : Anti-robot defences
(art) Made by: Ensor, Arthur John 1944
image: Several anti-aircraft guns in a field on the coast, aimed out to sea.
Light Anti-aircraft Defences : a quadruple Lewis Gun
(art) Made by: Gross, Anthony (CBE) (RA) 1941
image: A quadruple Lewis gun on an anti-aircraft outpost on a clifftop. Six men are stationed at the outpost and are observing the sky using binoculars. On the right, the land cuts away down to the sea and harbour.