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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Home Guards brewing Tea just before Dawn
(art) Made by: Ford, Michael 1941
image: Two Home Guards inside a small wooden hut, brewing tea by candlelight.
The Control-room at South West Regional Headquarters, Bristol
(art) Made by: Piper, John (CH) 1940
image: a room lit by electric light. On the right hand wall is an abstract map, with areas marked with numbers and letters. On the adjacent wall are more symbols, another smaller map and a clock. In the foreground are tables with a glass and carafe.
A Knitting Party
(art) Made by: Dunbar, Evelyn Mary 1940
image: A large room with a party of women sitting in chairs and knitting
A Blockhouse Somewhere in England
(art) Made by: Duffy, Louis 1943
image: a blockhouse in a rural location. In the foreground there are six girders sunk into the ground, surrounded by rocks and cast concrete forms. In the background there is a row of similar concrete blocks running along the edge of a plowed field on a...
CEMA Canteen Concert, Isle of Dogs, London, E14, 1941
(art) Made by: Rowntree, Kenneth 1941
image: The interior of a large room, filled with people seated around tables. In the foreground there is a table stacked with plates, behind which stands a woman wearing an apron.
A Munitions Factory
(art) Made by: Elwell, Frederick William (RA) 1944
image: Interior of a munitions factory with women working on lathes and other machinery
The Queue at the Fish-shop
(art) Made by: Dunbar, Evelyn Mary 1944
image: A long line of women queue outside the shop of H. Hill and Son, fishmongers, poulterers. The slabs are being washed down in anticipation of a fresh delivery.
oil painting, sailing ship 'Bucephalus'
(souvenirs and ephemera) Made by: Theo Fries (Artist) 1946
Oil painting by Theo Fries, a German prisoner of war at Boughton Camp (No 633), near Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, between 1945 and 1946. The painting was acquired by Company Quartermaster Sergeant Guy William Reckin (Royal Artillery), when he was a member...
oil painting, 'Landschaft an der Hardt'
(souvenirs and ephemera) Made by: Theo Fries (Artist) 1945
Oil painting by Theo Fries, a German prisoner of war at Boughton Camp (No 633), near Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, between 1945 and 1946. The painting was acquired Company Quartermaster Sergeant Guy William Reckin (Royal Artillery), when he was a member of...
oil painting, view of Boughton POW Camp, Easter 1946
(souvenirs and ephemera) Made by: Theo Fries (Artist) 1946
Oil painting by Theo Fries, a German prisoner of war held at Boughton Camp (Camp No 633), near Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, completed between 1945 and 1946. The painting was acquired by Company Quartermaster Sergeant Guy William Reckin (Royal Artillery),...