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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Prevent Forest Fires! Careless Matches Aid the Axis
(posters) Made by: Unknown (artist) 1942
whole: the image in a box covers the central two thirds of the whole, with a broad white border. Text in black occupies the top and bottom borders. image: the shadowy caricature of a grinning Japanese soldier holds up a lighted match, while stylised...
I Vostri Nemici - Difendetevi [Your Enemy - Defend]
(posters) Made by: Unknown (artist) 1944-05
whole: the three images are positioned in the upper half. The title is separate and placed in the upper half, in black. The main text is separate and located in the lower half, also in black. Further text is integrated and positioned in the upper half,...
Tablet Day!
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the poster has a white background. The image is positioned in the centre of the page with two lines of red type at an angle in the lower left corner. image: a soldier wearing desert gear, holding a mess tin in one hand and an enamel mug in the...
Atebrin: Don't be a menace to your friends!
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the background of the poster is white. The image is positioned in the centre of the upper half of the page. Below there are four lines of black type, culminating in one bold, capitalised word. Below this there are two lines of black scripted text...
Mosquitoes Find The Smallest Tear-So Keep Your Nets In Good Repair.
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the background of the sheet is white. The image is positioned in the centre of the upper portion of the page. Beneath the image are four lines of black, scripted text. image:a soldier wearing a tin hat examining his mosquito net. text: 'Hopper...
It's The Cream That Makes Them Squeam!
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the background of the sheet is white. The image is positioned in the centre of the upper portion of the page. Beneath the image are three lines of black, scripted text. image:a soldier whose upper body is made from a tin of anti-mosquito cream...
Tablet Day! The Man Who Forgot
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the background of the sheet is white. The image is positioned in the centre of the page with a centred line of red type above and a line of black type, orientated left, at the bottom of the page. image: five soldiers standing to attention: four...
Your Release Can Be Delayed with V.D.!
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the background of the sheet is white. The image is positioned in the centre of the page. At an angle, in the upper left corner there are two words in a hand-drawn typeface, one blue, one orange. Beneath the image, in the lower right corner, there...
Dysentery and Diarrhoea
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey 1945
whole: the background of the sheet is white. Three words in red capital letters run across the top of the page, on two lines. Beneath this are two lines of black text on the left, next to an illustration on the right which has a bold, red caption. A...
Typhus. How Is It Spread?
(posters) Made by: Hopper, Stacey
whole: the background of the sheet is white. One word in red capital letters runs across the top of the page. Below this, on the right half of the page, there is a column of five illustrations with captions in red type beneath each image. On the left...