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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French Traffic Control at Masevaux, Alsace, 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A view of a crossroads in an Alsatian town with a small electricity pylon sited in the middle of the road. A French soldier stands in the middle of the crossroads ready to direct traffic. The side of a church with a clocktower stands in the left...
Anti-tank Gun and Childs Cot, Italy 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A wrecked anti-tank gun with used shells lying to the right, a burnt-out lorry in the centre right background and a child's cot in the foreground. There is a tree, a house and a hill in the far background.
Blown Bridge at Masevaux, Alsace, 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: The view across a river showing a wrecked bridge with houses on the opposite bank and a mountain in the distance. The houses have steeply-pitched roofs. In the immediate foreground are the remains of two parts of a carved pillar decorated with a...
Heavy A.A. Position and a View of the Ruined Village of Filignano
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A view from an elevated position of the edge of a village in ruins, with a church in the centre background. A dead tree dominates the right side of the composition, and the foreground is littered with used artillery casings. There is a camouflage...
Signal Lines at Filignano, March 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944-03-01
image recto: A scene showing the ruins of an Italian village. Thick bundles of signal wire are strung up and over a beam projecting from the wreckage of a house. A coil of unused wire lies in the lower right foreground. A truck carrying a soldier can be...
View Through a Window of Filignano, Italy
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A view of the ruins of Filignano village seen through an arched and decorated window. A wicker basket stands in the left foreground and an American jeep can be seen in the centre right.
Dead Mule near Lagone, Italy 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A dead mule lying against a drystone wall on a roadside, its ribs exposed and tyre tracks running over it's legs.
Spring in the Abruzzi Mountains
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A view over a mountain landscape with trees.
Dead Mule near Lagone, Italy 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: A dead mule lying against a drystone wall on a roadside, its ribs exposed and tyre tracks running over it's legs.
Grave at Franchitti, Italy 1944
(art) Made by: Burn, Guy 1944
image: Looking towards a mountain village from behind a grave covered with stones and marked with a cross. There is a wrecked vehicle on the left, and tyre tracks on the road to the right.