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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Italians Leaving Padua on Account of the Raids, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: A night scene outside the city walls of Padua. Groups of figures stand and walk along a tree-lined road, some looking back at two searchlights forming a V in the night sky above the town. A full, pale moon shines in the upper right.
Italian Farmhouse, Asiago Plateau, Italy, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a sketch of an Italian farmhouse with the foothills of the Alps in the distance and a village with a church spire in the upper left of the composition.
Italian Alpini Resting, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: three Italian Alpine troops rest in a rocky gully, their rifles stacked together leaning against a rocky wall to theright. Two are wearing traditional Tyrolean Alpine hats, the other wears a fatigue cap.
Italian Alpini Resting, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a sketch of three Italian Alpine troops resting. Two are wearing traditional Tyrolean Alpine hats, the other wears a fatigue cap.
Italian Alpini Digging a Trench, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a sketch of four Italian Alpine troops digging a trench in a steep and wooded hillside. Three figures stand in the trench situated between two trees, one with his spade raised in the act of digging. The fourth stands above them on the edge of the...
Aerial View over the Asiago Plateau, Italy, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a sketch of an aerial view over the Asiago Plateau towards the foothills of the Italian Alps. The aerodrome with its large canvas hangars can be seen below to the right; above and to the left is a village with a church spire. Another village...
Aerial View of a Village on the Asiago Plateau, Italy, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a detailed sketch of an aerial view over a village on the Asagio Plateau, showing the layout of the houses, roads and fields. A farm can be seen in the upper left of the composition.
Cloud Formation over the Italian Alps, Asiago Plateau, Italy, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a sketch of a striking cloud formation over the foothills of the Italian Alps, seen from the flat Asiago Plateau.
View of the Alpine Foothills, Asiago Plateau, Italy, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a view across the flat Asiago plateau, looking towards the craggy foothills of the Italian Alps. Three tents are pitched in the middle distance to the right.
Sketch of the Aerodrome, Asiago Plateau, Italy, 1918
(art) Made by: Carline, Sydney W 1918
image: a sketch of an aerodrome on the Asiago Plateau, Italy. The foothills of the Italian Alps can be seen in the distance. To the centre right of the composition are three temporary canvas 'hangars' for the biplanes sited on the landing strip; another...