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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Tank Trap, 1979
(art) Made by: Stevens, Norman 1979
image: in the immediate foreground is a tank trap, a structure designed to prevent the movement of hostile tanks in the event of an invasion, set amongst a pile of large grey rocks. This structure appears to be placed on a stony beach, with a few...
A CH (Chain Home) Radar Station on the East Coast
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: Standard steel transmitter towers in the foreground with wooden receiver towers in the background. In the foreground are piles of tires, some vegetation and a line of barbed wire fencing.
An Interception CHL (Chain Home Low) Radar Station
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: a radar station with a metal framed radar mast reaching up into the sky surrounded by several trucks. To the right another mast, a large radar dish and two men in blue overalls are visible.
A CHEL (Chain Home Extra Low) Radar Station
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1945
image: a radar station at the top of a rocky cliff. The radar equipment is mounted on a metal frame with a green nissen hut beneath it. To the right a smaller hut with a radar dish on top of it is visible. Two men in blue overalls are also visible.
A CHL (Chain Home Low) Radar Station
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: a radar station at the top of a cliff with the sea visible to the left. There is a large radar mounted on a metal frame with a green truck in front of it and two personnel to the right.
An OBOE/9000 Ground Radar Station
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: a radar station with two metal frame mounted radars amidst a series of nissen huts surrounded by red brick walls. In the foreground is a green military truck and a group of personnel in dark uniform.
A Type CH (Chain Home) Station on the West Coast
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: Three tall pylons standing in an open landscape. There is a row of trees at the bottom of the composition, and more tall pylons in the distance.
Early warning radar site - RAF Neatishead
(art) Made by: George, Patrick 1981
image: A summer view across a field of crops to a radar site.
A 'Type 16' Fighter Direction Radar Station
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: A 'Type 16' Fighter Direction Radar Station in silhouette against an early morning sky.
A 'Final' GCI (Ground-controlled Interception) Radar Station
(art) Made by: Rawlinson, William Thomas 1946
image: Three large radars positioned in a field. Two figures in overalls stand at the base of the radar in the foreground, while another man can be seen near the radar behind.