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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Collections search

Women in the Navy - Paintings and Drawings by Eileen Hogan
(posters) Made by: Imperial War Museum (publisher/sponsor) 1984
No description available
Sailors - Life on the Ocean Wave in the Second World War
(posters) Made by: Imperial War Museum (publisher/sponsor) 1984
No description available
Imperial War Museum
(posters) Made by: Unknown (artist) 1973
PST 20512 is a variant of this design with a different image
Charles Sargeant Jagger - Centenary Exhibition 1885-1985
(posters) Made by: McAlinden, Paul (artist) 1985
image: Photograph of Charles Sargeant Jagger's bronze 'The Driver' (Maquette) c.1925. Against a white background. Flanked either side by a thick black/red strip with details of the exhibition down either outer edge. The bronze 'stands' on a thick green...
Overlord - a film by Stuart Cooper
(posters) Made by: EMI (publisher/sponsor) 1975
image: photographic montage: graveyard with white crosses, a young couple facing each other, soldiers in an assault on a beach, dead soldier on a beach text: A FILM BY STUART COOPER OVERLORD Produced by James Quinn and presented by the Imperial War...
Poets of the First World War [exhibition]
(posters) Made by: Nash, John (RA) (artist) 1974
image:Divided into two. Top half blue block with white type reversed out giving details of exhibition. Bottom half a detail from a John Nash painting entitled 'Over the top' text: Poets of the first World War. Edmund Blunden, Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen...
Poets of the First World War [exhibition]
(posters) Made by: Branfield, P (designer) 1974
No description available
Imperial War Museum
(posters) Made by: Eckersley, Tom (artist) 1981
whole: the image fills the lower half of the design with text in green and black above. All is set against a white background. image: the profile of a soldier wearing a camouflaged helmet. The helmet is black and lying over the top are stylised branches...
Imperial War Museum
(posters) Made by: Eckersley, Tom (artist) 1990
PST 9202 is the master copy of a smaller (large) format version, produced in 1981
Imperial War Museum
(posters) Made by: Eckersley, Tom (artist) 1990
PST 9202 is the master copy of a smaller (large) format version, produced in 1981