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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Adjusting Tanks at Dollis Hill, London, 1918
(art) Made by: Adeney, W Bernard 1918
image: four men at work on a Mark IV tank at the Experimental Depot for Tanks at Dollis Hill. They appear to be working on replacing the tank's tracks. The tank is parked within a metal framed gantry, with a moveable winch above. This is outside a large...
A Whippet Tank - The Experimental Ground, Dollis Hill, London, N.W.
(art) Made by: Adeney, W Bernard 1918
image: a light Whippet Tank, shown side on and facing left, being winched by a heavy tank. A man stands on the Whippet Tank behind the turret supervising the winching operation. In the left background another tank stands on the rough ground. A group of...
"C'est la Guerre!", 1916, Portfolio of Six Prints
(art) Made by: Vallotton, Félix Edouard 1916
image: two dead soldiers lie on the ground amongst a mass of barbed wire secured in the ground with wooden pegs. A rifle lies by the side of the foremost soldier. There is a starry nightsky above.
"C'est la Guerre!", 1916, Portfolio of Six Prints
(art) Made by: Vallotton, Félix Edouard 1916
image: a view of a French defensive position on the Western Front, assembled from a mixture of barbed wire and various objects. These include a cheval de frise, a ladder, wooden barrels, a watering can, a bucket, boxes and planks of wood. A French...
"C'est la Guerre!", 1916, Portfolio of Six Prints
(art) Made by: Vallotton, Félix Edouard 1916
image: a riotous scene with two women, partly dressed in newly acquired items of German uniform, dancing in the centre, one of whom wears a corset and holds a candle. To the left two German soldiers fight, one brandishing a bottle. To the right another...
"C'est la Guerre!", 1916, Portfolio of Six Prints
(art) Made by: Vallotton, Félix Edouard 1916
image: a large mine explodes immediately in front of a trench on a Western Front battlefield. The helmets and bayonets of infantrymen are visible along the length of the trench. No Man's Land is a mass of shellholes and the sky is dominated by smoke.
"C'est la Guerre!", 1916, Portfolio of Six Prints
(art) Made by: Vallotton, Félix Edouard 1916
image: two soldiers, one wearing a German pickelhaube, grapple with each other, both holding knives above their heads. They are rendered largely in black against a black background, only outlined in small white details. This is contrasted with the head...