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

WORKER AND WAR-FRONT MAGAZINE ISSUE NO 1 [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Paul Rotha Productions (Production company) 1942-05
A newsreel highlighting the part played by ordinary working men and women in Britain's war effort featuring reports on a scheme to enable women war workers to buy food during working hours, the production of sand filters for aircraft and tank engines, a...
WORKERS' WEEK END [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Elton, Ray (Production individual) 1943-10
Film record of the effort by workers in an aircraft factory to produce a Wellington bomber in 30 hours or less, working voluntarily over one weekend and donating their bonus earnings to the Red Cross Aid to Russia Fund.
THE HARVEST SHALL COME [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Imperial Chemical Industries (Production sponsor) 1942
A film that calls upon the British people to maintain their wartime commitment to agriculture and the prosperity and well-being of everyone who works on the land after the war by telling the story of Tom Grimwood, an ordinary Suffolk farm labourer...
CEMA [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Dickinson, Desmond (Production individual) 1942
A documentary released in September 1942 about the precursor to the Arts Council, the wartime Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), featuring an introduction by education minister R A Butler, an art exhibition in a factory and live...
WORKER AND WAR-FRONT MAGAZINE ISSUE NO 3 [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Paul Rotha Productions (Production company) 1942-11
A newsreel highlighting the part played by ordinary working men and women in Britain's war effort featuring reports about the speedy unloading of ships' cargoes by Britain's dockers, the unexpected benefits of the scrap metal drive for ordinary Britons,...
BRITAIN CAN TAKE IT [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Jones, Jonah (Production individual) 1940-11
A version of LONDON CAN TAKE IT re-edited for exhibition in American cinemas in order to drum up support for Britain at a time when isolationist sentiment was still strong in the USA.
WORKER AND WAR-FRONT MAGAZINE ISSUE No 11 [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Paul Rotha Productions (Production company) 1944-04
A wartime newsreel highlighting the part played by ordinary working men and women in Britain's war effort featuring a report on the manufacture of portable wire mesh tracking, a 'Make Do and Mend' exchange scheme for children's clothing and a short...
WORKER AND WAR-FRONT MAGAZINE ISSUE NO 12 [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Paul Rotha Productions (Production company) 1944-09-01
A wartime newsreel highlighting the part played by ordinary working men and women in Britain's war effort featuring an exhibition on the plans for the post-war reconstruction of a London borough, how a female Post Office worker persuaded her employers to...
SECURITY [Allocated Title]
(film) Made by: Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company) 1942-10-27
Supplies and troops going onto ships at Carlett Park, Birkenhead, Merseyside for the North Africa landings (Operation Torch).
RECORDS [Allocated Title]
(film) Made by: Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company) 1942-10-29
Troops going onto ships at Carlett Park, Birkenhead, Merseyside for the North Africa landings (Operation Torch).