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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FILLING THE GAP [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Meyer, Ernst H (Production individual) 1942-04
A Halas and Batchelor cartoon, explaining the food situation in Britain.
NEWSPAPER TRAIN [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Meyer, Ernst H (Production individual) 1941
An impression of the work involved in getting newspapers out of London to newsagents, a service that continued throughout the 'Blitz' ("even during the worst raids they never failed").
THEY ALSO SERVE [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Halsted, H G (Production individual) 1940-12
A tribute to the 'housewives of Britain', in the format of a day in the life of a 'typical' household during wartime centring around the mother/housewife's rôle.
CAMERAMEN AT WAR [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Ashwood, Terry (Production individual) 1943-11
A tribute to the cameramen of the newsreel companies and the service film units, in the form of a compilation of film of the cameramen themselves and some of their most dramatic film.
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...
PEOPLE AT WAR - A SEAMAN'S STORY [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Realist (Production company) 1943
The courage and service of the British merchant seaman, typified by the story of a Newfoundlander who had been torpedoed four times, related in an interview in his room as he packs for a new trip.
A VISIT FROM CANADA [Main Title]
(film) Made by: National Film Board of Canada (Production sponsor) 1941-05
A short film on the time passed by the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in winter quarters in "Weystone", a fictional English village (actually Godstone, Surrey).
DUSTBIN PARADE [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Meyer, Ernst H (Production individual) 1942-10
A Halas and Batchelor cartoon on the need for scrap.
KILL OR BE KILLED [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Goring, Marius (Production cast) 1942
A fictional film of a sniping incident with a strong element of instructional purpose.
FRENCH TOWN : September 1944 [Main Title]
(film) Made by: Alwyn, William (Production individual) 1945
Portrait of a French town immediately after the liberation.