• Two members of the Observer Corps chart the movements of aircraft in their sector with a plotting instrument, 29 February 1940.
    © IWM HU 104541
    Battle of Britain

    How the Observer Corps helped win the Battle of Britain

    Could you identify a Messerschmitt 109 at a glance? How about estimating its height? That was the challenge faced by the Observer Corps during the Battle of Britain. Now put your own skills to the test with our Observer Corps Experience.

  • Battle of Britain

    A Few of the Few: RAF Pilots in the Battle of Britain

    The pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain are commonly known as the Few. The term was coined by Winston Churchill during a speech in August 1940. But how much do we know about the individual pilots? Discover more about some of the faces that appear in our collection and their brave exploits during the Second World War.

  • Hermann Goering addressing a group of German pilots before their sortie over England, September 1940.
    Second World War

    How The Luftwaffe Fought The Battle Of Britain

    In 1940, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) was the largest and most formidable air force in Europe. The organisation of the Luftwaffe was very different from that of the Royal Air Force (RAF), which was organised into ‘Commands’ based on function.

  • Operations: Pilots seen running to their aircraft.
    Battle of Britain

    Listen To RAF Pilots Tell The Story Of The Battle Of Britain

    RAF pilots were at the heart of the Battle of Britain. Just 3,000 men stood between Britain and a German invasion – those who Winston Churchill famously called ‘The Few’. From terrifying dogfights in the skies over England, to the impact of heavy losses and extreme fatigue, listen to the memories of the Battle of Britain RAF pilots.

  • A Royal Air Force anniversary parade taking place directly outside Buckingham Palace. Columns of RAF personnel in blue uniform march from left to right. They are watched by fellow RAF personnel and British soldiers in the foreground and by a mixture of civilians and military personnel standing in front of the palace gates.
    IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 3911)
    Battle of Britain

    7 Artworks Of The Battle Of Britain

    As the Battle of Britain raged in the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940, a range of British artists were quick to record and interpret this vital event. Their work was commissioned or purchased by the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC), the body that oversaw the British official war art scheme of the Second World War.

  • The wings belonged to Pilot Officer Frederick Harrold, he was killed in action during the Battle of Britain. Harrold, of Hills Road, Cambridge, was killed on Saturday, 28th September over Deal, Kent, having only just been posted to 501 Squadron two days previously. Harrold was shot down by a MeBf109 and was later interred at St Andrews Churchyard Cemetery, Cherry Hinton.
    Battle of Britain

    These Objects Tell The Story Of One Casualty From The Battle Of Britain

    The Battle of Britain, the aerial struggle between German and British air forces, took place during the late summer and autumn of 1940. During this time hundreds of British and Allied pilots were killed. One of these casualties was pilot Officer Frederick Cecil Harrold, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hurricane Pilot from Cambridge.

  • Sir Hugh Dowding in red superimposed onto a radar station
    © IWM D 1417
    Second World War

    How Hugh Dowding and the RAF won the Battle of Britain

    The Battle of Britain is often defined by images of Spitfires and Messerschmitts duelling in the skies. But what if the deciding factor in this fight for air supremacy was actually based on the ground? IWM Duxford Curator Craig Murray takes a look at the Dowding System and explains how it turned the battle decisively in Britain's favour.

  • 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.
    Battle of Britain

    How Radar Gave Britain The Edge In The Battle Of Britain

    Radar - or radio detecting and ranging - was one of the most important factors in the success of Britain’s air defences during the Battle of Britain.

  • Spitfire pilots pose beside the wreckage of a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, 1940.
    © IWM (CH 2064)
    Second World War

    8 Things You Need To Know About The Battle Of Britain

    The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought over southern England in the summer and autumn of 1940. Here are 8 things you need to know about one of Britain’s most important victories of the Second World War.

  • A Group of Pilots of No. 303 Fighter Squadron
    © IWM CH 1533
    Second World War

    The Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain

    The pilots who defended Britain against the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain came from across the globe. The largest foreign contingent to fight in the Battle of Britain were the Polish, and their contribution and skills during the battle have become legendary.

  • Observer Corps thumbnail
    © IWM
    Second World War

    How did the Observer Corps help win the Battle of Britain?

    Just under 3,000 RAF aircrew risked their lives to face the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, yet on the ground, around 30,000 volunteers formed a highly-trained network of aircraft observers working around the clock to support the men in the air.

  • Pilots of No. 19 and No. 616 Squadrons pose alongside a Spitfire at Duxford. Sitting on wing (left to right) are Brian Lane, George Unwin and Francis Brinsden (with Flash the Alsation and Rangy the Spaniel). Front row (left to right) are Bernard Jennings, Colin McFie, Howard Burton and Philip Leckman.
    © IWM CH 1400
    IWM Duxford

    13 Photos Of Duxford And Fowlmere During The Battle Of Britain

    During the Battle of Britain, Duxford and Fowlmere had two main jobs - to protect the Midlands and help the fighters of 11 Group when needed. 11 Group was responsible for the south-east of England, including London, and bore the brunt of the fighting in the summer of 1940. Here are 13 photos that showcase life at Duxford and Fowlmere during the Battle of Britain. 

  • World War Two Photos - Pilots of the Battle of Britain. Brian Lane
    The strain of combat shows on Lane’s face as he consults with his pilots after a sortie. © IWM CH 1366
    Battle of Britain

    7 Pilots Who Flew In The Battle of Britain

    Learn more about some of the pilots who participated in the Battle of Britain in 1940. 

  • Handley Page Hampden of No. 83 Squadron with crew, seated on a loaded bomb trolley at Scampton, 2 October 1940.
    © IWM HU 104656
    Battle of Britain

    How Bomber Command Helped Win The Battle Of Britain

    The RAF's victory over the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 made a German invasion of Britain all but impossible. In his book Bomber Offensive, published in 1947, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Harris wrote that all the credit for preventing the invasion of Britain had been given to Fighter Command.

  • Supermarine Spitfire Mk I of No. 19 Squadron at Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire, 21 September 1940.
    © IWM (CH 1447)
    Second World War

    9 Iconic Aircraft From The Battle Of Britain

    Learn about the RAF Fighter Command’s aircraft during the Battle of Britain from the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, to the Bf 109 (named the best fighter in the world), the 'Flying Pencil' and the infamous ‘Stuka’.