The Battle of Britain

RAF Duxford in the Battle of Britain

Pilots of No. 310 (Czech) Squadron; No. 310 Squadron was formed at Duxford in July 1940. Gordon Sinclair said of the Czechs he commanded: '...they were anxious to fly, and anxious to get at the enemy, very anxious, probably more than we were...they didn't like the Germans.' Six of the pilots in this photograph did not survive the war. Seated, left to right, are Vilem Göth, Jaroslav Maly, Gordon Sinclair, John Boulton, Jerrard Jefferies, Stanislav Zimprich, Jan Kaucky, Frantisek Rypl, Emil Fechtner and Vaclav Bergman. Standing, left to right, are Svatopluk Janouch, Josef Vopalecky, Raimund Puda, Karel Seda, Bohumir Furst, and Rudolf Zima.

Pilots of No. 310 (Czech) Squadron

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No. 310 Squadron was formed at Duxford in July 1940. Gordon Sinclair said of the Czechs he commanded: '...they were anxious to fly, and anxious to get at the enemy, very anxious, probably more than we were...they didn't like the Germans.' Six of the pilots in this photograph did not survive the war. Seated, left to right, are Vilem Göth, Jaroslav Maly, Gordon Sinclair, John Boulton, Jerrard Jefferies, Stanislav Zimprich, Jan Kaucky, Frantisek Rypl, Emil Fechtner and Vaclav Bergman. Standing, left to right, are Svatopluk Janouch, Josef Vopalecky, Raimund Puda, Karel Seda, Bohumir Furst, and Rudolf Zima.

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During the Battle of Britain, RAF Duxford was a Sector Station in 12 Group, responsible for defending the Midlands and East Anglia. It also controlled a temporary satellite airfield at nearby Fowlmere.

At various times over the summer of 1940...

During the Battle of Britain, RAF Duxford was a Sector Station in 12 Group, responsible for defending the Midlands and East Anglia. It also controlled a temporary satellite airfield at nearby Fowlmere.

At various times over the summer of 1940, several units operated from the two airfields, equipped mainly with Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires. The pilots came from several different countries, including Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United States. Fifteen lost their lives in the Battle.

As the fighting intensified, Duxford's squadrons were called on to support 11 Group’s defence of London and the South East. The station found itself at the centre of a controversy, an argument between two of the RAF’s most senior commanders about how the Battle should be fought. Essentially, this boiled down to whether or not fighters should be used in large formations, an idea that evolved at Duxford and became known as the 'Big Wing'.

Sometimes the Duxford Big Wing of up to five squadrons of 60 aircraft was successful. It certainly boosted the morale of the pilots who flew with it and showed the Germans that the RAF was still a force to be reckoned with. But sometimes it failed to respond to requests for support in time, leaving 11 Group's airfields open to attack. Even at the height of the Battle, this caused tension at the highest levels of the RAF.

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  • Interior of the Sector 'G' Operations Room at Duxford, Cambridgeshire

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    Interior of the Sector 'G' Operations Room at Duxford, Cambridgeshire; The call-signs of fighter squadrons controlled by this sector can be seen on the wall behind the operator sitting third from left. Duxford's Station Commander, 'Woody' Woodhall (not shown here) was widely regarded as one of the finest fighter controllers in the RAF. He formed a very close working relationship with Douglas Bader. Woodhall went on to command RAF Tangmere, where Bader led another wing of fighters. Later he successfully controlled fighters in the great air battles over Malta in 1942.

  • The RAF Duxford Operations Room in 1940

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    The RAF Duxford Operations Room in 1940; It was from here that Duxford's fighters were directed into combat. The Women's Auxiliary Air Force 'plotters' had a vital job, updating the map to show where friendly and enemy aircraft were, giving the controllers - led by Station Commander 'Woody' Woodhall - an overall picture of what was happening.

  • Douglas Bader and No. 242 Squadron

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    Douglas Bader and No. 242 Squadron; Douglas Bader and the mainly Canadian pilots of his No. 242 Squadron. 242 had fought in the Battle of France, and morale was very low before Bader arrived to take command. He soon won them round, and made the squadron a successful fighting unit. Bader brought a former No. 19 Squadron colleague in to help him run the squadron – George Ball (third from right). Several of the pilots in this photograph rose to higher positions in the RAF, such as Percival Stanley Turner (third from left) and Denis Crowley-Milling (far left).

  • No. 19 Squadron pilots at Fowlmere

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    No. 19 Squadron pilots at Fowlmere; Pictured left to right are Wallace Cunningham, Arthur Giles Blake and Francis Brinsden. Although conditions at Fowlmere were much more primitive than Duxford, the pilots made the best of the facilities. No. 19 Squadron's daily diary recorded on 24 July stated: 'Now with six [Nissen huts] established, we continued the good work of 264 Squadron and settled down to enjoy the excellent messing facilities.'

  • Armourer Fred Roberts

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    Armourer Fred Roberts; Armourer Fred Roberts rearms the machine guns on Sgt Bernard Jennings's Spitfire at Fowlmere in September 1940. No. 19 Squadron had been given a new type of Spitfire in June 1940 – the Mk IB. This was fitted with two heavy 20 mm cannon, with much more destructive power than machine guns. Unfortunately, the cannons were very unreliable, and would often jam. Eventually the pilots asked for their cannon-armed Spitfires to be taken away, and they were replaced with machine-gun-armed aircraft.

  • Walter 'Farmer' Lawson, Brian 'Sandy' Lane, and George 'Grumpy' Unwin, 27 September 1940.

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    Walter 'Farmer' Lawson, Brian 'Sandy' Lane, and George 'Grumpy' Unwin, 27 September 1940.; Brian Lane was No. 19 Squadron's fourth Commanding Officer in less than 12 months. All three men had been in heavy combat that day, and Lane had also experienced difficulties with his aircraft. By this stage of the battle, both Unwin and Lane had already been decorated for bravery. Lawson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross two months later. Tragically, Lane was killed later that year in December. Lawson went on to command No. 19 Squadron after Brian Lane. He was killed in August 1941.

  • King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Duxford

    King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Duxford; In December 1940, the contribution of Duxford's Czech pilots was recognised by the visit of their president. Later, on 16 January 1941, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the station. Over the period of the battle, a large number of Duxford's pilots were decorated for valour. The King presented several more pilots with awards on his visit, which included a tour of the station and lunch in the Officers' Mess.

  • The Duxford Big Wing

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    The Duxford Big Wing; Douglas Bader invited an Air Ministry photographer, Stanley Devon, to take photographs of his Duxford Big Wing. He was given a Bristol Blenheim and a pilot to fly him, and tried to photograph Bader's unit in action. This photograph shows part of the Wing overtaking Devon's aircraft. Wings were not only used in 12 Group. Squadrons further south in 11 Group were sometimes sent into battle together. But Bader’s idea was to use three and sometimes five squadrons together – hence the term 'Big Wing'.

  • Douglas Bader, by E H Kennington

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    Douglas Bader, by E H Kennington; Pastel drawing of Douglas Bader, 1940, by E H Kennington. Bader lost his legs in a flying accident in 1931. He left the RAF, but rejoined in 1939 when war broke out, becoming famous as the pilot with 'tin legs'. He was very popular with the commander of 12 Group, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, who supported him and allowed Bader to lead the Duxford 'Big Wing'.