The Battle of Britain

Page 3 of 6

• 1. The Battle of Britain 1940
• 2. The combatants
• 3. Strategy and fact
• 4. The fighting
• 5. The victory
• 6. Find out more
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Strategy and fact

The RAF's high performance fighters were the Hawker Hurricane, the mainstay of its effort, and the Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire was faster and more manoeuvrable but the Hurricane carried slightly more ammunition, was a more stable gun platform, and was absolutely lethal against the German bombers.

At the time, these aircraft were the best the respective sides could produce. Had the Germans had the Focke-Wulf 190 in their armoury - it was eventually introduced in mid 1941 - that might have made a real difference. The Germans had no heavy four-engined bomber of the type being developed by the British and US. These bombers were used in the great Allied bombing offensives later in the war.

'Churchill resented Dowding's independence.'

The Battle of Britain began on 30 June 1940. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göering, head of the Luftwaffe, ordered his force to draw the RAF into battle by attacking coastal convoys and bombing radar stations along the south coast, installations of the British aircraft industry, and RAF airfields. This dilution of effort, which became more marked as the battle progressed, was one of the principal reasons why the Luftwaffe eventually lost the battle.

The short range of the German aircraft and the fact that they were fighting over enemy territory were two major disadvantages for the Germans. A downed German pilot was lost to Germany, and a damaged aircraft was likely to ditch in the sea - whereas damaged RAF aircraft could limp home, or land somewhere friendly, and downed RAF pilots parachuted onto English fields. They were returned to their units almost immediately, not infrequently after a spell in the pub.

The head of the British fighter command since 1937 was Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, who had been involved in the procurement of both the Spitfire and the Hurricane aircraft, and in the development of radar.

He had resisted demands by Churchill to send his fighter reserve to France, holding it back for the defence of the UK, and refused to commit it in large numbers to defending sea convoys. Both decisions were subsequently proved to have been good ones, but Churchill resented Dowding's independence of mind.

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Published: 2000-11-01