Bravery Sacrifice Freedom th ANNIVERSARY The Falkland Islands In 1940 the Falkland Islands seized their chance to contribute in a material 70 years later the Government and people of the Falkland Islands continue way to the war effort, by donating over £70,000 to the British Government. to cherish our close ties with the United Kingdom, and to support the work of The money was used for the purchase of ten Spitfire aircraft, which bore the the British Armed Forces. We will always be grateful for the sacrifices made name ‘Falkland Islands’ on each side of the fuselage beneath the cockpit. in 1982, and cherish ‘the sound of freedom’ as Royal Air Force jets traverse our skies. The Falkland Islands contribute to A message of thanks and a formal citation their defence by building quarters for married was received by the Falkland Islands personnel and constructing a large swimming Government from Lord Beaverbrook, Minister pool for the garrison. of Aircraft Production: ‘In the hour of peril the Legislative Council for the Falkland Islands Today the Falklands economy is prospering: earned the gratitude of the British Nations, it is based on fishing, tourism and agriculture, sustaining the valour of the Royal Air Force but diversification is strongly encouraged, for and fortifying the cause of freedom by the gift example into aquaculture and web-based of ten fighter aircraft.’ business. Potential off-shore oil reserves may provide an additional source of income and Islanders also played their part by welcoming employment in the future. and working with the naval squadrons and army garrisons based in the Falkland Islands during both world wars, and by enlisting (then and since) Falkland Islanders are united in our desire to continue to exercise our right to fight alongside their British peers. Each year Remembrance Sunday is of self-determination by choosing internal self government as an Overseas commemorated in Stanley, as it is in every town and village throughout the Territory of the United Kingdom, and through our way of life to reflect our British Isles. British origins. Remembering the Battle of Britain, supporting and celebrating the achievements of the British Armed Forces F.I. Government Air Service 1982 Liberation Monument Gathering in sheep Visiting cruise ship Ocean Guardian Fishing for squid Stanley waterfront 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain Editor Richard Morris Printed by Headley Brothers Group Editorial Director Claire Manuel ISBN: 978-1-906940-19-5 Managing Editor Lauren Rose-Smith Editorial Consultants Wg Cdr Paul Owens Published in association with Royal Air Force Media and Jay Myers Communications, Headquarters Air Command Robert Owen www.raf.mod.uk Dr Michael Fopp Sub-Editors Nick Gordon Samantha Guerrini Group Art Director David Cooper Art Editors Zac Casey Nicky Macro James White By Newsdesk Communications Ltd Group Sales Director Andrew Howard 5th Floor, 130 City Road, London EC1V 2NW Sales Manager, Defence Peter Barron Tel: +44 (0) 20 7650 1600 Sales Executives Duncan Green Fax: +44 (0) 20 7650 1609 John Radley www.newsdeskmedia.com Julian Taylor Richard Verden Client Relations Director Natalie Cleur Deputy Chief Executive Hugh Robinson Publisher and Chief Executive Alan Spence Newsdesk Communications Ltd publishes a wide range of business and customer publications. For further information Acknowledgements please contact Natalie Cleur, Client Relations Director, or Estate of David G Collyer and The History Press for material derived from Deal & Alan Spence, Chief Executive. District at War; Val Horsler; Mrs Edith Kup for quotations from the copy of the diary of Denis Wissler in Leeds University Archive; the words of Denis Robinson are Newsdesk Communications Ltd is quoted from his typescript recollections in Leeds University Archive. a Newsdesk Media Group company. © 2010. The entire contents of this publication are protected by copyright. All rights Images reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, Air Historical Branch (RAF); Bundesarchiv; Corbis; English Heritage/National or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Monuments Record; Estate of Christopher Currant; William Foot; Getty; recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. 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WWW.RAF.MOD.UK 3 Contents BRAVERY - SACRIFICE - FREEDOM FOREWORDS EDITORIAL 11 HM the Queen 29 Introduction Richard Holmes 13 We will remember Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton KCB ADC BSc FRAeS 32 Things to come CCMI RAF, Chief of the Air Staff Clive Richards 19 Editor’s preface 38 To conquer Britain? Richard Morris Clive Richards 23 Lessons from history 44 Spirit of the age Dr Michael Fopp, Richard Morris Director General of the RAF Museum from 1988 to 2010 49 Britain observed Clive Richards WWW.RAF.MOD.UK 5 70 YEARS ON AND WE’RE STILL SERVING OUR COUNTRY The Marksman, a Mark Vb Spitfi re, purchased for the RAF with £5,000 donated by Marks & Spencer. www.marksandspencer.com 56 Wednesday 10 July Robert Owen 62 The Luftwaffe Clive Richards 68 Britain’s air defence system Clive Richards 76 Aerial creatures Robert Owen 82 Leaders and leadership Clive Richards 86 Thursday 8 August Robert Owen 93 Airfields Colin Dobinson 96 Searching the skies Colin Dobinson 100 Thursday 15 August Robert Owen 109 Barricading Britain William Foot 114 Twisting roads and making ready Richard Morris WWW.RAF.MOD.UK 7 SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. THE POWER OF THE NETWORK. Enabling real-time decision making Today’s war-fi ghter needs real-time situational awareness. 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C 3ISR > GOVERNMENT SERVICES > AM&M > SPECIALIZED PRODUCTS L-3com.com/csw Communication Systems–West 117 Friday 30 August Robert Owen 122 Carrying on Richard Morris 128 Paddle-steamers, pies and peppermint rock Neil Hanson 132 The golden thread of hope Sir Martin Gilbert 137 Against invasion Robert Owen 142 Weathers Robert Owen 145 Saturday 7 September Robert Owen 150 Around the edges Clive Richards 154 Sunday 15 September Robert Owen 158 October Robert Owen 163 Eagles in the burning blue John Michaelson 166 On into the night Clive Richards 171 Commemoration Hazel Crozier 177 Landscape and memory Hazel Crozier, William Foot and Richard Morris 180 Burning bright Richard Holmes 184 Shot down 185 Glossary 186 Index of advertisers WWW.RAF.MOD.UK 9 WWW.RAF.MOD.UK 11 Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton KCB ADC BSc FRAeS CCMI RAF, Chief of the Air Staff We will remember THE BATTLE OF Britain was that rarest Britain and ultimately laid the of events, a battle named before it had foundation to free Europe from the begun and commemorated almost scourge of Nazism. before it was over. Seventy years on, In this truly epic struggle, Fighter the importance of it shows no sign of Command bore the brunt of the lessening. Rather the opposite: hardly fighting. As you will read in the pages a year goes by without the publication that follow, the Battle was won as of some new perspective on the much by technology as in the air: events of 1940. through the devoted efforts of ground Reviewing great events of the past crew, the men and women who is part of the historian’s invaluable operated Radio Direction Finding (RDF business and the summer of 1940 – the original name for radar) stations, certainly saw an epic clash. Given operations rooms and airfields, and Germany’s naval weakness it was the work of the Observer Corps. only through the exercise of air Yet Fighter Command did not fight power that the Nazis could bring alone. Coastal Command ceaselessly pressure to bear and either force patrolled the approaches to our shores Britain to make peace, or bypass and the sea-lanes beyond, and Britain’s sea power and mount an photographed German activity day by In this truly epic struggle, invasion. Whichever of these paths day. At large cost, Bomber Command Hitler took, air superiority over attacked and sank some 10 per cent of Fighter Command bore southern England and the Channel Germany’s invasion shipping and was the prerequisite. By denying that harassed the Luftwaffe’s aerodromes. the brunt of the fighting supremacy, the Royal Air Force saved Training Command, the aircraft industry WWW.RAF.MOD.UK 13 and the civilian repair facilities provided during the Battle of Britain the front British; in all about one-fifth of them a steady stream of pilots and aircraft to line was everywhere and involved were from countries in the replace the often heavy losses.