Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority - Air Force ...

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The Royal Air Force and
the Battle of Britain
Robin High am
Great Britain approached the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940
from an entirely different position than did Germany. It was not merely that
the British were conscious of being in a markedly inferior position and thus
on the defensive, but it was also that they were still developing a grand
strategy.' Only in 1938 had prewar military expansion begun to reflect the
Air Staff's demand for reserves of both machines and manpower so that the
Royal Air Force (RAF) could project a real measure of air power. The task
was by no means complete when the Second World War opened in September
1939.
Moreover, the road to the battlefield was from 1934 constantly under
reconstruction. First, there was the technological revolution, yielding aircraft
changes over the next five years from wood, steel, and canvas
biplanes to all-metal monoplanes with retractable undercarriages, variablepitch
propellers, and high-octane gasoline engines, as well as enclosed
cockpits with radios. Soon radar was introduced. Second, there was the
sudden switch in potential enemies for Great Britain, from France back to
Germany, with the corresponding need to relocate the RAF from facing
south to looking east and rethink operational needs. Third, the division of
the Metropolitan Air Force at home into commands took place in 1936, at
the same time the number of personnel was being dramatically expanded.
However, it was not until 1938 that pilot training was seriously addressed.
Fourth, the mobilization of industry and the economy was held in check
until after Hitler invaded Austria in the spring of 1938, when business as
usual was finally abandoned.
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