The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

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RAF FIGHTER COMMAND ORDER OF BATTLEGroups and squadrons, 8 August 1940 (0900 hours)(Sector stations in italic)
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Page 4: The author and publisher have provi
Page 8 and 9: ContentsList of Maps and FiguresNot
Page 10 and 11: 47 Exhaustion48 Last FlightPostscri
Page 22: LUFTWAFFE ORDER OF BATTLE IN THE WE
Page 26 and 27: Introduction‘THE BATTLE OF BRITAI
Page 30 and 31: 1First FlightSUNDAY, 5 MAY 1940, a
Page 32 and 33: feet wide - but even for a man of d
Page 34: Force had meant that he could work
Page 37 and 38: French windows looking out on to a
Page 39 and 40: Hitler might have been sure of its
Page 41 and 42: Despite this, despite the hindrance
Page 43 and 44: Securities and Exchange Committee.
Page 45 and 46: the Labour leader, nor Arthur Green
Page 47 and 48: he believed, if Churchill was PM wh
Page 49 and 50: le Mérite, or, as it was more wide
Page 51: Now, on the evening of 9 May, the b
Page 54 and 55: newsreels around the world relaying
Page 56 and 57: Although both Feldmarschall Wilhelm
Page 58 and 59: settlement that the army Chief had
Page 60 and 61: helped by a particularly vicious wi
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the elite, crack units the rest of
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General’s three panzer divisions
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meet the northern thrust. This part
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chateau that served as General HQ,
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and along the Northwest Frontier, f
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Nonetheless, it wasn’t all bad, a
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by layers of obstacles, was named a
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Indeed, the Germans were providing
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the Netherlands had been invaded an
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5The First Clash in the AirADOLF HI
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and his ideals, he became his new f
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regime, Göring was always able to
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However, because of its greater sha
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At the mess, no-one was quite sure
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full weight of the Luftwaffe was re
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young man, Julius had no particular
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once more. The rest of the pilots,
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all types of aircraft. The commande
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6Breakthrough‘MORNING REPORTS SHO
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‘Hardly had the first boats been
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Reinhardt’s divisions became incr
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He was determined to cross at Sedan
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command car and hurried to Gaulier
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Initially, he panicked, and althoug
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slopes of Hill 301. But Balck had b
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7Inside the Third ReichIT WAS TRUE
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gathered as usually happens when bi
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September there had been a particul
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no longer for sale. Germans - even
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particularly tough PR task trying t
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German people which was imposed upo
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charge of defence policy. His right
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who had in turn been talking to a m
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were earmarked for Norway and four
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through, for example - as the forme
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Type 300 and reckoned would have a
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much larger armaments manufacturer,
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enemies who would later come back a
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It was no good blubbing, however. A
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Oberleutnant Siegfried Bethke was o
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mass of the French armour fought a
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was not equipped to deal with the u
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offensive. Clearly, if this hinge c
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became like a rabbit trapped in hea
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England as well. By 11 May, the Hom
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1,500 acres between Tonbridge and E
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Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee en
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armaments that he envisaged would b
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as a leading interventionist. There
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11Learning the LessonsOBERLEUTNANT
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through ninety degrees, the fighter
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In 1940, the best pilots also neede
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Günther recognized them immediatel
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Feldmarschall Hermann Göring had l
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had known each other for some time;
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crashed his aircraft and was killed
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support of the ground forces, rathe
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12What to Do for the BestCERTAINLY
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Farben Werke at Dormagen hit only a
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done what the CO had asked of them
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pilot, who not only taught him a gr
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Luftwaffe at that time. He was sudd
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Thus, in an abrupt change of heart,
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13New AppointmentsMAJOR-GENERAL HEN
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river with barely a shot fired. Hal
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bolstering the position in France,
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widespread break in morale. As Jose
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accept the job, which was officiall
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14DecisionsTHE MIRACLE HAD HAPPENED
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Despite their assurances, however,
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being surrounded before it could fa
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England. Beforehand, the Führer ha
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such distances, they had given them
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As at the Meuse, getting safely acr
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were the Allied troops there going
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battalions from 50th Division had b
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camouflaged enemy trucks. Then spot
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one of the Messerschmitts, Tony clo
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his parents on 15 May, ‘however,
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Even so, neither the news emerging
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Plan and turning the blame on to Go
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16CrisisTHE AMERICAN JOURNALIST Wil
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corridor in which the BEF and Frenc
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General Jodl, OKW Chief of Staff, t
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circumstances - after all, where co
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them they were about to throw in th
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By now, the argument between Church
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17Black MondayMEANWHILE, IN BERLIN
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badly hit that it was felt, for the
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aircraft since the campaign had beg
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formed up and was at around 12,000
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fell from 9,000 feet. Afterwards, h
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What Chamberlain was saying, Church
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that day. The threat remained, howe
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followed a lead, they arrived to di
Page 267 and 268:
Blanchard still felt the situation
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Back in Britain, there was, as plan
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yards out into the sea. The western
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countermanded. ‘And we dashed off
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needed to prepare themselves for th
Page 278 and 279:
more abandoned vehicles.’ These w
Page 281 and 282:
By mid-morning the trucks were load
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recovered and applied to join the R
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few engagements, to discover a sudd
Page 287 and 288:
Andrew. ‘There was continuous bom
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The last line of defence south of D
Page 292 and 293:
mainly conversational) loose ends l
Page 294 and 295:
The King was right: the evacuation
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over. A gable of the building was h
Page 299 and 300:
Commanding, Lieutenant-Colonel Alle
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Stan managed to find himself alloca
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21Dunkirk: The EndLORD GORT WAS NOW
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other planes, but swirling spectral
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and noticed the enemy fighters were
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that moment that the Blenheims arri
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French, a long dark column of weary
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tank that began firing towards them
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evacuation. No-one was quite sure h
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fighting over France had only been
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of Europe and many old and famous S
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Despite these arguments and the opp
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both he and the rest of the French
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effort it was not until late aftern
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calm, but the haze meant visibility
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survive. To achieve that, he had be
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muttered, ‘won’t have to go as
Page 338 and 339:
The second part of Case Red, the at
Page 340 and 341:
will go on fighting,’ he jotted,
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Churchill at this hour of need, ‘
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quickly,’ wrote Christa Schroeder
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peace treaty without having to go t
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granted a strip of land between the
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years. The army, too, was to expand
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earliest available opportunity. Ano
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autobahns. ‘Führer has again emp
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bath and slept better than she imag
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and defiance - the spirit - that Da
Page 362 and 363:
he was told he was going back. Asid
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Britain’s history he had a duty t
Page 366 and 367:
and German troops they now had no a
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26Getting ReadyAS ONE OF THE PRIME
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Finally, there was category 6, appl
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of his plans over which he had worr
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fields. Billy Drake was also back i
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Ministry authorized the establishme
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crackling sound. What they were hea
Page 382 and 383:
Trouble at Sea: Part 1‘TOMORROW A
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In this he was correct, but already
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Scharnhorst, and the giant battlesh
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Hitler scrapped the Z Plan and orde
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Although he had demonstrated his pr
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but in fact the majority of the shi
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The assault on the west had been a
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was to let Britain stew, and then m
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although many never claimed their h
Page 401 and 402:
GPO also created a separate network
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With all the different links in the
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29
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remarked to the Second Officer, ‘
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seaman had taken over from him so h
Page 412 and 413:
While Foylebank had been heroically
Page 414 and 415:
there suddenly silhouetted against
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However, from the British perspecti
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frequently scanning his instrument
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conversation here.’ He had just r
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‘well-developed defence forces of
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now re-designated I/JG 52 - was inv
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It was not until 12 June that RV go
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him to ask him some points of detai
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fighter range. This was a somewhat
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warnings, these two flew steadily o
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three had signalled his position, b
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numerical superiority. Even so, onl
Page 441 and 442:
Yet although it was principally 10
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aircraft was struggling out over th
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32Peace OfferingsAFTER HITLER’S T
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crossing’. Separate raids on the
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Blue), on which he had drawn on his
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and the Luftwaffe General Staff, it
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war.’ Despite the usual euphoric
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33The BesiegedCECIL BEATON HAD LEFT
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Nicolson, ‘that our anti-rumour c
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and the army. It looked good to him
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Churchill, however, was the army’
Page 465 and 466:
on the point of collapse. That was
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and his ministers realized. Britain
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standing up, another sitting, and t
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Staffel commander, Herbert Fermer,
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take his theoretical work seriously
Page 476 and 477:
Meanwhile, both 54 and 64 Squadrons
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was accepted that Dover should no l
Page 480:
although largely because Fighter Co
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resources. In any case, it was the
Page 485 and 486:
‘Getting bombs onto the target wa
Page 487 and 488:
on which William Shirer was one of
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was another bang of flak. Darting b
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other hand, he had to consider the
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36The Wall of EnglandTHE NEWLY PROM
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All this Raeder repeated at the Fü
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at different heights, and many floa
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cutters, which would then sever the
Page 503 and 504:
been held there over the ensuing da
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August Dowding had fifty-eight squa
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Now, at a little before 11 a.m., Fr
Page 510 and 511:
37AdlertagWHEN ULRICH STEINHILPER t
Page 512 and 513:
Around 8 a.m., Walter was leading h
Page 514 and 515:
destroy than had originally been ex
Page 516 and 517:
The unexpected cloud had not preven
Page 518 and 519:
about this,’ he noted, ‘though
Page 520:
Back at Dinard, the grim truth was
Page 523 and 524:
intrigues was not to his taste. One
Page 525 and 526:
told him on reading the terms about
Page 527 and 528:
noted Jan, ‘when all of us had al
Page 529 and 530:
Although Luftwaffe claims remained
Page 531 and 532:
officer, said, ‘Ah, Herr Oberst,
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and threes, the pilots heard the co
Page 535 and 536:
crossing the sky, sometimes an airc
Page 537 and 538:
Walter and his men were now in deep
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39The Hardest DayON 14 AUGUST, Gene
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great deal very quickly and it was
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raiders had attempted to hit Odiham
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‘There they are!’ exclaimed Moy
Page 548 and 549:
Stumbling backwards he was struck b
Page 550 and 551:
gushed through the gap and suddenly
Page 553 and 554:
40Bombs on BerlinHILDA MÜLLER MIGH
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Udet had become fixated with the id
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had been a major disaster. As of no
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disposal to the defeat of the enemy
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at the limits of their range, strug
Page 564 and 565:
41Tactics and TechnicalitiesWHILE T
Page 566 and 567:
in his chest, but as he had pushed
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109 could out-dive the British figh
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although its roots were much narrow
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worry about bullet convergence - a
Page 574 and 575:
his staff viewed the Zerstörers me
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but it was certainly a proportion.
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200, or Condor, as it was known - w
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land - gliding distance from the co
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Helmut Wick. The next day, during a
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formations, some simply to patrol t
Page 587 and 588:
August were beginning to be keenly
Page 589 and 590:
posted to Mordyck and he and the tw
Page 592 and 593:
43Black SaturdayON 28 AUGUST, Colon
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regardless of the detrimental effec
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prospects looked grim, but welcomed
Page 598 and 599:
The day before, Reichsmarschall Her
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surge towards him. Now he was firin
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before they began dropping their bo
Page 604 and 605:
down. Totally spent. Since breakfas
Page 606:
Raymond Lee had gone out to dinner
Page 609 and 610:
aircraft line. ‘We made up a barr
Page 611 and 612:
told they just ‘volunteered’ to
Page 613 and 614:
‘We touch down,’ he wrote, ‘t
Page 615 and 616:
items including a spare parachute,
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wartime is something that cannot be
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foot when the telephone went.’ Be
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there was the loss of your colleagu
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he noted, ‘that, until the sirens
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‘That’s where you are wrong,’
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aircraft. Every night they were the
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however, poor weather once again pr
Page 632 and 633:
Park had sensed something was up; t
Page 634 and 635:
Hurricane, even with the aileron no
Page 636 and 637:
with an odd weaving walk. Jan thoug
Page 638:
turning - or ‘windmilling’ - be
Page 641 and 642:
intercept service we know that thei
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and see more clearly. Furthermore,
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At 3.16 a.m. on the morning of 21 S
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particularly successful trip to att
Page 649 and 650:
The prospects do not look good for
Page 651 and 652:
It took them ten minutes of intense
Page 653:
erred with his navigation, crossing
Page 656 and 657:
various Americans to get more pictu
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Kanalkrankheit - the combat fatigue
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Peter Stahl was flying over London
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This did not make his position impr
Page 664 and 665:
Leigh-Mallory had the support of Sh
Page 667 and 668:
48Last FlightON THE LAST SUNDAY in
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A pattern had emerged in this lates
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have to jump. Having sent a last me
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PostscriptLATER ON THE AFTERNOON of
Page 676 and 677:
Douglas and with Leigh-Mallory brea
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watching the giant raids over south
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line, but there were many thousands
Page 682 and 683:
the Mediterranean and served in Nor
Page 684 and 685:
eventually returned to Germany and
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others, has gained an iconic revere
Page 690 and 691:
AcknowledgementsThis book has been
Page 692 and 693:
steered me in the right direction o
Page 695 and 696:
SourcesPersonal testimoniesAuthor I
Page 697 and 698:
Maier, Klaus A., et al., Germany an
Page 699 and 700:
Bullitt, Orville H. (ed.), For the
Page 701 and 702:
Gilbert, Martin, Finest Hour: Winst
Page 703 and 704:
Lee, Asher, Goering: Air Leader (Du
Page 705 and 706:
Self, Robert, Neville Chamberlain (
Page 707 and 708:
—, Pilot’s Notes Spitfire IIA a
Page 709 and 710:
Caldwell, Donald, The JG 26 War Dia
Page 711 and 712:
Engel, Major Gerhard, At the Heart
Page 713 and 714:
Hooton, E.R., Eagle in Flames: The
Page 715 and 716:
Ministry of Information, British Co
Page 717 and 718:
Raymond, Squadron Leader R., and Sq
Page 719 and 720:
Tangye, Squadron Leader Nigel, Teac
Page 721 and 722:
Caddick-Adams, Peter, ‘Anglo-Fren
Page 724 and 725:
NotesAbbreviationsAFRHA Air Force R
Page 726 and 727:
ReferencesIntroduction‘The Battle
Page 728 and 729:
‘Held up by artillery fire…a jo
Page 730 and 731:
‘A paradox ball…’ The Times,
Page 732 and 733:
15. Fighter Command Enters the Fray
Page 734 and 735:
‘Von Luck you will…’ Luck, Pa
Page 736 and 737:
‘At my command…was in Paris’
Page 738 and 739:
28. Bringing It All Together‘Can
Page 740 and 741:
‘Still, whatever does come…’
Page 742 and 743:
‘Achtung, Achtung…’ TNA AIR 4
Page 744 and 745:
‘Up to date…’ Cited in James,
Page 746 and 747:
‘Hello, Gannic…chaps’ Bartley
Page 749:
GlossaryAbwehr Wehrmacht Counter-In
Page 752 and 753:
74 Squadron Spitfiresattack KG 2at
Page 754 and 755:
Abbeville, Panzer Corps Guderian re
Page 756 and 757:
Attlee, ClementAustralia, declares
Page 758 and 759:
on aircraft shortageon Dunkirk from
Page 760 and 761:
and invasion planson lost timeBray
Page 762 and 763:
German attacks onGerman consolidati
Page 764 and 765:
speeches broadcasts to nationeffect
Page 766 and 767:
and Stukaon Portland attackshoots d
Page 768 and 769:
and Beaverbrookand BEF fighter supp
Page 770 and 771:
Eden, Anthony, Minister for Warand
Page 772 and 773:
lossespilot lossespilots to avoid s
Page 774 and 775:
and Sedanconditioncommand issuescom
Page 776 and 777:
see also panzer divisionsGermanyeco
Page 778 and 779:
at Sedancrosses Meuseinsists on adv
Page 780 and 781:
on minelayingHigh Frequency Directi
Page 782 and 783:
strength after Dunkirk lossesIdenti
Page 784 and 785:
Udet andKanalkranheitKeitel, Feldma
Page 786 and 787:
LDV, John Wilson andLe Havre, IX Co
Page 788 and 789:
signal organizationstructuresee als
Page 790 and 791:
McIntosh, Plt OffMechelen incidentM
Page 792 and 793:
on Me 109ENelson, Horatio, on want
Page 794 and 795:
westward dash1st Panzer Divisionat
Page 796 and 797:
on LDVon Mussolinion parachutistswa
Page 798 and 799:
Raake, Majorradar, Admiralty coasta
Page 800 and 801:
Churchill seeks help fromdestroyers
Page 802 and 803:
‘Seetakt’ German radar systemSe
Page 804 and 805:
Steinhilper, Leutnant Ulrichand com
Page 806 and 807:
U-47and convoy HX72sinks HMS Royal
Page 808 and 809:
Wendel, ElseWerner Advance Detachme
Page 811 and 812:
The Battle of Britain.Copyright ©2
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