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

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Introduction‘THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN began for me in the Autumn of 1939,’ wrote AirChief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding in his despatch; after all, that was whenBritain and Germany went to war. In the end, however, he opted ‘ratherarbitrarily’ for 10 July 1940 as its starting point, the day the Germans firstattacked southern England with a large formation of some seventy aircraft.Dowding was referring to RAF Fighter Command’s role that summer andhis despatch set the benchmark for how the great aerial clash over Britainhas been viewed ever since.Yet his Spitfires and Hurricanes first properly tussled with the Luftwaffein May that year, over France, while the intense battle between the twosides was far more all-encompassing than an account of the clash in the airsuggests. At every level, from the corridors of power to the man in thestreet, and from the Field Marshal to the private, or from the skies above tothe grey swell of the sea, those summer months of 1940 were a period ofextraordinary human drama, of shifting fortunes, of tragedy and triumph – atime when the world changed for ever. For Britain, her very survival was atstake; for Germany, the quick defeat of Britain held the key to her future.For both sides, the stakes could not have been higher.The time has come to look at those critical months afresh. Dowding waspossibly stretching the point too far in suggesting the Battle began with theoutbreak of war. But it was with the launch of the western campaign thatBritain began to face the worst crisis in her history, while for Germany 10May 1940 marked, inextricably, her crossing of the Rubicon. The point ofno return.In these five critical months, the battle encompassed warfare on landand at sea as well as in the air, whilst the British and German governmentsfought their own political and propaganda battles as well as one forintelligence, all of which had a profound impact on the unfurling events. Inisolation, these differing aspects only present part of the story. Together,new and surprising perspectives emerge.
Truly, the Battle of Britain is an incredible story, and even more sowhen the full picture is revealed. Rarely has there been a more thrillingepisode in history.
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 20: RAF FIGHTER COMMAND ORDER OF BATTLE
Page 25: Note on the TextSo as not to cause
Page 31 and 32: anticipation of the beginning of ho
Page 33 and 34: lower so that at last he could see
Page 36 and 37: 2The Eve of BattleDAVID CROOK FLEW
Page 38 and 39: contempt for the French but he did
Page 40 and 41: had already written Achtung Panzer!
Page 42 and 43: Chamberlain, who she wished would b
Page 44 and 45: An ashen and rather shell-shocked C
Page 46 and 47: insignificant, was his close friend
Page 48 and 49: his secretaries since 1933, when Hi
Page 50 and 51: Ardennes. ‘Our reconnaissance bat
Page 53 and 54: 3The Go-for-Broke GambleAT HALF-PAS
Page 55 and 56: Arriving at Felsennet at around 6 a
Page 57 and 58: been poor too. Yet now Hitler wante
Page 59 and 60: because it ran counter to the more
Page 61 and 62: Sedan, ensnaring the bulk of the Al
Page 63 and 64: British forces all the way to the C
Page 65 and 66: of the way, he quickly got his two
Page 68 and 69: 4Hook, Line and SinkerGUNNER STAN F
Page 70 and 71: emphases. An armoured - or panzer -
Page 72 and 73: telegraphy and portable radio commu
Page 74 and 75: agreed between the British and Fren
Page 76 and 77:
attack. Georges was not enthusiasti
Page 78 and 79:
friends, Stan had been greatly reli
Page 80:
One last effort was made to persuad
Page 83 and 84:
personal photographer, a hospital w
Page 85 and 86:
Germany’s oil and synthetic-rubbe
Page 87 and 88:
and a little over 1,500 twin- or si
Page 89 and 90:
a French area of operations. In fac
Page 91 and 92:
laughing, reporting that Ops were i
Page 93 and 94:
turned to Kesselring and snarled,
Page 95 and 96:
someone as passionate about shootin
Page 97 and 98:
were horribly under-armed with just
Page 99:
310 fighters had been built, and 33
Page 102 and 103:
slopes rose sharply. There were als
Page 104 and 105:
time in the world to reach the Dina
Page 106 and 107:
Yet although the bulk of Army Group
Page 108 and 109:
Loerzer readily agreed but in the m
Page 110 and 111:
fire, he dropped his bombs and then
Page 112 and 113:
‘Joy riding in canoes on the Meus
Page 114:
groups. That is why I did not forwa
Page 117 and 118:
not have been better. Murrow needed
Page 119 and 120:
according to Nazi law. ‘There are
Page 121 and 122:
material, yet Hilda thought little
Page 123 and 124:
Goebbels held a ‘ministerial conf
Page 125 and 126:
In 1933, the Volksempfänger (‘pe
Page 128 and 129:
8A Battle Against TimeWHAT WOULD BE
Page 130 and 131:
election, a National Labour MP. Lik
Page 132 and 133:
‘Confidentially, I wish I weren
Page 134 and 135:
Royal Flying Corps to gain his wing
Page 136 and 137:
committees, too much discussion and
Page 138 and 139:
The difference with this latest com
Page 140 and 141:
production problems had been resolv
Page 143 and 144:
9The Battle is LostON 13 MAY, Gener
Page 145 and 146:
As the unfolding Allied disaster at
Page 147 and 148:
time to wait for reinforcements. Th
Page 149 and 150:
messages from Gamelin and Georges r
Page 151 and 152:
Poor French logistics were symptoma
Page 153 and 154:
perfect mine-laying terrain, while
Page 156 and 157:
10Emergency MeasuresFROM ALMOST THE
Page 158 and 159:
which raised around 20,000 firearms
Page 160 and 161:
Columnists,’ says John, ‘and fr
Page 162 and 163:
been in a mess together before and
Page 164 and 165:
England will never give up so long
Page 166:
maintain his position as a reluctan
Page 169 and 170:
there, Hajo began his flying missio
Page 171 and 172:
JG 2 decided to give him a chance t
Page 173 and 174:
David Crook had been during his fir
Page 175 and 176:
Günther’s Curtiss go down in a s
Page 177 and 178:
Siegfried Bethke, for example, and
Page 179 and 180:
locomotives and shipping were conve
Page 181 and 182:
restructured the Luftwaffe in early
Page 183:
178, whose maiden flight was in Jun
Page 186 and 187:
side of the River Rhine, and within
Page 188 and 189:
Larry and his crew were airborne at
Page 190 and 191:
Incredibly, he made it back, but it
Page 192 and 193:
and the rest of the flight arrived
Page 194 and 195:
One person who was certainly taking
Page 196:
Daladier and Gamelin, Churchill, fo
Page 199 and 200:
should that be the case: to fall ba
Page 201 and 202:
were all more or less now in line w
Page 203 and 204:
hearing news that things were looki
Page 205 and 206:
enjoyed spending considerable time,
Page 207:
considerations, long-term plans, fo
Page 210 and 211:
other words, less than a division,
Page 212 and 213:
short way, taking over part of the
Page 214 and 215:
had seemed like an impossibly long
Page 216 and 217:
rumour. At the farmhouse where the
Page 218 and 219:
the banks of the Escaut at Tournai
Page 220 and 221:
Rundstedt, a conservative, agreed w
Page 222 and 223:
wondered Pownall. ‘It seems almos
Page 225 and 226:
15Fighter Command Enters the FrayTH
Page 227 and 228:
the new demands on Fighter Command
Page 229 and 230:
at him, but on Tony’s second burs
Page 231 and 232:
Three and a half years later, he wa
Page 233 and 234:
Tommy was that should Britain be le
Page 235:
also the Italians to consider. On 1
Page 238 and 239:
when this was completed, and having
Page 240 and 241:
as a new order, and it meant von Ru
Page 242 and 243:
the Canal Line, so instead Gort dec
Page 244 and 245:
‘I agree that this point is worth
Page 246 and 247:
minutes later. At about 4 p.m., Rey
Page 248:
majority of the War Cabinet agreed
Page 251 and 252:
Shipping had met Ramsay at Dover on
Page 253 and 254:
Only once the raiders had passed di
Page 255 and 256:
Oskar tried to follow but failed. C
Page 257 and 258:
spires of northern France. Hans was
Page 259 and 260:
shirked his new responsibilities. T
Page 261 and 262:
to consider any terms offered by Hi
Page 264 and 265:
18Dunkirk: The Beginning‘WE NOW A
Page 266 and 267:
Lord Gort, meanwhile, finally caugh
Page 268 and 269:
a bandage. He and his men were filt
Page 270 and 271:
It was typically stirring stuff, bu
Page 272 and 273:
caught fire. Huge clouds of thick,
Page 274 and 275:
After that episode, they had sunk a
Page 277 and 278:
19Dunkirk: In the BalanceON THE AFT
Page 279:
was the easternmost point of the Br
Page 282 and 283:
The Germans, he told them, were now
Page 284 and 285:
Squadrons were also moved around fr
Page 286 and 287:
rain - but no wind. The Channel rem
Page 288 and 289:
at Bray. Sid saw queues of people f
Page 291 and 292:
20Dunkirk: The MiddleTHERE WAS STIL
Page 293 and 294:
that had made him determined to joi
Page 295 and 296:
attacking around Bergues, it report
Page 298 and 299:
It was not, however, for Lieutenant
Page 300:
George Oakley was not so lucky, how
Page 303:
Stan might have been safe, but thos
Page 306 and 307:
artillery, while holding the line i
Page 308 and 309:
the ship - there was a sharp flash
Page 310 and 311:
Then suddenly he heard a loud crack
Page 312 and 313:
circled, dropping flares that hung
Page 314 and 315:
fall back at round 4.30 p.m. that a
Page 316 and 317:
having first crossed the decks of t
Page 320 and 321:
22What Next?THE RAF HAD continued t
Page 322 and 323:
It was with this in mind that beach
Page 324 and 325:
Yet although the Government was now
Page 326 and 327:
Göring had dismissed such plans. T
Page 328 and 329:
intact but then came up against the
Page 331 and 332:
23The End in FranceAT 8 A.M. EXACTL
Page 333 and 334:
manned the U-boats were tough, hard
Page 335 and 336:
Colville, ‘who referred to our tr
Page 337 and 338:
The British were determined to pres
Page 339 and 340:
would agree to join the fight. If t
Page 341 and 342:
all France’s arms contracts in th
Page 344 and 345:
24Hitler’s DilemmaWHEN HITLER HEA
Page 346 and 347:
generous. He told Mussolini he had
Page 348 and 349:
nation of German peoples rather tha
Page 350 and 351:
Japan and Italy were not prepared t
Page 352 and 353:
purges of 1936-7 in which the Red A
Page 354 and 355:
How the tables had now turned. In t
Page 357 and 358:
25All AloneIN BRITAIN, THE NEWS tha
Page 359 and 360:
remember cheering when France colla
Page 361 and 362:
them badly.’‘The President can
Page 363 and 364:
prevalent gloom. One’s worst fear
Page 365 and 366:
But however hemmed in and threatene
Page 367:
landed in England on 22 June. About
Page 370 and 371:
allowing nothing to get in the way
Page 372 and 373:
colleagues and displaying single-mi
Page 374 and 375:
was the loss of nearly 300 pilots i
Page 376 and 377:
for approval to spend development m
Page 378 and 379:
when minds were focused. Britain’
Page 381 and 382:
27
Page 383 and 384:
well; indeed, many were friends.
Page 385 and 386:
defensive measures to guard against
Page 387 and 388:
Following Munich and the instigatio
Page 389 and 390:
continually refined his estimates,
Page 391 and 392:
neither hit, although one did explo
Page 394 and 395:
28Bringing It All TogetherIN EARLY
Page 396 and 397:
of Britain’s southern coastline a
Page 398 and 399:
least his Luftflotten would have bu
Page 400 and 401:
would light up from the transmissio
Page 402 and 403:
pilots. On the wall opposite the co
Page 404:
and Balloon Command. Each had his p
Page 407 and 408:
Trouble at Sea: Part 2ON 3 JULY, TH
Page 409 and 410:
dive-bombed. Flaming ships flounder
Page 411 and 412:
‘Me, sir!’ Ron replied.‘We’
Page 413 and 414:
destroying British merchant trade t
Page 415 and 416:
attention to Hartlepool. Because of
Page 418 and 419:
30Crooked LegBY THE END OF the Fren
Page 420 and 421:
distraught and begged Ulrich to get
Page 422 and 423:
of taking the attack to England, JG
Page 424 and 425:
with their own units in the air, bu
Page 426 and 427:
ordination. ‘Our communications,
Page 428 and 429:
pointing in slightly different dire
Page 432 and 433:
31First CombatIT HAD BEEN A miserab
Page 434 and 435:
The only solution was to send half
Page 436 and 437:
three Me 110s bearing down on him.
Page 438 and 439:
distracted by thinking about their
Page 440 and 441:
been based at Boscombe Down and had
Page 442 and 443:
Tall, good-looking, with a floppy m
Page 444:
began to heat up, as surely it now
Page 447 and 448:
Britain would not now roll over. An
Page 449 and 450:
either of their doctrines. For most
Page 451 and 452:
standing of the person who had give
Page 453 and 454:
of Fighter Command; indeed, he did
Page 455:
Before Halifax broadcast his reply,
Page 458 and 459:
war. Somehow, almost overnight, the
Page 460 and 461:
evacuation of the BEF, his position
Page 462 and 463:
Germany. Towards the end of June a
Page 464 and 465:
Hugh Dalton, the Minister for Econo
Page 466 and 467:
worked. ‘They can do nothing,’
Page 469 and 470:
34Hotting UpJUST AFTER 5 A.M., on W
Page 471 and 472:
The third Gruppe of JG 52 had reach
Page 473 and 474:
The next day, Thursday, 25 July, wa
Page 475 and 476:
been fearsome, but the pilots simpl
Page 477 and 478:
upon British shipping. A destroyer
Page 479 and 480:
unnecessary and avoidable, and at t
Page 482 and 483:
35Bombs on Germany, Bomben auf Engl
Page 484 and 485:
of exploding flak could prove letha
Page 486 and 487:
them and from that get a fix. Larry
Page 488 and 489:
altimeter he could see 2,300 metres
Page 490 and 491:
there were still to be no bombings
Page 492:
plans only, a fall-back and nothing
Page 496 and 497:
ashore in the initial attack, incre
Page 498 and 499:
But there was another considerable
Page 500 and 501:
took pride in the fact that they we
Page 502 and 503:
Britain’s coastal lifeline. Despi
Page 504 and 505:
This was a perfectly sensible plan,
Page 506 and 507:
because the engines were to the sid
Page 508:
however, all the pilots made it bac
Page 511 and 512:
flown his first missions over Engla
Page 513 and 514:
Two hundred yards away was HMS Vict
Page 515 and 516:
darting tracer, four Dorniers were
Page 517 and 518:
The cloud did begin to clear as the
Page 519 and 520:
David’s section was flying slight
Page 522 and 523:
38The Biggest Air BattleTHE PREVIOU
Page 524 and 525:
much on edge,’ noted Jock Colvill
Page 526 and 527:
There were, for example, forty Free
Page 528 and 529:
signalling to his groundcrew to sta
Page 530 and 531:
suffered at Ventnor, which would ha
Page 532 and 533:
he pressed himself forward to count
Page 534 and 535:
all the British fighters would be i
Page 536 and 537:
could see for ever. All of England
Page 538:
It was now too late. Suddenly the a
Page 541 and 542:
further afield. The Luftwaffe’s r
Page 543 and 544:
who was flying Tom’s Hurricane. A
Page 545 and 546:
casualties, few people were being k
Page 547 and 548:
Eventually emerging from the mêlé
Page 549 and 550:
Pete, who shot down his second conf
Page 551:
throughout the whole of August only
Page 554 and 555:
he noted, ‘we had no insight into
Page 556 and 557:
design of four independently functi
Page 558 and 559:
effective attacks had been by a lon
Page 560 and 561:
they actually got to it. Since Knic
Page 562:
factory where Hilda Müller worked.
Page 565 and 566:
the German fighter airfields of Gui
Page 567 and 568:
at Farnborough of two intact Me 109
Page 569 and 570:
turn. The theoretically minimum tur
Page 571 and 572:
his 109 when he took off and sudden
Page 573 and 574:
the Hurricanes and Spitfires was fu
Page 575 and 576:
the RAF at seventeen, he had later,
Page 578 and 579:
42Breaking PointIN CHURCHILL’S SP
Page 580 and 581:
be mortal” if allowed to get out
Page 582 and 583:
being knocked down, the German rear
Page 584 and 585:
they wanted a warm jacket, then the
Page 586 and 587:
been proved already. The raiders ha
Page 588 and 589:
such as these. Almost exactly a yea
Page 590:
further operation. It meant sending
Page 593 and 594:
‘Don’t let America,’ added Be
Page 595 and 596:
a very contented life near the Balt
Page 597 and 598:
number of existing airfields, and o
Page 599 and 600:
the way forward and the only tactic
Page 601 and 602:
pillars of smoke rising into the sk
Page 603 and 604:
In London that afternoon was RV Jon
Page 605 and 606:
George Barclay had force-landed som
Page 608 and 609:
44Summer MadnessSATURDAY, 7 SEPTEMB
Page 610 and 611:
sobbed quite openly, the tears stre
Page 612 and 613:
difficulties of flying in a large f
Page 614 and 615:
so he stayed at Pembrey, too excite
Page 616 and 617:
which had already been lit by the d
Page 618 and 619:
allowed to go out on benders if the
Page 620 and 621:
extraordinarily calm in the plane,
Page 623 and 624:
45The Crux‘THERE’S NO WORD I ca
Page 625 and 626:
England is, of course,’ he told t
Page 627 and 628:
have too few pilots,’ said anothe
Page 629 and 630:
counterparts had been given. It was
Page 631 and 632:
At Biggin Hill, most of 92 Squadron
Page 633 and 634:
‘Hello, Gannic. Gannic Leader. Ca
Page 635 and 636:
and saw he was dangerously low on f
Page 637 and 638:
Once again, the Prime Minister watc
Page 640 and 641:
46WolfpackAS IT HAPPENED, the fadin
Page 642 and 643:
Across the Channel, the pilots had
Page 644 and 645:
convoys. Having had another success
Page 646 and 647:
losses are assuming serious proport
Page 648 and 649:
as the British are taking it.’ In
Page 650 and 651:
finally driven back to Biggin Hill,
Page 652 and 653:
‘There was a terrific explosion a
Page 655 and 656:
47ExhaustionON 19 SEPTEMBER, Church
Page 657 and 658:
‘They were frightful old chaps -
Page 659 and 660:
across the Channel to shoot at shad
Page 661 and 662:
achieving air superiority. On 4 Oct
Page 663 and 664:
two tin legs had still returned to
Page 665:
Salmond’s report, he ticked three
Page 668 and 669:
little, then suddenly the jolting s
Page 670 and 671:
Thames estuary below - he thought h
Page 672:
But then the moment passed as he be
Page 675 and 676:
telegram announcing that John was m
Page 677 and 678:
1940, the Luftwaffe had lost 3,701
Page 679 and 680:
was grossly incompetent. Nor did th
Page 681 and 682:
finally joined the fight, and in th
Page 683 and 684:
Zumbach survived, but with no Polan
Page 685 and 686:
masterpiece, The Rise and Fall of t
Page 688:
ABOUT THE AUTHORJames Holland was b
Page 691 and 692:
thank you for all your huge help. I
Page 693:
Sheila Lee, Larry Finlay, Katrina W
Page 696 and 697:
Steele, Joe, HMT Dalmatia and Darth
Page 698 and 699:
Beamont, Roland, My Part of the Sky
Page 700 and 701:
D’Este, Carlo, Warlord: A Life of
Page 702 and 703:
—, Göring (Macmillan, 1989)—,
Page 704 and 705:
Orange, Vincent, Dowding of Fighter
Page 706 and 707:
Vansittart, The Rt. Hon. Lord, Less
Page 708 and 709:
Blair, Clay, Hitler’s U-Boat War:
Page 710 and 711:
Dallek, Robert, Franklin D. Rooseve
Page 712 and 713:
Goss, Chris, Brothers in Arms: The
Page 714 and 715:
Lampe, David, The Last Ditch: Brita
Page 716 and 717:
Otter, Patrick, Yorkshire Airfields
Page 718 and 719:
Shirer, William L., The Rise and Fa
Page 720 and 721:
Wheeler-Bennett, Sir John (ed.), Ac
Page 722:
Schmider, Klaus, ‘The Last of the
Page 725 and 726:
Bethke, Siegfried, I/JG 2 (c/o Chri
Page 727 and 728:
‘And then what…in any case’ G
Page 729 and 730:
‘at this extremely grievous and f
Page 731 and 732:
13. New Appointments‘I am exhaust
Page 733 and 734:
‘It is all a first-class mess-up
Page 735 and 736:
‘On political grounds…’ WSC,
Page 737 and 738:
‘Well, it boils down to this…
Page 739 and 740:
‘Warmwell possessed…’ TNA AIR
Page 741 and 742:
‘Recent reports and information
Page 743 and 744:
‘Atmosphere cheerful…’ Cocket
Page 745 and 746:
‘Nobody was keen…’ IWM 26952
Page 747:
‘I still think this war…’ JPK
Page 751 and 752:
IndexThe index that appeared in the
Page 753 and 754:
and 15 September raid303 Kociuszko
Page 755 and 756:
airfield repairsAlanbrooke, Viscoun
Page 757 and 758:
Hurricane action at Louvainon sleep
Page 759 and 760:
Blumentritt, General GüntherBob, H
Page 761 and 762:
trapped near coastBritsum, hit by S
Page 763 and 764:
Chiefs of Staffanticipate immediate
Page 765 and 766:
on Churchill’s no surrender speec
Page 767 and 768:
Dietrich, Obergruppenführer Sepp,
Page 769 and 770:
1st Panzer sent toBEF withdrawal to
Page 771 and 772:
Fairey Battlesat SedanFall Gelb (Ca
Page 773 and 774:
and invasion defenceson pointless a
Page 775 and 776:
Geschwader commanderon Beppo Schmid
Page 777 and 778:
lost interestmeetings at Carinhallo
Page 779 and 780:
Harding, Plt Off GeoffHargreaves, N
Page 781 and 782:
HMS VictoryHMS Wakeful, lost at Dun
Page 783 and 784:
Jabo pilotsJackson, Andrewand Berli
Page 785 and 786:
and Canal Line consolidationand hal
Page 787 and 788:
London Treaty Submarine ProtocolLon
Page 789 and 790:
KG 4KG 51KG 54LuftflotteLuftflotteL
Page 791 and 792:
29th Minesweeping FlotillaRoyal Nav
Page 793 and 794:
Northolt, 609 SquadronNorway, defea
Page 795 and 796:
Panzer Group Kleistat Canal Lineatt
Page 797 and 798:
invasion, attitudesPoling RDF stati
Page 799 and 800:
Reims ChampagneReinhardt, General G
Page 801 and 802:
KenleyRudorrfer, FeldwebelRuhr Vall
Page 803 and 804:
Soviet UnionGermany andinvasionreac
Page 805 and 806:
technologyBritish army andBritish s
Page 807 and 808:
Vassincourt, 1 SquadronVentnor RDF
Page 809:
Zerstörers (Me 110s)92 Squadron an
Page 812:
1 SD was the Nazi abbreviation of t
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