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

28
Bringing It All Together
IN EARLY JUNE, the Tizard Committee had met in Oxford. Amongst those
attending was the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sholto
Douglas. Also present was a tall young man with lean, rather striking
features and named Reginald Jones, although known to all by his initials,
‘RV’. Still only twenty-eight years old, RV had already secured a science
Ph.D., and having worked as a Scientific Officer at the Royal Aircraft
Establishment in Farnborough and at the Admiralty Research Laboratory
was now part of Air Intelligence (AI 1c) within MI6; and therefore his
views, despite his young age, were taken seriously.
The meeting, as ever, was convened to discuss the latest scientific
developments and how they could benefit the RAF, but Sholto Douglas was
hoping for something more from the assorted collection of Government and
ministry boffins. ‘Can anyone tell me,’ he asked, ‘what the Germans are up
to?’ He was bemused because for the past few days Manston, down on the
tip of Kent, had been packed full of aircraft flown back from France. It had
presented an ideal target, and yet no German aircraft had come near it. ‘It
confirmed my impression,’ wrote RV, ‘that the Germans had been surprised
by their own success, and had no coherent plan for the imminent future.’
He was not far wrong. Hitler had hoped for a lightning-fast success in
the west; so too had Halder and Guderian and everyone involved with the
planning of the operation. They had believed it was possible. Few had
thought it was likely, however, because of the bald statistics combined with
the weight of history, which suggested that defending forces with greater
fire-and manpower could not be easily beaten. Even Hitler must have had
many moments when he wondered whether his dream would unravel before
him. Count Galeazzo Ciano, the Italian Foreign Minister, had been witness
to the talks between Hitler and Mussolini in Munich. ‘Hitler is now the
gambler who has made a big scoop,’ he noted perceptively, ‘and likes to get
up from the table risking nothing more.’ Ciano had probably hit the nail on
the head.