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

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plans only, a fall-back and nothing more, and that in the days and weeks tocome Britain would be smashed and out of the war for ever.
No information found
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The author and publisher have provi
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ContentsList of Maps and FiguresNot
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47 Exhaustion48 Last FlightPostscri
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RAF FIGHTER COMMAND ORDER OF BATTLE
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Note on the TextSo as not to cause
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Truly, the Battle of Britain is an
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anticipation of the beginning of ho
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lower so that at last he could see
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2The Eve of BattleDAVID CROOK FLEW
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contempt for the French but he did
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had already written Achtung Panzer!
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Chamberlain, who she wished would b
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An ashen and rather shell-shocked C
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insignificant, was his close friend
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his secretaries since 1933, when Hi
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Ardennes. ‘Our reconnaissance bat
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3The Go-for-Broke GambleAT HALF-PAS
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Arriving at Felsennet at around 6 a
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been poor too. Yet now Hitler wante
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because it ran counter to the more
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Sedan, ensnaring the bulk of the Al
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British forces all the way to the C
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of the way, he quickly got his two
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4Hook, Line and SinkerGUNNER STAN F
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emphases. An armoured - or panzer -
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telegraphy and portable radio commu
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agreed between the British and Fren
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attack. Georges was not enthusiasti
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friends, Stan had been greatly reli
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One last effort was made to persuad
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personal photographer, a hospital w
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Germany’s oil and synthetic-rubbe
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and a little over 1,500 twin- or si
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a French area of operations. In fac
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laughing, reporting that Ops were i
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turned to Kesselring and snarled,
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someone as passionate about shootin
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were horribly under-armed with just
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310 fighters had been built, and 33
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slopes rose sharply. There were als
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time in the world to reach the Dina
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Yet although the bulk of Army Group
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Loerzer readily agreed but in the m
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fire, he dropped his bombs and then
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‘Joy riding in canoes on the Meus
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groups. That is why I did not forwa
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not have been better. Murrow needed
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according to Nazi law. ‘There are
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material, yet Hilda thought little
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Goebbels held a ‘ministerial conf
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In 1933, the Volksempfänger (‘pe
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8A Battle Against TimeWHAT WOULD BE
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election, a National Labour MP. Lik
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‘Confidentially, I wish I weren
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Royal Flying Corps to gain his wing
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committees, too much discussion and
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The difference with this latest com
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production problems had been resolv
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9The Battle is LostON 13 MAY, Gener
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As the unfolding Allied disaster at
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time to wait for reinforcements. Th
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messages from Gamelin and Georges r
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Poor French logistics were symptoma
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perfect mine-laying terrain, while
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10Emergency MeasuresFROM ALMOST THE
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which raised around 20,000 firearms
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Columnists,’ says John, ‘and fr
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been in a mess together before and
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England will never give up so long
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maintain his position as a reluctan
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there, Hajo began his flying missio
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JG 2 decided to give him a chance t
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David Crook had been during his fir
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Günther’s Curtiss go down in a s
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Siegfried Bethke, for example, and
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locomotives and shipping were conve
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restructured the Luftwaffe in early
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178, whose maiden flight was in Jun
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side of the River Rhine, and within
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Larry and his crew were airborne at
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Incredibly, he made it back, but it
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and the rest of the flight arrived
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One person who was certainly taking
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Daladier and Gamelin, Churchill, fo
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should that be the case: to fall ba
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were all more or less now in line w
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hearing news that things were looki
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enjoyed spending considerable time,
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considerations, long-term plans, fo
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other words, less than a division,
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short way, taking over part of the
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had seemed like an impossibly long
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rumour. At the farmhouse where the
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the banks of the Escaut at Tournai
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Rundstedt, a conservative, agreed w
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wondered Pownall. ‘It seems almos
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15Fighter Command Enters the FrayTH
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the new demands on Fighter Command
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at him, but on Tony’s second burs
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Three and a half years later, he wa
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Tommy was that should Britain be le
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also the Italians to consider. On 1
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when this was completed, and having
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as a new order, and it meant von Ru
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the Canal Line, so instead Gort dec
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‘I agree that this point is worth
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minutes later. At about 4 p.m., Rey
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majority of the War Cabinet agreed
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Shipping had met Ramsay at Dover on
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Only once the raiders had passed di
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Oskar tried to follow but failed. C
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spires of northern France. Hans was
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shirked his new responsibilities. T
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to consider any terms offered by Hi
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18Dunkirk: The Beginning‘WE NOW A
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Lord Gort, meanwhile, finally caugh
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a bandage. He and his men were filt
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It was typically stirring stuff, bu
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caught fire. Huge clouds of thick,
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After that episode, they had sunk a
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19Dunkirk: In the BalanceON THE AFT
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was the easternmost point of the Br
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The Germans, he told them, were now
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Squadrons were also moved around fr
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rain - but no wind. The Channel rem
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at Bray. Sid saw queues of people f
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20Dunkirk: The MiddleTHERE WAS STIL
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that had made him determined to joi
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attacking around Bergues, it report
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It was not, however, for Lieutenant
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George Oakley was not so lucky, how
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Stan might have been safe, but thos
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artillery, while holding the line i
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the ship - there was a sharp flash
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Then suddenly he heard a loud crack
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circled, dropping flares that hung
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fall back at round 4.30 p.m. that a
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having first crossed the decks of t
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22What Next?THE RAF HAD continued t
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It was with this in mind that beach
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Yet although the Government was now
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Göring had dismissed such plans. T
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intact but then came up against the
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23The End in FranceAT 8 A.M. EXACTL
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manned the U-boats were tough, hard
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Colville, ‘who referred to our tr
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The British were determined to pres
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would agree to join the fight. If t
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all France’s arms contracts in th
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24Hitler’s DilemmaWHEN HITLER HEA
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generous. He told Mussolini he had
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nation of German peoples rather tha
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Japan and Italy were not prepared t
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purges of 1936-7 in which the Red A
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How the tables had now turned. In t
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25All AloneIN BRITAIN, THE NEWS tha
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remember cheering when France colla
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them badly.’‘The President can
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prevalent gloom. One’s worst fear
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But however hemmed in and threatene
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landed in England on 22 June. About
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allowing nothing to get in the way
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colleagues and displaying single-mi
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was the loss of nearly 300 pilots i
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for approval to spend development m
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when minds were focused. Britain’
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27
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well; indeed, many were friends.
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defensive measures to guard against
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Following Munich and the instigatio
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continually refined his estimates,
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neither hit, although one did explo
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28Bringing It All TogetherIN EARLY
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of Britain’s southern coastline a
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least his Luftflotten would have bu
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would light up from the transmissio
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pilots. On the wall opposite the co
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and Balloon Command. Each had his p
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Trouble at Sea: Part 2ON 3 JULY, TH
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dive-bombed. Flaming ships flounder
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‘Me, sir!’ Ron replied.‘We’
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destroying British merchant trade t
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attention to Hartlepool. Because of
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30Crooked LegBY THE END OF the Fren
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distraught and begged Ulrich to get
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of taking the attack to England, JG
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with their own units in the air, bu
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ordination. ‘Our communications,
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pointing in slightly different dire
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31First CombatIT HAD BEEN A miserab
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The only solution was to send half
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three Me 110s bearing down on him.
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distracted by thinking about their
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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
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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
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Page 495 and 496: 36The Wall of EnglandTHE NEWLY PROM
Page 497 and 498: All this Raeder repeated at the Fü
Page 499 and 500: at different heights, and many floa
Page 501 and 502: cutters, which would then sever the
Page 503 and 504: been held there over the ensuing da
Page 505 and 506: August Dowding had fifty-eight squa
Page 507 and 508: 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,
Page 533 and 534: 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
Page 540 and 541: 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
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Stumbling backwards he was struck b
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gushed through the gap and suddenly
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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
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41Tactics and TechnicalitiesWHILE T
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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
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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
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August were beginning to be keenly
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posted to Mordyck and he and the tw
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43Black SaturdayON 28 AUGUST, Colon
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regardless of the detrimental effec
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prospects looked grim, but welcomed
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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
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down. Totally spent. Since breakfas
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Raymond Lee had gone out to dinner
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aircraft line. ‘We made up a barr
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told they just ‘volunteered’ to
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‘We touch down,’ he wrote, ‘t
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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
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Park had sensed something was up; t
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Hurricane, even with the aileron no
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with an odd weaving walk. Jan thoug
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turning - or ‘windmilling’ - be
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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
Page 647 and 648:
particularly successful trip to att
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The prospects do not look good for
Page 651 and 652:
It took them ten minutes of intense
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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
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Leigh-Mallory had the support of Sh
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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
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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
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the Mediterranean and served in Nor
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eventually returned to Germany and
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others, has gained an iconic revere
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AcknowledgementsThis book has been
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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
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NotesAbbreviationsAFRHA Air Force R
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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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