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

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One last effort was made to persuade Halifax, but he again demurred.At the Palace, the King was appalled and made it clear how grossly unfairlyhe felt Chamberlain had been treated. But, since this was the situation, hehoped Halifax would take over. Chamberlain explained that Halifax hadalready refused. That meant only one man could possibly take over. ‘I askedChamberlain his advice,’ wrote George VI in his diary, ‘& he told meWinston was the man to send for.’On this day of days, Britain had a new Prime Minister.
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
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 82 and 83: 5The First Clash in the AirADOLF HI
Page 84 and 85: and his ideals, he became his new f
Page 86 and 87: regime, Göring was always able to
Page 88 and 89: However, because of its greater sha
Page 90 and 91: At the mess, no-one was quite sure
Page 92 and 93: full weight of the Luftwaffe was re
Page 94 and 95: young man, Julius had no particular
Page 96 and 97: once more. The rest of the pilots,
Page 98 and 99: all types of aircraft. The commande
Page 101 and 102: 6Breakthrough‘MORNING REPORTS SHO
Page 103 and 104: ‘Hardly had the first boats been
Page 105 and 106: Reinhardt’s divisions became incr
Page 107 and 108: He was determined to cross at Sedan
Page 109 and 110: command car and hurried to Gaulier
Page 111 and 112: Initially, he panicked, and althoug
Page 113 and 114: slopes of Hill 301. But Balck had b
Page 116 and 117: 7Inside the Third ReichIT WAS TRUE
Page 118 and 119: gathered as usually happens when bi
Page 120 and 121: September there had been a particul
Page 122 and 123: no longer for sale. Germans - even
Page 124 and 125: particularly tough PR task trying t
Page 126: German people which was imposed upo
Page 129 and 130: 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,
Page 232 and 233:
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
Page 247 and 248:
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
Page 260 and 261:
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
Page 321 and 322:
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
Page 349 and 350:
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
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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
Page 377 and 378:
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
Page 384 and 385:
In this he was correct, but already
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Scharnhorst, and the giant battlesh
Page 388 and 389:
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
Page 395 and 396:
The assault on the west had been a
Page 397 and 398:
was to let Britain stew, and then m
Page 399 and 400:
although many never claimed their h
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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
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there suddenly silhouetted against
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However, from the British perspecti
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frequently scanning his instrument
Page 421 and 422:
conversation here.’ He had just r
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‘well-developed defence forces of
Page 425 and 426:
now re-designated I/JG 52 - was inv
Page 427 and 428:
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
Page 435 and 436:
warnings, these two flew steadily o
Page 437 and 438:
three had signalled his position, b
Page 439 and 440:
numerical superiority. Even so, onl
Page 441 and 442:
Yet although it was principally 10
Page 443 and 444:
aircraft was struggling out over th
Page 446 and 447:
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
Page 452 and 453:
and the Luftwaffe General Staff, it
Page 454 and 455:
war.’ Despite the usual euphoric
Page 457 and 458:
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
Page 463 and 464:
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
Page 470 and 471:
standing up, another sitting, and t
Page 472 and 473:
Staffel commander, Herbert Fermer,
Page 474 and 475:
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
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on which William Shirer was one of
Page 489 and 490:
was another bang of flak. Darting b
Page 491 and 492:
other hand, he had to consider the
Page 495 and 496:
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
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been held there over the ensuing da
Page 505 and 506:
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
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Around 8 a.m., Walter was leading h
Page 514 and 515:
destroy than had originally been ex
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The unexpected cloud had not preven
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about this,’ he noted, ‘though
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Back at Dinard, the grim truth was
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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
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officer, said, ‘Ah, Herr Oberst,
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and threes, the pilots heard the co
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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
Page 546 and 547:
‘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
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in his chest, but as he had pushed
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109 could out-dive the British figh
Page 570 and 571:
although its roots were much narrow
Page 572 and 573:
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.
Page 579 and 580:
200, or Condor, as it was known - w
Page 581 and 582:
land - gliding distance from the co
Page 583 and 584:
Helmut Wick. The next day, during a
Page 585 and 586:
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
Page 594 and 595:
regardless of the detrimental effec
Page 596 and 597:
prospects looked grim, but welcomed
Page 598 and 599:
The day before, Reichsmarschall Her
Page 600 and 601:
surge towards him. Now he was firin
Page 602 and 603:
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,
Page 617 and 618:
wartime is something that cannot be
Page 619 and 620:
foot when the telephone went.’ Be
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there was the loss of your colleagu
Page 624 and 625:
he noted, ‘that, until the sirens
Page 626 and 627:
‘That’s where you are wrong,’
Page 628 and 629:
aircraft. Every night they were the
Page 630 and 631:
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
Page 643 and 644:
and see more clearly. Furthermore,
Page 645 and 646:
At 3.16 a.m. on the morning of 21 S
Page 647 and 648:
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
Page 658 and 659:
Kanalkrankheit - the combat fatigue
Page 660 and 661:
Peter Stahl was flying over London
Page 662 and 663:
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
Page 669 and 670:
A pattern had emerged in this lates
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have to jump. Having sent a last me
Page 674 and 675:
PostscriptLATER ON THE AFTERNOON of
Page 676 and 677:
Douglas and with Leigh-Mallory brea
Page 678 and 679:
watching the giant raids over south
Page 680 and 681:
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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