Squadron leader Peter Townsend of the RAF exits his Hawker Hurricane fighter. England, July 1940. Townsend was an ace pilot and – in Churchill's own words – one of the “few”, who won the battle of Britain and to whom the British people owed their freedom. Though not as advanced as the Spitfire, the Hurricane was a sturdy, reliable fighter which matched its German counterpart, the Messerschmitt Me-109, except for speed and climbing rate.

September 10, 2025

2 | The battle of Britain

❑ Germany had a superior air force with thousands of aircraft.

• The Germans were proud of their recent victories.
• The Nazi Ideology was very strong in the Luftwaffe. Its leader was Goering.

❑ The Germans had a strategy : to break the morale of the British, to get England out of the war.

• They first attacked the convoys in the Channel.
• Then the German attacks targeted the airfields to take out the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was the most dangerous moment in the battle of Britain.
• In the end, Churchill decided to strike some German cities with his bombers. Some bombs fell on Berlin. Hitlers reaction was to order attacks on London and other cities. The Fighter command was spared from further attacks, it avoided destruction. Simultaneously, the RAF inflicted huge losses to the Germans.

❑ The British had several assets :

• They were fighting at home. British pilots, unlike the Germans, could be rescued and fight another day.
• Britain had the most advanced air defence system with a network of RADAR stations (radio detection and ranging). German aircraft were detected long before they would enter the British airspace.
• Arguably, the RAF had the best fighter aircraft too. The Spitfire was swifter than its German nemesis, the Messerschmitt 109. Another British fighter, the Hurricane, was nearly as good as the Messerschmitt.
• More, the German bombers were not designed for a strategic air war. They were medium range bombers. They could not harm the British economy decisively.

Visit the Royal Air Force museum's exhibit on the Battle of Britain.

What's next ?

➪ subject № 2, “The threat of a German invasion” ; Churchill's speech on 11 September 1940 and a letter from Maria Blewitt, a WAAF (someone who served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force), on the same day.

➪ Watch: to learn more about Maria Blewitt.

➪ Also look at 9 iconic aircraft from the battle of Britain at the Imperial War Museum.

➪ subject № 3 (for September 24) The fear of impending invasion. An excerpt from Lord Alanbrooke's war diaries (8 September 1940) and a picture showing a soldier on the watch on a beach in southern England (8 October 1940).

➪ Read: How Churchill led Britain to victory in the Second World War, at the Imperial War Museum.
 
➪ WATCH: Andrew Marr's BBC documentary Britannia at bay, part 6 of his series on The making of modern Britain (Excerpts used in class).

25 September 2026

New subjects on the Battle of Britain

➪ subject № 4 On the Battle of Britain: Hitler's instructions, the narrative of Dennis Newton, an ace fighter pilot of the RAF, and a photo of a German bomber over London.

➪ subject № 5 On the Battle of Britain: text by the English ace pilot Peter Townsend and picture of a crashed Messerschmitt.

➪ subject № 6 On the Battle of Britain: Churchill's famous speech “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” and a photo of Churchill visiting London after a German raid..

➪ subject № 7 On the Battle of Britain: Brian Lane, RAF fighter pilot and Churchill.

❑ The Battle of Britain was a defensive victory. We can argue that before and after Hitler was the master of the continent. Britain was unable to challenge him on the ground. The hype about the Battle of Britain meant that the UK did not have anything else to be proud about.

❑ Nevertheless, the BoB was a beacon of hope for all those who were fighting against Nazi tyranny. Britain was going on fighting, suffering under the Blitz, and Churchill’s strategy was to wait until the US would join the war. That strategy eventually worked : first, when Hitler attacked the USSR on June 22, 1941. Then when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941.