The Battle of Britain.

A

Angus

Well-known member
Just watching the film on TV. It really brings it home to me how much we owe that generation, how narrow the margin actually was.

As a child I watched it many times but only as an adult can you begin to appreciate the importance to the world of what it represents.
 
That generation did their job. As all generations would have. Not saying their efforts shouldn’t be recognised though. We should remember history.
 
Watched the "Spitfire" documentary last night, interviewed a lot of the old boys who were 19-20-21 at the time of the Battle of Britain.

Completely nonchalant about what they did. Incredible bravery.
 
Angus said:
Just watching the film on TV. It really brings it home to me how much we owe that generation, how narrow the margin actually was.

As a child I watched it many times but only as an adult can you begin to appreciate the importance to the world of what it represents.
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Unfortunately, their greedy offspring did not have even a drop of the humanity of their parents. It's their children that became rampant capitalists.
 
An absolute banger of a film.
Toppers with stars, real air aces as advisors and real period correct-ish Spitfires, Hurricanes, Heinkels and Messerschmitts (yes I know they're Spanish licence built Buchons and CASA 2.111s but hey!)

"It's unforgivable...I lost my temper!"

"SILENCE! ...IN POLISH!!"

"Spring chicken to shìtehawk in one easy lesson"

"Dacka dacka dacka dacka"

"Thanks awfully old chap!"
 
Some years back, an old guy who lived over the road from was struggling to reverse his car off his driveway and kept on hitting the gate post. After watching him do it three times I went out to see if he was OK. He was sat in the car crying and said, “I was a pathfinder in the Second World War and now I can’t reverse a car off the drive.”

He died shortly after that, it was like he’d given up.
 
Average age of a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain was 20 years old, average age of a bomber crew was the grand age of 22. Bairns really.

Always amazed at that British generation from of all services and the people, and we all lost family who gave us the freedoms we have now, most but not all born just after WW1.
 
One of my uncles was born 11th September 1940.

I remember my granny telling me a female neighbour in South Bank came up to her in the street in September 1940 and said to her Mrs Wurzel you gained a son last week and I lost one ( 18 year old pilot in the B of B). It hit home the struggle we were in and what war was.

Not many people know the pilot with the highest kills in the Battle of Britain was not Brirish or from a Commonwealth country, but a Czechslovakian. The Polish 303 squadron shot down an astonishing 126 German planes despite only joining the Battle half way through. Many of our East European pilots flew without fear.
 
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Although no one could have known this at the time. It was always going to be very difficult if not impossible for the Luftwaffe to win the BoB.

There were several factors that tipped the odds in the favour of the RAF.

The fighting was mostly over Britain, a German pilot bailing out was going into a POW camp for the duration whereas an RAF pilot might be back in the air the following day. Britain had the world's first integrated air defence system, not just radar stations but also also Royal Observer Corps spotters and the control rooms, this meant that the RAF could be in the air to intercept the Germans as they approached. Although the bare numbers of planes looked heavily in favour of the Luftwaffe the RAF had modern fighters that were the equal of the BF109.

Then there was the Royal Navy...
 
Fuel capacity was a big issue - the German fighter planes had a very limited time over England was it 40 minutes? They couldn't even escort the German Bombers to London and back. The BF 109 was better armed and quick, but it could not twist and turn like a Spitfire. The Stukka was not designed for a dogfight. As Muttley states we quickly know they were coming. so there were few surprises. We also had a lot of airfields so we could switch aircraft quickly from place to place. The Germans should have attacked our airfileds more and our defence technology. Bombing London was not effective in stopping the RAF. I think the Germans were over confident about their air power after using it in Spain (without an effective opposition) and then in France and Low countries (without a lot of opposition). The RAF also put togther an international group of pilots by the beginning of September which again the Germans did not account for.
 
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