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The Battle of Britain called for incredible feats of bravery. The persistent, destructive and targeted German aerial attacks during the summer of 1940 placed those involved in Britain's defence in huge danger.

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10 Inspiring Stories Of Bravery During The Battle Of Britain

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The types of bravery displayed varied. Strong leadership, a determination to defeat the enemy, self-sacrifice, and the risking of one's life for others were all rewarded. Those who went above and beyond the call of duty during this intense period of almost constant attack played a vital role in keeping the Royal Air Force (RAF) - and Britain - in the war.

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A collection of historic photographs from the Imperial War Museum archive.

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As the Battle of Britain raged in the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940, a range of British artists were quick to record and interpret this vital event. Their work was commissioned or purchased by the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC), the body that oversaw the British official war art scheme of the Second World War.

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16 Amazing Photos From The Battle Of Britain

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As the Battle of Britain raged in the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940, a range of British artists were quick to record and interpret this vital event. Their work was commissioned or purchased by the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC), the body that oversaw the British official war art scheme of the Second World War.

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Eight things you need to know about the famous Battle of Britain from the Imperial War Museum.

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Two of the four Group Commanders, 11 Group's Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park and 10 Group's Air Vice-Marshal Sir Quintin Brand, came from New Zealand and South Africa respectively. The War Cabinet created two Polish fighter squadrons, Nos. 302 and 303, in the summer of 1940. These were followed by other national units, including two Czech fighter squadrons.

Many of the RAF's aces were men from the Commonwealth and the highest scoring pilot of the Battle was Josef Frantisek, a Czech pilot flying with No. 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron. No. 303 entered battle on 31 August, at the peak of the Battle of Britain, but quickly became Fighter Command's highest claiming squadron with 126 kills.

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8 Things You Need To Know About The Battle Of Britain

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The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought over southern England in the summer and autumn of 1940. Here are 8 things you need to know about one of Britain's most important victories of the Second World War.

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Read about how the German Luftwaffe fought the British RAF during the Battle of Britain.

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How The Luftwaffe Fought The Battle Of Britain

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Luftwaffe Commander-in-Chief Hermann Göring addresses a group of German pilots during the Battle of Britain. The Luftwaffe was officially created on 26 February 1935, with Göring as its commander-in-chief. He had been a celebrated First World War fighter pilot and was one of Hitler's closest political associates.

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Take a look at these official war art pieces depicting the Battle of Britain.

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As the Battle of Britain raged in the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940, a range of British artists were quick to record and interpret this vital event. Their work was commissioned or purchased by the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC), the body that oversaw the British official war art scheme of the Second World War.

Many artists heralded the drama of aerial combat and the heroism of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilots, but others also represented the efforts of crucial support personnel. Some artists - encouraged by the WAAC - also realised the significant propaganda value of Battle of Britain imagery at a time when Britain was defending itself against Nazi Germany alone.

Here is a selection of some of the official war art depicting the Battle of Britain.

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As the Battle of Britain raged in the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940, a range of British artists were quick to record and interpret this vital event. Their work was commissioned or purchased by the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC), the body that oversaw the British official war art scheme of the Second World War.

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The nine most iconic aircraft from the Battle of Britain.

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In the summer of 1940 the skies above southern England became a battlefield.

The Battle of Britain is on Göring is pouring his air force across in waves to try and break our spirit.

For three long months the Luftwaffe and the RAF went toe to toe in a battle for air supremacy with Britain's survival the last hope for occupied Europe. Pilots sat at the controls of aircraft that would become legends of aviation history on both sides. So today we're gonna take a look at 8 iconic aircraft of the Battle of Britain, we're not gonna rank them, but you can in the comments below.

Let's start with something obvious the Spitfire. The brainchild of Reginald Mitchell, the Spitfire entered service in August 1938, but it became an icon. The first Spitfires were delivered to no. 19 squadron at what is now an IWM site at RAF Duxford. An all-metal airframe
made the Spitfire light and strong, it was fast too and responsive. Crucially though it was a good match for the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt BF 109, which we'll come to a bit later on. By September 1940 Spitfires were in service with 18 RAF squadrons and over the course of the Battle of Britain they shot down a total of 529 enemy aircraft for the loss of just 230 of their own. But despite the Spitfire's reputation, that doesn't make it the most successful RAF fighter in the Battle of Britain.

That crown belongs to the Hurricane. Where the spitfire was pace and elegance the hurricane was rugged, tough and steady. Its design, a wood and metal framework with the back covered in fabric, was actually a relic of previous biplanes and was pretty out of date when the battle started. But its old-fashioned design made it far easier to maintain and repair than the Spitfire. Where possible Hurricanes were directed against German bombers, leaving the Spitfires to deal with the fighter escorts. By September 1940, 33 squadrons were equipped with Hurricanes making it the most numerous aircraft in RAF fighter command. The Hurricane accounted for 656 German aircraft during the Battle of Britain making it by far the RAF's most successful fighter.

Together, the Hurricane and the Spitfire were the twin bastions of RAF fighter command's defense in 1940. Jeffrey Page was one of the few pilots to fly both aircraft, so who better to sum up the difference between them?

Jeffrey Page: "I tend to give an example of the bulldog and the greyhound, the Hurricane being the bulldog and the greyhound being the Spitfire. One is a tough, working animal and the other one's a sleek fast dog, but I think their characteristics were comparable to the dog world."

At the opposite end of the spectrum was the Bolton Paul Defiant, a two-seat fighter with a four-gun power-operated turret. Sluggish, outmoded and with no forward-firing armament, the Defiant proved highly vulnerable to enemy fighters during battles over Dunkirk in France. In July and August 1940, fighter command rashly sent two Defiant squadrons into action. The result was catastrophic, an aerial massacre and guaranteed that the Defiant would play no further role as a day fighter in the Battle of Britain. But
what about the opposing side?

In 1940, the Messerschmitt BF 109 was arguably the best fighter in the world. Designed as an ambush predator to attack from height, the BF 109 had even the spitfire for diving and altitude. But its range was limited, it couldn't get much further than London and it had only about seven seconds worth of cannon ammunition. At the start of the Battle of Britain the Luftwaffe had 1,100 109s, by the end, some 650 had been lost.

The Messerschmitt BF 110 was a two-seater, long-range heavy escort fighter or Zerstörer- destroyer. They were fast and well-armed, but they lacked manoeuvrability, a key weakness against those nimble fighters of RAF fighter command. The Bf-110 turned out to be more effective flying low-level attacks against factories and airfields, but the Germans failed to see this potential and only ever trained one Luftwaffe unit in this dual fighter bomber role.

Speaking of bombers, the skies weren't the only hunting grounds for the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. they also needed to destroy fighter command's operations on the ground and for that they needed to send bombers. But the Luftwaffe's bomber force in 1940 was a bit of a mixed bag.

First up the Heinkel HE 111. It was designed in the mid-1930s, but it was obsolescent by the time of the Battle of Britain. It was slow, poorly armed and its bomb-load was insufficient for a strategic bombing campaign. It was acutely vulnerable then to RAF fighters,
but structurally it was seriously tough. The Heinkel could soak up huge amounts of punishment dished out by RAF fighters and would often return to base riddled with hundreds of bullet holes.

Next up the Junkers JU 88 which was probably Germany's most modern bomber in 1940. Originally designed as a fast medium bomber, its design suffered from interference from above. Ernst Udet, deputy to the Luftwaffe head Hermann Göring, demanded that the JU 88 be capable of dive-bombing. But this extra weight reduced the aircraft's performance. It was vulnerable then to RAF fighters during the Battle of Britain, but matured over the course of the war into one of the Luftwaffe's most versatile aircraft.

And finally the Junkers JU 87, the Stuka. Designed to deliver pinpoint bombing attacks in a near-vertical dive, the Stuka achieved much notoriety during the blitzkrieg victories of 1939 and 1940. But while in Poland and France the Luftwaffe had had air superiority, the skies over Britain were a different story. After a few initial successes, the Stuka suffered heavily against RAF fighters. On their worst day, the 18th of august 1940, 12 JU 87s were shot down and many more were damaged or written off. Such heavy losses then meant the Stuka was gradually withdrawn over the course of the battle.

So there you have it, that's 8 iconic aircraft from the Battle of Britain. Let us know your ranking or if we missed any aircraft that you love in the comments below.

Make sure you like and subscribe to the Imperial War Museum's Youtube channel and we'll see you for the next one!

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9 Iconic Aircraft From The Battle Of Britain

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Learn about the RAF Fighter Command's aircraft during the Battle of Britain from the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, to the Bf 109 (named the best fighter in the world), the 'Flying Pencil' and the infamous 'Stuka'.

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Who's who in the Battle of Britain.

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The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought over southern England in the summer and autumn of 1940. Here are 8 things you need to know about one of Britain's most important victories of the Second World War.

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Learn more about the men who played a vital role in Britain's struggle for survival in the summer of 1940, including Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, Hermann Göring, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, Sydney Camm and R J Mitchell.

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Take a look at this article written about evacuee labels.

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Contributed by

People in story:

Henry O'Hara, Joseph Pollard, and Thomas Sharps

Location of story:

Withington, Shropshire

Background to story:

Civilian

Article ID:

A4540600

Contributed on:

25 July 2005

Marsh lived in Withington, and his parents took in evacuees at the beginning of the war. They had three boys from Liverpool. I've actually still got the labels they were wearing when they arrived.

They each wore one on their bag and one on their jacket.

Their names were Henry O'Hara, Joseph Pollard, and Thomas Sharps. They all came from 'Bishops Gos Boys School' in Liverpool.

They've even got the original string on!

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Becky Barugh of the BBC Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Mary Pritchard and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
See more of Mary's stories:

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.

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Contributed by People in story: Henry O'Hara, Joseph Pollard, and Thomas Sharps Location of story: Withington, Shropshire Background to story: Civilian Article ID: A4540600 Contributed on: 25 July 2005 Marsh lived in Withington, and his parents took in evacuees at the beginning of the war. They had three boys from Liverpool.

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Discover the link between Hawarden airport (10 minutes from Huntington) and WW2.

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The aircraft factory at Broughton was established early in the Second World War as a shadow factory for Vickers-Armstrongs Limited. The factory produced 5,540 Vickers Wellingtons and 235 Avro Lancasters. Including PA474 which is now part of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and one of only two Lancaster aircraft remaining in airworthy condition out of the 7,377 that were built.

Post-war the factory was used by Vickers to build 28,000 aluminum prefab bungalows.

On 1 September 1939 The RAF's No. 48 Maintenance Unit was formed at Hawarden and until 1 July 1957 stored, maintained and scrapped military aircraft, including the Handley Page Halifax, Wellingtons, Horsa gliders and De Havilland Mosquitoes.

Between 5 November 1940 and 30 November 1945 No. 3 Ferry Pilots Pool/Ferry Pool, Air Transport Auxiliary, was based at Hawarden. Its pilots ferried thousands of military aircraft from the factories and maintenance facilities at Hawarden and elsewhere to and from RAF and Naval squadrons throughout the UK.

On 1 July 1948 The De Havilland Aircraft Company took over the Vickers factory and over the years built the following aircraft types at Hawarden:

De Havilland Mosquito, De Havilland Hornet, De Havilland Sea Hornet, De Havilland Vampire, De Havilland Venom and Sea Venom, De Havilland Dove and Devon, De Havilland Comet, De Havilland Canada Chipmunk, De Havilland Canada Beaver , De Havilland Sea Vixen, De Havilland Heron and two aircraft that became the prototypes for the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod.

The company became part of Hawker Siddeley Aviation in the 1960s and the production of the Hawker Siddeley HS125 business jet (designed by De Havilland as the DH.125), which became the main aircraft type produced by the factory for nearly forty years.

Production was moved to the United States in 1996 when the 125 business was sold to the Raytheon Corporation.

Today maintenance of the HS125 is provided on site by Aerocare.

In 1977 the majority of the Broughton factory became part of British Aerospace operations and is now owned and operated by Airbus UK. being the center of wing production for all models of Airbus commercial aircraft, including the A380 and A350.

The majority of which are flown to Toulouse in France for final assembly, transported by the unusual looking Beluga A300 ST aircraft.

The airport land includes a football ground named The Airfield, home of Cymru Alliance side Airbus UK Broughton F.C, which has movable floodlights able to be lowered due to its proximately to the runway.

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History of Hawarden Airport - Hawarden Aerodrome

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The aircraft factory at Broughton was established early in the Second World War as a shadow factory for Vickers-Armstrongs Limited. The factory produced 5,540 Vickers Wellingtons and 235 Avro Lancasters. Including PA474 which is now part of the RAF's Battle ... Read more

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Read this BBC News article about plans for a Battle of Britain Spitfire found in an office in Airbus, Broughton (10 minutes from Huntington).

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More than 20,000 technical drawings of a World War Two aircraft have been found at a factory in Flintshire.

Blueprints of the Mosquito were thought to have been lost but were discovered by Airbus in an office it was closing down in Broughton.

The twin-engine bomber was one of the most versatile RAF aircrafts to serve during the war.

The find has boosted plans by a group, the People's Mosquito Project, to rebuild the bomber.

Bill Ramsey, the project's operations director, who served in the RAF for 41 years, said the drawings weighed 67kgs (148 lbs) in total and were going to be thrown into a skip.

"It is actually probably unique in the world in that it's a complete collection of drawings for every mark and modification that was ever made to a Mosquito," he told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales programme.

"You could actually build any form of Mosquito, including one that never actually flew."

He said it would cost about £7m to rebuild the aircraft, which was largely made from plywood and balsa, with the aid of the plans.

"It sounds like a lot of money but what the drawings do, they're important historically because they're a unique document [and] they have a certain commercial value to us," he said.

"Technically, it means that for some of the pieces of the aeroplane, the slightly more obscure ones, the Civil Aviation Authority will let us use those drawings to remanufacture them."

He added there was "a nostalgia for all things old" and that rebuilding a Mosquito capable of flying would please "lots and lots" of people.

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More than 20,000 technical drawings of a World War Two aircraft have been found at a factory in Flintshire. Blueprints of the Mosquito were thought to have been lost but were discovered by Airbus in an office it was closing down in Broughton.

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Have a look at four of the planes used in the Battle of Britain by the Allies and Axis powers.

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Battle of Britain Planes Display Posters

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Listen to the famous speech made by the prime minister, Winston Churchill.  This animated video was made in 2015 by the RAF to mark the 75 anniversary of the Battle of Britain. This speech is where the battle got it's name from.

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“This Was Their Finest Hour…” | Animated speech by Winston Churchill

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The key events from the Battle of Britain in chronological order.

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The Start of World War II

On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the official start to World War II. After the defeat of Poland, Germany invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France.

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding argued that Fighter Command's involvement in defending France against Nazi Germany risked the future defence of Britain:

"If the Home Defence Force is drained away in desperate attempts to remedy the situation in France, defeat in France will involve the final, complete and irredeemable defeat of this country."

After France fell in June 1940, Germany's attention turned to Britain.

"What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin." British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill

On 30 June 1940, Hermann Goering - Head of the German Luftwaffe, gave the order to draw the RAF into battle.

The Battle of Britain, 10 July - 31 October 1940

The Battle of Britain was fought above the skies of Britain, between the RAF and the German Luftwaffe. Had British and Allied aircrew not defeated the Luftwaffe, it is likely that Germany would have invaded Britain.

The Battle of Britain is often described as having 4 phases:

Phase 1: 10 July - 12 August 1940 Attacks on Channel Shipping

The Luftwaffe attacked shipping conveys in the English Channel and Channel ports and coastal radar stations on the South coast. There were widespread night-time raids all along the coast.

16 July: Adolf Hitler issued Directive No. 16, calling for preparations to be made for Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain. Hitler demanded that "the British Air Force must be eliminated to such an extent that it will be incapable of putting up any sustained opposition to the invading troops."

Phase 2: 13 - 18 August 1940 Attacks on Airfields and Radar Stations

The Luftwaffe planned to destroy the aircraft of Fighter Command, either on the ground or in the air. Airfields and radar stations became the focus of German bombing. The raids destroyed valuable aircraft and damaged airfields, making it difficult for aircraft to operate. The airfields of No.11 Group in the south east of England suffered the heaviest attacks. Small civilian airfields were used in emergency.

13 August: 'Eagle Day' (Adlertag): The Luftwaffe launched intense raids on RAF airfields, focusing their attacks in the south east of England.

18 August: The Hardest Day: Fierce air battles between the Luftwaffe and the RAF, with severe loss of RAF aircraft on the ground.

Phase 3: 19 August - 6 September 1940

The Luftwaffe continued to bomb towns, cities and airfields across the south coast of England, the Midlands and the north east.

20 August: British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, acknowledged the enormous gratitude to British & Allied aircrew: "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few."

24 August: During night bombing of Britain, a lost German bomber formation dropped bombs on London by mistake.

25 August: In retaliation of the bombing of London, the RAF launched their first bombing raid on Berlin.

31 August: Fighter Command suffered its heaviest losses to date. 303 Squadron (Polish Squadron) - based at RAF Northolt - became operational.

Phase 4: 7 September 1940 - 31 October 1940

Mass bombing raids were launched against London, and continued against other major British cities.

15 September: Battle of Britain day. The Luftwaffe launched its heaviest bombing raids on London. Fighter Command successfully fought the attacking aircraft, resulting in heavy Luftwaffe losses.

17 September: Hitler postponed the invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion)

26 September: The Spitfire factory at Southampton was attacked and destroyed.

October: The German Luftwaffe focused their bombing raids on British cities at night, to reduce Luftwaffe casualties. Coastal towns, airfields and other military targets were attacked during the day.

31 October: The German Luftwaffe were denied air superiority by the RAF. The Battle of Britain ended.

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Battle of Britain Timeline: 10 July 1940 - 31 October 1940

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On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the official start to World War II. After the defeat of Poland, Germany invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France.

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This short film explains what the Battle of Britain was, who was involved and how radar was used throughout the battle

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This short film could be used as part of a cross-curricular lesson in PE. Your pupils could direct each other using instructions to explore the role of radar in the Battle of Britain. This falls within the following part of the national curriculum in England:

Pupils should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other.

Pupils should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

Pupils should be taught to take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team.

Additional fact for the class:
Buckingham Palace was very nearly destroyed. RAF Sergeant Ray Holmes spotted a German bomber heading in the direction of the palace, but Ray was out of ammo to fire it down. So, instead he steered his aircraft straight into the enemy aircraft and rammed it with his wing.

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History KS2: The Battle of Britain and beyond

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This short film explains what the Battle of Britain was, who was involved and how radar was used throughout the battle.

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Watch this fascinating video about the teenager who helped to design the Spitfire plane.

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Meet the young mathematician who helped design the Spitfire, the iconic aircraft that took part in the Battle of Britain, which started 80 years ago today.

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Who was the teen who helped design the famous Spitfire plane?

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July 10 2020 marks 80 years since the start of the Battle of Britain .

It took place between Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and Nazi Germany's air force during the Second World War and all the fighting happened in the air.

Britain won the battle in October 1940 and Hitler called off his plans to invade the country.

The British military relied on well designed planes in order to help lead them to victory and the contributions of one young schoolgirl played a significant part in this.

Who was Hazel Hill?

Felicity Baker

Hazel Hill was a 13-year-old girl living in Britain. Her father, Fred Hill, worked in the Air Ministry during the 1930s. This was a government department which was responsible for looking after all the affairs relating to the Royal Air Force.

Planes were developed during this time to help assist the RAF, one of which was the iconic Spitfire. Early models of the aircraft weren't advanced enough to withstand battles with the enemy and updates to the plane's design were made later on.

One of the improvements made to the aircraft was the number of guns built into it. Mr Hill believed it should include eight guns as opposed to the four that had been planned for initially.

However, he wasn't able to figure out the precise calculations he needed on his own. He decided to go home and ask his teenage daughter Hazel, who was brilliant at maths, to help him out.

Felicity Baker

Lots of people felt that eight guns would be too many for the planes as they believed they would end up weighing the aircraft down.

However, it turned out they were just enough for the British to win the battle. Having more guns helped provide the aircraft with the level of power they needed and the change played a big part in the British military's victory.

Without the calculations Hazel and her father came up with, the outcome of the battle may have been very different.

Hazel's granddaughter Felicity Baker says she remembers hearing her grandmother talk about her work on planes but only recently realised how significant it had been.

She said: " I'm always proud to be her granddaughter but I'm even more so now that her work has been recognised by the RAF and by a lot of people for the first time."

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Battle of Britain: Who was the teen who helped design the Spitfire? - CBBC Newsround

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July 10 2020 marks 80 years since the start of the Battle of Britain . It took place between Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and Nazi Germany's air force during the Second World War and all the fighting happened in the air.

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A Y6 friendly website which answers key questions about this important WW2 battle.

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Kids learn about the history of the Battle of Britain during World War II. Germany bombs England and London for months.

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This article details the events known as the Battle of Britain. There are some brilliant images included on this web page - make sure you take a look.

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On July 10 the Luftwaffe began attacking British ships. This continued into early August. The Luftwaffe then began bombing air bases, aircraft factories, and radar stations. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was able to defend Britain because it had better equipment and planes. By late August the Luftwaffe had lost more than 600 aircraft and the RAF only 260.

At the beginning of September, the Germans dropped bombs on civilian areas of London. The attack was apparently an accident, but the British fought back by launching a bombing raid on Berlin, Germany. This upset Hitler, so he ordered the Luftwaffe to start attacking London and other cities. Starting on September 7, London was attacked for 57 straight nights. This was the beginning of the Blitz, the bombing of English cities by the Luftwaffe. The Blitz lasted for eight months.

By the middle of September it was clear that the Luftwaffe could not defeat the RAF. British fighters were shooting down German planes faster than the German factories could make them. On October 12, Hitler announced that the invasion of England was off for the winter. Plans for an invasion were discarded by spring.

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On July 10 the Luftwaffe began attacking British ships. This continued into early August. The Luftwaffe then began bombing air bases, aircraft factories, and radar stations. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was able to defend Britain because it had better equipment and planes.