THE WORLD WARS
The Battle of Britain

By June 1940, northern France had fallen to German forces and Britain stood alone in Europe against the Nazi onslaught. Hitler's plan was to cripple the RAF in a short sharp attack and then invade Britain by sea. This attack was to become a long-running and costly battle played in the skies over England. The Battle of Britain asks and answers key questions such as: How did Germany's Messerschmitt fighter compare to the English spitfire? Why did the Luftwaffe fail to win air supremacy? What impact did the battle have on British civilians? It explores the strategies, technology and long term consequences of the battle that changed the course of World War II.

Panels explaining the role of key players and strategies are scattered throughout as are fascinating photos and maps to illustrate this important part of British history.

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Read a detailed account of the opening stages of World War II, including the Battle of France.
10 A detailed history of the nine days of Dunkirk from the BBC.
11 Read fascinating first-hand accounts from senior German officers revealing the background to Operation Sealion on the Spartacus site.
13 Detailed information about the bombers and fighters of the Luftwaffe from the Warbirds Resource Group.
14 Further information on how the Luftwaffe was organised in World War II.
19 Information about the history and development of the spitfire, as well as those who built and flew it from the Spitfire society.
21 Find out more about the details of the structure of fighter command from the Battle of Britain website.
22 An in-depth look at British radars in World War II.
26 A history of the Home Guard from the BBC.
30 A day-to-day diary of the Battle of Britain from the RAF's website.
38 A detailed account of events on 13 August - Adlertag - from the Imperial War Museum's website.

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 An explanation of the 'Big Wing' theory from the Spartacus site.
45 A short biography of Sir Douglas Bader from the Spartacus site.
48 Information and first-hand accounts about air-raids, evacuation, rationing and many other Home Front topics from the Spartacus site.
54 An essay explaining the significance of 15 September 1940 from Battle of Britain website.
57 More details about the life and times of Britain's leader during World War II from the Churchill centre.