hi everybody and welcome to this
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meantime enjoy this video summer of 1940
a small group of young men and their
aircraft were all that seemed to stand
between the British people and invasion
by the Nazi war machine in the months
that followed the few of RAF Fighter
Command would engage the Luftwaffe in
savage aerial combat over southern
England
in the summer of 1968 some of those
aircraft were in the skies again to
appear in the classic British feature
film Battle of Britain
now using unseen footage from that
production this series will tell the
real story of the Battle of Britain
throughout August 1940 the Luftwaffe is
relentless attacks on the RAF in the air
and on the ground and threatened to
destroy Fighter Command but as the
Germans switched to a terrifying new
attack the RAF is given a vital
breathing space and the opportunity
[Music]
over the past month huge formations of
German bombers of targeted vital RAF
installations including airfields
aircraft factories and radar stations
many such as RAF monster are bombed
repeatedly
the outnumbered pilots of Fighter
Command fought back against this
onslaught few in number they hurled
themselves again and again against vast
enemy formations
[Music]
now people say to me I'm an idiot to
shoot down now I never looked back but
believe me I've never looked back to see
what damage I had done squirting down
our Rover bombers because we were
outnumbered about four to one and in
fact the the the one-one errors and 109s
got in one another's way to Rhonda's
huge edges so the the secret of success
and survival was not to fly in a
straight line for any length of time you
did a squirt here and a squirt there
remembering of course that we had
considerably more targets to shoot at
than the enemy
wondered I did five trips in succession
and it was very stressful
it was more stressful waiting trying to
read book more sleep
most people seem to appear to try and
relax and sleep but you were obviously
very much on edge and in a way I was
much happier than we've been scrambled
when I was lazy
no I did not was gonna have more we got
in the air
I start off about been petrified that
I'd be shocked on my first trip I finish
up the battle wanting them to bring more
over so I could shoot more down this is
because I was only twenty and was very
cocky by the end of August the RAF had
lost more than 400 fighter aircraft
and more than 200 pilots have been
killed or wounded
Eric actually was shot down behind me
and jumped out the fellowship and it
malfunctioned so he was killed but after
that episode I definitely didn't make
any more friends close friends that I
had already shied away from most I
didn't even know the names of some of
the people that joined the squadron and
subsequently got killed for all the
skill and courage of pilots Fighter
Command was in danger of losing the
battle for air superiority over southern
England but Hitler was impatient
he'd been incensed by RAF bombing raids
on Berlin now Luftwaffe intelligence
reported that Britain's fighter shield
was on the brink of collapse and so he
ordered Goering to proceed to the final
climactic phase of the air war against
Britain
London and other industrial cities were
to be targeted by massive bombing raids
Britain's war industries would be
obliterated attacks on the capital would
force the RAF slashed fighter reserves
into the air where they would be
destroyed by waves of German fighter
escorts the people of Britain would then
see sense forcing their government to
seek terms
[Music]
almost 1,000 German aircraft head for
England
RAF controllers alerted as always by the
chain of radar stations guarding
Britain's coastline scramble 11
squadrons they expect this fast
formation to split up when it reaches
the English coast proceeding to RAF
airfields and installations across
southern England
[Music]
but the huge formation continues on its
steady course the controller's realize
it can only have one target London
[Music]
like a touch to scramble squadrons
already airborne patrolling 11 groups
airfields are hastily redeployed a
further 10 hurricane and 9 Spitfire
squadrons waiting at dispersal are
ordered into the air
[Music]
the Spitfires of 6:02 squadron are
amongst the first to make contact with a
huge group whopper formation
[Music]
the RAF pilots are no strangers to
disparity in numbers outnumbered over
ten to one they attack
swarms of me-109 fighter escorts pounce
on the British aircraft beginning a
desperate twisting dogfight as the
bomber formations fly on
every available RAF squadron is in the
air racing to intercept
but the Bombers reach London
high explosive and incendiary rained
down upon the city's Docklands the East
End of London is soon ablaze hundreds
going over there was no end to them and
everybody was looking up and cause my
mother she'll when she heard a bomber
she would bury her head in their couch
and say oh my god help us there is
intense air combat over Kent and the
Thames Estuary as British fighter
squadrons ripped through the returning
promise
[Music]
[Applause]
as night falls more bombers arrive over
London sheltered by the darkness they
are now safe from attack but the
darkness offers no protection to the
stricken city guided by huge fires they
add their bombs to the destruction below
the attacks continue throughout the
night tons of high explosive and
thousands of incendiary bombs rained
down upon the category
my boyfriend and I were standing on the
corner saying good night and we could
see all these fires I mean really the
sky was lit up red and yonder you know
you know well that's London sirens would
go in fire engines
[Music]
the first masked raid over London had
cost the Luftwaffe 40 aircraft Fighter
Command had lost 26 aircraft with 11
pilots reported killed
[Music]
they had not started bombing London and
instead kept up bombing near fields and
may have kept up with aircraft we were
run out of pilots and so of that being
the case you know they could one as
Luftwaffe bombers turned their attention
to the capital by both day and night
fighter command was given a much needed
respite and despite the terrifying
destruction wrought in the nation's
heart
the new German strategy played right
into the RAF sands
[Music]
as dawn broke over London about 350
Londoners lay dead killed by German
bombs 1500 had been injured the German
High Command was encouraged their
bombers had got through London was
ablaze surely the end was near for
Britain and her disintegrating defences
the strategy was confirmed the Luftwaffe
would concentrate its efforts on one
target London of course when we see the
papers and went to work they were also
didn't London of it last night
at London's expense the country's air
defenses have gained a reprieve
[Music]
Dowding took action to nurse his
battered organization back to health
[Applause]
to overcome the desperate problem of
fatigue amongst the most battle weary
squadrons and the lethal lack of combat
experience in the squadrons that
replaced them he introduced three
categories for his operational squadrons
[Music]
the first category with the frontline
squadron is to be kept fully operational
at full strength and fed replacements as
necessary the second category consisted
of squadrons at full operational
strength and capable of being called
upon to assist the frontline units
gentlemen I'm pleased to say that at
long last through the final category
consisted of squadrons in quiet sectors
where experienced pilots could be rested
while they passed on their knowledge to
others fresh from trains in red sections
as pilots recovered or newcomers gained
experience they will be fed back into
the frontline squadrons
just having his squadrons that he moved
about he can conserve his forces join
the actual business of fighting in
Europe as I say when you're 19 you are
too busy ducking and weaving to pay too
much attention as to what you're doing
the strategy of the situation of
strategy of the war and even some of the
tactics of the war you know you're not
really too worried about they don't
concern you because you're too busy
trying to keep yourself alive well
gentlemen I'm pleased to say that at
long last we have 12 battle tactics were
refined squadrons were to attack in
pairs they were discouraged from
pursuing damaged planes but to find
fresh targets be flying at 15,000 feet
I want Keith Park commander of 11 group
which had borne the brunt of the
assaults emphasized the importance of
early and accurate interceptions
breaking up the formations stripping the
Bombers of their fighter escorts head-on
attacks on the bomber formations were
encouraged
[Music]
huge concentrations of aircraft
continued to attack London
number one Canadian squadrons hurricanes
are amongst those engaged by the fighter
escorts
but this earns other squadrons a clear
run and the bomber formations
London was at the very edge of the
me-109 s range burning fuel rapidly at
combat speed they could spend only a few
minutes over the capital he endurance
the will ignore nd price writer the skin
guard is not fulfilled and so you can't
split barrels or dis least Onvia ban
before direct escort Desai's people
don't really care they don't see you
Muslim practice name Dean freak
misfortune FAFSA and yuck feel about fry
lifts if Ryan is left arms boom sorry
puss its own surveillance Pete
surveillance wider niched
and upon a date a nice Katya diced a be
nice to hold own own come wot Spitfire o
me about it what happened yet enormous
[Music]
despite their successes tensions had
surfaced among senior RAF commanders
Keith Park commander of 11 group
believed it was vital to intercept early
using the advantage gained by radar
small numbers of aircraft would hit the
enemy as soon as they crossed the coast
disrupting German raids before they
reached their targets as German escort
fighters became entangled in dogfights
other squadrons could then attack the
unprotected bombers
[Music]
leigh-mallory commander of 12 group
believed in assembling several squadrons
into one large formation before hitting
the enemy with concentrated force and
aggression
Keith Park disagreed vehemently with
this big wing concept as did others okay
could make a big impact but it takes
time and the one thing that wasn't
available during the battle was time and
we said but what a waste of time forming
up and all at that time the bombers are
coming in and they're probably on their
way out and to imagine try and sitting
around waiting to form up into a big
wing I say be a total that would have
been a total failure
[Music]
as autumn approached the weather became
less suitable for air operations
nevertheless the Luftwaffe mounted large
raids resulting in fierce dog fights
over Kent and London
[Music]
and the nightly blitz on London
continued in spite of the difficulties
of locating the enemy in the dark
attempts were made to intercept these
nighttime Raiders the only way you could
identify what the earthen was was by
getting underneath it at night and
getting a plan view from looking from
underneath up at the shape of the wings
and we slowly flew up and closed in
formation behind it so I could get my
gun sight on to it and open fire one or
two interceptions later that the Air
Ministry were pressed by newspapers as
to why I had had success at night the
Air Ministry were determined not to give
away the fact that we had effective
radar or something in our night fighter
that allowed us to close in on other
aircraft at night and the amnesty said
that I had exceptional night vision
cat's eyes cats are supposed to be able
to see by night I think that was how my
name started
swiftly Fighter Command was recovering
the numbers of trained pilots available
for operations was increasing daily new
fighter aircraft were being produced and
delivered to squadrons at a rate that
exceeded their losses
[Music]
rike Marshall Goering meanwhile
reassured by over-optimistic
intelligence of the kind he liked and
expected to hear believed the enemy to
be fatally weakened
now is the time for maximum effort a
single raid of such overwhelming force
that it would bring about London's ruin
and the certain annihilation of Fighter
Command
[Music]
German bomber squadrons rendezvous over
the paddock a lay circling above them
the fighter escorts burn fuel as they
wait for the huge formation to assemble
[Music]
starting from a few aircraft to suddenly
having to put up 250 plus was very very
scary bian de bomba weather in
hinterland in stats indeed van while the
Yak Frigga was he have a nice red medium
constant mayor and an inner fort near
unknown so island reason poke to summon
super common bomba on Jack's bouquet
Muslim antsy summon the Wharton pushed
him to summer place I wouldn't be
steamed at 11 groups operations room at
Uxbridge the day had begun quietly the
personnel in the underground plotting
room whiled away the time
the Prime Minister had chosen this day
to make an unexpected call on Park and
his command
forbidden to light his cigar within the
confines of the underground bunker
Churchill settled himself above the
operations room its large map and
indicator boards reflected the uneasy
calm
watched by the electronic eye of the
British radar chain the German formation
continued to mass on the other side of
the channel
these ality salute circus issues so I
impose pull to summon kizomba Tom
ultimate side as positive rate is a
bomba in causing Kazama teen formats
yawnin meeting the agency salmon reef
tongue England in Marseilles the abaya
dimension entirely spreads for powered
on yet water
Wendy teal white canoe make vara white
McFarland monitor leash
desperate least mayor house - on via
Jaeger cote de bombon in nevada shits
involve a I can spread my heartin so
dust is a bomb but and and shoots lost
in english and yuck friggin Oscars its
van owned a piglet suits on starter
Hutton via naturally Jie cause a bomb
Buffalo stir Churchill watched as a wife
plotter acting on the information fed
through the system moved the markers
representing the first of the hostile
aircraft to head towards the English
coast
with ample time to organize squadrons
and alerts supporting aircraft from
surrounding groups the air defenses of
Britain are ready and waiting for the
incoming raid
[Music]
more markers crawl across the blotting
table squadrons from Biggin Hill
Northolt and Kenley scrambled to get
airborne with radar giving the enemy's
course and height and knowing London is
the target
RAF controllers confidently position
their forces as the leading German
formations cross the coast the RAF
fighters sweep in the German pilots
braced themselves to receive these last
few British fighters the Spitfires dive
out of the Sun bouncing the fighter
escort
[Music]
the air is full of weaving aircraft as
me-109 s attempt to fend off five
British fighter squadrons
[Music]
a second wave of RAF squadrons arrived
attacking head-on
the bomber formation struggled towards
London most of the fighter escorts
remain over Kent entangled in desperate
dogfights with RAF Spitfires
at this moment the big wing of 12 group
joins the action given plenty of warning
five squadrons of 12 group 55 aircraft
have assembled and now pilot to the fray
[Music]
with RAF fighters attacking them from
all angles many bombers jettison their
bombs immediately
and turn for home
[Music]
but even as the remains of the morning's
raid land back at their bases another
larger formation was mustering over the
coast as always it is monitored by the
watchful eye of British radar RAF
squadrons land on a rapidly rearmed and
refueled exhausted pilots will only have
a few moments respond
[Music]
the German formations fly out over the
channel in three huge columns
the British fighters are scrambled for
the second time every squadron available
to 11 group is soon airborne 250 British
fighter aircraft in the air and ready
as the cumbersome formations cross the
English coast fighter squadrons from
Hornchurch fall upon them
[Music]
two German bombers are destroyed before
the 109s can intervene locking the RAF
pilots in a frantic dogfight it is a
repeat of the morning's fighting with
one grim variation
the British controllers have assembled a
large number of their fighter squadrons
at the point where the German fighter
escorts will they get low on fuel
213 and 607 squadrons from Tangmere
tear through the enemy formation near
Biggin Hill the me-109 escorts attempt
to fend them off their engines burning
fuel as they push their aircraft to full
power
over London ducks Birds big wing has
returned to rejoin the fight
the Luftwaffe has battled its way
towards London losing aircraft to
constant attacks now over the city it is
hit by a total of 17 fighter squadrons
Corinne's claims of an enemy on its last
legs are revealed as a fantasy of bad
intelligence and his own complacency
[Music]
the German escorts their fuel warning
lights glowing are forced to disengage
the bomber formations scatter their
bombs and turn to their bases staggering
under the constant fighter attacks the
surviving aircraft are Harrod all the
way back across the channel
[Music]
at the end of the day that will become
known as battle of britain day the raf
had lost 26 aircraft and 13 pilots
killed or missing the Luftwaffe had lost
60 aircraft an enormous toll if not the
179 aircraft claimed by RAF pilots the
following day Goering again claimed that
fighter command ought to be finished in
four or five days he dismissed reports
from his pilots about the strength and
skill of the British fighter defense
[Music]
but Goering was blind to the truth his
Luftwaffe had been decisively bloody
repulsed and Britain's aerial defences
were now stronger than ever
[Music]
on the 17th of September Hitler himself
recognized that an invasion of Britain
had become unfeasible the enemy Air
Force is still by no means defeated on
the contrary it shows increasing
activity the weather situation as a
whole does not permit us to expect a
period of calm the Fuhrer therefore
decides to postpone operation sea lion
indefinitely
[Music]
now Hitler would try to bomb Britain
into submission London would continue to
suffer night after night the Bombers
returned to the battered City which
burned like a terrible beak
faintly enough we expected to be bombed
that was part of the deal we knew the
Germans had the Bombers the worst part
was first of all the sound of the
air-raid warning
it's a most frightening chilling sound
because we knew then that they were
coming over and then the drone of the
bombs which was a very familiar sound
getting louder and louder and louder and
the guns
crash crash - crash and then the
whistling and the bombs I was travelling
through London and you could hardly get
off the tube trains because of all the
people sleeping in you have to walk walk
firstly walk over parties
and I also remember the place shaking so
the whole building shaking would have
thought the building was going to fall
down you just within the air-raid
shelters and you just stay down there
and that's all you did do petrified you
were frightened to go out but the danger
and destruction did not break the
people's will instead it strengthened
their determination after the bombing in
London the shops will be damaged the
roads would be damaged the buses weren't
running but among everybody was this
need to get back into the office that
day whether they walked cycled got a
lift and it was this determination to
stay fighting we still went out seven
o'clock in the morning sketched a tram
to go to work and I mean you couldn't go
out once you went in the building
because she was too frightened we just
went over the road to get something to
eat and come back to work and then when
we came out suits o'clock at night we
hadn't got down to the Old Bailey and
the sirens would go and you just have to
run for you lovely thing to get on the
tram to get home
the courage the morale of the British
people in 39 1940 I find absolutely
wonderful
[Music]
despite their terrible losses on the
15th of September the Luftwaffe did not
entirely abandoned daylight attacks
with large numbers of fighter escorts
sleeping ahead of them the bomber
formations cross the English coast
interception by 15 RAF squadrons is
Swift
[Music]
now the German escorts have to fight
their way back
for some this means a low-level
desperate chase across the English
countryside others use the 109 s greater
climb rate to escape the conflict and
head for home
at the end of a day when the Luftwaffe
failed to hit any of its primary targets
they lost 55 aircraft they are a f28
on the last day of September the
Luftwaffe launches a number of separate
raids across the channel RAF fighters
intercept each raid as it crosses the
English coast
rather than fight their way through to
their targets the formations retreat
scattering their bomb loads at random
but hidden by cloud one small group of
bombers and their escort managed to
reach central London
[Music]
I'm schlimazel redness we are having
even Vulcan yonkers asked and after peg
lighted on Sean
and fluke had their fewer wall London
for fails Eastfield to spread on bread
Hudson pumpin inspire phase curve often
undone shot work on Evelyn Hatton will
frying him on this well for him he mph
on Spitfire on Hurricane Hunters vents
in the pomp a mix of them direct and
victorious Norman son Zurich Jeff Logan
with the aisle of rice I am after
confronted all facade to lose my nerve
alter lump a parenthesis be Amato Wendy
Rosalind a parent had my normal a nice
old NAFTA wrote love a certain incident
island Francis V Lowden mine moto
straight when the Honda harm seesaw I
known 24option
dolphin would no survived from say no
things
gaveta no insane seemed a drunken as his
pilot's perished in the cold waters of
the channel so too did Goering x'v ain
hopes for the success of his Luftwaffe
the German losses this day 47 aircraft
the RAF lost 20
it was the last time the Luftwaffe would
mount large daylight raids over England
Goering had sent his air force against a
nation prepared as the pilots of Fighter
Command rose up to meet the aerial
invaders from the all-seeing eye of
radar to the system of communication and
control the pilots of Fighter Command
was supported by an air defense system
of unparalleled sophistication far in
advance of anything Goering or Luftwaffe
intelligence had anticipated the
consequences were more than 900 German
aircraft destroyed the Luftwaffe lost
3,000 of its most experienced pilots and
aircrew killed injured or taken prisoner
in August September October he mayor y
enticed from the deletion theorem ether
chief Ihram untasted was once before in
water were absolute least in the rocker
and 1x treaty infamy the industry the
Royal Air Force and Jefferson the Royal
Air Force were feed stock I sphere and
gentleman heaven on a sphere
Jeff Logan
[Music]
the Battle of Britain had been won and
although air combat would continue
throughout the autumn of 1940 the few
who fought in the skies above England
had held the Luftwaffe at bay they had
stopped the seemingly unstoppable march
of the German military machine and
ensured that Britain would not crash to
defeat as others before them they had
proved that Britain was willing and able
to fight on
[Music]
by their example the few gave the people
of both the free world and the conquered
nations hope and belief in a final
victory both would be desperately needed
in the dark days ahead for there were
many brutal costly battles yet to be
formed
I was very very proud to been taking
part in what was going on in 1940 over
this country it had tremendous effect on
me because when I went there because of
my background I was immature scared
afraid to say boo to a goose
I was just a nobody in his obvious
because it made to feel that in a way
but after the best written I could make
decisions on anything I could do
anything that was afraid of nothing
my main feelings of course we didn't
know it was battle brain we didn't know
beasts historical significance but I at
the time or now feel that almost a
hypocrite in other words these are
always wonderful people died some of
them were won racism were killed I had
some wonderful friends who were killed
and I feel that now I'm getting source a
some publicity or credibility which
really belongs to them
I feel enormously privileged in the
sense that I must have feel I feel I
supposes same as the chapter to pass it
to failure or Crecy or ashen core or
Battle of Waterloo we happen to be the
right age the right place at the right
time but really all I am is representing
those who died the raf lost 715 fighter
aircraft 544 pilots were killed nearly
one in five of those who flew on
operations
amongst those who died defending the
skies over Britain were pilots from
Canada Australia New Zealand South
Africa Poland Czechoslovakia France
America and Belgium 1/4 of the legendary
few were from overseas a debt that is
often forgotten in November 1940 the
commander in chief for Fighter Command
sir Hugh Dowding sent a signal to his
fighter pilots I wish I could say all
that is in my heart I cannot surpass the
simple eloquence of the Prime Minister's
words never before has so much been
owned by so many to so few the death
remains and will increase god bless you
warm
you