THE BATTLE OF
BRITAIN
Five months that changed history
May–October 1940
James Holland
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First published in Great Britain
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Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
List of Maps and Figures
Note on the Text
Introduction
Part I: Miracles
1 First Flight
2 The Eve of Battle
3 The Go-for-Broke Gamble
4 Hook, Line and Sinker
5 The First Clash in the Air
6 Breakthrough
7 Inside the Third Reich
8 A Battle Against Time
9 The Battle is Lost
10 Emergency Measures
11 Learning the Lessons
12 What to Do for the Best
13 New Appointments
14 Decisions
15 Fighter Command Enters the Fray
16 Crisis
17 Black Monday
18 Dunkirk: The Beginning
19 Dunkirk: In the Balance
20 Dunkirk: The Middle
21 Dunkirk: The End
Part II: Respite
22 What Next?
23 The End in France
24 Hitler’s Dilemma
25 All Alone
26 Getting Ready
27 Trouble at Sea: Part 1
28 Bringing It All Together
29 Trouble at Sea: Part 2
30 Crooked Leg
Part III: Kanalkampf
31 First Combat
32 Peace Offerings
33 The Besieged
34 Hotting Up
35 Bombs on Germany, Bomben auf England
Part IV: Battle Over Britain
36 The Wall of England
37 Adlertag
38 The Biggest Air Battle
39 The Hardest Day
40 Bombs on Berlin
41 Tactics and Technicalities
42 Breaking Point
43 Black Saturday
44 Summer Madness
45 The Crux
46 Wolfpack
47 Exhaustion
48 Last Flight
Postscript
Glossary
Notes
Sources
Acknowledgements
Picture Acknowledgements
About the Author
Plates
Index
For Bro
Maps and Figures
1 German and Allied Operations Plans, May 1940
2 Royal Naval Command Areas and RAF Coastal Command Groups and airfields
3 Fighter Command, July 1940
4 German airfields and British RDF cover
5 South-east England, July–October 1940
6 RAF squadron flying formations
7 RAF fighter turn/Luftwaffe fighter turn
8 Luftwaffe fighter Staffel formations
9 Stuka dive-bombing
10 RAF Fighter Command and Luftwaffe Order of Battle, August 1940
11 Operations Room, 11 Group HQ, RAF Uxbridge, 15 September 1940
12 Gridlock in the Ardennes, 12 May 1940
13 The Collapse of the Meuse front, 12–15 May
14 Guderian’s breakthrough at Sedan, 13 May 1940
15 Situation on the evening of 26 May 1940
16 Withdrawal of the BEF to the coast
17 Situation on the evening of 28 May 1940
18 The Dunkirk perimeter, 30 May 1940
19 The Dunkirk perimeter, 1 June 1940
RAF FIGHTER COMMAND ORDER OF BATTLE
Groups and squadrons, 8 August 1940 (0900 hours)
(Sector stations in italic)
13 GROUP,
12 GROUP,
HEADQUARTERS NEWCASTLE
HEADQUARTERS WATNALL
Wick
Church Fenton
3
Hurricane
Wick
73
Hurricane
Church Fenton
504
Hurricane
Castletown
249
Hurricane
Church Fenton
232
Hurricane
Sumburgh
(1 Flight only)
616
Spitfire
Leconfield
Kirton in Lindsey
Dyce
222
Spitfire
Kirton in Lindsey
603
Spitfire
A Flight Dyce
B Flight Montrose
264
Defiant
Kirton in Lindsey
(‘A’ Flight Ringway)
Turnhouse
605
Hurricane
Drem
Digby
232
Hurricane
Turnhouse
46
Hurricane
Digby
253
Hurricane
Turnhouse
611
Spitfire
Digby
141
Defiant
Prestwick
29
Blenheim
Digby
Usworth
Coltishall
79
Sp
itfire
Acklington
242
Hurricane
Coltishall
(operational by day only)
66
Spitfire
Coltishall
607
Hurricane
Usworth
Wittering
72
Spitfire
Acklington
229
Hurricane
Wittering
266
Spitfire
Wittering
Catterick
23
Blenheim
Colly Weston
219
Blenheim
Catterick
Duxford
Aldergrove
19
Spitfire
Duxford
245
Hurricane
Aldergrove
11 GROUP,
HEADQUARTERS UXBRIDGE
Debden
Tangmere
17
Hurricane
Debden
43
Hurricane
Tangmere
85
Hurricane
Martlesham
145
Hurricane
Westhampnett
601
Tangmere
North Weald
56
Hurricane
Rochford
151
Hurricane
North Weald
10 GROUP, HEADQUARTERS BOX, WILTSHIRE
25
Blenheim
Martlesham
Hornchurch
54
Spitfire
Hornchurch
Pembrey
65
Spitfire
Hornchurch
92
Spitfire
Pembrey
74
Spitfire
Hornchurch
41
Spitfire
Hornchurch
Filton
87
Hurricane
Exeter
Biggin Hill
213
Hurricane
Exeter
32
Hurricane
Biggin Hill
610
Spitfire
Biggin Hill
St Eval
501
Hurricane
Gravesend
234
Spitfire
St Eval
600
Blenheim
Manston
247
Gladiator
Roborough
(1 Flight)
Kenley
615
Hurricane
Kenley
Middle Wallop
64
Spitfire
Kenley
238
Hurricane
Middle Wallop
111
Hurricane
Croydon
609
Spitfire
Middle Wallop
604
Blenheim
Middle Wallop
Northolt
152
Spitfire
Warmwell
1
Hurricane
Northolt
257
Hurricane
Northolt
LUFTWAFFE ORDER OF BATTLE IN THE WEST
AUGUST 1940
LUFTFLOTTE 5—NORWAY
X Fliegerkorps
Long-range bombers
KG 26 Stab, I, III He 111
KG 30 Stab, I, III
Ju 88
Fighters
ZG 76 I Me 110
JG 77 Stab, I, II Me 109
Coastal reconnaissance and mine-laying
Kü.Fl.Gr. 506
He 115
Long-range reconnaissance
Aufkl.Gr. 22 with Aufkl.
Staffel Obdl.
1/F 120}
He 111 and Ju 88
1/F 121}
LUFTFLOTTE 2—HOLLAND, BELGIUM AND NORTHERN FRANCE
I Fliegerkorps
Long-range bombers
KG 1 Stab, I, II, III
I, II, He 111; III, Ju 88
KG 76 Stab, I, II, III, Lehrstaffel
I, Do 17; II, Ju 88; III, Do 17
Long-range reconnaissance
5/F 122
Ju 88 and He 111
4/F 132
II Fliegerkorps
Long-range bombers
KG 2 Stab, I, II, III
Do 17
KG 3 Stab, I, II, III
Do 17
KG 53 Stab, I, II, III
He 111
Dive-bombers
II/St.G 1
Ju 87
IV/St.LG 1
Ju 87
Fighter-bombers
Erpro 210 Me 109 and Me 110
IX Fliegerdivision1
Long-range bombers
KG 4 Stab, I, II, III
I, II, He 111; III, Ju 88
IX Fliegerdivision—cont.
K.Gr. 100 (up to 16.8.40)2
He 111
Naval co-operation
K.Gr. 40 Stab, I
Ju 88
Mine-laying
K.Gr. 126
He 111
Coastal reconnaissance
K.Fl.Gr. 106
He 115 and Do 18
Long-range reconnaissance
3/F 122
Ju 88 and He 111
Jagdfliegerführer 2
Fighters
JG 3 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
JG 26 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
JG 51 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
JG 52 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
JG 54 Stab, I
Me 109
ZG 26
Me 110
Jagdfliegerführer 1
In process of formation 22.8.40.
LUFTFLOTTE 3—FRANCE
VIII Fliegerkorps
(Transferred to Luftflotte 2 29.8.40)
Dive-bombers
St.G 1 Stab,I,II,
Stab, Do 17
and Ju 87; I, II, Ju 87
St.G 2 Stab,I,II
Stab, Do 17
and Ju 87; I, II, Ju 87
St.G 77 Stab, I, II, III Stab,
Do 17 and Ju 87; I, II, III, Ju 87
Reconnaissance
II/LG 2 (at Boblingen, Germany)
Do 17
2/F 11
Do 17
2/F 123
Ju 88
Fighters
V/ZLG 1
Me 110
V Fliegerkorps
Long-range bombers
KG 51 Stab, I, II, III
Ju 88
KG 54 Stab,I,II
Ju 88
V Fliegerkorps—cont.
KG 55 Stab, I, II, III
He 111
IV Fliegerkorps
Long-range bombers
LG 1 Stab, I, II, III
Ju 88
KG 27 Stab, I, II, III
He 111
K.Gr. 806 (under St.G 3)
Ju 88
K.Gr. 100 (from 16.8.40)
He 111
St.G 3 Stab
Do 17 and He 111
Naval co-operation
KG 40 I
FW 200
Long-range reconnaissance
3/F 31 (from 8.7.40 to 12.8.40 under St.G 3)
Me 110 and Do 17
Jagdfliegerführer 3
Fighters
JG 2 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
JG 27 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
JG 53 Stab, I, II, III
Me 109
ZG 2 Stab
Me 110
Notes:
(1) Later IX Fliegerkorps.
(2) K. Gr. 100 Pathfinder and radio beam bombing unit.
Stab=Staff flight which was usually operational.
Night-fighter Gruppen, short-range reconnaissance Gruppen (Hs 126) and transports are not included in these lists.
Note on the Text
So as not to cause any confusion, I have used German ranks, rather than English translations. I have also called German units by their German names, largely because when writing about something from the German perspective, it seemed odd not to do so. Thus I have called German motor torpedo boats S-boats – as in Schnellboote – rather than E-boats, as the British termed them.