"forces defeated most of the defending armies in Norway in early 1940 created a significant political crisis in Britain. In early May 1940, the Norway Debate questioned the fitness for office of the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. On 10 May, the same day Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister, the Germans initiated the Battle of France with an aggressive invasion of French territory. RAF Fighter Command was desperately short of trained pilots and aircraft, but despite the objections of its commander Hugh Dowding that the diversion of his forces would leave home defences under-strength, Churchill sent fighter squadrons, the"
"RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned great fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940, when the Few held off the Luftwaffe attack on Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when it was disbanded and the RAF fighter force was split into two categories; defence and attack. The defensive force became Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) and the offensive force became the RAF Second Tactical"
"Battle of Britain, RAF Squadron Leader Geoffrey Crisp (David Niven), the station commander of a Spitfire squadron, recounts the story of how his friend, R. J. Mitchell (Leslie Howard) designed the Spitfire fighter. His pilots listen as Crisp begins with the 1922 Schneider Trophy competition, where Mitchell began his most important work, designing high speed aircraft. While watching seagulls with his binoculars, he envisages a new shape for aircraft in the future. Crisp, an ex-First World War pilot seeking work, captivates Mitchell with his enthusiasm and the designer promises to hire him as test pilot should his design ever go"
"the Battle of Britain. Three pilots born in Southern Rhodesia took part in the Battle of Britain: Squadron Leader Caesar Hull, Pilot Officer John Chomley, and Flight Lieutenant John Holderness. Of these, Hull and Chomley lost their lives. Hull, the highest-scoring RAF ace of the Norwegian Campaign earlier in the year, was killed in a dogfight over south London on 7 September 1940, a week after taking command of No. 43 Squadron RAF. Chomley went missing in action over the Channel on 12 August 1940 and was never found. The RAF recognises seven aircrew personnel who were from the United"
"Hugh Dowding Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, (24 April 1882 – 15 February 1970) was an officer in the Royal Air Force. He served as a fighter pilot and then as commanding officer of No. 16 Squadron during the First World War. During the inter-war years he became Air Officer Commanding Fighting Area, Air Defence of Great Britain and then joined the Air Council as Air Member for Supply and Research. He was Air Officer Commanding RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is generally credited with playing a crucial role in Britain's"
"Command (renamed back in October 1944) in the war occurred against the V-1 flying bomb during Operation Crossbow. RAF fighters also supported the strategic bombing of Operation Crossbow, such as with long-range intruder operations that attacked German airfields and aircraft (e.g., at take-off/landing) at the time the Luftwaffe fighters would be scrambled against RAF Bomber Command (see Operation Hydra). During 1939–45, RAF Fighter Command lost 3,690 killed, 1,215 wounded and 601 POW. 4,790 aircraft were lost. As a direct result of their efforts during the Battle of Britain the Observer Corps was granted the title Royal by King George VI"
"RAF, who claimed 14 kills before his death in September 1940. No. 10 Squadron RAAF, a flying boat squadron was also based in Britain at the time, as part of Coastal Command. At the start of the war, the small Caribbean island of Barbados was a British crown colony. Aubrey ""Sinbad"" de Lisle Inniss (1916-2003) was the sole Barbadian to serve as a pilot during the Battle of Britain. Inniss was born in Barbados to a British family and joined the RAF in 1939. During the Battle, he flew a Bristol Blenheim IF night fighter with No. 236 Squadron RAF"
"RAF Strike Command The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007 when it merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations – No. 1 Group RAF and No. 2 Group RAF. The last Commander-in-Chief was Air Chief Marshal Sir Joe French. Strike Command was formed on 30 April 1968 by the merger of Bomber Command and Fighter Command, which became No. 1 Group and No. 11 Group respectively. Signals Command was absorbed"
"pilots such as the first RAF ace of WW2, Flying Officer Cobber Kain, Alan Deere, whose ""Nine Lives"" was one of the first post war accounts of combat, and leaders such as World War I ace, Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, who commanded 11 Group, responsible for the defence of London in the Battle of Britain, the air defence of Malta and in the closing stages of the war, the RAF in South East Asia. Through accident or design, several RAF units came to be mostly manned by RNZAF pilots (for example No. 243 Squadron RAF in Singapore, No."
"Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, who led RAF Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain, later recalled: I must confess that I had been a little doubtful of the effect which their experience in their own countries and in France might have had upon the Polish and Czech pilots, but my doubts were soon laid to rest, because all three squadrons swung in the fight with a dash and enthusiasm which is beyond praise. They were inspired by a burning hatred for the Germans which made them very deadly opponents. From 1940 until 1942, 311 Squadron was part of a Bomber"
"Adolph Malan Adolph Gysbert Malan, (24 March 1910 – 17 September 1963), better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African World War 2 fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain. He finished his fighter career in 1941 with 27 kills destroyed, 7 shared destroyed and 2 unconfirmed, 3 probables and 16 damaged, at the time the RAF's leading ace, and one of the highest scoring pilots to have served wholly with Fighter Command during World War II. Malan was born in 24 March 1910 to"
"offensive became known as the Battle of Britain. In July 1940 Rödel was transferred to 4. ""Staffel"" (4th squadron) of JG 27 for the ""Kanalkampf"" phase of the battle. Röddel was appointed ""Staffelkapitän"" (Squadron Leader) of 4. ""Staffel"" on 6 September 1940. He replaced ""Oberleutnant"" Hermann Hollweg who took over 2. ""Staffel"" of ""Jagdgeschwader"" 2. On 11 August JG 27 formed part of large-scale fighter sweeps over England as Albert Kesselring, commander-in-chief ""Luftflotte"" 2 (Air Fleet 2) sought to draw up No. 12 Group RAF under Air Officer Commanding Keith Park. The German fighter wings were despatched far in front"
"611 Squadron RAF. No. 242 Squadron RAF’s leader, Wing Commander Douglas Bader led the assault with the 56 fighters. They were airborne at 11:22. The Dorniers were supported by German fighter aircraft that had been sent out in advance of the main strike. ""Jagdgeschwader 27"" (JG 27) and I./""Jagdgeschwader 52"" (JG 52) Bf 109s flew in toward London at , while ""Jagdgeschwader 53"" (JG 53) flew top cover over the bombers. Some 30 ""Jagdgeschwader 3"" (JG 3) flew close escort. The bombers were travelling slowly, forcing the fighters to lower their flaps to stay with the bombers, which made them"
"General Francis Festing took over. Livingston's autobiography, ""Hot Air in Cold Blood"", was published in 1933. Guy Livingston (British Army officer) Brigadier General Guy Livingston, (17 July 1881 – 10 May 1950) was a British Army and Royal Air Force officer of the early 20th century. He was one of the small number of Royal Flying Corps generals in latter stages of the First World War, serving as the Chief Staff Officer at the RFC's Training Division and then as Director of Air Organisation. With the creation of the RAF on 1 April 1918, Livingston was appointed Deputy Master-General of"
"RAF Fighter Command group to be formed, with responsibility for the air-defence of southern England, including London. No.11 Group was organised using the Dowding System of fighter control. Group Headquarters was at Hillingdon House, located at RAF Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The Group operations room was underground in what is now known as the Battle of Britain Bunker. Commands were passed to the sector airfields, each of which was in charge of several airfields and fighter squadrons. The sector airfields were: Sector A: Sector B: Sector C: Sector D: Sector E: Sector F: Sector Y: Sector Z:"
"draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. Adolf Hitler and ""Reichsmarschall"" Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the ""Luftwaffe"", ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the ""Luftwaffe"" for 56 out of the following 57 days and nights. Most notable was a large daylight attack against London on 15 September. The ""Luftwaffe"" gradually decreased daylight operations in favour of night attacks to evade attack by the RAF, and the Blitz became a night bombing campaign after October 1940. The ""Luftwaffe"" attacked the main Atlantic sea port of Liverpool in the"
"RAF Hucknall. During World War II this group was the second most important group of Fighter Command, and as such, it received its share of attacks from the German Luftwaffe throughout the war. The commander of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain was Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, who was a rather ambitious man. Despite his length of service in the RAF, he was passed over for being named the Air Officer Commanding of the more vital 11 Group in favour of Air Vice Marshal Keith Park. Leigh-Mallory felt himself slighted over this and his relations with Park were"
"Aircraft of the Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain (German: ""Luftschlacht um England"") was an effort by the German Air Force (""Luftwaffe"") during the summer and autumn of 1940 to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom in preparation for the planned amphibious and airborne forces invasion of Britain by Operation Sea Lion. Neither the German leader Adolf Hitler nor his High Command of the Armed Forces (""Oberkommando der Wehrmacht"", or OKW) believed it was possible to carry out a successful amphibious assault on Britain until the RAF had been neutralised. Secondary objectives"
"the defence of Britain throughout the war, as well as in the strategic bombing of Germany and other operations. Rhodesia provided the only RAF flying ace of the Norwegian Campaign of April–June 1940, Squadron Leader Caesar Hull. Later that year ""The Few"", the Allied airmen of the Battle of Britain, included three pilots of Southern Rhodesian birth—Hull, Pilot Officer John Chomley and Flight Lieutenant John Holderness—of whom two, Hull and Chomley, lost their lives. Two of the RAF's three Rhodesian squadrons, Nos. 44 and 266, operated from England during the war. No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron, a fighter squadron based in"
"the average rate for other RAF squadrons, despite the squadron having been the highest-scoring Allied squadron during the Battle. The Polish War Memorial on the outskirts of RAF Northolt was dedicated in 1948 as a commemoration of the Polish contribution to Allied arms. One of the RAF's leading aces, and one of the highest scoring pilots during the Battle of Britain was Adolph ""Sailor"" Malan DFC, an RAF pilot since 1936, who led No. 74 Squadron RAF at the height of the Battle of Britain. Under his leadership No. 74 became one of the RAF's best units. Malan claimed his"
"BEF, under the command of General Lord Gort VC, consisted of just 152,000 men in two corps of two divisions each. It was hoped to field two armies of two Corps each, but this scale of mobilisation never took place. The I Corps was commanded by Lt-Gen. John Dill, later Lt-Gen. Michael Barker, who was in turn replaced by Major-General Harold Alexander. Lt-Gen. Alan Brooke commanded II Corps. Later the III Corps under Lt-Gen. Ronald Adam was added to the British order of battle. A further 9,392 Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force under"
"entities. Consequently, in 1968, Fighter Command and Bomber Command were joined together to form Strike Command, both becoming groups within the new command. Coastal Command was disbanded and subsumed into the new Strike Command in November 1969. RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned great fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940, when the Few held off the Luftwaffe attack on Britain. The Command continued until 17 November"
"of Britain. The Dowding system was developed after tests demonstrated problems relaying information to the fighters before it was out of date. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command, solved the problem through the use of hierarchical reporting chains. Information was sent to Fighter Command Headquarters (FCHQ) central ""filter room"" at Bentley Priory and used to prepare a map of the battle. Details of the map were then relayed to the Group and Sector headquarters, where operators re-created the map at a scale covering their area of operations. Looking at the maps, commanders could make decisions on"
"May 1936, No. 11 Group RAF was headquartered at RAF Uxbridge under the command of Air Vice Marshal Philip Joubert de la Ferté, who was succeeded by Sir Ernest Gossage in January 1937. The ADGB was reorganised on 13 July 1936, with control of fighter aircraft passing to the newly established RAF Fighter Command, which moved to RAF Bentley Priory. The following day the remaining elements of ADGB became RAF Bomber Command, headquartered in Hillingdon House. Planning for the new 11 Group Operations Room (within what became known as the Battle of Britain Bunker) began in August 1937. Initially it"
"Edward Davies (RAF officer) Air Commodore Edward Dayrell Handley (Peter) Davies CBE (29 September 1899 - 21 March 1974) was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Acting Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Reserve Command. Davies became a Probationary Flight Officer with the Royal Naval Air Service before being commissioned in the seaplane branch of the Royal Air Force in October 1918. He became Officer Commanding No.36 Squadron in 1935 and then joined the Air Staff at Headquarters RAF Training Command. He transferred to RAF Technical Training Command shortly after the start of World War II and was made Director"
"Charles Bartlett (RAF officer) Major Charles Philip Oldfield Bartlett (3 January 1889 – 1987) was an English First World War flying ace credited with eight aerial victories in the course of flying bombing sorties against the Germans. He remained in service after the war, even though he struggled with health issues that threatened his forced resignation. He would serve until 1932, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader. Charles Philip Oldfield Bartlett was born on 3 January 1889 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England. His father was Rector of Willersley. After his World War I experiences, the elder Bartlett recorded his wartime"
"Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet, (13 April 1892 – 5 April 1984), commonly known as ""Bomber"" Harris by the press and often within the RAF as ""Butcher"" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) RAF Bomber Command during the height of the Anglo-American strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. In 1942, the British Cabinet agreed to the ""area bombing"" of German cities. Harris was given the task of implementing Churchill's policy and supported the development of tactics and technology to perform the task more"
"Battle of Berlin (RAF campaign) The Battle of Berlin (November 1943 to March 1944) was a series of attacks on Berlin by RAF Bomber Command. Other German cities were attacked to keep German defences dispersed. The campaign was led by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, AOC-in-C of Bomber Command, who believed that ""We can wreck Berlin from end to end if the USAAF come in with us. It will cost us between 400 and 500 aircraft. It will cost Germany the war"". Harris could expect about 800 serviceable heavy bombers for each raid, equipped with new and sophisticated navigational"
"command of Air Marshal Sir Roderic Hill. Under Hill's command in January 1944 were 10 and No. 11 Group RAF under the respective commands of Air Vice Marshals Charles Steele and Hugh Saunders. They were responsible for the defence of southern England and the Ground-controlled interception (GCI) operations in these areas. Specifically for night defence, Fighter Command possessed sixteen squadrons of de Havilland Mosquito and Bristol Beaufighter night fighters equipped with airborne interception aids (radar). The majority of the fighter squadrons were equipped with Mosquito Mk. XIIIs or Beaufighter Mk. VIfs, all of them equipped with airborne interception radar. Both"
"his recovery to flying fitness took over three months. Basil Gerald ""Stapme"" Stapleton, with several probables to his credit, survived a crash on 7 September, trying to stop bombers getting through to London. Both men would later command RAF squadrons. The most senior officer of South African origin during the Battle was Air Vice-Marshal Sir Christopher J. Quintin-Brand KBE, DSO, MC, DFC, Air Officer Commanding No. 10 Group RAF covering the South-West; a long service RAF officer, he had joined the RFC in 1916. Southern Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe) was a British self-governing colony in Southern Africa at the time of"
"be having difficulties, then crashed and burst in flames, killing Stewart and all on board. David Stewart (RAF officer) Flight Lieutenant David Arthur Stewart, (8 March 1890 – 24 December 1924) was a British First World War flying ace credited with sixteen aerial victories. Remarkably, they were all scored while he was flying bombers instead of fighters. Stewart served in the Royal Flying Corps, and gained his first two victories over German fighters on 1 and 3 August 1916 while flying with No. 20 Squadron RFC as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class observer in the front seat of a F.E.2b."
"Claude Liardet Major General Sir Claude Francis Liardet, (26 September 1881 – 5 March 1966) was an insurance broker, businessman an and long-serving artillery officer in Britain's part-time Territorial Army before becoming the first Commandant General of the RAF Regiment. Claude Liardet was born on 26 September 1881, the son of Commander Henry Maughan Liardet of Her Majesty's Indian Navy. He was educated at Bedford School. Liardet joined the Lancashire Artillery in 1899. He transferred to the Lancashire and Cheshire Royal Garrison Artillery in 1905 and served in the First World War, during which he was mentioned in despatches four"
"half of British and Commonwealth aircrews, some 167,000 men in all. It was the second largest in Europe. The RAF also integrated Polish and other airmen who had escaped from Hitler's Europe. In Europe, the RAF was in operational control of Commonwealth aircrews and Commonwealth squadrons although these retained some degree of independence (such as the formation of No. 6 Group RCAF to put Canadian squadrons together in a nationally identifiable unit). The RAF had three major combat commands based in the United Kingdom: RAF Fighter Command charged with defence of the UK, RAF Bomber Command (formed 1936) which operated"