1: No Longer an Island
1 The Times, 2 October 1916
2 Ibid.
3 Alfred Gollin, No Longer an Island (Heinemann, London, 1984), p. 1
4 Ibid., p. 193
5 W. S. Churchill, The World Crisis, vol. I: 1911–14 (Thornton Butterworth, London, 1923), p. 312
6 H. A. Jones, The War in the Air, vol. Ill (OUP, Oxford, 1931), pp. 382–3
7 C. Cole and E. F. Cheeseman, The Air Defence of Britain: 1914–18 (Putnam, New York, 1983), pp. 232–72
8 Jones, op. cit., vol. V, pp. 487–91
9 E. B. Ashmore, Air Defence (Longmans Green, London, 1929), P. 39
10 Cole and Cheeseman, op. cit., pp. 288–30
11 Ashmore, op. cit., pp. 53–6
12 Jones, op. cit., Appendices, pp. 8–14
13 Ibid., vol. Ill, pp. 243–8
14 Ibid., Appendices, pp. 165–71
15 Ashmore, op. cit., p. 92
16 R. M. Fredatte, The First Battle of Britain, 1917–18 (Cassell, London, 1966), p. 165
17 Cecil Lewis, Sagittarius Rising (Peter Davies, London, 1936), pp. 181–2
18 Ashmore, op. cit., pp. 92–4
2: Groundwork
1 CAB 23/3 (WC233 – Appendix II). The Report is printed in Jones, op. cit., vol. VI, Appendix II.
2 RAF List, 1920
3 Ibid.
4 H. Montgomery Hyde, British Air Policy between the Wars (Heinemann, London, 1976), chapter 2 passim, which also gives references to the relevant CID and Cabinet papers; also see A. Boyle, Trenchard (Collins, London, 1962), pp. 331–50
5 General Lord Ismay, Memoirs (Heinemann, London, 1960), p. 34
6 Montgomery Hyde, op. cit., pp. 63–8; Cmd 467, CAB 27/71/FC (3)
7 Viscount Templewood, Empire of the Air (Collins, London, 1957), pp. 36–7
8 Ibid., pp. 69–70
9 Montgomery Hyde, op. cit., pp. 111–12
10 CP 270 (23)
11 Montgomery Hyde, op. cit., pp. 142–8; Cmd 2029, CAB 23/46
12 Montgomery Hyde, ibid., pp. 140–41; Baldwin Papers, 1 fl 3–4A
13 CP 270 (23)
14 Hansard HC 5th series vol. 165: col. 2141
15 Templewood, op. cit., p. 199
16 CID 118A (Steel-Bartholomew Report) and CID 120
17 N. H. Gibbs, Grand Strategy, vol. I: Rearmament Policy (HMSO, London, 1976), p. 49; CAB Cons. 52(29)3
18 E. B. Haslam, The History of RAF Cranwell (HMSO, London, 1982), chapter 7
19 AIR I, Box 209, File 16030 7/21
20 Montgomery Hyde, op. cit., p. 306 and Appendix VII; CP 193 (34); Gibbs, op. cit., pp. 106 and 563; J. M. Spaight, The Expansion of the Royal Air Force, 1934–9 (Air Historical Branch Narrative, Ministry of Defence); CAB Cons. 29(34)3 Hansard HC 5s vol. 292:1275 388
21 Montgomery Hyde, ibid., Appendix VII; Gibbs, ibid., pp. 176–7, 561 and 563; Spaight, ibid.; DC(M) 32, 141 and 143; Hansard HC 5s vol. 302:367
22 Montgomery Hyde, ibid., pp. 363–5 and Appendix VII; Gibbs, ibid., pp. 362–5; Spaight, ibid.; Cmd 5107, CAB Cons. 10(36)
23 T. C. G. James, The Origins and Pre-War Growth of Fighter Command (AHB Narrative), pp. 15–23
24 Ibid., pp. 26–37
25 Details of Dowding’s career from B. Collier, Leader of the Few (Jarrolds, Norwich, 1957) and R. Wright, Dowding and the Battle of Britain (Macdonald, London, 1969)
3: The Bomber Won’t Always Get Through
1 Herbert Molloy Mason, The Rise of the Luftwaffe (Cassell, London, 1975), P. 158; for Lipetsk generally, see chapter 8 of this work and Hanfried Schliephake, The Birth of the Luftwaffe (Ian Allen, London, 1971), pp. 13–22
2 Francis K. Mason, Battle over Britain (McWhirter Twins, London, 1969), P. 57
3 H. M. Mason, op. cit., pp. 160–62
4 The Rise and Fall of the German Air Force (Restricted Air Ministry Paper No. 248, London, 1948), pp. 4–11
5 H. M. Mason, op. cit., pp. 248–51
6 Denis Richards, Royal Air Force 1939–45:, vol. I: The Fight at Odds (HMSO, London, 1953), p. 7
7 Ibid., p. 410
8 F. H. Hinsley, British Intelligence in the Second World War, vol. I (HMSO, London, 1979), p. 60
9 A. Galland, The First and The Last (Methuen, London, 1955), pp. 1–40
10 R. Beamont, Fighter Test Pilot (PSL, London, 1986), p. 11
11 J. Quill, Spitfire – A Test Pilofs Story (John Murray, London, 1983), p. 58
12 Ibid., p. 76
13 L. Forrester, Fly for Your Life (Muller, London, 1956), p. 75
14 W. Green, Famous Fighters of the Second World War (Macdonald, London, second series, 1962), p. 26
15 Hansard HC 5s vol. 270:632
16 Richards, op. cit., p. 24
4: Late Spurt
1 Gibbs, op. cit., p. 595
2 Montgomery Hyde, op. cit., p. 408
3 Gibbs, op. cit., pp. 308–10
4 Ibid. pp. 313–14; COS 698
5 Gibbs, ibid., p. 315; CAB Cons. 15(38)
6 Gibbs, ibid., p. 385; CAB Cons. 21(38)6
7 AHB Narrative, The Origins and Pre-War Growth of Fighter Command, p. 44
8 Ibid., pp. 45–7
9 Ibid., p. 67
10 Gibbs, op. cit., p. 583
11 AHB Narrative, op. cit., p. 69
12 Ibid., p. 74
13 Gibbs, op. cit., pp. 387–9
14 Ibid., p. 518
15 AHB Narrative, op. cit., p. 85
16 Ibid., p. 86
17 Ibid., pp. 80–82
18 B. Collier, The Battle of Britain (Batsford, London, 1962), p. 163
19 Ibid.
5: Bonus of Time
1 Fuehrer Directive No. 2, 3 September 1939, quoted in H. R. Trevor-Roper (ed.), Hitler’s War Directives (Sidgwick & Jackson, London, 1964), p. 6
2 W. G. Ramsey (ed.), The Blitz Then and Now (After the Battle Publications, London, 1987), p. 27
3 A. C. Deere, Nine Lives (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1959), p. 39
4 Fuehrer Directive No. 5, 30 September 1939, quoted in Trevor-Roper, op. cit., p. 12
5 Quoted in Ramsey (ed.), op. cit., p. 38
6 Ibid., pp. 73–6
7 AM file S2116 Enc. iA; AHB Narrative, Air Defence of Great Britain, vol. I, p. 112
8 Ibid., p. 113
9 Ibid., p. 117
6: Surviving the Storm
1 The events in Norway are described in AHB Narrative, The Campaign in Norway; T. K. Derry, The Campaign in Norway (HMSO, London, 1950); Richards, op. cit., chapter 4; P. B. Lucas, Wings of War (Hutchinson, London, 1983), pp. 56–61
2 Developments in France from September 1939 to May 1940 are described in AHB Narrative, The Campaign in France and the Low Countries
3 Ibid., for opening days of German attack
4 COS (40) 123rd meeting
5 W. S. Churchill, The History of the Second World War, vol. II: Their Finest Hour (Cassell, London, 1949), PP. 38–9
6 Paul Richey, Fighter Pilot (Jane’s, London, 1980), pp. 108–9
7 Fighter Command file S315, quoted in AHB Narrative, The Air Defence of Great Britain, vol. I, Appendix 10
8 A. J. P. Taylor, English History, 1914–45 (OUP, Oxford, 1965), p. 485
9 Wright, op. cit., p. 105
10 COS (40) 133rd meeting
11 Ibid., 134th meeting
12 Churchill, op. cit., p. 38
13 Wright, op. cit., pp. 118–20
14 WM (40) 125
15 Norman Franks, Fighter Leader (William Kimber, London, 1978), pp. 57–64
16 Lucas, op. cit., p. 47
17 Fighter Command file S 19048, quoted in AHB Narrative, op. cit., Appendix 11
18 WP(40) 159
19 Quoted in AHB Narrative, op. cit., Appendix 13
20 SWC (39/40) 11th meeting
21 Quoted in H. M. Mason, op. cit., p. 340
22 Hinsley, op. cit., pp. 144–9
23 David Irving, The Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1973), p. 90
24 Mason, op. cit., p. 356
25 Churchill, op. cit., p. 103
26 Mason, op. cit., p. 258; Matthew Cooper, The German Air Force 1939–45 (Jane’s, London, 1981), p. 119
27 Galland, op. cit., p. 49
28 Churchill, op. cit., p. 103
29 AM Sir Victor Goddard, Skies to Dunkirk (William Kimber, London, 1982), p. 207
30 Deere, op. cit., pp. 44–71
31 AHB Narrative, The Campaign in France …, p. 364
32 Ibid., p. 366; COS (40) 421
33 WM (40) 153
34 Ibid., 158
35 SWC 16th meeting
36 AHB Narrative, The Campaign in France …, pp. 474–5
37 Richey, op. cit., p. 133
38 Ibid., p. 135
7: Battle Order
1 J. R. M. Butler, Grand Strategy, vol. II (HMSO, London, 1957), pp. 172–3
2 Ibid., p. 183
3 B. Collier, The Defence of the United Kingdom (HMSO, London, 1957), pp. 106–7
4 M. M. Postan, British War Production (HMSO, London, 1952), p. 116
5 Ibid., p. 484
6 AHB Narrative, ADGB, vol. II, p. 8
7 Hansard HC 5s vol. 361:152
8 D. Richards, Portal of Hunger ford (Heinemann, London, 1978), p. 195
9 COS (40) 390; WP (40) 168
10 A. Calder, The People’s War (Cape, London, 1969), p. 113
11 Telford Taylor, The Breaking Wave (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1967), p. 47
12 Ibid., p. 48
13 T. Taylor, op. cit., p. 49; Fuehrer Directive No. 9, quoted in Trevor-Roper, op. cit., p. 18
14 Ibid., p. 54; Fuehrer Directive No. 13, quoted in ibid., p. 27
15 Asher Lee, Goering, Air Leader (Duckworth, London, 1972), pp. 91–2
16 T. Taylor, op. cit., p. 64
17 Ibid., pp. 66–7; Fuehrer Directive No. 16, quoted in Trevor-Roper, op. cit., pp. 34–7
18 Ibid., pp. 60–61
19 Cooper, op. cit., p. 133
20 Sir Frederick Pile, Ack-Ack (Harrap, London, 1949, paperback edn), pp. 88–9
8: British Day One, 10 July 1940
1 Robert Rhodes James (ed.), ‘Chips’: The Diaries of Sir Henry Channon (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1970), p. 319
2 I. Jones, Tiger Squadron (W. H. Allen, London, 1954), p. 225
9: Channel Fight, 11 July-u August
1 T. Taylor, op. cit., p. 127
2 ICARE magazine 35/36 (Orly Airport, Paris, 1965), p. 129
3 Daily Herald, 8 July 1940
4 In family possession and supplied to authors
5 AHB Narrative: The Air Defence of Great Britain, vol. II: The Battle of Britain (unpublished), hereafter cited as Narrative, p. 215
6 T. Taylor, op. cit., pp. 225–38
7 Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs (Admiralty, London, 1947), p. 80
8 T. Taylor, op. cit., pp. 72–4, based inter alia on Haider diary, 31 July 1940
9 Trevor-Roper (ed.), op. cit., pp. 37–8
10 T. Taylor, op. cit., pp. 130–32
11 Ibid.
10: Clearing the Way, 12 August
1 D. Knight, Harvest of Messerschmitts (Warne, London, 1981), p. 89
2 Narrative, p. 113
3 Knight, op. cit., p. 88
4 Ibid., p. 91
5 Quill, op. cit., p. 167
6 56 Squadron combat report, Narrative, p. 122
11: Eagle Day – and After, 13/14 August
1 Sybil Eccles (ed.), By Safe Hand: Letters of Sybil and David Eccles 1939–42 (Bodley Head, London, 1983), p. 144
2 Quoted in N. Gelb (ed.), Scramble (Michael Joseph, London, 1986), p. 116
3 Ibid.
4 F. Partridge, A Pacifist’s War (Hogarth Press, London, 1978), PP. 53–4
5 A. Bryant (ed.), The Alanbrooke War Diaries, vol. I: The Turn of the Tide (Fontana, London, 1965), p. 170
6 AIR/2, Inspector-General’s Reports, 1940
7 Pile, op. cit., p. 122
12: Enter – and Exit - Luftflotte 5, 15 August
1 ICARE, op. cit., p. 53
2 C. Bekker, The Luftwaffe War Diaries (Macdonald, London, 1967), p. 158
3 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 118
4 Narrative, p. 163
5 Beamont, op. cit., pp. 29–30
6 Deere, op. cit., p. 112
7 Narrative, p. 176
8 The Earl of Avon, The Eden Memoirs: The Reckoning (Cassell, London, 1965), p. 137
9 Churchill, op. cit., p. 286
10 J. Colville, The Fringes of Power: Downing Street Diaries 1939–45 (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1985), pp. 223–4
13: The Assault Continues, 16 August
1 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 155
2 Ibid., p. 143
3 Rhodes James (ed.), op. cit., p. 323
4 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 143
14: Respite and Re-engagement, 17–18 August
1 Quoted in A. Price, Battle of Britain: The Hardest Day (Macdonald, London, 1979), p. 19
2 Galland, op. cit., p. 73
3 Richard Jones to authors, 1988
4 Quoted in M. Gilbert, Finest Hour (Heinemann, London, 1983), p. 761
5 ICARE, op. cit., p. 59
6 Ibid., p.111
7 Ibid., p. 71
8 Quoted in Price, op. cit., p. 71
9 Ibid., p. 72
10 Ibid., p. 73
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid., pp. 76–7
13 Knight, op. cit., p. 100
14 Quoted in Price, op. cit., p. 109
15 Ibid., p. 95
16 N. Nicolson (ed.), Harold Nicolson: Diaries and Letters 1939–45 (Collins, London, 1973), p. 108
17 Earl of Birkenhead, The Life of Lord Halifax (Hamish Hamilton, London, 1965), p. 461
18 Avon, op. cit., p. 136
19 Narrative, p. 207
20 Price, op. cit., p. 136
21 Bekker, op. cit., p. 165
22 Colville, op. cit., p. 225
15: Desperate Days, 19 August-6 September
1 Bekker, op. cit., p. 166
2 Narrative, p. 219
3 Ibid., pp. 237–8
4 Bekker, op. cit., p. 46
5 Narrative, p. 239
6 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 120
7 Knight, op. cit., p. 116
8 Narrative, p. 391
9 Ibid., p. 382, quoting 11 Group/S.493, 12 September
10 Bekker, op. cit., p. 169
11 Ibid., p. 170
12 Deere, op. cit., p. 142
13 Ben Pimlott (ed.), The Second World War Diary of Hugh Dalton 1940–45 (Cape, London, 1986), p. 86
14 K. Burt and J. Leasor, The One that Got Away (Collins, London, 1956), p. 15
16: Strategic Turning-Point
1 Webster and Frankland, Strategic Air Offensive against Germany, vol. I (HMSO, London, 1951), pp. 178–80
2 W. Shirer, Berlin Diary, quoted in T. Taylor, op. cit., pp. 156–8
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Bekker, op. cit., pp. 171–2
6 A. Kesselring, Soldat bis zum Letzten Tag (Adienaeum-Verlag, Bonn, 1953), P. 95
7 Galland interview with D. Richards, 7 June 1945, Appendix to Narrative
8 T. Taylor, op. cit., pp. 72–3
9 Sir Hugh Dowding, Despatch (HMSO, London, 1946)
17: The New Target, 7 September
1 Narrative, pp. 408–9
2 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 230
3 D. Wood and D. Dempster, The Narrow Margin (Hutchinson, London, 1961), p. 337
4 Gelb (ed.), op. cit.
5 Narrative, p. 411
6 G. Barclay, Fighter Pilot (William Kimber, London, 1976), p. 50
7 A. McKee, Strike from the Sky (Souvenir Press, London, 1960), p. 217
8 Ibid., p. 218
9 Nicolson (ed.), op. cit., p. 111
10 Barclay, op. cit., p. 51
11 I. Maisky, Memoirs of a Soviet Ambassador (Hutchinson, London, 1967), p. 107
12 Bryant (ed.), op. cit., p. 174
13 Churchill, op. cit., p. 276
18: ‘Ominous Quiet!’, 8–14 September
1 Narrative, p. 525
2 J. Wheeler-Bennett, King George VI (Macmillan, London, 1958), p. 468
3 RAF Casualty (Tom Gleave), / Had a Row with a German (Macmillan, London, 1941), p. 68
4 Ibid., p. 75
5 Narrative, p. 527
6 Bryant (ed.), op. cit., p. 174
7 Trevor-Roper (ed.), op. cit., p. 38
8 Fuehrer Conferences … , pp. 98–100
19: ‘The odds were great …’, 1$ September
1 Churchill, op. cit., p. 293
2 Galland, op. cit., p. 73
3 Narrative, p. 454
4 Barclay, op. cit., p. 56
5 Eccles (ed.), op. cit., p. 151
6 Knight, op. cit., p. 134
7 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 247
8 Ibid., p. 246
9 Churchill, op. cit., p. 296
20: The Scent of Victory, 16–30 September
1 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 250
2 Cecil Beaton, The Years Between: Diaries 1939–44 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1965), pp. 42–3
3 Gelb (ed.), op. cit., p. 248
4 Fuehrer Conferences …, p. 97
5 Narrative, p. 491
21: The Battle Fades, October
1 Gelb, op. cit., p. 255
2 Ibid., p. 256
3 Knight, op. cit., p. 115
4 Fuehrer Conferences …, p. 103
5 Churchill, op. cit., p. 482
22: Retrospect
1 AIR 2/7281 (Park’s reports); AIR 20/5202 (Dowding’s Despatch)
2 Hansard HC 5s vol. 292:2526
3 Bekker, op. cit., pp. 171–3
4 Hinsley, op. cit., pp. 186–90
5 ‘Sealion’ directive, 1 August 1940, Fuehrer Conferences …, p. 81
6 Rise and Fall of the German Air Force, p. 17
7 Galland interview with D. Richards, 7 June 1945
8 Richards, The Fight at Odds, p. 190n
9 AIR 16/659, 18 August 1940
10 AIR 20/5202
11 AIR 16/131, Dowding’s memo to Under-Secretary of State on ‘Tactics v. Massed Bomber Formations’, 19 September 1939
12 AIR 2/360
13 Letter to authors
14 Letter to authors
15 J. E. Johnson, Wing Leader (Chatto & Windus, London, 1956), p. 52
16 AIR 16/131 115719
17 AIR 2/7281, 11 Group Op. Instr. No. 10, 5 September 1940, Narrative, pp. 352–4, Appendix 11
18 P. B. Lucas, Flying Colours (Panther, London, 1983), p. 170
19 AIR 2/7281, Narrative, p. 346
20 Ibid., Appendix 10: 11 Group Op. Instr. No. 7, 28 August 1940
21 AIR 2/7281 Enc. 6B
22 Lucas, op. cit., pp. 182–4
23 AIR 16/375; AIR 2/7281, Enc. 16A
24 AIR 2/7281, Enc. I7E
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid., Enc. 15C
27 AIR 24/507, Fighter Command Form 540
28 Lucas, op. cit., p. 180
29 AIR 16/282, 14 October 1940; AIR 2/7281, 24 September 1940
30 AIR 19/572, Enc. 10A
31 Lucas, op. cit., pp. 195–6
32 AIR 2/7337; CAB B1/22
33 AIR 16/677
34 W. Eslick, Whacker’s Air Force (unpublished)
35 AIR 19/572, Enc. I3A; Slessor-Portal letter, at Christ Church, Oxford, Box C/4
36 Wright, op. cit., p. 241
37 AIR 19/572
38 Wright, op. cit., p. 242
39 Lucas, op. cit., p. 217
40 The Battle of Britain (HMSO, London, 1941)
41 M. Gilbert, op. cit., pp. 1060–61
42 Ibid., p. 849
43 Hinsley, op. cit., p. 178
44 Gilbert, op. cit., p. 693; Ismay, op. cit., pp. 188–9
45 Collier, op. cit., pp. 137–8
46 Calder, op. cit., p. 148
47 Aileen Clayton, The Enemy is Listening (Hutchinson, London, 1980), pp. 39–48
48 AIR 2/7316, 19 and 20 August 1940
49 Hinsley, op. cit., pp. 186–90
50 Letter from P. O’Connor to authors
51 R. Watson-Watt, Three Steps to Victory (Odhams, London, 1957), p. 163
52 AIR 16/635
53 Letters to authors
54 Dowding, op. cit.
55 Calder, op. cit., p. 156
56 Gilbert, op. cit., p. 834
57 Ibid., p. 844