Battle of Britain Day - September 15th

[Aerkuld]

The Battle of Britain was spread over several months, and actually faded out rather than ended, but September 15th is Battle of Britain Day.

September 15th, 1940 was the day the Luftwaffe conducted the largest raids. Huge formations of German aircraft were intercepted and dispersed. Many aircraft and aircrew lost on both sides, but it hit the Luftwaffe hardest. Meanwhile, very few bombers made it to worthwhile targets. This was the day that broke the morale of the Luftwaffe, when they discovered the RAF was not actually ". . . down to it's final sixty aircraft", and that air superiority over Great Britain was not achievable.


I often wonder what it would have been like in southern England at that time. I love the sound of piston engine aircraft, so what would formations of hundreds of them sound like? Obviously there would be some risk on the ground, but the real battle was up in the air. It must have felt relatively isolated on the ground; watching and listening to the struggle going on overhead. I imagine being witness to that, it would have been quite an experience. Then again, the death and destruction, along with the potentially grave significance of the outcome must have weighed heavy.

Credit often goes to 'The Few', but in reality it was a huge network of people in many roles, and from many different countries. Here's to all of them - on both sides.

I found this site. The type setting is hopeless, but it's an interesting account.

Accounts of the morning;

September 15th 1940 (morning)


And afternoon:

September 15th 1940 (Afternoon)

[Yorkie]

Arguably one of the most important moments in modern history. The ramifications of the Luftwaffe defeating the RAF are fascinating. How would the Allies have launched an attack on mainland Europe without the UK as a floating aircraft carrier? How would the Allies have mounted a sustained bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Could the Russians have defeated the Nazi's on their own? If those young men had not prevailed and Goering not moved his attention away from the airfields to bombing London you might have had a "Man in the High Castle" scenario. Heroes indeed.

[GH85Carrera]

Yea, if Germany had indeed invaded GB and controlled the area the cracking of Enigma, refining or RADAR and the first computers would never have happened in time. We would have likely had to drop nukes on Europe.