FINEST HOUR
Dan Snow guides Susan Gray around the key sites of the battle that stopped Hitler in his tracks
Future generations, said the prime minister of the time, would look back upon that summer and judge that it had been the nation’s “finest hour”. We are those future generations, and you will not find many among us who would disagree with Winston Churchill’s prediction.
Eight decades ago, in the summer of 1940, German barges were massing along the French coast as Adolf Hitler prepared to transport troops across the Channel to invade Britain. To prevent the invading forces being bombed from the air, the Germans had to take control of British airspace. But for three months, from July to September, Hitler’s plans were thwarted by almost 3,000 RAF pilots defending the skies over southern England.
“The Battle of Britain was the decisive turning point,” says the historian Dan Snow, “because Hitler was now guaranteed to face a twofront war, against the world’s largest empire and the Soviet Union. It was a war Germany could not possibly win.” After making a television series about the Battle of Britain for Channel 5, and having interviewed six survivors of the brave contingent of pilots known as The Few, Snow’s interest is deeply personal. “The Battle of Britain was the first battle of strategic importance fought in the air alone,” he says. “And it shows extraordinary new technology, whether that’s radar, or the fighter aircraft themselves, including the brand new Spitfire. And it’s a battle of individual contributions, of tireless effort by young British, Polish, Czech and other pilots, who flew sometimes five times a day.”
Today is Battle of Britain Memorial Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the battle, and Snow says we should allow ourselves a moment of pride. “Anniversaries are a moment that connect us with the passing of time. A moment to remember Britain in the summer of 1940, while
By mid-September, Hitler had called off the invasion plans.
Snow is still unearthing surprising aspects of the battle. “The supposed national traits are reversed,” he observes. “The Germans were led by charismatic leaders who believed it was enough if they flew brilliantly. The British, led by Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, were bureaucratic and intensely prepared. The Dowding System was the first co-ordinated air defence system, like a giant computer. And the Germans’ stupidity was striking: they could have attacked radar stations and blinded the RAF. The real story is one of a woefully inadequate air force having a go against a British opponent that was better prepared, led, equipped and trained than the Germans.”
To mark the 80th anniversary, Dan Snow hosted the RAF Benevolent Fund’s Big Battle of Britain virtual quiz, alongside actress Sue Holderness. Watch here: facebook. com/rafbf.org
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, DUXFORD, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
‘The British were better prepared, led, equipped and trained. German stupidity was striking’