The Battle of Britain Read online

  THE BATTLE OF

  BRITAIN

  Five months that changed history

  May–October 1940

  James Holland

  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Version 1.0

  Epub ISBN 9781407066523

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  First published in Great Britain

  in 2010 by Bantam Press

  an imprint of Transworld Publishers

  Copyright © James Holland 2010

  James Holland has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9780593059135 (cased) 9780593059142 (tpb)

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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

  Hurricane

  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

  Ju 88, He 111, Me 110

  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.