Battle of Britain

By May 1940 the die was cast and the war started in earnest This episode examines the buildup to the Battle of Britain studying the technological advances that the RAF pioneered to the start of the Battle itself At the heart of the RAF production were two worldclass fighters the Hurricane and the Spitfire which could compete against the best the Luftwaffe had to offer

This episode focuses on events from July to early September 1940 The Germans tried initially to bomb British naval shipping with limited success However three separate attacks in August targeting RAF airfields were successful Biggin Hill North Weald and Kenley were all temporarily put out of action Then the Germans made a mistake that ultimately lost them the war

During the first week of September Hitler decided to move the bombing strategy away from the airfields to civilian London This episode examines the spirit of the Londoners who defied Hitler and ultimately ended the war in the last weeks of September The RAF with fewer resources fewer men and fewer machines had beaten the might of the Luftwaffe