Wings at War Collection

Following the fall of France in June 1940, Britain was all but alone in Europe to carry on the fight against Nazi Germany. Using superb archive material originating from both sides of the conflict, Fight For Britain begins with the dramatic story of The Battle of Britain. The failure of the Luftwaffe to defeat RAF Fighter Command during the long, hot summer of 1940 led to a change of tactics.

In the spring of 1941 most of Europe was under German control. In the West only Britain remained in the fight. But it was largely a fight for survival. Only RAF Bomber Command was in a position to take the fight to the enemy. But its aircraft carried modest payloads and navigation was primitive. Not surprisingly, missions flown at night frequently in bad weather usually ended in failure.

For many, the Normandy landings in June 1944 are most associated with the liberation of Europe. But it was almost exactly the year before that parts of mainland Europe began to throw off the Nazi yoke. The defeat of the German and Italian forces in North Africa enabled the Allies to launch their assault on fortress Europe beginning with Sicily. From here, the invasion of Italy was launched.

Japan had been at war with China several years before the outbreak of the Second World War. As a result, her war machine was already up to speed as the wider conflict developed. Using archive footage from both sides of the conflict, we present a unique view of the conflict in the East. The program begins with the rise of Japanese naval airpower and the attack on Pearl Harbor.