Battle of Britain

  • Battle of Britain Day

    Battle of Britain Day

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    Sunday 15 September 1940 was the day on which massed waves of Luftwaffe aircraft came to attack England expecting little opposition, though were met by a strong force of RAF fighters which hit the enemy formations with might. As dawn broke on 15 September 1940, there was a touch of mist in the air over…

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  • Messerschmitt Bf 109E cockpit

    Messerschmitt Bf 109E cockpit

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    1 Revi gun sight 2 Clock 3 Magneto switches 4 Altimeter 5 Magnetic compass 6 Boost gauge 7 Air speed indicator 8 Turn and bank indicator 9 RPM gauge 10 Propeller pitch indicator 11 Fuel and oil pressure gauge 12 Undercarriage indicator 13 Fuel contents gauge 14 Oil temperature gauge 15 Coolant temperature gauge 16…

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  • RAF Bentley Priory – HQ Fighter Command

    RAF Bentley Priory – HQ Fighter Command

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    Once home to Fighter Command and from where the Battle of Britain was organised by Sir Hugh Dowding, plans are in hand for Bentley Priory to become a museum dedicated to the memory of ‘The Few’. From July 1936 to April 1968, Bentley Priory served as the Headquarters of Fighter Command. As well as being…

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  • The letter that changed the course of history

    The letter that changed the course of history

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    On 16 May 1940 Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Fighter Command, wrote this famous letter to the Under Secretary of State at the Air Ministry requesting that a sufficient Home Defence fighter force be maintained in Britain and that until the minimum strength was reached not a single further fighter should…

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