The Battle of Britain
Now the event has slipped into history and today that battle which began 80 years ago is now far enough away to be the subject of serious historical debate.
A generation of historians who were not born when the “Few” took to the skies have looked at the event with that mix of hindsight and a knowledge of the bigger picture and inevitably some have viewed it differently from how it was portrayed in 1940 and indeed how I saw the event as a boy growing up in the 1950s.
For them events like the invasion of the Soviet Union and Pearl Harbour maybe more significant and a re-evaluation of the Battle might suggest that the the final outcome turned on the decision by the Germans to switch to bombing our cities.
And this month one historian writing in the BBC History Magazine explored the strengths of the two air forces, their logistical support and the key decisions taken by the RAF command concluding that the Luftwaffe was more at a disadvantage than some interpretations would suggest.*
But as valid as all that is, it doesn’t detract from the heroism and sacrifice of the men and women who were involved, from the pilots who took to the sky, the ground crews who kept the planes flying and those in radar stations across the south of England.
And so over the summer I want to focus on some of those people drawing on the things they said at the time and widening the scope to include many of those who lived through the events.
Of all the material I could have drawn on it is the Line Book for 222 Squadron which will start the series.
This was the unofficial record of the squadron kept in the Officier’s Mess and is made up of those little snippets which meant something to the men at the time and were no doubt read over a pint and passed round the room.
222 Squadron fought in the battle although the book was begun a month or so after it ended.
But that said many of the men who made contributions to the book or read the jokes, telegrams and pictures will have participated.
They are a mix of ghoulish humour, light knock about fun and just the records of men taking time off from the serious business of fighting.
In time I want to explore their stories, but for now I shall dip at random into the book drawing on the comments left by those men.
I have David Harrop to thank for letting use the Line Book. He acquired it after it had been thrown away and it now sits amongst his collection of memorabilia from the Battle.
But what makes it just that bit more important is that it stretches from November 1940 through to July 1961, covering the squadron’s operations through the war, the moment it switched to Gloucester Meteors which were the RAF’s first jet fighters to its eventual redeployment to a rocket base and there near the end is a simple entry ‘30th September 1957 “The Air Council – No222 Squadron is to disband.”’
And in between there is a whole history of one RAF unit which offers up a fascinating and seamless story but above all draws me a little closer to those men who we know as the "Few."
Like the anonymous comment "HEARD AT HORSHAM B-the Group Captain! Don't you understand that fighter pilots have to be off the ground within thirty-five seconds.!"
Pictures; from 222 (Natal) Squadron 'Line' Book, 1940-1961 from the collection of David Harrop
*James Holland offers a fresh perspective on the events of the 1940 Battle of Britain BBC History Magazine July 2 2019
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| January 1 1941 |
A generation of historians who were not born when the “Few” took to the skies have looked at the event with that mix of hindsight and a knowledge of the bigger picture and inevitably some have viewed it differently from how it was portrayed in 1940 and indeed how I saw the event as a boy growing up in the 1950s.
For them events like the invasion of the Soviet Union and Pearl Harbour maybe more significant and a re-evaluation of the Battle might suggest that the the final outcome turned on the decision by the Germans to switch to bombing our cities.
And this month one historian writing in the BBC History Magazine explored the strengths of the two air forces, their logistical support and the key decisions taken by the RAF command concluding that the Luftwaffe was more at a disadvantage than some interpretations would suggest.*
But as valid as all that is, it doesn’t detract from the heroism and sacrifice of the men and women who were involved, from the pilots who took to the sky, the ground crews who kept the planes flying and those in radar stations across the south of England.
And so over the summer I want to focus on some of those people drawing on the things they said at the time and widening the scope to include many of those who lived through the events.
Of all the material I could have drawn on it is the Line Book for 222 Squadron which will start the series.
This was the unofficial record of the squadron kept in the Officier’s Mess and is made up of those little snippets which meant something to the men at the time and were no doubt read over a pint and passed round the room.
 |
| "MY ENGINE CUT JUST OVER THE HEDGE" circa December 1940 |
But that said many of the men who made contributions to the book or read the jokes, telegrams and pictures will have participated.
They are a mix of ghoulish humour, light knock about fun and just the records of men taking time off from the serious business of fighting.
In time I want to explore their stories, but for now I shall dip at random into the book drawing on the comments left by those men.
 |
| "PLEASE SIR ARE WE GOING TO PANKARR AT CALAIS?" circa 1940 |
But what makes it just that bit more important is that it stretches from November 1940 through to July 1961, covering the squadron’s operations through the war, the moment it switched to Gloucester Meteors which were the RAF’s first jet fighters to its eventual redeployment to a rocket base and there near the end is a simple entry ‘30th September 1957 “The Air Council – No222 Squadron is to disband.”’
And in between there is a whole history of one RAF unit which offers up a fascinating and seamless story but above all draws me a little closer to those men who we know as the "Few."
Like the anonymous comment "HEARD AT HORSHAM B-the Group Captain! Don't you understand that fighter pilots have to be off the ground within thirty-five seconds.!"
Pictures; from 222 (Natal) Squadron 'Line' Book, 1940-1961 from the collection of David Harrop
*James Holland offers a fresh perspective on the events of the 1940 Battle of Britain BBC History Magazine July 2 2019
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