Battle of Britain

I’m interested in modern history but I must realise that some people who read this may not know what is meant by Battle of Britain. After Nazi Germany had conquered the whole of Western Europe it is the German air assault on Britain in the summer of 1940  and the successful defence by the Royal Air Force. It is particularly significant because domination of the air was a requirement for a German invasion. Such an invasion would have seen the British Army at a low ebb following shattering defeats in France.

I have written about the Battle before but this time my perspective is a little different. It is influenced by the Stephen Bungay book “ the most dangerous enemy”. Bungay doesn’t just analyse the battle but also looks at the surrounding effects. Like most British people I’m very proud of the role played by Britain in WW11. The prospect of a Nazi ruled Europe is deeply frightening and this rule could easily of persisted to the present day were it not for the British decisions in 1939/40

Bungay’s book makes clear how narrowly some of these decisions were made. There was a strong faction ready to give up and make an uneasy peace with Nazism. Their leader , Lord Halifax, was a much respected politician while Churchill had  relatively limited support being regarded by many in parliament as an irresponsible adventurer. In the event Halifax stood aside and Churchill became a superb  war leader Now this seems inevitable but if France had turned to a Churchill type figure instead of defeatist Petain who knows what would have happened. As it was De Gaulle rescued a semblance of liberal, democratic France but had to do so from exile.

When I was travelling in Europe in the eighties I always felt proud to be British when visiting Holland, Denmark and Belgium. Never more so than later visiting Poland where the unsuccessful British attempts to aid the Warsaw uprising are commemorated by an RAF plane in pride of place in the uprising museum. In contrast I always felt slightly concerned visiting Germany. The people I met were generally very pleasant but there were occasions when I was aware of lingering resentment. On one occasion I was staying at a small hotel in Julich. An elderly man who was the proprietor carried my bag and showed me to my room chatting a bit in English. Seeking to be polite I complimented him on his English and enquired how he had learned it. In Prisoner 0f War camp he replied turning rather surly.

As Bungay points out while Britain was vastly important in defeating Nazism this was at a huge cost. Financially Britain went from significant creditor to substantial debtor. While America was generous during wartime they were much less so in peace. Nevertheless Britain had some of the benefit of being a war winner in, for example, its permanent United Nations Security Counsel seat. This illusion persists of importance although Britain is no longer in its pre war position.

One can argue about the causes and effects of this illusion. The post war government rightly gave India independence, albeit in a disastrous way, while bungling the economy badly. Then again Britain was in a poor way economically as every nerve and sinew had been devoted to the war effort. However industry was just very run down rather than needing to be rebuilt which arguably was the better course and that done in continental Europe.

I have a very particular reason for my interest in the Battle. Although we had a lot of books at home they were all adult books. When I was learning to read I had the Ministry of Information booklet on the Battle of Britain at my bedside. This was written in plain and simple English. I was interested in aircraft and I spent hours poring over the booklet and slowly deciphering it. A few years ago I was very pleased to obtain a facsimile edition which was just as I remembered.

As Bungay says the Battle was won because the RAF had a good system and was well led.. In contrast the German air force had little system and was generally poorly led. Although many myths were produced the fact is that the British acted professionally and with bravery and determination. While the Germans showed equal bravery they were ill prepared and lacked determination.

Todays joke

My wife was complaining last night that I never listened to a word she said. Or something