The Battle of Britain
As the great battle for the English Channel drew nearer, the British were alone in their fight against Nazism. The French had already been forced to surrender to the Germans, however the British refused to surrender to the Nazi’s after been given the chance. This meant that Hitler and his men had no choice but to begin his invasion of Britain.
Most had foreseen that Britain would be the next victim of Blitzkrieg attacks and that the actual Battle would take place in the Air. Even if Britain had lost most of its equipment at Dunkirk, Hitler knew that if they tried to embark across the sea from France they would be annihilated. This meant that Luftwaffe Commander-in-Chief Hermann Göring would have to gain the vital air superiority before the Germans could continue their path of destruction. Hitler’s ‘Luftwaffe’ was a mighty force, which had secured their victory in various other countries prior to the Battle of Britain. Luftwaffe was used to act as both scouts and weapons against anyone that may have posed a threat to the German Blitzkrieg.
Germanys air force had always been one of the best in the World, and Britain losing most of its war material at Dunkirk helped nothing. However the RAF had about 850 fighters including the best Plane in the world, ‘the Spitfire’. Sir Hugh Dowding encouraged the development of Britain’s radar system and believed interception would be the most useful tactic, especially when fuel was so scarce.
It his hard to pin point the start and end to the Battle of Britain, but late July 1940 was when Hitler ordered his Luftwaffe to bomb British Shipping and to destroy as many British fighters as possible. This was to make way for ‘Operation Sea lion’, which would be the full frontal assault of Britain. It was now in the hands of the RAF pilots to defend their homeland.
Britain’s RAF emerged victorious from the battle and Hitler was forced to call off his proposed ‘Operation Sea Lion’. The Nazi’s could not invade Britain and this saved them from the dreaded Blitzkrieg. Hitler realised he would not be able to defeat Britain and concentrated his efforts on Russia and (foolishly) on America, since Britain was still available for Hitler’s enemies use, America used it as a pathway to Germany; it was the launching pad for the second front. American and British soldiers attacked Germany from the west, whilst Russia attacked from the east. We can question, would this have been possible if Britain was under Nazi control? The Battle of Britain definitely had long-term significance in the fall of Hitler.
The Early War-time Interpretations
World War II was a time of great loss, and Britain had had its fair share of death and destruction. Churchill was constantly trying to convince the civilian population to be optimistic, especially since he was a newly appointed priminister. The Dunkirk spirit campaign had brought Britain together in the way it looked upon the battle against Nazism, and Britain were very high in morale. Churchill’s propaganda wasn’t really a lie but more of an exaggeration of the truth. During the Battle of Britain, the British were preparing for a textbook example of Blitzkrieg defeat, and most people had realised that the situation was quite simple. If the RAF held off the incoming Luftwaffe, the Germans could not carry out their land assault on Britain. All civilians could do was to put their trust in to the few pilots that were willing to fight. This was essential, there were very few pilots around to fight and most of these were young and inexperienced. During the battle a myth began to form, the Luftwaffe was not penetrating the RAF defences. The few, young pilots became heroes as they held of the German bombers for day after day. Propaganda was put up everywhere saying that if it weren’t for ‘the few’ that were fighting a large proportion of the German air force, the Nazi’s would be on British soil already. People’s morale was boosted, and most of the population felt that they owed their lives to these brave pilots that had saved them. Many people still believe that if it wasn’t for this vital win from the Pilots, the outcome of the war might have been different. For example the Americans would have had to fight the Nazi’s out of Britain before it could get to Europe, and it had very far to travel across the Atlantic Ocean.
Before I looked at the written interpretations, I interviewed an elderly lady who was 23 at the time of the Battle of Britain. She saw and heard many of Churchill’s speeches and she commented ‘Winston was the perfect priminister to lead Britain’. Her husband was a paratrooper captured by the Japanese, and was a prisoner of War in Japan. She was praying for his life and said that the young men who fought in the Battle of Britain were heroes, especially since many of them had returned from Dunkirk in a state. She sincerely believes that if Britain had been invaded the War may have had a different outcome, but she also mentioned the fact that if Hitler hadn’t bombed pearl harbour, the Americans would have kept to themselves. But since they did, America joined the allies, and with the massive American force and Britain’s exceptional Navy, the war was won. Her husband was later released after Japan was defeated. Despite being fed propaganda everyday, she stuck by the fact that if America hadn’t joined the war Hitler would have won. However, she said she felt great admiralty for those pilots that defended their country to the bitter end. She did comment ‘It was selfish the way America wouldn’t join the war until they got attacked, they knew Hitler was evil, but failed to do anything about it. If it wasn’t for our pilots, Germany would have been in Britain before America could do anything’. She agreed it was Britain’s finest hour, because Britain had always been labelled ‘nothing but a Navy’ but the air fight was the first official British win. She said she had heard Churchill constantly go on about the pilots, but she felt there should have been more than just ‘a few’ in the first place.
Churchill made many speeches during the war and they got more powerful and moving as time progressed. One of his speeches during 1940 described the Battle as ‘Britain’s finest hour’. The speech came in two parts. The first part was read on the 18th June, and the second on the 20th August. This was during the middle of the battle, when many pilots were practically sacrificing themselves. The basic message of this interpretation is that this Battle saved the world from Nazism (‘Finest hour’) and the young pilots won that battle, in which many perished (‘The few’). The purpose of this speech was mainly propaganda. It was used to boost the morale of the civilians and especially the pilots. The speech was made at a time when Churchill needed to show he was up to the job of leading the British people. Churchill knew that people would relate to and therefore sympathize with such young men. The sacrifice of ‘the young’ is a powerful image, which is why it is partially an attempt to draw America into the war on Britain’s side. Churchill had realized even if they won the battle of the air, Britain would never be able to defeat the Nazi’s without the help of another ally. This speech secretly made the American people feel guilty for not helping out Britain, and make them realize that Churchill believed they were the right side and those pilots were willing to sacrifice themselves for this cause.
The speeches made by Churchill are primary pieces of evidence, which reacted to the times events, that makes it very well informed. However, this is propaganda, which makes it unreliable but its very effective propaganda that got through to its target audience and indeed got America’s backing. This is still a very nationalistic piece of evidence and omits the destruction and casualties faced by the pilots. It is very selective and a biased view of the battle- ‘Christian civilization’, which suggests that any country such as America is at risk if the Germans won the war.
Richard Hillary was one of the first pilots to write about his experiences during the Battle of Britain. He wrote about his job in the battle while recovering from severe wounds which he almost died from. He required painful and extensive plastic surgery, which offered only trauma. The date of this interpretation is very important, it was written whilst he was actually in his hospital bed. The general message is that the Germans were ‘the evil’ and it was essential that they should defeat Hitler and his merciless ideas of megalomania. However, Richard Hillary seems to have almost enjoyed the war, and he looked upon his opposition not as people, but simple targets that were just as bloodthirsty as he was. He reflects the attitudes that most of the young pilots had, that as long they were occupied they didn’t really mind. He also liked the way he and is friends were national heroes for the jobs they were doing, and this almost makes him naïve. The surprising thing about this interpretation is that it completely demonstrates the way pilots were being injured or killed; yet it was released as a source of propaganda. This is because Churchill’s whole propaganda campaign was trying to spread the ‘sacrifice’ of the pilots, and Britain were trying to prove that they wouldn’t let Hitler take their island. Human tragedy played a big part in making anybody not fighting in the war feel guilty that they weren’t up their helping these young men. The main reason for him to write this interpretation was because he was terribly injured and was trying to justify his injuries, and also he was trying to come to terms with what he had experienced. This was written at a time when the outcome of the war was not known, and this book suggests a sense of unity he had with his friends, and being a pilot made him feel superior to a typical war fighter. This source is a typical wartime interpretation in the way it has a strong essence of propaganda, but it is one of very few interpretations that are autobiographical. This is an insight into the battle itself and later became a powerful book, which suggests at least some truth. This is however, written by a person who remembered very little of his encounter and was still very bitter because it was so soon after the battle. Richard Hillary may say how terrible his injuries were, but he doesn’t regret anything and doesn’t mention a hint of defeat in the way the war was going. This was inevitably a vital piece in Churchill’s propaganda crusade, especially the way in it suggests this war was down to ‘the few’ and mentions no other factors which were contributing to Britain’s survival.
During the Battle of Britain various newsreels were produced to give people an idea of what was happening in the air. They were shown in cinemas during 1940 and many people would go out to see these because not all had a T.V. They were visual images often with a commentator, and very rarely showed the whole picture of the Battle. The main message of these newsreels during the battle was that it was ‘the few’ young pilots that were keeping the Germans out of Britain. I witnessed a Movie tone newsreel from 1940 and it suggested that this battle was a desperate fight and Britain was only defending itself, but the whole world from Nazism. The up-beat music and nationalistic tone accompanies the essential information, this Battle was supremely important in the eyes of the British. Its main reason for saying this was for propaganda purposes and was designed to reassure people and to justify the pilots’ hardships. This was a British assessment of what was going on, and often the film companies worked closely with the Government. The whole film is very dramatised but is real film of real people in a real war, which cannot be ruled out or forgotten. This is why the interpretation must be reasonably accurate and authentic. These films showed events as they happened not someone else’s account, and millions received this message that also made it very effective. However this video shows only Nazi airships being shot down and not one British plane. There is a very militaristic tone about the whole film, and a biased commentary from a very patriotic speaker. No British causalities are mentioned and they make the Germans out to be ‘beasts’ with no emotion or feeling. The importance of the battle is stressed because the memory is still very fresh, especially for families of those who died in this battle. It would be insensitive to say that their loved ones died for no reason in a not important battle. There is also a constant ‘Good vs. Evil’ emphasis on the whole war.
To aid the campaign on propaganda war posters were placed on walls everywhere and quickly became a common sight. These were put up shortly after the battle had taken place. These were optimistic posters when people knew the outcome of the battle. The basic message is that every civilian owed their lives to these pilots, but still a request for more people to join the war effort. Also the fact that they won the last air battle encouraged many pilots to join the war. It emphasises the sacrifice of Britain’s youth, but fails to mention any factors contributing to their victory. For example the radar system aided their win and the many other nationalities of pilots that helped Britain in the air. The main reason it fails to mention such factors is that propaganda is all about the people relating to what they see. A complex radar system is not the type of thing civilians relate to, but young pilots across the country touched the hearts of many. The date of the poster has a great significance; it was produced at a time when Britain had no real allies. So was yet another attempt at drawing America onto their side into the war. It shows pilots looking to the sky, which is visually effective, and they are all smiling. It makes a young man feel like it’s his duty to help their fellow men and be one of the few. This interpretation is a primary piece of evidence that is photo evidence and was very effective at the time. It has a core of truth and shows a typical example of the people sacrificing themselves for the British beliefs. This is a very selective view though, and is particularly patriotic and nationalistic. This poster fails to mention the death and makes the battle out to be a ‘clean fight’ and doesn’t portray the true reality of war. The failure to mention such factors as the radar system makes it rather unreliable.
