French defeat 1940 (Corporal Parkinson Diary) (November 1940)

Bloody French. Army tried to fight, but that scandalous republic of theirs is so feeble they never had a chance. They hated each other more than they hated the Hun. Problem is now we are getting some of that blame. Montreal is not Paris. We are not French. We are Canadian. The French abandoned Canada 150 years ago. Our French Canadians are Canadian, and most of them don't even like the French. Problem is now we have to find a way to fight on without them. We can throw those damn so called Aryan supermen back into the sea if they try to take us on here. The fly boys are doing a good job. But how the hell are we going to take the war back to them? They finally got the message back home. Big influx of volunteers, big expansion of all three services. Seems we are now to have at least two more Canadian divisions come over. Good thing. The Brits got a bashing; we need more Canadians over here. Even that dolt Mackenzie King gets that. But we will never be enough. If we don't get the Yanks into this, I wonder how we will ever win this war. And we might be stuck on this damp ugly island forever, with warm beer, cold women, and no hockey. All the boys think the same way.

Aldershot, 8 November 1940

Newsreel (September 1940)

Battle of Britain (September 1940)

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of Britain

Date: 15th September 1940

Finally, the day has arrived! At 4 p.m. today, a time when most British are settling down for their afternoon tea, news broke that the Battle of Britain was won! And as this news came as a surprise to many, it was received by most of us especially the RAF, as a relief. Just yesterday, did Hitler announce that due to the Luftwaffe’s exemplary performance, victory for the Germans would be achieved in a few days! Such arrogance! Hitler will finally be forced to acknowledge that the Royal Air Force is much more superior to his beloved Luftwaffe and that he has underestimated us for far too long.

Yesterday, the Luftwaffe launched two heavy attacks on London and earlier today, air raids had been carried out and this culminated to the climax of daylight battles on London. This was mostly expected as the Germans were bound to take advantage of the improvement of the weather today. Knowing this, I decided to make a trip down to the Group 11 Fighter headquarters, in Uxbridge, in hope of witnessing, the conduct of an air-battle, first-hand.

The tense, stressful and urgent atmosphere was unforgettable. Air Vice-Marshal Park was present and we owe much to him and Dowding, both of whom have been working, strategizing and planning ceaselessly even before the war started. Without their hard work and direction, and of course the efforts and sacrifices of all the RAF pilots, the future of Britain would be unimaginable.

The speed at which the observers with their field glasses and portable telephones, carrying the precious information about the enemy planes flying overhead to us. Suddenly, the display indicating the number of enemy planes entering British airspace started flashing with the numbers constantly increasing! Our squadrons were dispatched in quick succession. But the German planes kept coming in new waves and all our planes were already in combat or refueling. It was therefore one of our principal objectives to direct our squadrons so as not to have too many on the ground refueling or rearming simultaneously during daylight. The situation was very tense and everyone in the room seemed to be sitting on a thread. The odds were great, our margins small, and the stakes infinite. It seemed to be, at that moment, that the fate of Britain could go either way.

Park notified me that our defenses had been compromise and German bombers continued infiltrating London, although several had been shot down. Later that day, my heart sank, when John Martin, my Principal Private Secretary notified me that delays had occurred in various undertakings elsewhere and that there had been disastrous results in the Atlantic. However, he added, the RAF had managed to shoot down 183 German planes for a loss of less than forty, and my heart soared. Never had I felt so relieved, overwhelmed yet at the same time bursting with pride at the resilience and bravery of the British!

Now, we will have to wait and see what Hitler’s next choice of action will be and I have no doubt that we will be able to counter his advances!

Battle of Britain (September 1940)

German Luftwaffe Junker Ju-87 Pilot

15^th September 1940

Attacks were concentrated on the East of London, so that we were able to target a large population so that the panic that would ensue would cause the British government to rethink their position in this Battle. We have received reports by the Propaganda Ministry that England has become a blazing metropolis. We bombarded London with a huge formation of nearly 1000 aircraft and caught the RAF unaware. Only after the main force had bombed London, did the RAF pull the full strength of the Fighter Command into action. We had managed to plan counter-attacks for each type of British attack and have chosen to fly at around 16 000-20 000 feet so that our movements are unnoticeable from the ground. However, the weather changed for the worse, and it got increasingly harder for us, pilots, to keep our morale up, although the bad weather acted as a cover for our daylight raids.

It was difficult to predict the condition and strength of the RAF Fighter Command. Just when we had completed an unintercepted air raid and were led to believe that the Fighter Command had been successfully wiped out, we would encounter yet another huge formation on the next raid. Our Intelligence Officers had reiterated that the Fighter Command was on the brink of extinction, but yet, it seemed to revive continuously. The never-ending last fifty Spitfires of the RAF.

On the 15^th, Kesselring sent 400 fighters, for a high-altitude sweep ahead of the bombers, and served as a bluff. However, when we were up there, we came face to face with a huge RAF formation that confirmed my suspicions that the RAF was far from destroyed. Alas, our hope of securing dominance over Britain had failed and it seems that Operation Sea Lion would have to be postponed until the situation is ideal for a navy invasion into Britain.

It is a relief though, that at last, the Luftwaffe is able to take a breather. In due course, we will be employed and will serve Germany and the Fuhrer!

Battle of Britain (September 1940)

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of Britain, 

Date: 11th September 1940

Since the 7th, the German attacks have been centered on London, first by daylight and now, by night. It seems that Hitler has been angered enough to reverse his initial order forbidding raids on London. He announced, “Since the British attack our cities, we shall wipe out theirs.” The RAF raids on Berlin must have threatened him. His empty promises to the German people that “no enemy bomber would darken their skies”, yet we have successfully bombed Berlin, the very heart of Germany, even though the flight there is five times the distance German pilots have to fly from France or Belgium to London. Such is the supremacy of the RAF! 

Invasion is imminent, but I have full confidence in the RAF. It is the strongest it has ever been and is equipped with modern technology that will lead us to victory. The efforts of the Air Raid Precaution services of London are commendable, particularly the Fire Brigade, whose task is so dangerous.

Everyone in Britain, every man and every woman, is dedicated to our cause. With utmost confidence and devout I say: Let God defend the Right. More men have come forward to volunteer with the military and even women are also playing a huge role. The whole nation has rallied together to face this threat. Road signs, anything that might provide the enemy with directions if he landed, are being torn down and thousands of motorists have parked their cars haphazardly over fields to deter German troop-carrying aircraft from landing. Though many may not have in expertise or training, what we have is sheer determination and will. The spirit of defiance!

As I have declared,” We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Hitler has underestimated our capabilities. He has underestimated the Royal Air Force. He has underestimated the Home Guard. And most unfortunately for him, he has underestimated the spirit of the British nation and the resilience of our people! We will derive inspiration and the means of survival from this suffering, and victory shall be achieved, not only for this generation, but also for the next and many more to come.

Battle of Britain (September 1940)

Hugh Dowding

RAF: Commander in Chief of Fighter Command

6^th September 1940

The Critical Period is upon us. Attacks have been raining down upon Group 11 airfields and nonstop air activity along Britain’s coastline has led to confusion over the formations of the German airplanes and the inability of the RAF to counter these attacks.

Rivalries between leadership within different groups in the RAF, has caused friction in the course of defending airfields. The airfield in Debden, Essex was left undefended and the pushing of blame ensued. The conflicts between Park and Leigh-Mallory, commander of Group 12, meant that no help was given to the airfields that Park was designated to defend.

Fighter Command is so close to destruction. The sector airfields of Group 11 are the only ones that are send orders from sector controllers to the fighters in the air, as the rest do not have the Operations Room, which is necessary for this.

A bomb was dropped on London on the 25^th and Churchill instructed a raid on Berlin to be carried out immediately. The Bomber Command now has their hands full with carrying out raids on German cities. I wonder if this will infuriate Hitler enough to increase the attacks on Britain, or even launch a full-blown raid on London.

On a brighter note however, Park’s strategy of allowing the German fighters to fly unchallenged over English skies has been rather successful. We have managed to preserve our Spitfires and Hurricanes, while the Germans are losing many aircraft and pilots. I simply cannot comprehend the rivalry between Park and Leigh-Mallory! Their selfishness has resulted in the destruction of Kenley and Biggin Hill airfields, when Leigh-Mallory’s Group 12 fighters let a Staffel of Junkers Ju 88s through. The next raid rendered our radar stations in the area, ineffective, as it hit our precious electricity supply. Unfortunately, raids have been ceaseless since then.

1^st September: I started to realize that I could no longer rotate my squadrons, as they were not getting sufficient time to rest and to be refitted, before being brought south to join the 11 Group. In a desperate bid to gather enough planes and pilots, the squadrons in the quieter parts of Britain will be prepared and trained to supplement the 11 Group.

German attacks have been ceaseless and I hope that we will have enough trained pilots, aircrafts and workable airfields to pull through. Only two airfields have been undamaged thus far, Tangmere and Kenley, and this has jeopardized the efficiency of the radar system. Morale is also low, with some pilots even refusing to intercept bombers unless they are able to reach a certain altitude, as they know that it would be suicide. In the past 2 weeks, I have lost a quarter of my pilots and if the situation continues, we may not be able to postpone the imminent German invasion to 1941.

Battle of Britain (September 1940)

Hugh Dowding

RAF: Commander in Chief of Fighter Command

5^th September 1940

The daylight bombings have centered on London. Hitler has officially announced that terror raids on central London could begin. Goring had just announced over the radio that he has taken command of the Luftwaffe’s battle for Britain. He speaks too highly of himself! One man alone will not orchestrate the outcome of the Battle of Britain!

I had not been aware of this intended assault prior to arriving at the Fighter Command HQ. Leigh-Mallory’s unilateral behavior also seriously impeded the cooperation between the Groups. This is extremely infuriating as 11 Group sometimes had to stand by and watch the Germans evade the big-wings with no way of helping the interception except by sending messages through Fighter Command. This added to the confusion and panic due to the bombing of London when the Luftwaffe decided to test its new 3600 lb H.E. bomb. What’s more, four Germans landing ashore on a rowing boat, prompted the Joint Intelligence Committee to declare that a German invasion was imminent! What a bunch of imbeciles!! The whole system was in chaos and London was burning to the ground.

13^th September: Leigh-Mallory’s erratic behavior continues and I can only rely on Park’s sensibility to execute appropriate actions and strategies. Our storage units are at an all time low, with only 80 Hurricanes and 47 Spitfires available. It was up to Park and I to plan the number of aircraft and at which juncture should they enter the battle.

15^th September: Daylight battles today are more intense that ever before. A collection of sources, known as the Y service, has notified us of a two-wave attack from the Germans. The onus is on Park to get his squadrons refueled and replenished as fast as possible in order to engage in the follow-up attack. Furthermore, the Germans have chosen this time to experiment with new formations that are flying higher and this has caused us to figure out new strategies to counter these attacks. Could it be that they have figured out that the radar cannot detect planes above 20 000 feet?

That stubborn and selfish Leigh-Mallory once again refuses to follow orders and participate in my strategy, letting his planes fly south as far as London while leaving London completely vulnerable from the North. If we lose this battle, he will pay the price! Who does he think he is, that he can toy with the sovereignty of our country and the lives of the British!

Despite this, certain squadron leaders have had the sense to ignore Leigh-Mallory’s ridiculous big-wing theory and take a more sensible course of action. I sense that the RAF may be near victory, but the Fighter Command has been badly damaged and the pilots’ morale is low, with some pilots heading back after seeing the Germans turn away.

Thankfully, we, the Fighter Command and RAF, have managed to remain intact and the Battle of Britain has been won! Germany would not be able to secure command of the air and so there will be no chance for them to launch a seaborne invasion into Britain.

Churchill’s message to me, “ … aided by Czech and Polish squadrons and using only a small proportion of their total strength, the Royal Air Force cut to rags and tatters separate waves of murderous upon the civil population of their native land.’ May this serve as a warning to Hitler that the RAF and Britain are not to be trifled with!