The Battle of Britain: From the BBC Archives (BBC Radio Archives) CD

A chronology of the 12-week battle fought in the skies above England from July to September 1940.September 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of the end of this aerial battle which was crucial in preventing Nazi forces having control of the air and therefore being able to mount an invasion of Southern and Eastern England in August /September 1940. As well as the actual events - reportage news bulletins - there are many facets to the battle. The voices and reminiscences of the pilots like Bader Hillary "Ginger" Lacey Kingcombe Stanford-Tuck etc. The architects of victory in charge of Fighter Command Dowding and Park and the role of the ground crew the WAAFs behind the scenes being bombed constantly. There are plenty of civilian voices watching the dogfights over their homes working in aircraft factories and coastal observers watching and waiting for large formations of Luftwaffe raiders. There was a constant fear of invasion enemy parachutists and fifth columnists being seen everywhere with many false alarms. Radar was crucial and the voices of the boffins involved are there as are people talking about the pioneering plastic surgery techniques of the time for injured pilots. Above all the individual pilots talk about the intimacy of combat the merits of their planes their fear of burning alive in the air how they spent their days giving the authentic feel of the battle. Churchill paid tribute to the "Few" but Dowding and Park were removed from command at their moment of victory leaving a bittersweet coda to the battle.