To the 1930s years the British aviation Ministry had given the order to construct two new single wing planes, the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire, which both start 1938 in the squadrons employment.

These machines differed fundamentally from the relatively slow and fragile double-deckers, which the RAF pilots had flown in World War I. Hunter tactics was derived from theories, which were based on the concept of the interception of individual bombers without escort protection.

That was because of the fact that Great Britain lay outside of the range of German fighters, which started from German bases. Aerial engagement between hunters was therefore considered as secondary if not even improbable. To Great Britain the pilots of the Fighter COMMAND flew their single wing planes to close V-formations and accomplished carefully coordinated air raids against single or small numbers of enemy bombers. The employment experiences collected in the Spanish civilian war the Germans had already taught that this tactics were obsolet.

Hitler had secretly developed his Air Force with bombers and hunters of the most modern covering up design. With consideration of the "Blitzkrieg"- strategy with the design of the German hunters the requirements of the fight against hunters and bombers had been considered.

The Messerschmitt 109, like Hurricane and Spitfire a fast, single-engine hunter, was not armed for example only with two 7,9-mm-mqchineguns, but also with two 20-mm-cannons, although these had a much smaller rate of fire, its effect was destroying. The engine of the 109 was equipped with fuel injection, whereby they were insensitive to the force of gravity with the dive.

The British hunters had to do without cannons, were instead however with eight MGs of the caliber .303 armed. Also fuel injection was in England still no topic; the Rollce Royce Merlin engines of the British hunters relied on the simple carburetor system with float, which should give later superior dive characteristics to the German hunters.

In the Spanish civil war the Germans had developed the swarm, with which four hunters flew similarly the fingers of a stretched hand in very looser, upward graduated formation side by side, sometimes with distances of up to 200 meters. In this way the German pilots could seek out the enemy without collision danger. If the aerial combat had begun, the swarm split up into the gang of two pairs of airplanes, leaders and wing man. This is even today still the basic formation for fighters.

Into Spain Germany for the first time also used the feared divet bombers, "STUKAS", and middle bombers to the support rapidly mobile tank and infantry troops.

To 10th of May 1940 the German troops began their attack on Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and France. With this surprise impact the German armored troops passes the Ardennes and went around thereby in a course pushed up the Maginot-Line.

After the allied resistance had been within a short time smashed, the remaining troops were finally evacuated from the beaches around Dunkirk, whereby the Royal Navy and a flotilla of small ships saved approximately 330,000 soldiers. They had to leave however their entire, artillery and armored force as well as large quantities of other equipment.

Also the RAF units used there, „The Advanced Air Striking Force", suffered heavy losses. The British Fighter COMMAND had held back the valuable Spitfires reasonably for the homeland defense - while in terms of figures stronger Hurricane Squadrons had been thrown into the France campaign.

In view to the fact that World War I had long raved five years, the case of France was in only six weeks a giant shock for the world. The possibility of an invasion of England resulted as pleasant surprise for Hitler. Although operations caused difficulties over the English Channel of the RAF, the same applied also to the Germans. Load punts had to be found, which had to be converted for the transport of an invasion troop over the channel and be concentrated in the area around Calais. Although the Air Force for the support of fast mobile ground troops had been conceived, it saw itself now forced to operate in a strategic role. Germany had only ordered moderately severe bombers, which hadn´t the range and bomb capacity of the later four-engined bombers of the allied. Although the ME 109 was an excellent weapon, it was not intended to be an offensive chase plane, the concept of this hunter was normally a defensive role, therefore it had a too limited range and only 20 minutes flight time over London. Nevertheless the Germans had clear advantages by their larger experience and enjoyed a numerical superiority.

As a first contingent of a planned invasion power of 39 divisions 13 German divisions with a strength of each 19,000 men were shifted to the channel coast. The commands setup plans, which planned the landing of 125,000 men on the first three days of the invasion. The commanders in chief of the German armed forces agreed that the operation called "Sealion" was only meaningful, if the Luftwaffe had defeated the RAF and before the departure of the invasion fleet the totally air superiority is secured.

Great Britain had an important advantage: Radar, or more exactly “Radio Direction Finding” (RDF). The additional minutes of advance warning time, which provided due to this new radar coverage system, it made it possible for the hunters to ascend into their aircrafts, scrambling and getting a height and a position favorable for the intercepting operation in time. In summer 1940 the radar chain covered stations around the British islands: 22 “Chain Home”-stations and 30 “Chain Home Low”-stations. They were put on that at least, in theory, each airplane approaching from eastern or southern direction was constituted by at least two stations. The radar became thus the principal item of the British air defense, a network of RDF stations, posts and centers of the observer corps, sector directing centers, voice transmission transmitters, overhead power lines and emergency services. Germany itself doesn´t know much about the meaning of the system and it should be an important factor in the battle around England.

For their air defense of Great Britain the Fighter COMMAND divided the British islands into four „Group“-zones, everyone with own commander and headquarters, however subordinated to the HQ of the Fighter COMMAND in Bentley Priors. London and the southeast were defended by the No. 11 Group, the No. 12 Group protected central England and the north, while for Northern Ireland the No. 13 Group was responsible. No. 10 Group, responsibly for the west and south Wales, became punctual operationally at the 8th of July 1940, straight enough for the battle around England. Although each commander of squadron was responsible for its own range, it was also obligated to carry out for assistance calls of the No. 11 Group consequence it was clear from which that it would carry the main load of the fights. Each group for itself was divided into sectors, everyone with their own sector station, which formed in fact a local headquarters with airfield and sector directing center.

1. The RDF station would notice increasing enemy activity due to collecting attack federations over the French coast.
2. This information was passed on by phone by overhead power line to the underground filter room of the Fighter COMMAND. There the information was analyzed by filter personnel and filter officers, represented on a map with grid squares and passed on by alarm units by an internal intercom to the beside-lying command directing center as well as the directing centers of the appropriate Groups.
3. If an approaching raid witness had crossed the coast, the observer corps was responsible for the further pursuit of their air lane. The posts reported to the observer centers, which were connected with the command directing center by overhead power line. From there the local civil authorities were instructed, when they had to operate the air-save-horns. Tactical control was delegated however to the Groups and sectors, which had direct command authority over stations, Squadrons and the cannon directing center, which merged the air defense cannons into the system.
4. In each Group directing center at leastd always one air traffic controller was present, who was concentrated on an enormous, into grid squares divided map of the Group area and its environment. Approaching or over the area flying airplanes were represented by colored plaques, which were shifted by soldiers of the "Female Auxiliary Air Force" (WAAF) with magnetized staffs. In addition the air traffic controller had a so-called “totalizer”, which pointed at one view location and readiness degree of each Squadron.
5. The Group air traffic controller decided, due to each danger has to be reacted, and gave the appropriate instructions to sector headquarters and the cannon directing center.
6. The segmental conductor shifted its Squadrons in readiness of application and supplied it so long with information and instructions, until the leader of the federation had visual contact with the enemy. Up to then the know-how of the segmental conductor should have ensured theoretically that the Squadrons was in its most favorable attack position. If the formation leader called “Tally Ho!”, the leader knew, that the battle was imminent and his work was done.

Although the main interest of the attack would obviously fall on southengland, not all armed forces of the RAF were concentrated in this area. The Squadrons was distributed rather over the country, which did not only mean that the whole country was protected, but also that any time fresh Squadrons were avilable for reinforcement. At the same time it was possible to take off and equip weakened Squadrons into the north.

In July 1940 the forces of both sides presented themselves as follows:

RAF FIGHTER COMMAND

LUFTWAFFE
Airplanes of the air fleets 2, 3 & 5:

Hunters:

Bombers:

Purely in terms of figures the Luftwaffe had thus a three-way superiority over the RAF Fighter COMMAND. In view of their sensational successes the Germans were naturally confident. Against stood the factors that after the continuous employment since the 10th May their crews were tired and their airplanes were in need of repair. These men and machines had to overcome not only the Fighter COMMAND, but also the English Channel - each employment over England required two flights over sea. Over England or perhaps even over the channel shot crews had count to get prisoners of war. A shot down ally pilot perhaps already could be in the air again at the same day.

Officially, the battle began around England at the 10. July 1940. In its course, it disintegrated into recognizable phases, that were dictated by the aggressor.

The first insisted enemy attacks on convoys, that headed into the chanal . The Fighter Command itself was forced to fly daily hundred of raids to protect the vital trading ship routs. This phase of the Battle of England lasted up to the 12th August. Until this time, only 30.000 of the almost five million ship tons between Land's End and Nore were destroyed. Dive bombers furthermore attacked different "Chain Home" - radar stations in Pevensey, Rye, Dover and Ventnor. Because they were small they were heavily to hit. No one of these stations remained longer than 24 hours incapable, and the Fighter Command never had to miss the advantages of the radar system. The air force lost 261 airplanes and the Fighter Command in this phase 261.

On the 2th August, the airfleets 2, 3 and 5 got the command to destroy the Fighter Command. This new phase began on the 13th August and was concentrated on the south English airfields of the Fighter Command. In this phase, the Germans also flewattacks for goals in north England from their northern bases, in the incorrect belief, that the hunters of the RAF were concentrated on south England. To their scare, they were, due to the skillful publishing of the Squadrons, strong Spitfire and Hurricane squads waited for them. The Germans suffered heavy losses.

Nevertheless, the airfields of the Fighter Command No. 11 Group have been bombarded heavily , and the situation was critical. Federal marshal Göring now turned his attention at London. The next phase consequently began on 7th September. Although this was badly for the inhabitants of London, this unexpected respite allowed the Fighter Command to make the weakened airfields again fully operational. During the "battle around the airfields", the air force had lost 629 machines, the Fighter Command 385.

The Germans had persuaded themselves that London was the single goal, to whose the British defense probably would put in large numbers at fighter airplanes. On this basis, the Germans attack now concentrated almost exclusively the British capital.

The first in this series of air raids on London came on the Saturday afternoon, the 7th September. Hundred of bombs hit the dock area east the Tower Bridge. As the flames of the broken out fires later illuminated the London night heaven, the aggressors came back in a wave after the other. The attack finished in the next morning at 4.30 o'clock. Until then about 1,800 Londoners lost their life.

On Sunday 15th September, the air force undertook theirs as should turn out, the last attempt to cause a decision with daylight over London. In the daybreak of this great day south England was wrapped to a great extent in fog, but when the sun rose higher, the smoke scattered fast. The nice weather was the signal for the predictable attack. Before eleven o'clock in the morning German reconnaissance planes had explored the strait of Dover and the east coast of Kent. Since the first light Spitfires and Hurricanes patrolled over the whole coast between Harwich and Land's End. Every sector station held a Squadron in readiness. At 10:50 o'clock British radar stations announced that an enemy's federation gathered southeast from Boulogne. Five minutes later all Squadrons of the No. 11 Group were in highest alert.

At 11:33 o'clock an enemy's federation crossed the coastal line between Dover and Folkstone. Three minutes later two other hostile formations followed between Dover and South Foreland. The purposes of the attack were the London gasworks and other industrial arrangements. To counter this strike, Fighter Squadrons climbed up, which were strengthened at the midday of five Squadrons of so-called "Duxford Big Wing" of the No. 12 Group under leadership by major Bader. The attack of the Fighter Command was so powerful that the operational flight witness their bombs threw down apparently aimlessly at south England. Two bombs fell on Buckingham Palace. However, this first mass attack had barely resolved, there the radar stations already announced other attack federations. Between 14:10 o'clock and 14:34 o'clock at least eight other German federations flew over the English coast with course on London. After she had caused fires in Woolwich, Barking, Stepney, the gasworks of Stratford, Westham, Penge and in a fuel depot in Westham, the air force withdrew under steady attacks of the defenders

Als nächstes griffen 27 He 111 Portland an und wurden von nur sechs Spitfires abgefangen, und sechs RAF Fighter Squadrons, kombiniert mit zielgenauem Flugabwehrfeuer, machten einen Angriff auf die Supermarine-Fabrik nahe Southampton zunichte. Dieser gescheiterte Angriffe markierte das Ende der Kämpfe an dem Tag, der seither in Großbritannien jährlich als "Battle of Britain Day" gefeiert wird. Obwohl die Piloten des Fighter Command den Abschuss von insgesamt 185 Feindflugzeugen meldeten, haben neuere Forschungen eine genaue Zahl von 58 ergeben. Das Fighter Command verlor jedoch nur 28 Flugzeuge, und solche Verluste konnte es durchaus noch länger ertragen.

Am Dienstag, dem 17. September, fing die britische Aufklärung ein deutsches Signal ab, in dem die Auflockerung der Invasionsanlagen befohlen wurde: Seelöwe war auf unbegrenzte Zeit verschoben worden. Mit den Bränden vom 15. September in London ging die Schlacht um England allerdings nicht zu Ende, obwohl dieses Datum zweifellos einen Höhepunkt markierte. Die Angriffe auf London gingen weiter, für eine Weile auch tagsüber, allerdings durch kleinere Verbände. Erfolgreiche Angriffe wurden auf verschiedene Ziele der britischen Flugzeugindustrie geführt, obwohl die He 111 vom KG55 bei einem Angriff auf die Westland-Flugzeugfabrik in Yeovil in der Grafschaft Somerset schwer geschlagen wurden. Als Reaktion wurde die He 111 in die Verbände verlegt, die die Nachtangriffe auf britische Städte durchführten, die bereits begonnen hatten und bis Mai 1941 andauerten.

Da die nächtliche Luftabwehr noch in den Kinderschuhen steckte, haben die britischen Städte in den Nächten noch lange gelitten. Dennoch war klar, dass das RAF Fighter Command die 16-wöchige Tagesschlacht gewonnen hatte. Dies war der Tribut des britischen Premierministers an das RAF Fighter Command:

"Die Dankbarkeit jedes britischen Heims gebührt den britischen Luftkämpfern, die sich unter den schwierigsten Bedingungen unerschrocken jeder Herausforderung und Todesgefahr gestellt haben und durch ihr Können und ihre Hingabe die Wende in diesem Weltkrieg erzwingen. Niemals haben in einem Konflikt zwischen Menschen so viele so wenigen so viel geschuldet."