Richards Denis - The Battle of Britain: the jubilee history

Early London bomb damage from Zeppelin raid in 1915.

Zeppelin L31. This Navy Super Zeppelin met its end, witnessed by one of the authors of this book, over Potters Bar on the night of 1/2 October 1916.

Gotha GIV of 1917. Maximum speed 87 mph. Normal bomb-load six 50 kilo bombs.

Staaken Giant, just airborne: the photograph much mutilated by censor.

Hendon airshow, 1936, with the first prototype Hurricane in the foreground. It was first flown by Hawkers chief test pilot, George Bulman, on 6 November 1935.

The German Aviation Monument in Berlin, 1935, with, above, evidence of the Luftwaffes rebirth.

Sir Hugh (later Lord) Trenchard defender and builder of the post-1918 RAF.

Sholto Douglas, Deputy Chief of Air Staff during the Battle and afterwards successor to Dowding at Fighter Command.

Marshals all: the Luftwaffe hierarchy on 19 July 1940 after Hitlers promotion ceremony. Left to right: Milch, Sperrle, Hitler, Goering and Kesselring.

R. J. Mitchell, creator of the Spitfire, and Willy Messerschmitt, responsible for the Me 109 and Me 110 fighters.

The boffins: Sir Robert Watson-Watt and Sir Henry Tizard.

Lord Hives of Rolls-Royce.

CH radar tower and the smaller Remote Reserve aerials, which proved their worth.

A Merlin engine.

Frontline Luftwaffe aircraft in July 1940:

Messerschmitt 109E. Some 35,000 109s in all were built.

Junkers 87 Stuka dive-bombers, deadly when there were no hostile fighters around.

Dornier 17s rehearsing for their occasional low-level role.

British fighters in July 1940:

First prototype Hurricane in flight.

First prototype Spitfire, with Merlin C engine and two-blade fixed-pitch airscrew.

Gloster Gladiators in tight vie: nimble and beautiful but almost obsolete before they went into service.

Bristol Blenheim IVs in stepped-up echelon: a light bomber converted to day and night fighter, but inadequate in both roles.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Lord Dowding of Bentley Priory GCB, GCVO, CMG, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Fighter Command 193640 (portrait by Sir Walter Russell).

Bombing the Channel ports, September 1940 (painting by Eric Ravilious).

65 Squadron Spitfires at Sawbridgeworth, Herts., August 1940 (painting by Eric Ravilious).

A heavy anti-aircraft battery about to open fire (painting by C. W. Nevinson).

Air fight over Portland, September 1940 (painting by Richard Eurich).

The Battle of Britain (painting by Paul Nash).

Junkers 87 Stukas en route to England.

Messerschmitt 110 flying above the white cliffs of South-East England.