Battle of Britain

During the Battle of France in June 1940, RAF pilots evacuate a small airfield just ahead of advancing German ground forces and an attack by Luftwaffe aircraft. As the deserted beaches of Dunkirk are shown following the evacuation of Allied forces, the BBC reports British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's declaration that "what General Weygand called the 'Battle of France' is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin." In neutral Switzerland, the German ambassador proposes new peace terms to his British counterpart. Both realize France's fall and U.S. isolationism has left Britain alone in the war against Germany. Hitler delays attacks against England, hoping that Britain will accept peace terms and British commanders use the delay to train pilots and ground controllers in anticipation of an aerial campaign. German troops train for amphibious landings in the British Isles, but the RAF must be destroyed first to ensure the safety of such an invasion. The Germans launch their air offensive on "Eagle Day" hoping to destroy the RAF on the ground before it has time to launch its Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. Two British radar stations at Ventnor and Dover are put out of action and a number of RAF airfields are damaged or destroyed, but losses are relatively light. A gruelling battle of attrition ensues, with airfields in Southern England repeatedly attacked. Tensions develop between commanding officers of RAF 11 Group, and 12 Group. Trafford Leigh-Mallory's 12 Group is tasked with protecting airfields while Keith Park's 11 Group is aloft engaging the enemy, but in raid after raid 12 Group aircraft are nowhere to be seen. Leigh-Mallory explains to Air-Marshall Dowding that the "Big Wing" tactic he proposes to attack the Germans from above takes time to form up. Park complains it takes too long, and the tactic doesn't work. The battle turns when lost German bombers unknowingly jettison their bombs over London. In retaliation to what was seen as a deliberate attack on civilians, the RAF bombs Berlin. An enraged Adolf Hitler publicly orders London to be razed. The switch to night bombing takes the pressure off the RAF fighter forces. Hermann Göring arrives in France to personally command the battle, confident in their new tactics. Their bombers can attack British cities at night virtually unopposed. Park and Dowding realize the switch to night bombing allows them to repair their airfields and bring fighter squadrons back to strength. And while enemy bombers can reach London, their fighter escort can only provide ten minutes of cover. They conclude that "turning on London could be the Germans' biggest blunder." The next German daytime raid is overwhelmed by large groups of RAF fighters attacking en masse. Luftwaffe losses are so severe an incensed Göring orders German fighters remain with the bombers. Deprived of both of altitude and speed, they are easy prey for British fighters attacking from above. For the first time German losses outweigh British. The battle reaches its climax during the air battle of 15 September 1940 when British ground control orders every available squadron into the air, leaving no reserve. Intense combat over London leaves both sides with heavy losses. The next day the RAF anxiously await a raid that never comes. Both German air and naval forces withdraw from the coast, leaving airfields abandoned and harbors empty. Göring leaves the front, accusing his commanders of betrayal. Dowding looks out over the gardens and up to the sky where the words of Winston Churchill appear onscreen: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."