Battle of Britain 

AFTER the capitulation of France in June 1940, Sir Winston Churchill told the House of Commons: "The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin."

He was right, and the South East bore the brunt of it. Before long workers in fields and people in their gardens were looking up to see Hurricanes and Spitfires engaged in a dance of death with the Messerschmitt  109s of the Luftwaffe.

Had Germany succeeded and destroyed British air superiority, an invasion may well have followed.  But superior tactics employed by the RAF together with the consummate bravery of pilots and ground crew thwarted the Luftwaffe.  It was the first German defeat of the War.

The Battle of Britain began with attacks by German aircraft on shipping in the Channel and southern coastal defences.

Next, the Luftwaffe attacked air bases in South East England, intending to destroy the RAF on the ground.

Hitler had banned attacks on population centres, believing Britain might still sue for peace. But the discharge of bombs over North London - said to be accidental - changed all that. In retaliation, the RAF bombed Berlin, prompting Hitler to change his tactics in favour of blitzing major cities particularly London.

Although tough on Londoners, the new strategy helped the RAF.  It gave them a breathing space to restore airfields and rebuild resources.  Mass air attacks by the Luftwaffe were decisively repulsed.

The critical day was September 15 when 60 German aircraft were shot down at the expense of 26 British. 

Hitler decided to postpone the invasion of Britain, codenamed "Sealion" and by the end of October the bombing of our towns and cities was effectively over.

A Spitfire will fly over The Hop Farm once again during the 2010 War and Peace Show as a salute to the bravery of the men and women who took part in the Battle of Britain, and paved the way for eventual victory.