No. 11 Group, 79, 93, 129, 132, 144, 148, 169, 175, 177–78, 183, 193–96, 200, 212, 213, 218, 221, 227, 236, 241–42, 252, 253–54, 255, 257, 259, 265, 269, 277–80
No. 12 Group, 129, 144, 149–50, 177–78, 179, 183, 190, 212, 236, 242, 252, 257, 279, 289
No. 13 Group, 129, 144, 150, 177, 190, 257, 271
Operations Room of, 17–18, 32, 35, 38, 44, 47–48, 171
pilot exhaustion in, 193, 253–54
pilots available to, 146, 169, 181, 208–9, 210–12, 231, 236, 251
and political infighting, 111–12, 149–52, 177–78, 242, 243, 259, 290
preparation for war, 17–18, 31–32, 37–39, 42, 103, 136, 142–44
success of, 3, 15
“Ten Rules” for, 169, 170
in the years between the wars, 4, 17
Fink, Johannes, 165, 168–69, 171
First of the Few, The (film), 52
Fiske, W. M. L. “Billy,” 61, 206
Foch, Marshal, 19
Ford, Henry, 134
France:
air war over, 76, 80, 93–110
allied bombing raids over, 284
Ardennes, 76
aviation as a sport in, 19
and Battle of Borodino, 202
British aircraft sent to, 43, 93, 94–95, 97–110, 114–16, 136, 138, 296
British alliance with, 94, 95–96, 99–107
British Expeditionary Force in, 12, 77–78, 95, 100–102
demands for help, 48, 95–110, 151
Dunkirk, see Dunkirk
German airfields in, 125, 128, 129, 152
German defeat of, 5, 13, 17, 78, 94, 97, 99, 136, 152
German occupation of, 121
government in exile, 109n
Luftwaffe bases in, 12, 77, 94
Maginot Line in, 19, 94, 101
ships destroyed in port, 153–54
surrender of, 118, 121
unprepared for war, 43, 76, 77, 94, 104, 106, 110
in World War I, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98
in the years between the wars, 19, 42
František, Joseph, 144, 210
Galland, Adolf, 184–87, 267–68
Gallieni, Joseph-Simon, 93
Gamelin, Maurice, 97, 98, 104
Gangster (dog), 199
Geneva Conventions, 148–49
George V, king of England, 20
George VI, king of England, 6, 37, 143, 272–73, 293, 297–98
Germany:
air defense of, 38n
air force of, see Luftwaffe
allied bombing of, 101-2, 104, 106-7, 108, 166, 245-47, 248, 256, 258n, 260, 284
aviation industry in, 24, 62–63, 74, 75, 287–88
Blitzkrieg of, 75, 166, 232, 240, 281, 283, 284
bombers vs. fighters debate in, 63–64
Britain underestimated by, 5–6, 174
and British appeasement policy, 4, 42
British fears about, 42, 55, 122–23, 261, 271, 276
Enigma code of, 161
horse-drawn artillery in, 75–76
morale in, 246, 247, 248
Schrecklicheit tactics of, 18, 24, 63, 108
territories taken by, 5, 8, 56, 108
Third Reich politics in, 66
and Treaty of Versailles, 10, 19, 62
U-boats of, 74, 122n, 284, 285
in World War I, 18, 22, 143
see also Hitler, Adolf
Gilbert, Sir Martin, 122n
Gloster Gladiator, 53, 55
Goebbels, Josef, 198, 250, 259
Göring, Hermann, 14
and aircraft design, 40–41, 71, 268
and allied bombing of Germany, 246
“Blue Max” award to, 10, 72
boasts of, 63, 78, 146, 148
and bombing of London, 258–59, 263, 272, 280
character flaws of, 10–12, 63, 125, 165, 184, 256, 268, 288–89
and decision to bomb London, 198, 245, 247, 256, 257, 258
and Eagle Day, 158, 164–66, 171, 183, 187
and Hitler, 10–11, 78, 136, 184, 235, 245
and invasion of Britain, 134–36, 155, 161, 235
and Luftwaffe, 9–10, 11–12, 25–26, 63–64, 78, 80, 183–85, 186–87, 202, 237, 241, 260, 266–68, 276, 280
and Messerschmitt, 40, 67, 68, 80
misinformation fed to, 157, 250
in Paris, 152–53
Gosport airfield (Royal Navy), 227, 228, 230
Gotha biplane bombers, 18
Graf Zeppelin, 43
Graham, Ted, 190–91
Great Britain, see Britain
Great Depression, 19
Grosvenor, Lord Edward, 61
Guernica, bombing of, 13, 108
Haig, Sir Douglas, 112
Halder, Franz, 174
Halifax, Edward Wood, earl of, 6, 135, 136, 152, 154, 249, 297
Hardinge, Alec, 272
Harris, Sir Arthur, 59, 289
Hawker Hurricane:
design of, 56-58, 70n, 83, 88–89, 97–98
effectiveness in battle, 81, 95, 174, 260
production of, 17, 26, 31, 38, 42, 57, 68
Hearn, Joan Avis, 230
Heinkel:
He 59 rescue airplane, 148, 149
He 111, 25, 70–71, 112, 172, 176, 190, 218, 226
Hillary, Richard, 194–95
Himmler, Heinrich, 11, 250
history, rewriting of, 2–3, 4–5
Hitler, Adolf:
and allied bombing of Germany, 246
and British wish for peace, 6, 42, 78, 152, 198, 246, 289
death of, 248
decision to bomb London, 198–200, 245, 246, 249, 250, 256–58, 264
defeat of, 282
and Göring, 10–11, 78, 136, 184, 235, 245
as “land animal,” 8
and Luftwaffe, 10, 26, 30, 31, 63–64, 78, 268
Mein Kampf by, 28
plans to invade Britain, 4, 5, 8, 22, 136, 139, 152, 155–56, 235, 243, 270–71, 281, 284
and rearmament, 31
reluctance to attack, 78, 136, 144, 154–56, 198, 275
reputation of, 123
and retaliation, 27, 107, 153–55
rise to power, 48, 62–63, 67
Hitler Youth, 65
Hoare, Sir Samuel, 31
Holocaust, 121
Home Guard, 7, 122, 231, 264, 284
Hopkins, Harry, 134
Horne, Sir Alistair, 122n
Hough, Richard, 133
Houston, Lady, 51–52
Howard, Leslie, 52
Hyde, Leila, 263n
Iraq, RAF bombers in, 110
Ismay, Hastings, 110, 207
Japan:
intelligence activities in, 167
Pearl Harbor attacked by, 282
surrender of, 269
Johnson, Lyndon B., 23n
Jones, R. V., 237, 239
Junkers engines, 70, 72
Junkers Stukas, 78
Ju 52 transports, 135
Ju 87, 75–76, 80–81, 96, 125–26, 127, 143, 146, 171, 227–30
Ju 88, 25, 126, 142, 167, 175–76, 190, 193, 218, 225
Kennedy, Joseph, 123, 144n
Keough, “Shorty,” 145
Kesselring, Albert, 289
and bombing of London, 199–200, 247
and Eagle Day, 158
and estimates of RAF strength, 247, 250
and Göring, 171, 183, 187, 200
and Luftflotte 2, 122, 158, 217
Keyes, Sir Roger, 109
Kipling, Rudyard, 21
Kitchener, Earl, of Khartoum, 112, 292
Korda, Alexander, 20
Korda, Vincent, 20
Kutuzov, Mikhail, 202
Laval, Pierre, 31
Lawrence, T. E., 59, 110
League of Nations, 27
Leigh-Mallory, Trafford:
and Bader, 181–82, 236, 265, 291
and big wing formation, 178, 179, 242, 252, 265, 266
detractors of, 24
3
and Dowding, 130, 149–50, 151, 177–79, 192, 236, 252, 257, 265, 266, 290, 291, 292, 294, 296
and No. 12 Group, 129–30, 144, 177, 179, 228, 236, 242, 252, 257, 289
and Park, 130, 177–79, 228, 236, 242, 243, 251–52, 259, 265, 276, 290, 291
personal traits of, 130
and support for No. 11 Group, 177–78, 242, 252, 257
Leopold III, king of Belgium, 108–9
Lindemann, Frederick, 110, 219
Lloyd George, David, 5, 6, 152, 154, 249
Local Defence Volunteers, 122
Loewy, Raymond, 49
London:
bombing of, 242, 245, 247, 258–64, 270, 271, 272–73, 274–75, 276–80
Buckingham Palace bombed, 272–73, 274, 278
decision to bomb, 198–99, 245, 246–50, 256–58
morale in, 249, 262–64, 272
and RAF Croydon, 197–98, 199
suburbs bombed, 205
Londonderry, Robert Stewart, marquess of, 5, 249
Lufthansa airline, 62, 66, 67
Luftwaffe:
as airborne artillery, 64, 78, 126
aircraft of, 40, 68–75, 80–81, 146, 171, 235; see also specific types
Aryans only in, 147
attacks from the north, 190–92, 271
attacks from the south, 192–200, 226–30, 241–42; see also Battle of Britain
aviation fuel for, 74–75
bases for, 12, 64, 77, 94, 129
bombing capacity of, 25, 128–29, 146, 183, 247–48
communication within, 166, 168, 187
creation of, 10, 13
defenses against, 13–14, 45, 47, 143–45
development and research of, 40
and Eagle Day, 157–60, 164–69, 171–74, 183, 187, 275
Göring as commander of, 9–10, 11–12, 63–64, 78, 80, 187, 241, 266–68
initial attacks on Britain by, 125–28, 156
and invasion of Britain, 134–36, 146, 155–58
and Kanalkampf, 126–28, 135
losses of, 47, 93, 124, 127, 148, 156, 157, 169, 172–73, 175, 184, 191–92, 201–2, 208, 230–31, 235–36, 250, 255, 264, 266, 280, 281
night bombing raids by, 172, 179n, 237–41, 251, 270, 283, 293
organization of, 64–65
pilots for, 147–48, 276
poor intelligence data of, 157, 160, 166–67, 168, 171, 222, 227, 279, 288
preparation for war, 24–27, 30, 31, 57, 63–65, 121–22, 152, 157
previous successes of, 13
and rescue operations, 127–28, 148–49
roles of, 13
Rotterdam bombed by, 108–9, 166, 246, 247
and Schnellbomber, 24–26
Schwarm formation in, 81–82, 186
strategies of, 176–77, 217–18, 221–22, 227, 229, 235, 237, 241, 247, 274, 275–76
Warsaw bombed by, 166, 246, 247
Luxembourg, German occupation of, 121
Lysander reconnaissance planes, 101
MacDonald, Ramsay, 22n, 48
MacDonell, Aeneas, 194
Maisky, Ivan, 263
Malan, Adolph “Sailor,” 169
Mamedoff, “Andy,” 145
Martin, John, 280
Martini, General, 288
Matheson, Randy, 194
Mayne, Edward, 194
McIndoe, Archibald, 286n
Messerschmitt, Willy, 40, 66–74, 80
Messerschmitt Bf 108a, 68
Messerschmitt Bf 109, 26, 40, 58
in battle, 88–89, 90, 146, 184, 193
design of, 69–70, 72–74, 83
performance of, 81, 85–86, 87, 88, 248, 267–68
production of, 65
Messerschmitt Bf 110, 80, 146, 168, 184, 190, 193
Messerschmitt Me, 66
Milch, Erhard, 11–12, 13, 66–71, 134–36, 155, 268
Mitchell, “Billy,” 18
Mitchell, Reginald J., 50-56, 66, 69, 72n, 73
Mölders, Werner, 184, 186
Montgomery, Sir Bernard Law, 176
More, Kenneth, 180
Mussolini, Benito, 6, 31, 135
Napoleon Bonaparte, 165, 166, 202, 283
Nash, Paul, The Battle of Britain, 189
Nelson, Horatio, 208, 274
Netherlands:
air war over, 76
German bombing of Rotterdam, 108–9, 246, 247
German invasion of, 13, 108
German occupation of, 121
Luftwaffe bases in, 77, 94
pleas for help from, 105
surrender of, 97, 106, 108
Newall, Sir Cyril:
and aircraft specifications, 40
and Dowding, 33, 40, 103–4, 106, 111, 115, 116, 117, 137, 291
and fighters sent to France, 103–4, 106, 114, 115
and fighters vs. bombers, 106–7
and October meeting, 291
and War Cabinet meeting, 110, 113–14
Nicholson, J. B., 205
Nicolson, Harold, 23, 233
Norway:
air war over, 76
German airfields in, 122, 129, 183, 190
German invasion of, 8, 13
Nuffield, William Morris, Lord, 168
Observer Corps, 38, 41, 45, 142, 223
Operation Sea Lion, 5, 8–9, 289
delays in, 9, 155–56, 157, 235, 243, 256, 270–71, 275
plans for, 12–13, 136, 139, 154–56, 174
postponed indefinitely, 281, 283–84
Ordnance Survey maps, 167
Osterkampf, Theo, 68
Oxford University Air Squadron, 61
Park, Keith R.:
and Churchill, 277
and Czech squadron, 210
and Dunkirk, 79, 148
and Leigh-Mallory, 130, 177–79, 228, 236, 242, 243, 251–52, 259, 265, 276, 290, 291
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