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Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
Britain's Air Defence - then and now
The RAF in 1940
Fighting .. . and flying the Ju88
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Fighter Cover to Portsmouth
'Take Cover!
The Luftwaffe in 1940
The Battle of Britain Museum, Hendon
Cover: A November 1973 view of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Hurricane IIC, PZ865, painted to represent an aircraft of No 257 Squadron. Note the use of the half-black/half-white undersurface colours; this was a scheme originally introduced for air exercises during the late-1930s. It was formally adopted for RAF fighter aircraft in 1939 but superseded by a Sky colour for all undersurfaces in June 1940. In a recent repaint, PZ865 has been finished in the markings of another famous Hurricane squadron of the Battle of Britain period, No 111 Squadron.
The RAF in 1940
Fighting .. . and flying the Ju88
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Fighter Cover to Portsmouth
'Take Cover!
The Luftwaffe in 1940
The Battle of Britain Museum, Hendon
Article Snippets
o Glory: THERE IS no glory in killing. There is no 'glory in causing destruction, mass injury and death, and none in fighting any form of war for its own sake; but in self-defence, defence of others and defence of country there must be honour or. in default of these paramount duties, dishonour. It has become fashionable in some quarters to deride both these beliefs and the morality of preparing and maintaining our armed forces to an adequate level for the defence of these Islands. The pacifists, permissives and appeasers have much to answer for in the reduction of this country to the state of puzzled incapacity in which it found itself at the turn of the 1960s. But no pilot of a Spitfire or Hurricane climbing out over the sun-washed South Coast in 1940 with his small group of friends forward-leaning in their narrow cockpits with-straining eyes and listening to the RDF controller's calm voice advising of '100 plus coming your way straight ahead', was ever in any doubt of his place in the scheme of things or what he ought to be doing about it. In the fleeting moments before the 'Tally ho, enemy in sight" he will have experienced elation, cold fear and instant counter-reaction of duty, followed by seconds of supreme concentration in the confusion of battle. Then as the sky miraculously cleared the drained sensation as the adrenalin ran out. Alternatively there was perhaps a new crisis of a battle damaged, faltering aircraft, the anxiety of a forced, crash-landing or an escape by parachute; and the ultimate contrast of flying home to the unreal" atmosphere of the disciplined, orderly RAF station with the mandatory combat report interview with the Intelligence Officer, and finally the clean-up positively required before that drink in the Mess. In all this there was an impelling amalgam of training, conditioning, duty and responsibility to the ideas of service to country, fears of the day. of injury and death though not of the enemy, pride of service to country, to one's unit and of one's own very small part in the team, and perhaps desperate concern about possible personal failure to meet these demanding and demanded standards. But the fears were not dwelt on and were kept in their proper place. There was total unquestioning acceptance that this was the job they had been trained for and were better at than anyone anywhere. Confidence increased with the daily successes reported in the whole of the fighting area. This and the underlying note of humour and refusal to appear to take it all too seriously covering total dedication were the essence of the fighter pilot's morale. They were young and lost no sleep at night despite the traumas of the day, and their battles were fought with extraordinary determination, elan and gaiety. It was a job which had to be done each and every day until it was over and one for which they were well trained, prepared and equipped, and it was done without self-congratulation and with pride a€ but no glory. R. P. Beanwnl (Reprinted from ""Testing Years' by R. P. Beamont CBE. DSO. DFC. DI.. FRAeS, to be published by Ian Allan Ltd in September 1980
