RAF Tactics in the Battle of Britain

How Strategy Aided British Survival

Nov 8, 2008 Barry Vale

The tactics employed by the British Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 were very important for the survival of Britain fighting alone.

The RAF As Britain's Last Line of Defence

Both the British government and the Nazi German regime believed that the eventual outcome of the Battle of Britain was vital for determining the direction of the Second World War itself.

The main tactics of the RAF before as well as during the Battle of Britain were chiefly determined by the Commander of Fighter Command, Sir Hugh Dowding. It had been Dowding who had started the processes of modernising and rearming fighter command after years of neglect.

Shrewd Tactics And Surviving Against The Odds

Dowding's main tactic was to conserve the strength and concentrate the power of the fighters available to take on the might of the Luftwaffe. The essential piece of his defensive strategy and tactics was the information provided by the radar stations recently built across the whole of Britain. The radar network allowed RAF Fighter Command to predict and thus counter more effectively German air strikes. Early warning meant that the RAF was able to scramble fighter units as and when needed rather than having to patrol needlessly.

The RAF decided whenever possible to only use its best two fighter types against German air raids. It was found that only Hawker Hurricanes and the Supermarine Spitfire were capable of matching the best German fighters. As the Battle of Britain went on the usual tactic was for the slightly slower Hurricanes to take on the German bombers, whilst the Spitfires were concentrated against the Luftwaffe's fighters. Other RAF fighters such as the Bleinheim and the Defiant were inadequate against the Messerschmit 109 and 110, being transfered to night fighter sqaudrons or withdrawn from service completely.

The RAF Saved By Higher Fighter Production And Luftwaffe mistakes

At the beginning of the Battle of Britain the RAF generally used its fighters in small groups, which proved adequate for protecting coastal convoys and port installations. However it had to alter its tactics in response to the ways the Luftwaffe attacked Britain. When the Germans began bombing RAF bases and its radar stations larger groups of Hurricanes and Spitfires were needed to repel the attacks. Reinforcements were available due to British fighter production increasing significantly after the fall of France. German fighter production was not raised by any significant amount during the course of the Battle of Britain.

British fighters from outside the immediate battle zone were not always able to arrive in time to prevent the destruction of air bases as well as radar stations. However the Germans then decided to bomb London and other major cities, which allowed the RAF to recover its strength in the south of England.

Bibliography

Ferguson N, (2003) Empire – how Britain made the modern world, Penguin, London

James, H (2003) Europe Reborn – A History, 1914 – 2000, Pearson Longman, Harlow

Jenkins R (2001) Churchill, Macmillan Press, Basingstoke

Stafford D (1999) Roosevelt & Churchill – Men of Secrets, Little, Brown and Company, London

Colvin J, (2004) Decisive Battles, Headline, London

The copyright of the article RAF Tactics in the Battle of Britain in Military History is owned by Barry Vale. Permission to republish RAF Tactics in the Battle of Britain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
What do you think about this article?
NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.
post your comment
What is 3+8?