Archive pictures that bring Battle of Britain to life, 80 years on

It was one of the defining moments in our nation’s history, but in the midst of another, more current one, there will be little ceremony attending the 80th anniversary this summer of the Battle of Britain.
Flying Officer Anthony Eyre DFC of B Flight No.615 (County of Surrey) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force debriefs with his squadrons Intelligence Officer (right) having just shot down two enemy aircraft on 15th August 1940 during the Battle of Britain at RAF Hawkinge near Folkestone, Kent, England.  (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Flying Officer Anthony Eyre DFC of B Flight No.615 (County of Surrey) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force debriefs with his squadrons Intelligence Officer (right) having just shot down two enemy aircraft on 15th August 1940 during the Battle of Britain at RAF Hawkinge near Folkestone, Kent, England.  (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Flying Officer Anthony Eyre DFC of B Flight No.615 (County of Surrey) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force debriefs with his squadrons Intelligence Officer (right) having just shot down two enemy aircraft on 15th August 1940 during the Battle of Britain at RAF Hawkinge near Folkestone, Kent, England. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Only three of Churchill’s “few” remain now and all are centenarians. They are the last of the RAF pilots who defended the skies above southern England from the Luftwaffe from July to October 1940. Even as the Prime Minister delivered his stirring address – never was so much owed by so many to so few, he said – the Blitz had begun and Britain remained alone.

The announcement earlier in the week that this year’s commemoration would take place online and not in person, robs the country of perhaps a last chance to thank personally the surviving pilots on a landmark anniversary.

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But as Group Captain Patrick Tootal, of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust put it, the same resolve in the face of adversity would be shown this year as was demonstrated by the men of the RAF back in 1940.

Hawker Hurricane MkI monoplane fighters of No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force take off for another sortie during the Battle of Britain having just refuelled and rearmed on 14th September 1940 at RAF Hawkinge near Folkstone, Kent, England.  (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)Hawker Hurricane MkI monoplane fighters of No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force take off for another sortie during the Battle of Britain having just refuelled and rearmed on 14th September 1940 at RAF Hawkinge near Folkstone, Kent, England.  (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Hawker Hurricane MkI monoplane fighters of No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force take off for another sortie during the Battle of Britain having just refuelled and rearmed on 14th September 1940 at RAF Hawkinge near Folkstone, Kent, England. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Today’s selection of pictures from the archive illustrates the magnitude of their heroism as they embarked upon an epic struggle whose sheer scale is hard to comprehend today. From a crew of around 3,000, only half survived the 112 days of battle. More than 3,000 aircraft from both sides were shot down and 544 RAF command pilots died.

Some 2,500 Luftwaffe aircrew were also killed, yet the numbers are dwarfed by the 40,000 civilian casualties during the ensuing eight-month Blitz, carried out on Hitler’s orders when it became clear that Germany could not achieve supremacy in the skies.

Despite this, a recent study by the RAF Benevolent Fund found that fewer than half of today’s 18 to 24-year olds have any comprehension of either the Blitz or the Battle of Britain.

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Three Hawker Hurricane MkI fighters of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron Royal Air Force are prepared for flight by their crews circa October 1940 from their base at RAF Northolt near London, United Kingdom.  (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)Three Hawker Hurricane MkI fighters of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron Royal Air Force are prepared for flight by their crews circa October 1940 from their base at RAF Northolt near London, United Kingdom.  (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Three Hawker Hurricane MkI fighters of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron Royal Air Force are prepared for flight by their crews circa October 1940 from their base at RAF Northolt near London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

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