Chapter 58 Volume Two, Chapter Sixteen, The Battle of Britain

The Decisive Battle Hitler's Dilemma The Convenience of Fighting in Home Airspace in Three Stages Operation Sea Lion Plan and Air Raids Enemy Attacks on the Tyne Area Indiscriminate Bombing by German Heinkels The cabinet is united in checking the German losses First air raid London The German Naval Staff is anxious My radio address on September 11 Extremely tense situation August 24 to September 6 The handy command of Air Combat Command Threatening our pilots to be killed or seriously injured a quarter within two weeks Goering's premature raid on London a respite September 15th was the culmination of the fighting I visited Maj. Admiral Parker of the 11th Fighter Group Fighter Battalion Combat Command Room Air Raid Begins All Reserves Are Involved A major victory September 17th Hitler postpones Operation Sea Lion plan and compares announced numbers with actual numbers after the fact Glory to all the people.

Our fate now depends on winning the air battle.The German leaders have seen that the realization of all their plans for the invasion of Britain depends entirely upon control of the air over the English Channel and their chosen landing point on our southern coast.Arrangement of embarkation ports, massing of transport ships, clearing of waterways and laying of new minefields would be impossible without defense against British Air Force attacks.Completely mastering the air supremacy over the transport ships and the beach is the decisive condition for crossing the strait and landing.The outcome, therefore, depended on the destruction of the RAF and the airfield system between London and the coast.We now know that Hitler told Admiral Raeder on July 31 that if, after eight days of intense aerial combat, the Luftwaffe had not destroyed the enemy's air force, ports, and navy in great numbers, combat operations would be necessary. Postponed until May 1941.This is the war to be fought now.

Personally, I am not afraid of this upcoming power contest. I told the Parliament on June 4th that the huge French army, under the impact of thousands of armored vehicles, was completely defeated and completely defeated.Can not the cause of civilization also be defended by the skill and devotion of a few thousand aviators?I said to Smuts again on June 9: I now see only one sure way out, and that is: let Hitler attack our country and destroy his air weapons when he does attack.The time has now come. Many good accounts have been written of the fighting between the British and German air forces which constituted the Battle of Britain.Air Admiral Dowding's Correspondence and Air Department Pamphlet No. 156 give an exhaustive account of the principal facts as we know them in 1941 and 1943.We also now see some of the thinking of the German High Command and their internal reactions at various stages.It appears that German losses in some of the major battles were much less than we estimated at the time, and reports on both sides are clearly exaggerated, but the great The main features and contours are undisputed.

In the Battle of France the use of the Luftwaffe was stretched to the limit and, like the German Navy after Norway, a rest of several weeks or months was required.This lull was also to our advantage, since all but three of our fighter squadrons were successively engaged in the fighting on the Continent.It did not occur to Hitler that, after the collapse of France, Britain would not accept peace proposals.Like Marshal Pétain, Weygand, and many other generals and statesmen of France, he did not understand the intelligence of an island alone, independent of foreign aid; and, like these Frenchmen, he misjudged our willpower .We have come a long way and have learned a lot since Munich.In June, as Hitler gradually became aware of the new situation, he made an effort to respond to it, while the Luftwaffe regained combat effectiveness and deployed for their next mission.It is self-evident what the next task is.Hitler must attack and conquer Britain, or he would face a protracted war with all its unpredictable dangers and difficulties.There was always the possibility that victory over Britain in the air would stop her resistance; as for actual aggression, it would not be necessary, if practical, unless he wanted to occupy the defeated country.

The Luftwaffe had been restored to combat effectiveness in June and early July, reorganized and deployed at all airfields in France and Belgium, ready to launch an attack from there, and to use reconnaissance and probing raids to gauge the strength and weakness of the resistance to be encountered. scale.The first heavy raids did not begin until July 10th, and this date is usually regarded as the beginning of the air battle.Two other dates of great significance are August 15th and September 15th.In the German offensive there were three successive and overlapping stages.The first stage, from July 10th to August 18th, was to harass the British convoy in the English Channel and our southern ports between Dover and Plymouth, to test the strength of our air force and lead it to battle, Consume it; it will also destroy the coastal towns that have been marked as targets of imminent invasion.The second phase, from August 24th to September 27th, was to destroy the Royal Air Force and its installations, thereby opening a road to London, and to carry out a violent and continuous bombardment of the capital.It would also cut off the capital from threatened coastal areas.But in Goering's view, he believes that there are good reasons to believe that doing so can achieve a greater effect, that is, to plunge the world's largest city into chaos and paralysis, and to make the British government and people fearful, thus Bow to the will of Germany.The German naval and army staffs were bent on hoping that the outcome would go as Goering had predicted.But as events unfolded, they found that the RAF had not been wiped out, and that, in order to destroy London, they could not attend to the execution of their own desperately needed Sea Lion operation plan.Then, when all was disappointed, when the invasion was postponed indefinitely for lack of the all-important condition of air supremacy, the third and final stage began.The hope of victory in the daytime air battle was dashed, and the RAF was still full of energy, which gave them a headache. Goering had no choice but to bomb London and various industrial production centers indiscriminately in October.

In terms of fighter quality, the two sides are evenly matched.German fighters are faster and have a higher ascent; our fighters are more agile and equipped with stronger weapons.Their pilots knew their numbers well, and were proud victors over Poland, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Belgium, and France; The kind of determination that is on full display in times of extreme hardship.The Germans enjoyed one very important strategic advantage, which they exploited ably: their air forces were spread out over many bases from which they could concentrate powerful forces to attack us by feints and swipes.But the enemy may have underestimated the disadvantages of fighting over and over the Channel with those encountered in France and Belgium.Their recognition of the seriousness of these disadvantages is also evident in their efforts to organize an effective sea rescue team.In July and August, whenever there was an air battle, some German transport planes painted with the red cross emblem began to appear over the channel.We are not allowed to use this method to rescue enemy pilots who have been shot down in combat and let them bomb our civilians again.Whenever possible, we rescued them ourselves and took them as prisoners of war.All German air ambulances were forced to land or destroyed by our fighters in accordance with explicit orders approved by the War Cabinet.The German pilots and doctors on these planes expressed surprise at the way they were treated and protested that it was in violation of the Geneva Conventions.The Geneva Conventions do not provide for such a contingency, since this form of warfare was not foreseen when the Convention was signed.Since the Germans had no scruple to violate all treaties, laws of war, and solemn agreements so long as it was in their own interest, they had no good reason to complain.They gave up this attempt not long after, and the sea rescue of the pilots of both sides was carried out by their small ships, and of course the Germans opened fire on them as soon as they spotted them.

During August, the Luftwaffe had assembled 2,669 combat aircraft, of which 1,015 bombers, 346 dive bombers, 933 fighters and Three hundred and seventy-five heavy fighters. On 5 August, the Führer's Directive No. 17 authorized the intensification of the air campaign against Britain.Göring never paid much attention to the Sea Lion plan; his mind was devoted to absolute aerial warfare.His subsequent random changes to the arrangements confused the German Naval Staff.The German Naval Staff considers the destruction of the Royal Air Force and our aircraft industry to be but a means to an end:

After this mission is done, air combat should move to attacking enemy warships and ships.They regretted Goering's secondary importance to naval objectives and were distressed by the delays.On 6 August they reported to High Command that German preparations for laying mines in the Channel had been rendered impossible by the constant threat of the British Air Force.On August 10, the Naval Staff's operational diary records: Preparations for Operation Sea Lion, especially mine clearance, have been hampered by the suspension of Air Force operations, which are currently out of action due to bad weather, and which, for reasons unknown to the Naval Staff, have lost access to the recent extremely favorable weather. opportunity provided.

A series of intense air battles took place over Cape Kent and along the Channel coast in July and early August.Göring and his experienced advisers thought they must have drawn all our fighter squadrons to the fight in the South.They therefore decided to conduct a daylight bombardment of the industrial cities north of Wash Bay.This distance is too far for their first-class fighter Mi｜109 fighter.They had to take the risk of only using Mi|110 fighters to cover the bombers. Although this type of fighter has a range, it has poor performance, and at present it is performance that determines success or failure.Still, in their view, it was a logical step worth the risk.

Thus, on August 15, about a hundred bombers, under the cover of forty Mi|110 fighter jets, bombed the Tyne River area.At the same time, an air attack of more than 800 aircraft was launched to contain our air force in the southern area, where they thought our air force was all assembled.At this time, it fully demonstrated the correctness of Dowding's deployment of the fighter team.This danger has long been anticipated.Seven squadrons of Tornado or Spitfire fighters had withdrawn from the heavy fighting in the south to rest in the north and take charge of guarding that area.These fighter squadrons had suffered heavy losses, but were still reluctant to quit the battle, and the pilots solemnly stated that they were not tired at all.Now, an unexpected good thing came.These fighter squadrons were there to welcome invading enemy aircraft as they flew over the coast.Thirty German planes were shot down, most of them heavy bombers (Heinkel Type 111, each with four trained pilots), and the British loss was only two pilots injured.Lieutenant General Dowding's foresight in directing the air battle is highly commendable, but what is even more impressive is his prudence and accurate assessment of the intense pressure that, during weeks of life-and-death fighting in the South, Keep a fighter fleet in the north.We should regard his commanding talents in this respect as a model of mastery of the art of war.

Since then, Germany has never dared to bomb during the day without the escort of the best fighter jets.From then on, all was safe during the day north of Wash Bay. The air battle of August 15 was the largest in this period of the Great War; five major battles were fought on a front of five hundred miles.It was indeed a decisive day.In the South all twenty-two of our fighter squadrons were engaged, many twice a day, some three; German losses, including those in the North, amounted to seventy-six, Our loss was thirty-four.This was an obvious fiasco for the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe commanders must have weighed the consequences of this failure with great anxiety, which portented a bad future, but the Luftwaffe still regarded the port of London with its long lines of docks and its dense ships, and the need for nothing. The largest city in the world, which can be attacked without knowing it, is the target of their attack. Lord Beaverbrook did an outstanding service during these weeks of intense fighting and infinite anxiety.We should supplement fighter squadrons with reliable aircraft at any cost.Bureaucratic habits and the style of pushing three and delaying four are okay in a step-by-step and smooth order, but it is out of date now.All of his amazing abilities are just right for the needs of the moment.He himself is very optimistic and energetic, which is very encouraging.I am fortunate that I can sometimes rely on him to get things done.He never disappoints. This is when he comes into his own.His own energy and talent, coupled with his persuasion and many methods, swept away many obstacles.Everything on the supply line is continuously transported to the front line.New or restored planes were being supplied one by one to the overjoyed fighter squadrons in greater numbers than they had ever seen before.All maintenance and repair work is carried out intensely.I valued his role so much that, with the King's sanction, I asked him to join the War Cabinet on August 2nd.At this time, his eldest son Max Aitken also made great achievements as a fighter pilot, shooting down at least six enemy planes. Another minister with whom I have been around day and night at this time is the Secretary of State for Labor and Service, Ernest Bevin, who is responsible for the management and mobilization of manpower across the country.All the workers in the munitions factory are willing to follow his instructions.In September, he also joined the War Cabinet.The trade unionists who had given away their wealth, their status, their rights, and their possessions were throwing away all the slowly formed and cherished rules and privileges.I got along very well with Beverbrook and Bevin during those smoky weeks.It is a pity that they later had a quarrel and caused a lot of friction, but at this most critical juncture, we are in solidarity.I cannot praise enough Mr. Chamberlain for his loyalty and for the determination and efficiency of all my colleagues in the Cabinet.I would like to pay tribute to them here. I am anxious to arrive at an exact estimate of German losses.Although the pilots were strict and honest, they often fought at high altitudes above the clouds, so it was impossible to know exactly how many enemy planes they shot down, or how many men were on the same enemy plane It was also said that he shot it down, but the number was overstated. prime minister to general ismay August 17, 1940 Lord Beaverbrook told me that over eighty German planes had been found on our ground during Thursday's fighting.is that so?If not, how much is it? I asked the Commander in Chief of Air Combat if he could distinguish between combat over land and air over sea in this operation.This is a good way to enable ourselves to calculate the reported results as accurately as possible. Prime Minister to Chief of Air Staff August 17, 1940 As we watch the results of the air battle over our country, we must not lose sight of the serious losses suffered by Bomber Command.Seven heavy bombers were (losed) last night, and now twenty-one more have been destroyed on the ground, mostly at Tanmir Airfield, for a total of twenty-eight.These twenty-eight plus an additional twenty-two fighters brought our losses for the day to fifty, greatly changing the scenario in my favor for the German loss of seventy-five aircraft that day.In fact, our losses for the day were two against three. Please tell me the types of those planes that were destroyed on the ground. Prime Minister to Air Secretary August 21, 1940 The important thing was to shoot down the German planes and win the battle, and the American journalists and the American public didn't quite believe that we were winning, or the truth of our statistics.They soon learned the truth when it became apparent that the German air attack had been repulsed.Right now, it's not a good idea to speak ill of Air Combat Command when the battle is going on non-stop and there are constant decisions to be made about things like air raid sirens.Frankly, I'd rather let the facts speak for themselves.Bringing journalists into squadrons so they can show the American public that fighter pilots aren't bragging or lying about kill numbers is disgusting.I think it's better for us to calm down and calm down about all this. On that day, when the aircraft production department said that they found no less than 80 downed German planes on land alone, I did a survey and verified it myself. read.This is good news for us.To be honest, I'm getting a little impatient with American skepticism.This matter will decide everything. On August 20th I was able to report to Parliament as follows: Of course, the enemy outnumbered us by a large margin, but our production of new aircraft had already vastly outstripped them, and US-produced aircraft were only just beginning to arrive.The strength of our bombers and fighters, after such a few battles, is now stronger than ever.We believe that we can continue to fight air battles indefinitely, and the enemy can fight with him as long as he wants. Moreover, the longer we fight, the more quickly we can first approach the enemy in the air and then turn to the advantage. The outcome of the war depends to a large extent on air superiority. Until the end of August, Goering did not take a pessimistic view of air combat.He and those around him believed that British ground facilities, the aircraft industry and the combat effectiveness of the Royal Air Force had suffered serious losses.They estimated that since August 8th we had lost 1,115 planes, while the Germans had lost only 467.Of course, both sides took an optimistic view, and the Germans thought of their leaders as well.During September, the weather has been sunny, so the Luftwaffe hopes to achieve decisive results.The airfield facilities around London were violently attacked; sixty-eight planes raided London on the night of June, followed by the first major raid on the seventh, involving some 300 planes.On that day and the days that followed (during which our anti-aircraft guns were doubled), there was continuous heavy air fighting over the capital, and the Luftwaffe, having overestimated our losses, remained confident.However, we now know that the German Naval Staff was very concerned with their own interests and responsibilities. They wrote in their diary on September 10: It is of the utmost importance to judge the situation further that there is no indication that the enemy's air force has been defeated over southern England and the Channel region.The early air attacks did significantly weaken the enemy fighter defenses, giving German fighters a great advantage in England.However, we have not yet obtained the operational conditions necessary for the adventurous offensive indicated by the Naval Staff to the High Command, namely absolute air superiority in the Channel area and the elimination of the activities of the enemy air force over the concentration area of ​​​​the German navy and auxiliary ships. If the air force To reduce the attack on London now and to increase the attack on Portsmouth and Dover and the naval ports in or near the operational area would be in line with the planned steps of the Operation Sea Lion plan At this time, Hitler listened to Goering's words and believed that the large-scale attack on London was of decisive significance. The naval staff did not dare to express their opinions to the Supreme Command, but they were always disturbed. On the twelfth, they came to the following gloomy conclusion in conclusion: This air battle was conducted as an absolute air battle that did not take into account the needs of current maritime operations and was outside the scope of the Sea Lion operational plan. The way air combat is being conducted today, it does not contribute to the preparations for Operation Sea Lion, which is primarily the Navy's responsibility.In particular, we have not seen any attack by the Luftwaffe on the ships of the British fleet, which are now almost unhindered and undisturbed in the straits, which is extremely dangerous for cross-sea transportation.The defense of the British navy, therefore, depended chiefly on the laying of minefields, which, as was repeatedly explained to the High Command, could not be relied upon as a reliable means of covering shipping.As a matter of fact, the landing operations have so far not been favored by heavy air combat; therefore, the execution of the landing plan cannot at present be considered operationally and militarily. I said in a broadcast on September 11th: Whenever the weather is suitable, groups of German bombers, usually three or four hundred at a time, flock to our island, especially Cape Kent, under the cover of fighter jets, in an attempt to attack military targets and other targets during the daytime. The targets, however, were met by our squadrons of fighters, and were routed almost as often as they came; their losses outnumbered our losses by an average of three to one in aircraft, and six to one in pilots. This effort by the Germans to gain daytime air dominance over England was, of course, the key to deciding the whole war.So far, such efforts have clearly failed.They paid a high price, and we feel stronger than we were, and indeed much stronger than in July when this fierce fighting began.There can be no doubt that Herr Hitler is rapidly depleting his fighter fleet, and if he continues in this way for a few more weeks, this important part of his air force will be exhausted and completely destroyed.This is to our great advantage. On the other hand, it would be a very risky move for him to attempt to invade our country without commanding the air.Even so, preparations for his massive invasion continued.Hundreds of self-propelled barges are heading down the European coast from ports in Germany and the Netherlands to ports in northern France, from Dunkirk to Brest, and beyond Brest to France in the Bay of Biscay port. Besides this, fleets of every ten or more merchant ships were entering the English Channel through the Strait of Dover, skulking from port to port under the cover of new German batteries on the French coast.In the ports of Germany, Holland, Belgium, and France, from Hamburg to Brest, there are now also considerable numbers of ships.Finally, ships were prepared to transport an invasion force from Norwegian ports. Behind these dense ships and barges, a large number of German troops are waiting to board the ships, preparing to embark on a very dangerous and uncertain voyage across the sea.We have no way of knowing when they intend to come, we cannot be sure whether they really intend to try; but no one should lose sight of the fact that the Germans are preparing, with their usual thoroughness and method, to A massive invasion of our island, and possibly England, Scotland, Ireland, or all three at the same time. It doesn't look like there will be a long delay if an invasion is attempted at all.The weather can turn bad at any time.Moreover, it would be difficult for the enemy to keep the assembled ships waiting there indefinitely, since they were bombarded every night by our bombers and frequently by our warships watching out of the port. So we have to look at next week or so as a very important period in the history of our country.It can be compared with the time when the Spanish Armada approached the English Channel, when Drake [1] was about to finish a game of wooden balls, and it was also comparable to when Nelson defended us against Napoleon's army in Boulogne [2] .All this we have read in history; but what is happening now, in its magnitude and in its impact on the life and future of all mankind and the civilization of the world, is far from those brave days of the past can be compared. [1] Drake (15451596) was an admiral of the British Navy.When King Philip of Spain organized the Armada to attack England in 1587, Drake was ordered to meet him under the command of Lord Howard.According to legend, he was playing cricket with Lord Howard at that time. Howard wanted to set off immediately after hearing the news.translator 【2】Napoleon had assembled a large army in Boulogne to attack Britain, but was blocked because Nelson led the fleet to guard the English Channel.It later evolved into the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. The French and Spanish fleets were defeated by the British fleet.translator In the battle from August 24th to September 6th, the fighter team was at a disadvantage. During these fateful days, the Germans continued to attack the airfields of southern and southeastern England with a powerful air force.Their purpose is to destroy our fighter jets' defense of the capital during the day, and they can't wait to attack the capital by air.But it is far more important to us to keep those airports working, to keep them open and for fighter jets to fly from them, than to defend London from terrorist bombings.This is a defining period in the life-and-death battle between the two air forces.It never occurred to us that the battle was for the defense of London or anywhere else, all we thought about was who was winning the war in the air.Air Combat Command at Stanmore, and especially the command of the Eleventh Fighter Group at Uxbridge, were very anxious.The group's five forward airfields and six theater airfields were severely damaged.On several occasions airfields at Manston and Leam on the Kent coast were not available to fighters for several days.The Biggin Hill theater airfield, south of London, was so badly damaged that it could be used by only one fighter squadron for a week.The entire intricate organization of Air Combat Command could unravel if the enemy persisted in making heavy raids on adjacent theater airfields and disrupting their operations rooms or telephone contacts.This meant not only the devastation of London, but the loss of all air supremacy over this crucial area.As the reader will see in the memo in appendix (1) to this book, I was shown a few of these theater airfields, especially Manston (August 28) and not far from where I lived. Biggin Hill Airport.They were literally bombed and the runways were cratered and unusable.It was therefore a relief when Air Combat Command, sensing on 7 September that the German air raids had been directed towards London, concluded that the enemy had changed his plans.Goering should indeed have insisted on bombing our airfields, because the entire combat power of our air force at that time depended entirely on the organization and cooperation of these airfields.Goering made a stupid mistake by departing from the classical principles of war and from the hitherto recognized principles of humanity. During this same period (August 24-September 6), the consumption of Air Combat Command's entire strength was enormous.Its losses over the two weeks were: One hundred and three pilots were killed, one hundred and twenty-eight were seriously injured, and 466 Spitfires and Tornados were destroyed or seriously injured.Of a total of about a thousand pilots, almost a quarter were lost.Their vacancies had to be replenished by drawing 260 people from the training unit. These people were newbies, enthusiastic but inexperienced, and many of them hadn't completed all the flying lessons. After September 7th, the ten days of nighttime air raids that killed or wounded many residents of London's docks and railway junctions actually gave us a respite as we were Such an opportunity is urgently needed. During this period I usually spent two afternoons a week going to the bombed areas of Kent or Sussex to see for myself what was going on.For this purpose I have used a private train which has the most complete equipment, bed and bath, office, direct telephone, and some very able staff.Therefore, in addition to sleeping, I can continue to work on the way. Almost all the equipment of the Downing Street mansion are available on this train. We should regard September 15th as the day of the climax.On that day, the Luftwaffe, following the two violent air raids on the 14th, concentrated its maximum force on another daytime raid on London. It was one of the decisive battles of the war, and, like Waterloo, it was on a Sunday.I was at Checkers [1] that day.Before this, I had been to the headquarters of the 11th Fighter Group several times, wanting to see the situation of commanding air combat with my own eyes, but nothing happened on those occasions.Today, however, the weather seemed to favor the enemy, so I drove to Uxbridge, to the Group Headquarters.The Eleventh Fighter Group had twenty-five fighter squadrons, and its area of ​​responsibility included Essex, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, and all the roads that passed through them to London.Air Force Maj. Gen. Parker has been in command of our fateful fighter group for six months.From Dunkirk onwards, all the daytime fighting in southern England was under his command, and all his deployment and command system had reached the most perfect point.My wife and I were taken to a bulletproof command room fifty feet below the ground.All the advantages of the Tornado and Spitfire would be useless without this underground command center and telephone system, which had been designed and built by the Ministry of the Air Force at Dowding's advice and urging before the war.Immortal deeds are due to all those involved.In southern England, there was at that time the headquarters of the Eleventh Fighter Group and the six fighter garrison centers to which it belonged.As already mentioned, they all carry heavy burdens.Air Combat Command at Stanmore acted on behalf of Supreme Command, but it wisely left the actual command of the fighter squadrons to the Eleventh Fighter Group, which in turn controlled the squadrons through the fighter garrison centers in the counties. 【1】The British Prime Minister's suburban residence is in Checkers.translator The brigade's combat command room is like a small theater, about sixty feet deep, and has two floors.We sat upstairs in a special box.Below us was a large map table, surrounded by about twenty highly trained young men, women and women, and their telephone assistants.Opposite us, where the stage curtain should hang, is a large blackboard covering the entire wall. The blackboard is divided into six longitudinal rows of light bulbs, representing the six fighter garrison centers. Has its own cell and is separated by a horizontal line.In this way, when the bottom row of light bulbs is on, it indicates which squadrons are ready and can take off immediately within two minutes after the order is issued, and when the second row of light bulbs is on, it indicates which squadrons are ready. It can take off within five minutes, and the upper row of light bulbs indicates which squadrons are ready to take off within 20 minutes, another row of light bulbs indicates which squadrons have taken off, and the upper row indicates which squadrons have spotted enemy planes. Another row of red light bulbs indicates which squadrons are fighting, and the top row of light bulbs indicates which squadrons are returning.On the left, in a small room similar to a glass box, there are four or five officers who are responsible for analyzing and judging the intelligence received from our anti-air surveillance post.女的和年輕的一共有五萬多人。當時雷達還處在初期階段，但它可以發出發現敵機飛近我國海岸的警報，而敵機飛臨我們上空的情報，則主要靠那些攜帶著望遠鏡和手提電話機的對空監視員提供。因此，在一場戰鬥中要收到好幾千件情報。在這個地下指揮部的其他地方，有好幾間屋子裡擠滿了經驗豐富的人，他們迅速地把得到的情報加以甄別，每分鐘一次把結果直接傳達給樓下圍在桌子周圍的座標員和在玻璃座廂裡指揮的軍官。 右邊是另外一個玻璃座廂，裡面是陸軍軍官，負責報告我們高射炮隊的作戰情況，那時候，我們的高射炮隊有二百個是隸屬空戰司令部的。在夜間，不能讓高射炮向我們的戰鬥機飛去接近敵機的那些空域開炮，這一點是極端重要的。我過去對這個指揮系統的大致輪廓並不是毫無所知，因為我在戰前一年到斯坦莫爾拜訪道丁時，他已經向我講解過了。這個指揮系統在不斷的作戰中得到了發展和改進，現在它的各個部門已結合成一部最完備的作戰機器，像這樣的機器，在世界上還沒有第二個。 當我們走下樓去時，帕克說：我不知道今天會不會發生什麼情況。目前還平靜無事。然而一刻鐘以後，空襲座標員開始來回走動。據報告，四十多架敵機正從迪埃普地區的德國機場飛來。當各個中隊完成立即起飛的準備時，牆上的指示牌底層的那一排燈泡也隨著亮了。緊接著傳來了二十多架、四十多架的信號，很顯然，十分鐘以後馬上就要進行一場激烈的戰鬥了。天空上開始佈滿了敵我雙方的飛機。 信號接連傳來，四十多架、六十多架，甚至有一次是八十多架。在我們下邊的那張桌子上，每分鐘都在沿著不同的飛來路線推動座標，標明所有分批入侵的敵機的行動； 在我們對面的黑板上，一個接一個地亮起來的燈光表示我們的戰鬥機中隊已經飛入上空，直到最後只留下四五個中隊處於準備完畢的狀態。這些關係如此重大的空中戰鬥，從開始接觸起，只打了一小時多一點。敵人有充分的力量再派出幾批的飛機進攻，而我們的戰鬥機中隊，由於全力搶佔高空，因此在七十或八十分鐘後必須加油，或在作戰五分鐘後降落，補充彈藥。如果在這加油或補充彈藥的時候，敵人再新派來幾中隊無法阻攔的飛機的話，我們有些戰鬥機就有可能在地面被擊毀。因此，在指揮我們的戰鬥機中隊時，要注意的主要事項之一，就是在白天不要使過多的飛機同時在地面加油或補充彈藥。 不久，紅燈表明我們大部分的戰鬥機中隊都已投入戰鬥。 樓下有人在壓低嗓門咕咕噥噥地說話，在那裡，忙碌的座標員正在根據迅速變化的情況來回地推動座標。帕克空軍少將發佈了如何部署他的戰鬥機隊的總的指示，坐在樓上特別座位中心的一位青年軍官根據他的指示，作成詳細的命令，傳達給各戰鬥機隊的機場，我那天就坐在這位青年軍官的旁邊。幾年以後，我才打聽到他的名字。他名叫威洛比‧德‧布魯克勳爵。（後來在一九四七年，賽馬俱樂部他是這個俱樂部的一位幹事邀請我觀看德比賽馬會時，我又見到過他。他對於我還記得那時的情景感到驚奇。）這時，他根據地圖台上出現的最後情報，命令個別中隊起飛巡邏。空軍中將本人則在後面踱來踱去，警惕地觀察這場戰鬥的每一個動態，注意地看著他這個執行命令的部下是不是做得正確，他只是偶爾下達一些明確的命令，無非是對某一個受威脅的地區進行增援。轉眼之間，我們所有的戰鬥機中隊都已投入戰鬥，有些已經開始飛回來加油了。所有的戰鬥機都在天空中。下面一排燈光熄滅了。留作後備的中隊，一個也沒有了。這時，帕克打電話給駐在斯坦莫爾的道丁，要求從第十二戰鬥機大隊抽調三個中隊歸他指揮，以防萬一當他自己的戰鬥機中隊正在補充彈藥或加油時，敵人再來一次大襲擊。他的要求照辦了。當時特別需要這三個中隊來保護倫敦和我們的戰鬥機機場，因為第十一大隊已經盡了他們的努力。 那位年輕的軍官就像是在處理例行公事一樣，繼續按照大隊司令官的總的指示，用一種很平靜、低沉而無變化的語調發佈命令，而三個增援的中隊很快就加入了戰鬥。這時，我覺察到司令官有點焦灼不安，仍然靜靜地站在他那位部下的椅子後面。到這時為止，我一直是默默地察看。現在我問道： 我們還有什麼其他的後備隊嗎？not even one.帕克空軍少將回答道。他在事後所寫的一篇關於這件事的記述裡說，我聽到這句話時顯得很沉重。我很可能是這樣的。如果我們加油的飛機在地上又受到敵機四十多架或五十多架的襲擊的話，我們的損失將多麼慘重！這種可能性很大；我們倖免的機會很少；真是危險極了。 又過了五分鐘，我們大部分的中隊都已降落，需要加油。 在許多場合下，由於我們的力量所限，無法對它們給予空中掩護。後來發現敵機飛回去了。下邊桌子上移動著的座標表明德國轟炸機和戰鬥機不斷地向東移動。沒有出現新的襲擊。 又過了十分鐘，戰鬥就結束了。我們重新登上通向地面的樓梯，我們剛一走出去，解除警報的信號便響了。 首相，我們感到高興的是，你親自看到了這次空戰，帕克說道，當然，在最後二十分鐘，情報來得太多，使我們感到應付不了。你由此可以看出我們目前力量的極限。今天使用的力量遠遠超過了它們的限度。我問他們是否已經接到關於戰果的報告，我接著說，看來這次打退敵人進攻的空戰打得很好。帕克回答說，他感到不滿意的是，我們截擊到的敵機不如他所希望的那樣多。顯然，敵機到處突破了我們的防線。據報告說，有好幾十架德國轟炸機及其護航戰鬥機進入了倫敦上空。當我在地下室時，有十多架敵機被擊落，但當時無法得知關於戰果、破壞或損失的全部情況。 下午四點三十分我才回到契克斯，我立刻就上床睡午覺。 我因為觀看第十一大隊的作戰經過，弄得太疲倦了，所以一直睡到八點鐘才醒。當我按鈴的時候，我的私人秘書約翰‧馬丁拿著世界各地消息的夜間匯報進來。這個匯報真是不如人意。不是這裡出了差錯，就是那裡耽誤了時機；或是說某某的答覆不能令人滿意，在大西洋又沉沒了許多船隻。但是，馬丁在他結束這段敘述時說：這一切都由空戰補償了。 我們一共擊落了一百八十三架敵機，而損失還不到四十架。 雖然戰後的資料表明敵人在那天的損失僅僅是五十六架，但九月十五日仍不失為不列顛之戰的關鍵一天。當天晚上，我們的轟炸機隊大規模地襲擊了從布洛涅到安特衛普的各港口的船舶。安特衛普遭受的損失尤其嚴重。正如我們現在所知道的，元首在九月十七日決定無限期地推遲海獅作戰計劃。直到十月十二日才正式宣佈把入侵推遲到第二年春天。 一九四一年七月，希特勒再度把它推遲到一九四二年春，到那時對俄國的戰爭就將結束了。這是一個徒然的但是是很美妙的幻想。一九四二年二月十三日，雷德爾海軍上將為海獅作戰計劃最後一次謁見希特勒，並且說服他同意將整個計劃完全擱起來。海獅作戰計劃就這樣完蛋了。而九月十五日就可以算作它斷命的日子。 德國海軍參謀部打心眼裡贊成所有這幾次延期；事實上，延期是他們從中慫恿的。陸軍首腦沒有發出任何怨言。十七日，我在議會裡說：日復一日地等待，這種辦法遲早會使人感到沒有什麼新鮮玩藝兒。星期日的戰鬥，是皇家空軍戰鬥機隊歷次戰鬥中成績最輝煌、戰果最大的一次戰鬥。我們可以懷著冷靜的然而是日益增長的信心等待這一長期的空戰的結局。一位公正的觀察家美國戰爭計劃司副司長、派駐倫敦觀察德機空襲效果的美國軍事代表團團長斯特朗准將於十九日回到紐約時說，德國空軍對皇家空軍的損害並不嚴重，空中轟炸所造成的軍事破壞比較小，而英國人所公佈的德國飛機的損失數字傾向於保守。 可是倫敦上空的戰鬥還得進行，打個結果。雖然入侵的計劃已被取消，但直到九月二十七日戈林才放棄了他用空戰獲勝的希望。十月間，雖然倫敦遭受的襲擊很猛烈，但是德國人對其他許多地方也日以繼夜地經常進行小規模襲擊。集中轟炸變為分散轟炸；消耗戰開始了。消耗！消耗誰呢？ 我們可以很冷靜地根據事後掌握的材料，來研究在這可以稱之為世界上決定性戰役之一的戰鬥中，英國空軍和德國空軍的損失究竟是多少。在上面所附的圖表中，我們可以把我們所希望和擔心的情況與當時的實際情況作一對比。 毫無疑問，我們在估計敵人的損失時往往過於樂觀。最終的結論為：入侵的德機與我機的損失是二比一，而不是我們過去所認為和宣佈的三比一。可是這已經是夠好了。皇家空軍不但沒有被摧毀，反而勝利了。一支強大的新飛行員隊伍成長起來了。我們的飛機廠，不僅我們當前的迫切需要依靠它們來解決，而且我們進行長期戰爭的力量也依靠它們來維持，它們雖遭破壞，但是並沒有癱瘓。工人們，不論熟練的或非熟練的、也不論男的或女的，都在戰火中堅守他們的車床，在車間勞動，一如作戰中的炮兵他們也的確是炮兵。在軍需部，赫伯特‧摩里遜激勵著他所管轄的廣泛範圍之內的所有的人們。他命令他們加油干，他們就一定加油干。派爾將軍指揮的防空司令部隨時隨地給空戰以有效的支援。他們的重大貢獻後來才有報導。忠誠不倦的對空監視哨片刻不離他們的崗位。組織嚴密的空戰司令部如果沒有它，便一切都完了在幾個月的緊張戰鬥中證明是經得起考驗的。所有一切的人都盡到了自己的責任。 最突出的是，我們的戰鬥機駕駛員們始終保持著不屈不撓的最大的毅力和勇氣。不列顛得救了。所以我在下院這樣說：在人類戰爭的領域裡，從來沒有過這麼少的人對這麼多的人作過這麼大的貢獻。