Friday 15 September - Battle of Britain Day
On Battle of Britain Day, the 6B MkIII 'Scramble'.
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On Sunday 15 September 1940, the Luftwaffe launched its largest and most concentrated attack against London in the hope of drawing out the RAF into a battle of attrition. Around 1,500 aircraft took part in the air battles which lasted until dusk. The action was the climax of the Battle of Britain. RAF Fighter Command defeated the German raids; the Luftwaffe lost 56 planes and the RAF 28. During the twelve-week battle, 1,733 German aircraft had been destroyed, compared with 915 British fighters. In the aftermath of the failed 15 September raid, Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion and having been defeated in daylight, the Luftwaffe turned its attention to The Blitz night bombing campaign which lasted until May 1941. Following the Battle of Britain, Prime Minister Churchill paid this tribute to Fighter Command: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' and Battle of Britain pilots were affectionately known as 'The Few' ever since.
The 15th of September is now an annual commemoration of the Battle of Britain in the United Kingdom.
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Some of 'The Few' with a Hawker Hurricane aircraft in the background.
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Fighter Command pilots examine the wreckage of a downed Luftwaffe aircraft.