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The Battle of Britain: From the BBC Archives

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The Battle of Britain: From the BBC Archives

By: Mark Jones
Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith
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About this listen

First-hand accounts featuring the RAF pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain - one of the chief turning points of World War II.

‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’ - Winston Churchill. The ‘Few’ were the nearly 3,000 RAF pilots who fought against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, which raged in the skies over southern England and the English Channel in the summer of 1940.

With a new prime minister, Winston Churchill, Britain fought alone in Europe - and under the threat of invasion from Hitler’s Germany. Douglas Bader, Flight Lt Richard Hillary, ‘Ginger’ Lacey, and Flight Lt. Brian Kingcombe describe the strains they had to face as pilots: ‘I didn’t have butterflies in my stomach - I had vultures’ and the ‘long, boring hours interspersed with moments of tremendous exhilaration’.

Their determination, bravery, and skill are evident as, outnumbered, they fought doggedly in their superior Hurricanes and Spitfires.

With news bulletins, reportage, personal accounts from the ground crews, and excerpts from Churchill’s famous speeches, this recording undeniably shows why, for the victorious RAF pilots, ‘This was their finest hour’.

©2010 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2010 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Europe Great Britain Military England Winston Churchill Aviation War
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A truly remarkable experience to liaten too, to hear the voices of thise who were there, and in they're own words talk about life at the time, something that should be heard by all, interested in ww2 and the battle of Britain in particular

truly remarkable

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The Battle of Britain is a hobby of mine. I found this fascinating; of particular note are the (enhanced) broadcasts from during the Battle.

Outstanding

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A wonderful listen, with a dignifief yet interesting narrator and recordings from people who were actually there.

Listening to a couple of RAF veterans recount how they effed and blinded at over-zealous Home Guard fools who tried to shoot or arrest them on bailing out, mistaking them for Germans, was almost as much fun as listening to descriptions of hair-raising dogfights.

Thank you chaps. you fought an evil battle against top opponents so people like me could be free. You are all my heroes.

Bandits at 6 o'clock!

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People of my generation will know this part of British history intimately but for me it contained a few new snippets and was worth listening to just for them. The impact of the voices of those who were there adds impact to the narration .

R.A.F History today

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I was expecting a series of original BBC broadcasts holding the original narrative together tightly as the events unfolded.

Instead I thought that there was too much narration from our modern days reflecting on events in a more detached, remote viewpoint.

Still overall a good listening experience, plenty of first hand accounts into the conditions experienced by pilots and crews of Fighter Command.

Not as good as anticipated

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