To the youth of today the Battle of Britain must seem as remote as the Battle of Hastings in 1066, if indeed they ever consider the matter at all. To me it is as vivid as it was in that glorious high summer of 1940. The most lovely weather for years, clear blue skies, crisp early dawns, and Messerschmitts. We did not refer to them as Bf 109s then, but as Me109s because we did not appreciate the difference, and some of us called them much ruder names!

The Me109R was a specially designed aircraft that raised the world speed record in 1939. Me109R itself was a spurious designation for publicity purposes. It was actually the Me209VI. The only thing it had in common with the standard fighter, the Bf109, was that it was designed by the same team. The Nazi propagandists gained world acclaim for the standard Bf109 by confusing the two aircraft (as have many others since). Although Willy Messerschmitt joined the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke more than ten years before the war and headed the team that designed the Me109R, the factory's name was not changed to Messerschmitt AG until after the first Bf109s and Bf110s had been produced. Only subsequently were the products of the factory known as Me163, Me210, Me262, and so on. There were 33 000 Bf109s but only one Me109, so the myth of the Me109 as opposed to the Bf109 has been perpetuated.

There was even a mythical aircraft. I still have a dog-eared recognition manual showing the He113. In fact the aircraft depicted is the He100. The aircraft described in combat reports were almost certainly Bf109s. The He118, evolved in parallel with the He112 single seat fighter was a dive-bomber (stuka) initially allocated the type description He 113. Strong objections were made by Ernst Heinkel because he feared the effect that such a designation might have on the superstitions of pilots who would fly his company's aircraft, The number was rescinded and the aircraft was redesignated He118, the He 113 becoming the aircraft that never was........ I go on to discuss the various concepts of the time-span of the Battle, the number of Hurricanes as opposed to Spitfires that took part in the Battle, the fact that 'The Few' were 3 080, our youth (I had put my age up and was 17) most were under 20. The mythically high figures of aircraft destroyed by both sides The myth that a small band of invincible "aces" (the very term "ace" is frowned upon by the RAF) won the Battle, the myth that the Luftwaffe lost the Battle because of the blunder in switching the weight of attack from airfields to London.

Even 58 years on the time span of the Battle is still debated. Many German historians consider that it went on to climax as late as May 1941, but they do not consider it to have started until 13th August 1940. The official British Ministry of Defence description was a five phase campaign beginning on 10th July 1940 and continuing to 31st October 1940. These are the dates of qualification for the tiny gilt rose emblem worn when the ribbon alone of the 1939-45 Star is worn, denoting the award of the bar inscribed "Battle of Britain", which is worn on the ribbon when the actual medal is worn. To gain this bar and be counted as one of "The Few" one must have flown at least one operational sortie under Fighter Command control or instruction between those dates. Those who were not under the operational control of Fighter Command, even though they shot down at least six German aircraft between these dates did not qualify and are thus not considered as members of "the Few" (the term derived from the speech of the then Prime Minister of Britain on 20 Aug 1940.

Winston Churchill said in the House of Commons "The gratitude of every home in our island, in our Empire, and indeed, throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British Airmen, who, undaunted by the odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few!".) Thus the phrase has survived. The medallion in the case of my commemorative Battle of Britain dirk (sold long ago in a moment of financial distress) bore a relief effigy of Churchill and the dates 8th August - 15th September.

The RAFA Battle of Britain Souvenir Book also gives the starting date as 8th August, but Whitaker's Almanac gives the date as 11th August ('Sailor's August the Eleventh' as it was known in 74 Squadron is described in detail in my history of that Squadron "I Fear No Man" Macdonald 1972, and long out of print, but brought up to 1998 in a new edition being published right now in UK by Newton Books. The title is the Squadron motto not my sentiment as I'm a timid chap! ). Francis K. Mason in his excellent "Battle over Britain" considers the period from 0001 hrs on 1 July 1940 to 2359 on 31st October as the span of the battle, and I consider this the most accurate, although not the most official, estimate.

A British Air Ministry pamphlet "The Battle of Britain, an account of the great days from 8th August to 31st October 1940" was published at the end of 1940. It was reprinted in South Africa in 1941, with an additional chapter '......bringing the story up to the present". It was entitled "The Battle of Britain goes on" and describes the air fighting August to September and considered the battle to have only just begun and stated that if that period could be compared "...to the Battle of the Marne (in WWI), the subsequent fighting is similar to the period of 'attrition warfare' on the Western Front in the last war......the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, was able to tell the House of Commons : 'The strength of the RAF is very much greater today than when the Battle began in August' ". This seems to imply that he too considered the Battle to be continuing. The chapter ends:"Meanwhile the 'Battle of Britain' goes on" implying that in the opinion of the author the Battle would probably be seen as having lasted as long as the war in Europe (up to 1945). This is a view held by many Americans as the duration of the Battle, but the official dates remain July 10 to Oct 31. If the dates are legendary it is not surprising that the aircraft have also been given mythical preponderance. Hence the idea that the Battle was fought and won mainly by Spitfires; in fact thirty-three squadrons of Hurricanes took part, as compared to nineteen of Spitfires.

The 3,080 who comprised the RAF aircrew of the battle (pilots, and gunners in the short-nosed Blenheims, and Defiants, hopefully supposed to be fighters) were only the equivalent of a Brigade Group or a capital warship in terms of manpower; the fact that they achieved the survival of Britain is in itself worthy of note as is their youth. Many were under 20, and, still under training, I was not unique at 17, being one of several who had increased their ages to enlist. Many pilots were NCOs unlike the conditions in the USAAC where most were commissioned, and many gunners were lowly airmen until the order came in making them sergeants. Ernie Mayne of 74 Sqn RAF flew in the battle to age 39 but he was a most notable exception. "Sailor' Malan CO of the same squadron seemed grandfatherly to us. He was 30 and married. Of 2949 fighter pilots, 515 were killed between 10 July and 31 Oct 1940. German bomber casualties were not revealed, but 340 fighter pilots were lost (261 killed). The RAF lost 715 Spitfires and Hurricanes, the Luftwaffe 348 bombers, 45 dive bombers, and 558 fighters.When these total German losses (951) are contrasted with the figure of 2375 quoted at the time, the mythical claims then current become apparent.

The debate on the subject of overclaiming of aircraft destroyed lingers on. In the absence of any centralized agency for checking pilot's victory claims, gross errors were inevitable even though individual pilots' figures were usually made in all honesty. The mythical high figures have been perpetuated through the years; how did they arise? It was almost impossible to avoid duplication of claims, for when a pilot saw his tracer hitting enemy aircraft, saw the aircraft crash, and claimed accordingly, he often did not even see the other aircraft that also hit and claimed the same enemy. One victim could be claimed by as many as 5 or more pilots with very little dishonesty of intent on the part ofthe pilots. Claims for the same aircraft could indeed be made to 5 different Intelligence Officers as the aircraft landed at different airfields. Intelligence Officers were as careful as possible and often only allowed a fifth of a kill, or a half or whatever depending on the number of claims for what in their view was one and the same aircraft.

There were one or two pilots whose victories always appeared to occur out of sight of anybody else, but they were well-known to us, if not to the Intelligence Officers who allowed their claims for enemy aircraft shot down in cloud! The British claimed 144 destroyed on 18th August, whereas in fact there were 69, and the Germans admitted 36. They claimed 147 British aircraft destroyed, whereas in fact there were 68, and the British admitted 23! On 15th September the British claimed 185 and it is celebrated as Battle of Britain Day. In fact the Germans lost about 60 beyond repair. As Dean Acheson remarked "...propaganda is that branch of the art of lying which consists in very nearly deceiving your friends, without quite deceiving your enemies."

Churchill said "The victory of the Royal Air Force had been gained by the skill and daring of our pilots, by the excellence of our machines, and by their wonderful organization. Other virtues not less splendid...were...displayed by millions of ordinary humble people, who proved to the world the strength of a community nursed in freedom". It was scores of these humble people who comprised the squadrons in 1940. Many were young, overconfident, and inexperienced, with little or no idea of what it was all about.

There were a few rare stars who survived the Battle and bore the brunt of the fighting. Sailor Malan, CO of No.74 Squadron was one of these. His superb eyesight and good deflection shooting trained with a shotgun in the South African veldt, plus his complete unflappability under fire, made him a member of the elite of those who shot down many aircraft in the Battle and before. The term 'ace' was frowned upon in the RAF where it was deemed a team effort. A leader was as good as his No.2 (wingman) a fact confirmed by Chuck Yeager who had Bob Hoover as his later in the war.

Other competent pilots, brave and determined though they might have been, lacked the speed and instinct to live long in action. The picture painted by propagandists and writers of popular fiction shows a few brilliant. debonair, aristocrats flying to the fray, trailing contrails across the sky, shooting down Germans by the score, and occasionally being themselves shot down only to survive with small wounds which added to their glamour in the nightclubs.

It was not really like that at all; if one succeeded in snatching a victory or two before being shot down, it was that which gained the narrow victory in the end, together with radar and the other preparations made before 1939. Many of the same writers who painted the inaccurate picture of the gallant band leaping into the sky describe what we used in 1940 as RADAR. In fact this acronym was not coined until 1942, by the US Navy (RAdio Detection And Ranging). For security reasons we called it 'radio detection finding' (RDF) as an innocuous term not so likely to arouse suspicion.

It was also referred to as 'radiolocation' I recall. When IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) came in 1939 it was very faulty, and remained somewhat so in 1940 (and apparently the Gulf War half a century later).Bombers switched it off because they rightly suspected the Germans could home on it.

Most of the credit for the defence must go to Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding (belated created Lord Dowding three years later). This enigmatic widower known to all (out of his hearing) as "Stuffy" had protested with calm logic that dissipation of his priceless pilots and precious Spitfires in France (he unwillingly surrendered more Hurricanes than he thought fit; no Spitfires went to France despite the novel and film "A Piece of Cake") would imperil the defence of the United Kingdom. Churchill had wanted more squadrons in France, and when the Battle was over, Dowding was quietly 'bowler hatted'. His fighter boys have never forgiven Churchill, who referred to them as "Dowding's chicks". His son Hugh Dowding served with No.74 Squadron, as did Sailor Malan, and (with much less distinction) did I. Hugh was a bit absent-minded about dress and was known irreverently as "Scruffy" Dowding. He died as the second Lord Dowding in 1992, aged 73, and his son, Piers, became the third Lord Dowding. Although "Scruffy's" peers in 1940 adopted a rakish, light-hearted approach to life (and death) Hugh's father did not belong to the world of nightclubs and popsies (Tony Bartley of No.74 Squadron married one of the most glamorous in 1948, Deborah Kerr).

"Stuffy" Dowding received scant recognition after the Battle and did routine duty investigating waste and touring the US. For the leader of 11 Group, Keith Park, who resisted the "big wing" nonsense of Leigh-Mallory, Sholto Douglas, and Douglas Bader, there was only grief despite his Group having borne the brunt of the Battle. At one meeting Douglas was called in to give his views and Park was subjected to criticism over his handling of the big wings. This was the meeting I referred to as the Cabinet meeting earlier and the presence of a mere Squadron Leader at such was unprecedented.

Park was posted to Flying Training Command, Leigh-Mallory took over 11 Group, and Sholto Douglas became Air Officer Commanding Fighter Command in place of Dowding. The knives could then be put away. The proponent of offence had been preferred to Park the brilliant defender. In retrospect he has been vindicated completely but he died still bitter at the treatment meted out to him.

Perhaps the greatest myth is that the Luftwaffe lost the Battle because of Germany's blunder in switching the weight of attack from Fighter Command airfields to London. For we who stood alone in 1940 our victory meant that we were invincible, come what may. That was our victory. We had won something at last after Dunkirk, Norway, and all the other frustrations. We all basked in the reflected glory of "The Few", and although it seems like yesterday to me...58 years is a long time. Not all pilots that took part in the Battle of Britain scored victories or 'kills', their presence alone paid handsome dividends. Doug Tidy was still in training, but just being part of it was just as important as those that came out as aces or legends. Doug is a Londoner, but now lives in the United States and like many submitted an incorrect age to enter service with the Royal Air Force In 1941, is was discovered that his eyesight did not meet the required standards and he was transferred to wireless and communication duties.

Doug Tidy 1998