Sir Hugh Dowding
24 April 1882–15 February 1970
Sir Hugh Dowding
Place of birth	Moffat, Scotland
Place of death	Royal Tunbridge Wells, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1913–1942
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Commands	16 Squadron (1915–1916) RAF Fighter Command (1936–1940)
Battles/wars	World War I, World War II

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswell Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB GCVO CMG, (24 April 1882 - 15 February 1970) was a British officer in the Royal Air Force. He was the commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Image File history File links Hugh_Dowding. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Moffat is a burgh and former spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ... For the larger local government district, see Borough of Tunbridge Wells. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Ensign_of_the_Royal_Air_Force. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... An Air Chief Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force (RAF) today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... No. ... Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert Henry Asquith Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Dowding may refer to: Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, a significant Royal Air Force commander during World War II. Baron Dowding, the peerage created for Hugh Dowding. ... An Air Chief Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force (RAF) today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ... Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from:[1] Poland New Zealand Canada Czechoslovakia Belgium Australia South Africa France Ireland United States Jamaica Palestine Rhodesia Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Strength 754 single-seat fighters 149 two-seat fighters 560 bombers 500 coastal 1...

Early life

Dowding was born in Moffat, Scotland. He was educated at Winchester College and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and later served abroad in the Royal Artillery. Moffat is a burgh and former spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... Winchester College is a well-known boys independent school, and an example of a British public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England. ... The Royal Military Academy was founded in 1741 in Woolwich, south-east London. ... Woolwich is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Thames, though the tiny exclave of North Woolwich (which is now part of the London Borough of Newham) is on the north side of the river. ... RGA redirects here. ...

Career

After obtaining his pilot's license in December 1913, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). He was sent to France and in 1915 was promoted to commander of 16 Squadron. After the Battle of the Somme, Dowding clashed with General Hugh Trenchard, the commander of the RFC, over the need to rest pilots exhausted by non-stop duty. As a result Dowding was sent back to Britain and although promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, saw no more active service during the First World War. Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... No. ... Combatants British Empire United Kingdom Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British and 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10½ divisions (initial) 50 divisions (final) Casualties 419,654... Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard (February 3, 1873 - February 10, 1956) was the British Chief of the Air Staff during World War I, and was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... Brigadier General (sometimes known as a one-star general from the United States insignia) is the lowest rank of general officer in some countries, usually ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert Henry Asquith Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow...

Dowding now joined the recently created Royal Air Force and gained experience in departments of training, supply, development and research. In 1929 he was promoted to Air Vice Marshal and the following year joined the Air Council. Tragedy struck in the inter-war period when his wife of two years died. Left alone to bring up his son, Derek, Hugh Dowding withdrew from socialising and threw himself into his work. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia An Air Vice Marshals command flag Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts...

Air Marshal

In 1933 Dowding was promoted to Air Marshal and was knighted the following year. In the years prior to World War II he was the commanding officer of the RAF's Fighter Command and oversaw development of the 'Dowding System' -- an integrated air defence system of radar, raid plotting and radio control of aircraft. He also introduced modern aircraft into service such as the eight-gun Spitfire and Hurricane. Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... An air marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Marshal (Air Mshl or AM) is a rank in the Royal Air Force. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used primarily by the RAF and many Allied countries through the Second World War and into the 1950s. ... The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s which was used extensively by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. ...

Due to retire in June 1939, he was asked to stay on until March 1940 due to the tense international situation. He was again persuaded to continue, first until July and finally until October 1940. Thus, he fought the Battle of Britain under the shadow of retirement.

In 1940 Dowding, nicknamed "Stuffy" by his men, proved unwilling to sacrifice aircraft and pilots in the attempt to aid Allied troops during the Battle of France. He, along with his immediate superior Sir Cyril Newall, then Chief of the Air Staff, resisted repeated requests from Winston Churchill to weaken the home defence by sending precious squadrons to France. When the Allied resistance collapsed, he worked closely with Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, the commander of 11 Fighter Group, in organizing cover for the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Czechoslovakia Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM (February 15, 1886 – November 30, 1963), was a British pilot and political figure who rose to the Royal Air Forces senior rank and served as Governor-General of New Zealand between... Chief of the Air Staff can also refer to the head of the Canadian Forces Air Command or the head of the Indian Air Force. ... Churchill redirects here. ... Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC, DFC, DCL (June 15, 1892 - February 6, 1975) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in World War II. // Early Life and Army Career Park was born near Auckland, New Zealand. ... No. ... French troops rescued by a British merchant ship at Dunkirk British evacuation on Dunkirk beach Operation Dynamo (or Dunkirk Evacuation, the Miracle of Dunkirk or just Dunkirk) was the name given to the World War II mass evacuation of Allied soldiers from May 26 to June 4, 1940, during the... The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to France and Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939 - 1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War in case the... For other uses of Dunkirk or Dunkerque, see Dunkirk (disambiguation). ...

Through the summer of 1940 in the Battle of Britain Dowding's Fighter Command resisted the attacks of the Luftwaffe. Aside from the system he bequeathed to Fighter Command, his major contribution was to marshal resources behind the scenes and maintain a significant fighter reserve, while leaving his subordinate commanders' hands free to run the battle. At no point did Dowding commit more than half his force to the battle zone in southern England. Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from:[1] Poland New Zealand Canada Czechoslovakia Belgium Australia South Africa France Ireland United States Jamaica Palestine Rhodesia Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Strength 754 single-seat fighters 149 two-seat fighters 560 bombers 500 coastal 1... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Fighter Command pilots came to recognise Dowding as a distant figure, but one who cared for his men and had their best interests at heart. Dowding often referred to his "dear fighter boys" as his "chicks". Indeed his son Derek was one of them: a pilot in 74 Squadron. In spite of his reserve many junior officers regarded "Stuffy" as a fatherly figure with a steady hand on the tiller. No. ... A tiller or till is a lever attached to a rudder post (American terminology) or rudder stock (English terminology) of a boat in order to provide the leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

Because of his preparation and prudence "Stuffy" Dowding was credited with winning the battle and was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. However, his prickly temperament and intransigence over issues such as the Big Wing controversy, as well as Fighter Command's inability to counter night raids, contributed to his downfall. The new Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal removed Dowding from his post in November 1940 and replaced him with his ambitious rival, Sholto Douglas. Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ... The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was a air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain by Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader and 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. ... RAF Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal (left) and Polish Commander in Chief Władysław Sikorski (right) visit an airbase of the 300th Polish Bomber Squadron in England. ... Marshal of the Royal Air Force William Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside GCB MC DFC (December 23, 1893 - October 29, 1969) was a senior figure in the Royal Air Force up to and during World War II. Born in Headington, Oxfordshire he was educated at Tonbridge School and...

In 1946 his book "Twelve Legions of Angels was released as it as suppressed (censorship) in 1942 as the content was consider critical to the war effort on identifing air war strategy for the novice which was hazardous to the experts.

Ministry of Aircraft Production

After leaving Fighter Command Dowding was sent on special duty in the United States for the Ministry of Aircraft Production, where he made himself unpopular with his outspoken behaviour. On his return he headed a study into economies of RAF manpower before retiring from the Royal Air Force in July, 1942. The following year he was honoured with a peerage, as Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory. Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ...

Retirement

In his retirement Dowding became actively interested in spiritualism, both as a writer and speaker. His first book on the subject, Many Mansions, was written in 1943, followed by Lychgate (1945), The Dark Star and God's Magic. Rejecting conventional Christianity he joined the Theosophical Society which advocated belief in reincarnation. He insisted to his friend Lord Beaverbrook that he had been the leader of a Mongol tribe in a previous life. He also espoused the cause of animal welfare. An evangelist with a belief in life after death he wrote in Lychgate of meeting dead 'RAF boys' in his sleep -- spirits who flew fighters from mountain-top runways made of light. One of his former pilots was to comment years later: "at that stage we thought Stuffy had gone a bit ga ga". By 1853, when the popular song Spirit Rappings was published, Spiritualism was the object of intense curiosity. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The Theosophical Society was the organization formed to advance the spiritual doctrines and altruistic living known as Theosophy. ... Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, is a doctrine or mystical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. ... Sir William Maxwell Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (May 25, 1879 - June 9, 1964) was a Canadian–British business tycoon and politician. ...

Late in life Dowding's belief that he was unjustly treated by the RAF became increasingly bitter. He approved Robert Wright's book Dowding and the Battle of Britain which perpetuated the claim that a conspiracy of Big Wing proponents, including Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Douglas Bader, had engineered his sacking from Fighter Command. In the wake of the debate that followed, which largely refuted the Wright accusations and showed Dowding's recollections to be at fault, the RAF debated whether or not to make the octogenarian a Marshal of the Royal Air Force, but recommended against it. Dowding saw this as yet another undeserved slight from the service. Robert Wright is an historian and biographer of Hugh Dowding, the RAFs commanding officer in the Battle of Britain. ... The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was a air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain by Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader and 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. ... Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO and Bar (11 July 1892 - 14 November 1944) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in World War II and the highest-ranking British officer to die in the war. ... Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar, FRAeS, DL, RAF (21 February 1910–5 September 1982); surname pronounced ) was a successful fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. ... Marshal of the RAF sleeve/shoulder insignia Marshal of the Royal Air Force was the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. ...

Interests

In his youth Dowding was an accomplished skier, winner of the first ever National Slalom Championship, and president of the Ski Club of Great Britain from 1924 to 1925. Dowding and his wife Lady Muriel Dowding were both vegetarians and anti-vivisectionists. In 1973 Britain's National Anti-Vivisection Society founded The Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research in his honour. Alpine skier carving a turn on piste Members of the U.S. Air Force skiing (and snowboarding) at Keystone Resorts 14th Annual SnoFest Downhill Ski Racing This article is about snow skiing. ... Slalom from the Morgedal dialect of Norwegian slalåm: sla, meaning slightly inclining hillside, and låm, meaning track after skis. ... The Ski Club of Great Britain is the UKs leading snowsports club, founded on May 6, 1903. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Muriel, The Lady Dowding (1908-1993) was, like her husband Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, a vegetarian, an [anti-vivisectionist and a spiritualist. ... For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... Etymologically, vivisection refers to the dissection of, or any cutting or surgery upon, a living animal including humans. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The National Anti-Vivisection Society is an anti-vivisection group founded in 1875, and has campaigned for the abolition of experiments on animals for over 100 years. ...

Battle of Britain film

• In the 1969 film of the Battle of Britain, Dowding was played by legendary actor Sir Laurence Olivier

• Dowding (in a wheelchair) met Olivier on the set of his old office, Olivier told Dowding he had been sat behind the desk all day "pretending to be you" and was "making an awful mess of it too", to which Dowding replied "Oh I'm sure you are". This broke the crew and Olivier into laughter. Footage of this can be seen in the special features section of the Battle of Britain Special Edition DVD

Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from:[1] Poland New Zealand Canada Czechoslovakia Belgium Australia South Africa France Ireland United States Jamaica Palestine Rhodesia Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann G̦ring Albert Kesselring Strength 754 single-seat fighters 149 two-seat fighters 560 bombers 500 coastal 1... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (May 22, 1907 РJuly 11, 1989) was an English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... Look up Olivier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Death

Dowding died at his home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on February 15, 1970. At a memorial service at Westminster Abbey, his ashes were laid to rest below the Battle of Britain Memorial Window in the Royal Air Force chapel. February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ...

Memorials

Lord Dowding statue, St. Clement Danes, The Strand, London

A statue of Dowding stands outside St Clement Danes church on The Strand, London. The inscription reads: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 124 KB)Lord Hugh Dowding statue. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 124 KB)Lord Hugh Dowding statue. ...

'Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding was commander-in-chief of Fighter Command, Royal Air Force, from its formation in 1936 until November 1940. He was thus responsible for the preparation for and the conduct of the Battle of Britain. With remarkable foresight, he ensured the equipment of his command with monoplane fighters, the Hurricane and the Spitfire. He was among the first to appreciate the vital importance of R.D.F. (radar) and an effective command and control system for his squadrons. They were ready when war came. In the preliminary stages of that war, he thoroughly trained his minimal forces and conserved them against strong political pressure to disperse and misuse them. His wise and prudent judgement and leadership helped to ensure victory against overwhelming odds and thus prevented the loss of the Battle of Britain and probably the whole war. To him, the people of Britain and of the Free World owe largely the way of life and the liberties they enjoy today.'

Other monuments to Dowding can be found in the recreational park in Moffat, the town of his birth; in Royal Tunbridge Wells where he died, and there is a bust of him in the War Memorial Cloisters at Winchester College. Moffat is a burgh and former spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan. ... Bust of Richard Bently by Roubiliac A bust is a sculpture depicting a persons chest, shoulders, and head, usually supported by a stand. ... Winchester College is a well-known boys independent school, and an example of a British public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England. ...

See also

• British military history
• UK topics

British military history is a long and varied topic, extending from the prehistoric and ancient historic period, through the Roman invasions of Julius Cæsar and Claudius and subsequent Roman occupation; warfare in the Mediaeval period, including the invasions of the Saxons and the Vikings in the Early Middle Ages... This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...

Reference

• Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Chf Mshl Dowding

Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... Marshal of the Royal Air Force William Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside GCB MC DFC (December 23, 1893 - October 29, 1969) was a senior figure in the Royal Air Force up to and during World War II. Born in Headington, Oxfordshire he was educated at Tonbridge School and... The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801. ... Baron Dowding, of Bentley Priory in the County of Middlesex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ...

Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ... The remains of German town of Wesel after intensive Allied area bombing in 1945 (destruction rate 98 % of all buildings) // Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night, or in other times of bad visibility. ... RAF Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal (left) and Polish Commander in Chief Władysław Sikorski (right) visit an airbase of the 300th Polish Bomber Squadron in England. ... Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM (February 15, 1886 – November 30, 1963), was a British pilot and political figure who rose to the Royal Air Forces senior rank and served as Governor-General of New Zealand between... Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO and Bar (11 July 1892 - 14 November 1944) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in World War II and the highest-ranking British officer to die in the war. ... Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC, DFC, DCL (June 15, 1892 - February 6, 1975) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in World War II. // Early Life and Army Career Park was born near Auckland, New Zealand. ... Professor R V Jones Reginald Victor Jones (29 September 1911 – 17 December 1997) was an English physicist and scientific military intelligence expert who played an invaluable role in the defence of Britain in World War II. // Biography Born in Dulwich, Jones was educated at Alleyns School, Dulwich and Wadham... No. ... No. ... Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... Balloon Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling all the United Kingdom-based barrage balloon units during World War II. Balloon Command was formed on 1 November 1938 at Stanmore in Middlesex. ... The U.S. Womens Auxiliary Air Force was created in June of 1939. ... The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was, until stood down in 1991, a part of the UK Ministry of Defence. ... The Eagle Squadrons were Royal Air Force fighter squadrons formed during World War II from American volunteer pilots. ... Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from:[1] Poland New Zealand Canada Czechoslovakia Belgium Australia South Africa France Ireland United States Jamaica Palestine Rhodesia Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Strength 754 single-seat fighters 149 two-seat fighters 560 bombers 500 coastal 1... Heinkel He 111 German bomber over the Surrey Docks, Southwark, London (German propaganda photomontage) The Blitz was the sustained bombing of the United Kingdom by National Socialist Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941 in World War II. It was carried out by the Luftwaffe to retaliate the... The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of reprisal raids for the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during World War II, which was being used to supply the Russian front. ... The Vergeltungswaffe-1, V-1, also knows as Fieseler Fi 103/FZG-76, colloquially as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the first guided missile used in war and the forerunner of todays cruise missile. ... The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s which was used extensively by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. ... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used primarily by the RAF and many Allied countries through the Second World War and into the 1950s. ... The Bolton-Paul Defiant was a single-engined two-seater fighter-bomber used by the RAF in the late 1930s - early 1940s. ... The de Havilland Mosquito (The Wooden Wonder, also known as The Timber Terror) was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World War. ... The Bristol Beaufighter is also the name of a car produced by Bristol Cars in the 1980s. ... Hawker Tempest II, RAF Museum, Hendon The Hawker Tempest was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter aircraft of World War II, an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighters used in the war. ... The Gloster Meteor was the Allies first operational jet fighter. ... Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal radar stations built by the British during World War II. The system comprised two types of radar: the metre-wave Chain Home stations which provided long-range early warning, and the centimetre-wave Chain Home Low stations, which were shorter... The Battle of the Beams was a period in early World War II when Luftwaffe bombers started using radio navigation for night bombing. ... US Marine Corps barrage balloon, Parris Island, May 1942 A barrage balloon is a large balloon used as a defense against aircraft. ... Vergeltungswaffe (German for retaliation weapon, reprisal weapon or vengeance weapon) was a term assigned during World War II by the Nazis to a number of revolutionary superweapons, the V1 flying bomb, the V2 rocket and the V3 long range gun. ... The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was a air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain by Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader and 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... The German Luftwaffe was one of the most powerful, doctrinally advanced, and battle-experienced air forces in the world when World War II started in Europe in September 1939. ... Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command of the Third Reich, and commander of the Luftwaffe. ...