Figure 1.--The Luftwaffe as Hitler launched World War II caught many enemy air forces on the ground. Göring expected to do the same on Adlertag/Eagle Day (April 13, 1940), but thanks to the Dowding System failed. Not only did RAF fighters scramble in time, but the fighters achieved the altitude needed and in position to intercept the Luftwaffe bombers in force. Altitude was essential for success in aerial battles and the Dowding System meant that the RAF pilots usually had this key advantage. Here we see the Hawker Huruicane, note the all important radio antenna. The star of the battle was the Spitfire, but the vital work horse was the Hurricane. As the Battle of Britain developed Göring, a former fighter ace, actually ordered his fighter pilots to stay close to the bombers, losing both the altitude and position advantages that closely matched fighters needed to be successful.

I can't understand why Chicago gangsters can have bulletproof glass in their cars, and I can't get it in my spitfires."

-- Fighter Command Commander Hugh Dowding, 1937

Britain was the first country to develop an integrated air defense system. Most countries at the time of World War II. Most countries at the time had air forces focused on bombing. It was thought at the time that 'the bomber will always get through'. So the best strategy was deterrence rather than defense. Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding was appointed to lead Fighter Command (1936). Dowding brilliant leadership stands in sharp contrast to Göring's bombast and lack of understanding of modern technology. The bomber-oriented RAF command structure saw Fighter Command as a way of getting Dowding out of their hair. He was not seen as part of the RAF First Eleven. Dowding saw a defense system as a real possibility which was fortunate because when war came, the RAF's bomber force proved to have no actual deterrence capability. It would be up to Fighter Command to stop the Luftwaffe. Fortunately for Dowding and Fighter Command, while the Luftwaffe at the time was an extremely powerful force with immense capabilities it demonstrated at the outset of the war. There was one action, however, it was not capable of--destroying London. It was capable of damaging London, but the limited range of its Me-109 fighter escorts and the relatively small load capacity of its basically tactical bombers meant that it could not destroy London. And destroying London was the task assigned by Hitler and Göring. Dowding upon arriving at Fighter Command began building an air defsenese that no other country had even envisioned--what became known as the Dowding System because it was so unique. What Dowding put togther may seem as obvious today, but because of the fixation on bombing, no other country or no other senior RAF commanders even thought of it. The Dowding System included the Chain Home radar network, the ground Observer Corps, search lights, barrage balloons, anti-aircraft guns, and modern fighter aircraft with radio connections. And the indispensable feature that made it all work was the system was integrated--tied together by a central operations center. Dowding played a key role in developing both the Chain Home Network and modern fighters before given control of Fighter Command. This was also assisted by Bletchly Park which by the time of the Battle of Britain was beginning to crack Luftwaffe Enigma coded messages. Also not part of the system were civil defense measures. Potentially imprtant was equipping the entire population with gas masks. Fortunately, they were not needed. What was needed and proved to be vital were shelters. What Dowding created meant that attacking Luftwaffe squadrons could be detected while assembling over France before crossing the Channel. As a result, RAF ighters could be scrambled, gain alditude, and vectored to intercept them--the first time the Luftwaffe experienced this. The German pilots reported this. Their commanders, however, failed to investigate it, sure that their 'proven' tactics would succeed. Early Luftwaffe victories were achieved against air forces using ineffective flying patrols. Often much of the enemy air force was destroyed on the ground. There were two crucial steps in developing the Dowding system, both of which Dowding played a key role in developing before arriving at Fighter Command. First was research on radar and building the Chain Home Network. Second was a design competition for new modern fighters. Without this, the RAF would have entered the War with biplane fighters. The winners were the Hawker Hurricane and the Super marine Spitfire. The Hurricane was a rejigging of a biplane, but good enough to play the major role in the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire was a revolutionary design. As a result, the RAF was able to detect and intercept Luftwaffe bomber squadrons attacking Britain and inflict significant damage. Unlike the First Round in France, Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain would have both Spitfires and the Dowding system for the second round with the Luftwaffe.

Sources

Korda, Michael. With Wings Like Eagles: The Untold Story of th Battle of Britain (Harper Prenial: New York, 2002), 322p.

Created: 1:05 PM 10/3/2024
Last updated: 8:19 PM 10/5/2024