70 years on, Battle of Britain pilots remember

[Gerald]

LONDON — Owen Burns remembers the cold, the howling wind, and the silk underwear he wore to protect him from the bitter cold. Ken Wilkinson recalls the solitude of combat, Nigel Rose the perverse disappointment of coming back from a mission unscathed.They are a dwindling band, these men with firsthand memories of the Battle of Britain, an aerial fight for survival that came to a head 70 years ago Wednesday — and marked a turning point of World War II. They are modest icons, happy to reminisce and keep the past alive, but reluctant to dwell on either their bravery or their fear.

"There were times when you were really frightened, without a doubt," said Rose, a former Spitfire fighter pilot who is still dapper at 92. "But there wasn't much time to be really scared in the air."Between July 10 and Oct. 31, 1940, German bombers pounded Britain's ports, airfields and cities in a bid to destroy its defenses in preparation for either invasion or surrender. France had already fallen to Adolf Hitler and the British army had been evacuated in disarray from Dunkirk.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/70-years-on-battle-613925.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/battle_of_britain/



Note:5:13 a.m. Wednesday, September 15, 2010

[raymond6751]

The biggest war in history is soon to be only that. Our vets are aging and eye-witness accounts will be rare.

In terms of what we have today, it is amazing what they accomplished. If todays generation were asked to go out and fight with the equipment they had, there would be hell raised.

Much of todays life is like that, easier, faster, safer, covered by this law or that policy. They were often guinea pigs, testing ideas for things to come.

Thanks for their bravery and dedication.

[Oberon]

Today, today was the day it all hinged on, the last make or break moment for the Luftwaffe to try and break the RAF, and they sent everything they could muster and today was the day that the tide finally turned.
It would not be the end of the Battle, the bombing raids would continue, but mostly at night and growing fewer in number as the Luftwaffe transferred east in time for Barbarossa.
This time the RAF was all in the right place at the right time and for a change they outnumbered the raiding forces, and it showed.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/images/15sept2.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVRey2XEs

I put some flowers down at the local war memorial this morning, and I hope that everyone who reads this thread will spend a moment in thought for those on both sides during the Battle of Britain who are no longer with us...and also for those who are still with us. :salute:

[TarJak]

:salute: To the few.

[papa_smurf]

:salute: To those few we owe so much.

[Jimbuna]

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
-Winston Churchill

[Sailor Steve]

Thanks for the reminder. Now I know what movie to watch tonight.

[SteamWake]

It is so important to gather as many of these first hand accounts while we can lest history slip away.

It is what made the documentory "World at War" so important.

Shame this wont be aired in the US

[Weiss Pinguin]

Thanks for the reminder. Now I know what movie to watch tonight.
"Spring chicken to sh!tehawk in one easy lesson..." One of my favorite movies. :yep:

S! to those brave chaps.

[MH]

Battle of Britain got me into reading WW2 history.
That is after i had red all books i could find on the subject.

:salute:
Battle of Britain Roll of Honour
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/roll.html

[Bubblehead1980]

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
-Winston Churchill


you took the quote I was going to leave here:salute:

[Jimbuna]

you took the quote I was going to leave here:salute:

:DL:salute:

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7328/churchillpj8az3.jpg