Battle of Britain
The important role of fighter pilots, and the many who support them on the ground, was perhaps best demonstrated during the Battle of Britain in 1940, ‘Their Finest Hour’, when the German Luftwaffe was repelled. In one two-week period 295 Hurricanes and Spitfires were lost, 171 were badly damaged and 231 pilots were killed or wounded. However, Hitler was forced to postpone his invasion plans after losing around 2,600 Luftwaffe aircrew.
In Hangar 3, discover the ‘Fighter Four’ – a Battle of Britain Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1A, Hawker Hurricane Mk 1, Messerschmitt Bf109E-4/B ‘Emil’, Fiat CR42 Falco (Falcon) that all took part in the Battle of Britain. The story continues in Hangar 5.