2015 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Through iconic images such as Guy Hamilton’s 1969 film "The Battle of Britain", the Battle maintains a specific place in British colective memory. Furthermore, the Battle of Britain is one of the most celebrated events in the history of the Royal Air Force due to the role of Fighter Command in defending the nation against the threat of invasion in 1940. Recently, however, historians have begun to question some of the myths that surround this important event in British history.

This conference aims to reassess these myths and the Battle of Britain’s contribution to victory in the Second World War. Areas to be considered include: new approaches to understanding the history of the Battle of Britain; how historians’ understandings of the Battle of Britain have changed; the role of the other services in preparing for invasion; how Germany viewed the Battle of Britain and the importance of Operation Seelöwe; the legacy and consequence of the Battle of Britain.

Conference Venue:  RAF Museum London, Grahame Park Way, London NW9 5l, UK

Admission Fee:  £ 50 | £ 25 (students)

Bookings via:  http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/whats-going-on/events/Battle_of_Brita...

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Programme:

09:00  Conference Registration

09:20  Welcome  –  Maggie Appleton (Chief Executive Officer, Royal Air Force Museum)

09:25  Introduction  –  Dr Ross Mahoney (Royal Air Force Museum)

09:30  Keynote I  –  Dr Helen Doe (University of Exeter):  Memoirs, Myths and Makebelieve? The Chalenge and Opportunities for Biographers of Battle of Britain Personnel

10:00  Panel 1  –  The Air versus the Sea in the Battle of Britain

Dr Anthony Cumming (Independent Scholar):  Why Historians Must Focus on the Battle for Britain

Dr Philips O’Brien (University of Glasgow):  A Victory of the Many over the Few - Understanding the Battle of Britain within the Context of Second World War Air-Sea Warfare

Group Captain John Alexander (Royal Air Force):  A Necessary Battle? - The Battle of Britain as a Consequence of the British Way in Warfare

11:30  Coffee

11:45  Panel 2  –  Royal Air Force Operations in Context

Stephen Moore (Newcastle University):  “Going Downhill" - The Consequences of the Stabilisation Scheme on Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and into 1941

Adam Sutch (independent Scholar):  Bombing the Blackpool Front – RAF Bomber Command’s Contribution to the Failure of Hitler’s 1940 Plans to invade the United Kingdom

Dr Matthew Powell (University of Birmingham):  The Battle of Britain, the British Army and Tactical Air Power - The Creation of Army Co-Operation Command

13:15  Lunch (Art Gallery) and Battle of Britain Archive Viewing (Boardroom)

14:00  Panel 3  –  Axis Operations in Context

Dr James Corum (University of Salford):  The VIIIth Fliegerkorps in the Battle of Britain

Dr Luigi Petrella (Newcastle University):  italians in the Battle of Britain - A Case Study in Fascist Propaganda

Dr Marcus Faulkner (King’s College London): Invasion or Blockade?

15:30  Tea

15:45  Panel 4  –  Operational Consequences of the Battle of Britain

Victor Bissonnette (Université du Québec à Montréal):  The Nascence of Operational Research - From a Promising Birth in Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain to a Difficult infancy in Bomber Command

Dr Peter Preston-Hough (University of Wolverhampton):  Extending Early Warning into the Empire

Dr Graham Cross (Manchester Metropolitan University):  The Deadly Legacy - The Battle of Britain and the Americanisation of USAAF Strategic Fighter Doctrine in Europe during the Second World War

17:15  Keynote II  –  Dr Garry Campion (University of Northampton):  The Air Ministry and the Few - The Valorisation of the Battle of Britain, 1940-1965

17:45  Concluding Remarks  –  Professor Richard Overy (University of Exeter)

18;00  End of Conference

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Contact:

Dr Ross Mahoney

Resident Aviation Historian

Royal Air Force Museum

Ross.Mahoney@rafmuseum.org