goes out to the british airmen, who undaunted by odds, unweary in the constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion. never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. the battle of britain pilots flew mission after mission to defeat the german luftwaffe. their bravery and success made victory possible, but without the support of many others, the battle would not have been won. now, for the first time, we can add a 13 year old schoolgirl from north london to that list. i think history should remember her as being one of the people who made a real difference, one of the ordinary people, working with their families, making a difference with theirfamilies, that have enormous impact on the overall future
i can feel the g force! look at that! it is such an elegant and agile fighter. speed and surprise were the key to its success. and, of course, its firepower. wow! in we come to land! pilots reckoned that they could keep their sights on for about two seconds so you had to find a way of bringing down an enemy bomber in just two seconds. the tap of hammers in the spitfire factories. in 193a, as war with germany looked increasingly likely, the british government took what many thought to be an extraordinary decision. the new generation of fighters,
of britain, which was vital to this country s survival. the calculations carried out by hazel and her father resulted in both spitfires and hurricanes being armed with eight rather than four guns. over the next six years, as britain headed towards war with nazi germany, the planes were tested and put into production. each gun carried just 300 rounds. it took around 15 seconds for them all to be fired. it meant that every bullet had to count. the spitfire was a nimble aircraft, perfect for dog fights, and their pilots loved them. so you d got three german fighters that day? 98 year old squadron leader allan scott flew both spitfires and hurricanes. i went straight in and was catapulted out. and 109 bombers came in.
there we go. it s a low floor! it s snug, isn t it? amazing! wow! engine roars. wow. wow! absolutely sensational! being up here, the speed, the agility, the way the plane just the pilot says you re almost flying it with your fingertips. ijust cannot imagine being up here in a dogfight. oh, my stomach! woo! wow!
churchill: we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. we shall never surrender. newsreel: way up in the sky, there are messerschmitts, junkers, heinkels or dorniers that are going to get the thrashing of their lives. in july 1940, the fate of the world hung in the balance. britain was facing the threat of invasion from nazi germany. adolf hitler knew that to win the war, he would need to invade britain. that summer, he made the decision to attack from the air, using the mighty german air force the luftwaffe. the raf was outnumbered three to one.