There are many depictions of this great campaign in aviation art, and here eHangar presents the most comprehensive collection Battle of Britain aviation art in the world. Enjoy!

"What General Weygand has called the Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.
But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.' "

During the dark days of 1940, Britain stood alone against the organised military might of the German Third Reich. France had fallen and the remains of the British Expeditionary Force were rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk. At the time it seemed that nothing could stop the German invasion of the British mainland.
What is now known as the Battle of Britain became a pivotal turning point in the events of World War II. The Royal Air Force, heavily outnumbered by the Luftwaffe, was to shatter illusions of invincibility held by the German High Command.
The battle officially lasted for 82 days from July 10th to October 31st 1940, although for the brave "Few" the fighting had begun before and continued well after these dates. In fact, the days leading up to the "start" had seen Fighter Command send up squadrons to meet over a dozen raids. Each of these raids consisted of numbers exceeding 50 bombers and fighters combined.
The cost to the RAF was the loss of 18 fighters, due to combat, with 13 pilots killed or missing and 6 wounded. By the 10th July No: 79 Squadron, flying Hurricanes from Hawkinge, were so fatigued from mental and physical exhaustion, they were relocated to Turnhouse airfield for resting.
It is possible to view the chain of events of the battle by four phases, these being dictated by German tactics.

Phase 1
Air superiority over the English Channel and Southern England was the main aim if the Germans were to have any chance of success with their planned invasion of the British mainland, code-named Operation Sealion.
During July the Luftwaffe mainly concentrated on attacks to British shipping and convoys along the South and East coasts of England along with large fighter sweeps across the Southeast. These were designed to test and weaken the British defences and to draw the Royal Air Force fighters into combat.

Phase 2
Phase two saw the Luftwaffe change tactics during the second week in August with heavy bombing raids on airfields and radar stations throughout Southern England. The idea behind this strategy was to destroy RAF Fighter Command and to clear the skies for the oncoming invasion.
Bombing raids were extended throughout the mainland and targeted British industry and ports, mainly factories thought to be manufacturing aircraft and armaments. The raids were not just restricted to daylight, but also night bombing became a feature of the battle. It was one such raid during the night of August 24th 1940 that a German bomber crew, hopelessly off-course, ditched their bombs and headed for home. This action would drastically change the events of the Battle of Britain.
Unbeknown to the German crew they had dropped their bombs on London, which was a forbidden target by Hitler. In retaliation RAF Bomber Command attacked Berlin the following night. This outraged Hitler so much that he ordered London and other cities to be bombed.

Phase 3
Subsequently by early September, German tactics had changed once more and phase three begun. No longer concentrating on the airfields and radar stations, Goering instructed his Luftwaffe to switch their attention to London. Round the clock bombing started on the capital concentrating mainly on the docklands whilst also maintaining the bombing campaign against other industrial cities.
It was during this period that one of the most ferocious battles took place against one of the biggest raids mounted against London. This day, September 15th, became known as The Battle of Britain day. Such was the astonishment by German crews that the RAF were still able to fight in decisive numbers that the High Command realised they would not clear the skies in time for the invasion before the weather deteriorated over the English channel.

Phase 4
As late September approached, Operation Sealion was cancelled. The fourth and final phase of the battle was to maintain the night bombing offensive, which later became known as "The Blitz", with daylight attacks confined to fighter and fighter-bomber sweeps across Southern England.

A lot has been said about the Battle of Britain over the years relating to tactics from both sides and whether there was actually a winner. Some say the Battle did not end, but just "fell asleep". Whatever the arguments, one thing is clear, RAF Fighter Command won the battle and achieved the goal. The "Few" prevented the Luftwaffe from ruling the skies and forced the cancellation of the invasion, hence allowing the British and her allies, over the coming years, to generate an offensive front against the Third Reich.

"The gratitude of every home in our island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen, who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and devotion.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

Battle of Britain summary written by Nigel Harrison