Battlefield S1/E2 - The Battle of Britain
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- čas přidán 18. 09. 2012
- I do not own, nor do I or intend to profit from this content whatsoever. "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
All right reserved to:
NBC Universal
Directed by Dave Flitton, Andy Aitken, Justin McCarthy
Produced by Dave Flitton (series prod.), David McWhinnie, Ken Maliphant, David Rozalla
Written by Dave Flitton, Andy Aitken
Narrated by Tim Piggott-Smith; Jonathan Booth
Music by David Galbraith
Distributed by Public Broadcasting Service
Release date(s) 1994
Running time 6 116-minute episodes
Country USA
Language English
Tim Piggot-Smith (the narrator) has just passed away. RIP. He's probably got the best narrator voice you can have on documentaries!
Yeah he's voice is very soothing and peaceful and Very calm its perfect
Agreed.
His voice is very relaxing, yes, but he gives me the authoritative impression of a learned professor with a wall of books behind him.
@@josephnavin4451 of course that is Given
Second only Sir Laurence Olivia for his superbly melancholic narration of the 1974 series the World at War. czcams.com/video/0b4g4ZZNC1E/video.html
Just the title music at the beginning of this takes me right back to watching the whole series in the late 80s early 90s..... it's STILL one of the best WW2 documentary series even today.
enough said, i'll give it a ripp 👍
The best series ever
interesting story for me, thank you
I concur
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The Battlefield series is legendary! Props to the historians who put this together.
Apocalypse: The World at War is great, too.
Very well done. Thank you
@stevesmodel😂😂builds5473
Tim Piggott-Smith always tended to play villains in movies, but I briefly worked with him on a project and found him to be one of the nicest people I'd ever met.
HE HAD STARRED TWICE ON DOCTOR-WHO ONCE IN THE CLAW OF AXOS AND THE OTHER ONE WITH TOM BAKER AND ELIZABETH SLADEN
@@jonathanstrong4812 bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Bbbbbbbbbbbbb gu
Discovered the Battlefield series perhaps a decade ago. As far as the narration goes it was love at first listen. I had no idea the narrator was a film actor. Will look him up. Thank you.
He was a talentless Labour luvvie.
I've read many books and watched many documentaries about the Battle of Britain. I've maintained an interest in this battle ever since I was eight years old. My mother lived through it. Her London family home was damaged by bombs - twice. In 1956, during an extended stay with family, I saw great gaps in London's streets - bomb sites were once stood apartments, office blocks, whatever. My mother could tell me about some of them - how many people had died and so on. I talked to neighbours who would tell me stories of the blitz. All this piqued my interest and has captured my attention for decades. In my opinion, this is the best documentary ever produced about the events of 1940 in the skies over Britain. The narration by the late Tim Piggott Smith is a salient feature.
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Thankx for sharing ❤
Lest we forget
We used to play in the old bombed houses during the 60s in Birkenhead. Merseyside took a beating during the war. We cannot allow history to repeat itself
I live literally 5 minutes away from the old airfield which was RAF Hornchurch. These days it’s a country park and there’s not much left anymore. Some concrete pill boxes and a few other bits that identify what once was .
Please never forget that although most pilots were British there were many nationalities flying in the RAF . Men from already occupied nations who fought and died for the freedom we take for granted. They will never be forgotten and as an ex servicemen I salute each and every one. Heroes to a man .
Do you remember also the Nazi's salute by the Queen Elizqbeth the second from that period too?
I was a cadet at Biggin Hill and had the honour of pushing a veteran Polish pilot in his chair for a memorial service. I wish I could remember his name.
Brave man who fought for the freedom we take for granted today.
@@filipborin555 Many people from every country did this not understanding what it really meant. In the years and months before the war began there was an intense desire to avoid war almost at all costs. Very few fully understood what Nazism was truly about, the racism, atrocities and their ultimate ambitions. The salute you mention was done in 1933 when Her Majesty was 7 years of age, along with her Mother. Hitler had only just come to power and at that time it was thought that he was going to be a good leader and restore Germany, a bad mistake but one made by a few millions. Its so easy to criticise in hindsight isn't it?
HEROES TO A MAN RIGHT ON!
@@filipborin555
'Do you remember also the Nazi's salute by the Queen Elizqbeth the second from that period too?'
It was by the then Princess Elizabeth of York at about nine years of age.
This is truly amazing work. Shoutout to the people who went back to this era to film this.
Ermmm...
These are best ww2 documentaries I believe. Soundtrack, narration is right on. Cant beat an older, Englishmen as a narrator.
Tin Piggott-Smith. EXCELLENT narrator and actor, sadly passed away in 2017.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 may I also recomend "The World at War" series?
@@richardwyse7817 Fully agreed. The full series complete with the Eric Porter narrated extras has been on my home media server for the last 15 years..... before that I had them on VHS cassettes, I still dip into them for a watch every so often. They outstrip the vast majority of WW2 documentaries to this day.
The most comprehensive presentation I have seen. Thank you for the time and effort in putting The Battle of Britain in context. To the ‘Few’ and to the many who made their efforts in the air the success it was, we owe a deep gratitude.
It's very simple, anyone who, like me, has a lifelong love of the movies "Battle of Britain" and "Angels One Five", MUST watch this programme!
agreed
Indeed.
All of these wwll documentaries heavily remind me of my Grandad and my GreatGrandad , they were both full-time professional Army officers in the Greek Royal Army. Miss you guys❗
It was always called Hellenic Army,while it was Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for the other branches.
Having watched literally HUNDREDS of Documentaries on WWII, and having read again hundreds of books and biographies about and by the soldiers who fought it if I had to show a young person ONE series about WII to instruct them about it it would be BATTLEFIELD, especially the first Season.
Thank you very much for posting this.
I just started this series maybe 6 months ago and I keep watching them over and over learning new things they covet so much
This series-Battlefield reveals many in-depth things not seen in many other military documentaries!
Easily the most influential documentary of my life.
Nigga stfu
The main reason that Britain came out on top in this fight was that Dowding fought the battle in his mind in the early 1930's and built fighter command to fight that battle. He pushed for the development and manufacture of the Hurricane and Spitfire, he built the Radar sites and the command and control system to put the aircraft where they were needed.
More than any other single factor, HE won this battle for Britain.
...and he was fired right after (along with Park)...Politicians...go figure.
You posted the same comment six years apart?
@@Orion74205 It is still true.
He had *some* help...
Tell that to the Polish. They think their pilots were fighting more than the Brits.
This is how to share an interest with the world!
Probably won't qualify you as a university professor but you can learn a lot about WW2 here.
Great channel, Vasile!
The main reason that Britain came out on top in this fight was that Dowding fought the battle in his mind in the early 1930's and built fighter command to fight that battle. He pushed for the development and manufacture of the Hurricane and Spitfire, he built the Radar sites and the command and control system to put the aircraft where they were needed.
More than any other single factor, HE won this battle for Britain.
and 303 sqn to carry it out (polish)
indeed “a battle is one or lost before it is fought” Sun Tsu
walkergarya Keith Park you fukn Amateur.
No doubt about it
Amen! Sir Hugh Dowding is one of my all time heroes. This was a man far ahead of his time. He saw the power of radar when it was still in it's infancy. He had the vision to build and direct the world's first integrated air defense system before anyone else, even his superiors, had any idea what that was. He was firecely protective of his "chicks", as he called them.
Oh, and did I mention he was a jaw-droppingly brilliant tactician? He fought the Battle of Britain almost as if it was a guerillla war. The Germans kept underestimating how many aircraft the RAF had in service because he was smart enough to never show his whole hand. And he stuck with the tactic, no matter how hard his superiors howled. Sadly, it got him fired. Idiots.
Well done, 'Stuffy', very well done, indeed! ^_^
Also, Lord Beaverbrook deserves a big shout out for his outstanding management of RAF construction and repair. This is a guy I'd like to know a lot more about. ^_^
Absolutely superb documentary with first-class narration. Congratulations to all concerned. My Dad was a young mechanic working on Merlin engines during the BoB. He rarely spoke about his vital role, preferring to give credit to the brave pilots. He never wanted to see an engine again in civilian life.
Why didn’t he have to serve if you don’t mind me asking? Or was he already too old for the draft?
@@TrySomeFentanyl I'm thinking his Father was an Enlisted RAF Aircraft Engine Mechanic.
@@TrySomeFentanyl Why do you cower behind an infantile cowardly fake name whilst querying true courage?
You disgust me.
My grandfather served in the RAF during World War II. He admitted we should never have declared war on Germany.
@@MarkHarrison733 "Harrison" doesn't sound like a Duetsche name?
It was about time! Love this historical series not to glorify war but to learn from it. Absolutely enjoy the intro music theme by Peter Galbraith.
,
And it gets the history right, something lacking in all too many documentaries.
Rule, Britannia!
sorry to see the arguments below...this documentary shows what a struggle Britain had holding on against Germany alone. As an American, I for one am very proud of the way our 2 Countries came together and fought in a coordinated fashion. That truly was the "greatest generation," on both sides of the "pond."
+Chris Delany I notice that you didn't mention the Soviet Union. They were immensely important in the Allied victory and they lost 26 million people during WWII. Like them or not, they helped to clobber Hitler and his minions. BTW, I'm also an American.
+Melanie Hamilton Melanie, yes of course The Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses and bore the brunt of Hitler's war machine, that is without debate. however, I was referring to the argument between who was more important England or America between the two of them.. my point is that they came together and fought in a very efficient, coordinated fashion and I was simply giving them credit for what they did right, as opposed to the bickering by posters here. Btw- Japan did not surrender because of our 2 atom bombs, it was actually in response to Stalin sending troops into Japanese areas that did it. That is another annoying part of history that gets ignored. All that said, I love and admire the veterans of that generation. They were our best.
Chris Delany I get your point. I'm in agreement about the arguing. Seems a little silly to me too. It was one helluva combined effort.any way you look at it. Peace.
+imBookie Evangelical Christains want to o to war...I wish they would do so.
+Chris Delany Bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Russia did nothing against Japan until the US , WITH THE TWO ATOMIC BOMBS, brought Japan to her knees!!!!!!!!!!!
Then they declared war on Japan so that they could grab some on the territory Japan had.
Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand , Holland and India did far more than Russia to help defeat the Japanese, they were fighting for their lives against the Japanese!
Operation Sea Lion was a much better plan than I had known. I appreciate even more that the Battle of Britain was won by a slim margin of extremely brave RAF personnel and their radar backup. "Never in the history of war have so many owed so much to so few"... indeed.
This is an excellent program. I don't think I've ever seen such a thorough treatment on the subject of the Battle of Britain.
Agreed. This is the first. Their episodes on the pacific theater are great
I'll recommend two other videos that do an excellent job covering the Battle of Britain. One is "World at War" an outstanding series from the '70s, and "The Big Battles" a'60s series which was available here at one point.
True story
Gerigs blood drowned himself...pride 1st deadly sin arrogance to be more literal AI
Saved pilots too
I remember watching this on Iowa Public Television in the 90s. We were a no cable house so this is what I got. : )
Thank you for the upload. This series (Battlefield) is so well done. Good narration, factual, precise and respectfully neutral. History channel presenters could learn something from this style of presenting. Regards from uk. 👍
Well these are all made in the uk. and not by the BBC
Lot's of arm chair historians with serious attitude and social skill problems. They would be all alone in their mother s' basement if it were not for the internet.
@@gayprepperz6862 🤔 🌠
['Lot's'?]
@@RHR-221b Pedantic? 🥴
@francisjohnification The History Channel is an embarrassment.
I wish EVERY documentary was like this!
Upon the opening of the Battle Of Britain Winston Churchill called upon the British people to brace themselves to their duties and to bear themselves in such a manner that were the British empire to last for a thousand years history would say that this was their finest hour. As an American I certainly was not a citizen of Britain at that time, nor was I even of that storied generation which preserved liberty in its darkest hour, but history speaks for itself. There need not be a victorious monument erected to Churchill, or to the brave men who flew the Spitfires and Hurricanes many of whom gave their lives, or to the civilians who endured through the German bombardments. All of Britain today is their monument of victory, and it was indeed their finest hour.
So well put
To spoil it!
Thank you for preserving this for all of us.
Man, this is such an *awesome* opening. Gives me chills.
"I fought the British in the last war, in the trenches of Flanders, I must say, a stubborn, braver people I have not come across.The British soldier always impressed me with his courage, skill, devotion to duty and humanity. As we wait for the order to start our Panzers rolling into Belgium I feel real dread knowing that I may have to meet them again in combat but I will do my duty." Oberleutnant Paul Carius, 3rd Panzer Division, MAY 1940
+likesmilitaryhistory Alan Moore He was sure wrong about the Brits, wasn't he?
+Idoloish How was he wrong exactly, big mouth?
And the he watched as the Brits literally got run off the continent. Funny how that played out.
And then watched as his much vaunted and previously unbeaten Luftwaffe took a total hammering and was decisively beaten.
Copy and paste here "Funny how that played out."
zenoist2
And then watched as the Brits got bailed out by the USSR and USA. Funny how that played out.
Whatever might be the ownership, it's historically important to know material.Just let's say thank you to the people, done the research and documentary
one of the best BoB documentaries ever.. amazing
Thanks so much for posting these. I have been wanting to see series 1 again since I saw it when it was first broadcast. And excellent WWII documentary series. Thanks!
The Luftwaffe had the better tactics, the RAF the better strategy. To quote that famously quotable book on warfare...
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest path to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."
About 2,500 years ago, Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu wrote “The Art of War.” In it, he said, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Tactics and strategy are not at odds with one another-they’re on the same team. (And they have been for many centuries!) it certainly happen here it was long but they won the battle
no tactics and no strategy is total disaster
@@topbanana8438 THE OL' MR TZU WHICH WHO KNEW HIS ONIONS ON WARFARE SO DID THAT GERMAN FELLA AS WELL
The RAF could scarcely have fought this battle with better strategy. Given the technology of the day, they used intelligence, production, tactics, and sheer endurance to the maximum effort. This is an absolute must-study for any military professional.
THANK YOU UK FORCES FOR SAVING MY COUNTRY.
Battlefield series here was the best ever. Thanks for posting.
My father was a navy pilot who was deployed to Bermuda in the 1970s. I was able to visit him there over a school vacation. He had to work so I had the day to just look around. One day I had stopped for lunch and was seated next to a table of 6 men who were a pilots during the battle of Britain. I wash eavesdropping on their amazing stories when one of them noticed and he asked me if I knew of the Battle. Being 14 they were shocked that I knew all about it because I was a WW2 history buff. They talked to me for hours about what had happened, and answered every question I asked. It was a great day. Some remained in the RAF and others were flying for airlines. They were leaving for home the next day and they told me they planned to meet every few years to remember those who were killed and wounded throughout the war. Years later I saw A BBC TVshow about the war and some of them were on it. They were in their 70s and 80s by then and were still meeting.
What a great story !!! I bet you swelled their hearts with your knowledge of their exploits. A memory to keep with you a lifetime indeed !!!
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 INDEED SO MISTER
It is interesting to note that when Von Rundstedt was asked which battle cost Germany the war. Rather than saying Stalingrad as we might assume he declared The Battle of Britain.
He is correct in this assessment. Had Germany defeated the RAF and invaded, it would’ve resulted in the full concentration of German power against the Soviets while denying the US a springboard needed to liberate Europe.
Fascinating....I have often wondered why France and Britain only become harsh enough for war (treaty bound allegedly) to attack any ....ANY ....ANY ....
Aggressive Country that disrespect Thier partner Country's Sovereignty....
Allies were finally ,relatively quick to declare War on Germany for Polish invasion but a mass of Cricket churp is the response towards the Soviet incursion into Poland ....
Why was the " " allies be so narrow of focus regard to Treaty of defense albeit seems selectively enforced ...
I wonder why it seems like it's so....🙏👍😊
@@stuartmacleod8166 because they couldn't beat both. Germans and Soviets would have been hard to beat even with America. They would need Japan to attack the Soviets in the east maybe give some concessions.
Never have so many owed so much to so few.
Meester Writer As one of 'The Few' said after hearing Churchills speech 'Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed, by so many, to so few' "He must be referring to our mess bar bill"
Meester Writer of
I heard that line before somewhere.
Winston Churchill made a lot of quote worthy statements, but this was one of his best.
@@VCYT I think a fat British guy said it while he was banging the queen.
Used to watch these with my dad. Even when he came home for lunch. Thanks for the Upload. Hard to find brilliant documentaries like these.
Got to hand it to the brits........´Made in Germany, finished in England ´was the caption on a downed Me 109. Ha, ha !
O
@James Henderson With almost limitless assistance from the Allied side. Britain should have told Truman to Foxtrot Oscar...
Hanne Catton there is a old RAF joke about flying to Berlin....
Punch line is we did not land.
@robert dore; the Americans saved Great Britain’s ass from Germany and then they stopped the Russians from taking over what was left of Europe an eventually England and the British isles. Wake up and get real mate. God save the queen.
@Sharon Empath
While USA sold to USSR Britain gave a lot to USSR, thousands of aircraft, tanks, heavy guns, ammunition, trucks and much more, Britain had 4 engine bombers that really could carry a decent bomb load further and faster than the B 17, Britain also had 2 engine bombers like the DH Mosquito.
12:19 "Britain... would fight." Those simple words. Chills.
More like completely crush those scumbags.
I have a very high regard for this documentary series.
Thanks for this great documentary. I always take the great lema from Winston Churchill:"Never in the history of human conflicts, so much was owed by so many to so few" Is the repetition of the great gest of Salamis in ancient Greece, against the Spanish Armada, or against Napoleon in Trafalgar by Nelson. Britain fought by his liberty, and when we fight by our liberty we have a powerful ally: the reason. God bless Great Britain by this great battle. I always take exemple from these few men. Farewell.
Hear hear, remember we had our finest hour; no one else did! We may not have won the war, but we certainly prevented it from being lost.
I agree. Never have the British shined so brightly as in those darkest days. I will always admire the dogged determination and fighting spirit of the people of the United Kingdom. Despite the BS of individuals on this board (both british and American), our two countries are like brothers. We might squabble and fight amongst ourselves at times, but NOBODY comes between us. If you have a problem with Britain, you have a problem with US!
Carpe Diem yup, i like that comment. We will fight amongst ourselves but if someone comes between us we will fight them together, family does that, my brothers and I do that! Peace.
Considering: „Many germans vs few brits“ you may read this from wikipedia (translated). It shows that wasn’t exactly the case:
The war propaganda continues to have an impact over 70 years after the event. A topic shaped by war propaganda is the loss of pilots and aircraft. The myth of the victory of the few (The Few) over the many is held in high esteem by the British side. The balance of power was by no means one-sided to the disadvantage of the British side, just as the German losses - at least in fighter planes - were not greater than the British. Churchill's much-quoted statement: "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" is propagandistically pointed. It ignores the fact that the war effort was not borne by the Fighter Command alone, but also by the other aviation forces, the war economy, reconnaissance and ground-based defense forces, etc. The number of German fighter pilots was significantly below that of the British over the entire duration of the conflict, which was also strong was reinforced by Polish, South African and other non-British pilots.
As early as mid-August 1940 - the official start of the battle from the German point of view - the number of operational British fighter pilots and fighter pilot reserves *exceeded that of the German side.* It developed more and more to their disadvantage until the end of October.
The loss figures on the British side were also *corrected upwards* over time, while those on the German side tended to be corrected downwards. For propaganda reasons, Churchill himself compared only the British losses of important single-engine fighters (Spitfire, Hurricane) with the total aviation losses of the Air Force (fighters, bombers, attack aircraft). According to him, this ratio was around 900 (British) vs. approx. 2500 (German) aircraft losses from July to the end of October 1940. [18] In the meantime, the representation has prevailed, according to which the losses of the British bomber and coastal command and the losses of other types of fighter belong to the complete picture. Taking this into account, a cross-section of current publications results in a ratio of approx. 1500-1600 British vs. 1700-1900 German total aircraft losses. If one takes into account that approx. 290 [19] shot down British fighters were repaired afterwards and do not appear in the British loss statistics, the result is a parity of the numbers shot down. German kills over British territory, however, were irretrievably lost.
*In view of the fact that about 300 German aircraft were shot down by anti-aircraft guns (flak), [20] there was no unilateral British victory if one considers only the aerial combat. On the contrary, the British loss of fighter aircraft was significantly higher than that of the German side - 1026 (or 1320 including the subsequently repaired kills) vs. 600 for single-engine fighters.*
As Churchill said: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
@James Henderson
Not true little moron but the RAF was certainly much better.
@James Henderson
The RAF had just over 600 Spitfires and Hurricanes and they were spread around the country. The rest were mostly bombers and not involved in the fighting.
There is the truth and then there are your lies little moron.
@James Henderson
Of which only about 600 were Spitfires or Hurricanes and of those many were not in the South East, while Germany could use all of its fighters and bombers to attack a small part of England, Britain had to be able to defend all of Britain. Try learning a little it might help instead of repeating one thing which is irrelevant.
@James Henderson
Not with Nazi Germany, although Rommel did say once that they should get rid of Hitler and join Britain against USSR under the leadership of Churchill.
@James Henderson
Rommel was against Hitler and implicated in the plot to kill Hitler, he was murdered by the Nazi's. The only propaganda you are deluded enough for is the Nazi propaganda.
My uncle Jimmy was a tail gunner in the Battle of Britain. He passed away on 29 December 2022reunited with his comrades many of who died when they were in a hanger the Germans bombed while they were waiting the signal to scramble. He had to climb through a mountain of bodies and wreckage. May they all rest in peace . Peace be with them all.
Battle of Britain tail gunner ? What aircraft was he flying in, a Defiant ?
@@colindebourg9012 I think the Beaufighter also had a turret/tail gun? Would love to find out what he was flying.
@@striipey Possible he was a crewman in a Bristol Blenheim "fighter" which equipped a number of Fighter Command squadrons during the battle.
As a kid I was watching these all the time. I was probably the only kid from my class doing that. I also read a huge book about Operation Barbarossa around the same age. Sadly (or maybe that's how it should be) later my interests shifted to other things and I can't call myself an expert in this today. Sometimes I have envy to historians or any people who find their passion already in childhood and pursue it their whole lives. My interests tend to shift though.
@lkrnpk Sadly, many modern historians are social justice warriors.
I wanted to post that today 4/2/2019 my grandma died. She was 8 during the Battle of Britain. Grew up and married an American serviceman, had my dad and here I am. I thought it appropriate to share some of here childhood stories from the things she witnessed as a kid and things she told me. I do this because she was proud and the generational difference is just mind boggling. A few stories she told me.
1: They had their windows blown out 3 times from concussive blasts during the blitz.
2. One time while school was letting out they heard the air raid sirens and the Germans starting strafing the streets in 109’s.
3. She was once in a shelter with very small window slits, apparently for air, when an incendiary rolled through the slot.
4. A barrage balloon came down on her backyard.
5. As she put it, a V1 once hit her block and blew half the homes on it away and killed a lot of people.
6. People used to gather in their backyards to watch the dogfights above London.
Interesting side note: I lost 2 family members in the RAF, 1 in the USAF (B-17) and one in the Waffen SS.
Hi MrTDB123, Very sorry to hear of your loss and very proud of a complete stranger for honoring her the way you just did.Those Grand Mothers are something else and I didn't need to read your comments to tell how great she was. I only needed to hear your thoughtful shared stories to know she got the ball rolling properly with the end result being you.Good job Grandma!
Thank you!
A most excellent series of documentaries.
Thanks to our wonderful Luga. Think how many hours he put into producing this wonderful series...
There's something about the sound of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. So readily identifiable. Just fantastic.
Melanie Hamilton hell yeah, especially when you have 4 of them synchronized on a Lancaster.
You can download the Sigh if Merlin engine if you wish
Thanks Vasile, Awesome series.
In tone, always an underestimated element in WWII docs, this series is the very best. And extremely thorough descriptions.
The music is oddly calming. I fall asleep to these
Dowding was an unsung hero who saved His Majesty's Realm
A great Kiwi
n
9
you say Dowding was an unsung hero may I suggest you are wrong with that quote they were all heroes every last one of them all those that fought in the wars although there were some that came to the attention more than others they all gave all they had some gave more than others with there lives to single out one person I feel is not right if I had my way they would all have been award the (VC) Victoria cross the highest military award but then again if the politicians had thought a little more no one needed to have died at all while your remark is true I myself feel it is degrading to those who gave more to single out one man is wrong it is a debt we can never repay no matter how much we try I my eyes they are all heroes I thank you sir for your comment and I hope you never have to go to war yourself I am not disrespectful of Dowding he was a valuable asset to the war but please he did not do it alone.I thank you sir
No, they sang.
Salute to RAF , FOR PUTTING UP SUCH A DEFENSE TO GREAT BRITAIN, N SALUTE TO RAF PILOTS N SERVICE MEN WHO LOST THERE LIVES DEFENDING GREAT BRITAIN, SALUTE TO ALL OF YOU ✈✈✈✈🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you for posting these videos!!!!
I love documentaries and narrators like this.
Tim Piggott-Smith, excellent narrator.
This is excellent coverage of the whole battle. And I am so pleased to see appropriate recognition given to the Hawker Hurricane, the great fighter workhorse of the battle. As Francis Mason wrote in his great book on Hurricanes - "The RAF was glad to get the Spitfire, but it had to have the Hurricane."
Truly a calculated documentary. Like a chess board, the pieces are playied out methodically. A delight and education to view. Thank you
Aye docmentaries like this are a thing of the past. Nowadays its a pile of revisionist BS spewed out by the usual box ticking token talking heads.
I remember watching this as a kid in the mid-90s. I remember the dramatic usage and the big compass and stopwatch graphics. Thanks for uploading.
We owe so much to the bravery and brilliance of RAF Fighter Command Pilots and in particular to the sheer tenacity of Sir Winston Churchill and leadership of Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding. The tactical mistake of the German Luftwaffe in shifting its concentrated and devastating attacks on the RAF fighter stations to London, was the wild card that gave the RAF its victory.
Sir Keith Park deserves as much credit as Hugh Dowding. He controlled the battle hour by hour. It was said of him that "if any one man won the battle of Britain he did," and he was also called the only man who could have lost the battle in an afternoon. His role is often overlooked.
Britain didn't win, it was a stale mate. Just consider Germany's reserves in Russia, if they used them as well there would be no chance Britain would had survived the onslaught.
I sometimes wonder if the bombing of Berlin was a deliberate act to get Hitler to stop bombing airfields..
@The Red Snatter No, England had already started bombing German cities in 1939. This plan was to provoke Hitler which did, to garner sympathy for Britain in order to bring the American's into the war.
Thank you. That was really informative. It is lovely to have it explained in so much detail.
Great knowledge. Real good stuff.
I always watch this hours and hours of it, getting into the nitty gritty of the battles. the straegies . if we dont know the past we are doomed to repeat it. im sure any General studies the battles of the past. amazing leaps in technology during WW2 , The Radar was a key, big key to advantage.
Yes Radar from what I've read Major help to RAF. After war was learned funny towers were known to Germans but luckily not worthy of attack. So many single events, single tech advantage, single leaders, etc. Made the close call of winning Battle of Britain going to GB.
Thank goodness. A yank.
@@lynnhauenstein4136 I like the explanation of Hitler calling the Brits " Night Gansters " doing night bombing. . that was funny i think. well it wasnt Brits who attacked England ? Yes Radar and the co ordination of it into the whole force and not giving up led to winning the battle . Even the Germans had radar but it was not as good as British radar. thank goodness for Brits - the radar technicians who buillt operated the radars. Also You know why would Japanese take thier fleet of air craft carriers against the US who had radar. in the pacific ? why ? futile. the Japannese sure botched that all up . US learned fast after pearl habor about the radar. well I could go on and on about it . I dont get tired watching these documentaries. i watch them all time. hey thanks for the message too its appreciated.
Being from California, British history and culture has always had a sort of mystique to me. Then out of nowhere, I was selected by my university to attend St. Catherine's in Oxford, quite unexpectedly. It was like a dream come true. As the plane was arriving over London to land in Heathrow, all I could see in my mind's eye were formations of He-111s being pounced upon by Hurricane Mk. Is. A part of me has always been a bit loyalist I suppose.
Really? We landed in London on our way back from my second deployment to Iraq, and all I saw was a sea of troglodytes who follow islam, probably all lookin for someone to shank with a homemade knife...
@@branon6565 Strange that, considering when my unit was returning from Iraq, we landed in Dublin and couldn't even leave the airport.
I also walked around the UK quite safely, wasn't shanked a single time! The most annoying thing was a few college kids puking all over the place and acting foolish on the weekends, but nothing I wasn't used to already from being in the Army. It's not surprising such dehumanizing garbage comes from someone of your namesake.
God it's scary to think how bloody close it was to being a different outcome! Some very brave men (on both sides) put everything on the line for their country.
I read the other day about a recent poll of baby names in the UK. Second most popular boy's name: Mohammed.
Britain is 89% white and only 5% Muslim so stop exaggerating.
Oh and the British have HUNDREDS of different boys names. The Muslims only really have one. LOL.
How is what I said an exaggeration?The Muslim population in England has "nearly doubled in the past 10 years", with a higher-than-average birthrate. That's from The Guardian, not exactly a right-wing alarmist organ.
squire haggard
I replied to Shelby who said Britain is 'lost' to Muslims.
I then brought up the other point about Mohammed. This is a skewed argument as the vast majority of Muslim boy babies are called Mohammed whereas white British boys have hundreds of name choices.
Go outside a major city and you will hardly see a Muslim. I went from Surrey to Cornwall in September and didn't notice any. Only about 3 million of of 60 million Brits are Muslim.
No Muslim is stopping me from going to a pub to get drunk or eat pork scratchings. No Muslims are stopping me from betting on the Grand National, listening to Led Zeppelin loudly or for ogling scantily dressed women. LOL.
Muslims have ZERO impact in my day to day life and in fact the UK in general is turning into a more atheist nation. People are turning their backs on religion.
Fair enough,CB. And I heartily endorse your activities lol.
My father and I stumbled across the first one of these when broadcast on PBS we sat mesmerized by the in depth information and graphics
Great documentary! Such bravery shown by our RAF!
An incredible story. I say thank you to the narrator for mentioning the contributions of Canadian businessman Lord Beaverbrook, and the fighter pilots and others drawn from the air forces of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Canada, all of whose skills and daring proved pivotal.
Don't forget the Poles, Czechs, Norwegians, South Africans, etc. who flew for the RAF during 1940 and throughout the rest of the war. They also deserve kudos.
@@indy_go_blue6048 Yes indeed. Thx.
The Sherman tank was a toy compared to the mighty Panzer tank, but mass production of the Sherman made them easy to replace whereas if a Panzer is lost in battle it is lost forever
No. In 1940 German tanks were no better than, or in many cases worse than allied tanks, and as for the Sherman - that did not exist for another two years. PS A lost Sherman was just as lost as a Panzer of any description. Shermans were generally a match for German tanks. I assume you are thinking of the Tiger and Panther - The simple fact is most of them were destroyed by tanks like the t-34 and Sherman. Germany only produce a total of around 4000 of their heavy tanks in 3 years, compared to ten times as many Shermans.
Great program of vitally important battle. The British won by just a small margin. Whew 😥 that was close. I don’t think that Germany could have invaded by the sea 🌊 as no one had ever done that. The British were fortunate to survive this hairy Battle of Britain 🇬🇧! I believe it was miraculous and I’m thankful.
My dad was a B-17 bombardier that flew 24 missions from 6/6 to 6/24/1944 before being shot down. He was one of three survivors from that plane; 3/10 survived. Boy all those men were BRAVE. Thanks aviators and crews. The Battle of Britain was pivotal.
Thanks to your father for his service. Our victory in the battle of Britain was not purely "miraculous", if you do some reading about RAF fighter command and especially AVM Hugh Dowding in the run up to WW2, you'll see the man was a visionary who put in place the system that allowed us to beat off the luftwaffe. Without his foresight and resolve, history would have been VERY different.
So well done.
There's a swedish power metal band that writes alot of music about historical warfare (specifically WWII in many cases), and one of their songs entitled "Aces in Exile" is about Polish, Czech, and Canadian pilots who came to the aid of England in the Battle of Britain. Sabaton was a major influence on my interest in studying WWII and I am grateful for that. Lest we forget the heroic sacrifices of those who stood against the Nazis!
Where were the French?
Excellent series. Thank you.
Britain in the air, Midway at sea, Stalingrad on the ground. These three battles are arguably the most defining points in the war.
Brilliantly done. It answers many questions I've had.
Thank you Vasile Luga for posting this film.
Luga is the genius behind this wonderful series and his narration is just sublime 🤍
Battlefield is my second favorite WWII series of all time. Second only to the legendary World at War. Just fantastic. I'm glad I bought them on DVD when I had the chance.
The war would have taken a very different course had we lost the BoB. I'm so proud of what our we country did - and for the hundreds of Poles, Canadians, Kiwis, Czechs and other who helped defeat the Luftwaffe on this occasion.
In the United States PBS (the Public Broadcasting System) televised the Battlefield series and it marked the end of historical documentary on PBS. Today grainy, black-and-white footage is seldom seen on PBS and there's rarely anything of interest to me.
I consider the intro music to be a classic of all time................
No winner in war I hope we learn from history and live in peace with each other.
Hassan Abdullah Well said and I agree completely 😁😁👍
.....that comin from a follower of islam is ridiculous and unacceptable, do you think you and the every other troglodyte who follows your chosen religion are invisible, that we don't see exactly who are and what you believe?! Bro GTFOWTBS, no one with an IQ above 80 believes one word of your comment....
@@branon6565 lmao what a sad angry little man you are
Interesting that a German aircrew mistake (accidentally jettisoning bombs on London) combined with Hitler's desire for revenge would be the key to the RAF's eventual victory. Rage has a way of coming back and harming the one with the anger more than their 'targets'. Ironic, wouldn't you say? Also, I've always thought it an extraordinary moral dilemma choosing between the "Big Wing" tactic and mounting smaller attacks whenever and wherever you could. Which was best? Both tactics had definite advantages. History is fascinating and to me, as a military pilot, I've always thought the Battle of Britain was amazing. Cheers!
+Twister051
Big wing tactics were not an option for 11 Group (where most of the battle was fought). A big wing took far too long to assemble, by which time the Germans would have hit their targets and got home. An exercise to assemble a Big Wing formation after the battle in the 11 Group area was a fiasco.
As the battle wore on, particularly after London became a target, 11 Group were hitting raids with just as many aircraft as a Big wing would have done in single and pairs of squadrons - harrying the attackers for just about the whole time that they were over Britain.
Dowding was aware of the Enigma intercepts and knew that Goering wanted the RAF to come up in large numbers. Leigh-Mallory and Bader were not.
18tangles Yes they had.
Watching + enjoying
from NSW Australia
Love these documentaries
This is the real thing, the stuff of dreams and legends, the mists of history.
The songs in these documentary never get old
It’s good music...I wish they used this music in the newer ones.
@@shalicgraw5280 same the newer music is terrible
Will greatly miss you, Tim.
From Portugal here! Dunno why, but despite (fortunately) not having to experience WW2 i've always felt fascinated by its overall History and many "episodes"! If there is an "episode" that i've always hold-up as one of the bravest (if not the absolute bravest) was the way Britain (with the help from fighters all around the world) managed to preserve and resist the Nazis! Somehow (despite all the time-removal) knowing about all the small "details" (resistance groups around Europe) that lead-up to this moment... i instinctively feel like this was the moment during the war that just made the difference! Here it was the supposedly unstoppable aggressive force that had finally met its resistance-rival! Imo this was the moment that exposed the Nazi war-machine as nothing more than being (just like any other machine), with flaws and vulnerabilities!... The moment the UK just reminded the world that even supposed "Gods" can bleed like anyone else because, at the end of the day, we are nothing more and nothing less than Humans! One of the few 100% golden-pages in UK/Britain Empire's history, but one to remember forever!
Britain was occupying half of the world in 1939-45.
The Salazar regime was correct to help the Axis.
@@MarkHarrison733 Half the world Mark? Your BS gets ever more distant from documented facts !!!!
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Sebastian Haffner is correct regarding Hitler's role in decolonisation.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 See why Gandhi opposed helping the Allies in any way.
Reading the comments ........ pff ;/
I wont go on a rant and let my rage get the better of me ............But i have to say on a nice note : that : It,s just nice to see that some americans will put other americans in their place when they see their follow country men bad mouthing the brits ..... "We saved your 4ss" .... or things like " We won our freedom and kicked your 4ss back into the sea" ....."we are the super power now " !
Being Dutch......and living in England,i have much envy in enjoying learning historys from both the brits and yanks history of your countrys time on this planet !
England has her castles and kings and queens ...and america has her own history ...but BOTH are verry diffrnt from each other ,but at the same time,they are alike ...and thats a very good frendship which NO WAR(s) can destroy ......And if america had her citys bombed and was at breaking point .....England would be the 1st to jump in and give an helping hand ..... Would you call your frend england weak then ? Just b,cos england is small ,does,nt mean she is weak !
Just show some dam respect !!! Alot of people died in that war !
at least British fight around world during the war from England sea to southeast Asia.Our Chinese force even cannot resist Japanese within our land.
Thank you, Leighmossien, dank U wel. Indeed, some comments made here could well have been tempered by reason and respect for the historical facts, I agree.
PS: 'the RAF had won a victory simply by continuing to exist', as the soundtrack says. That's it - really the first slap in the face to the Third Reich, their first defeat.
Göring (as he promised to Hitler) needed to destroy RAF Fighter Command before invasion; the great Hugh Dowding thwarted him. Just watch the film - with respect to all that country's later contributions, sacrifices and, much later, their alliance, the USA was not involved in this battle, though many American-born (loyal Canadian airmen and US-volunteer pilots joining the RAF) bravely and most honourably were. Watch the 1966 film 'The Battle of Britain' also.
The French - don't forget their decisive, indeed, indispensable part in winning the freedom from Great Britain of the separate colonies that became the USA, GB's defeat was neither at the hands of a few colonials nor of any 'proud and united country.' But sure they were indeed Americans, American British, as were many fighting against the revolution and most that remained British in Canada too..
leighmossien2009 There were two wars between US and GB, but since then it has been the greatest friendship the world has seen. Churchill tried to get us in the war because Germany and Japan were both too much to fight against alone. I will say this GB held their own well enough, especially in the battle of Britian. It wasn't the Brits that really were defeated in the Battle of France, It was French incompetence and lack of decisiveness that got them beat. No one had the industrial might the US had in 1939, evidence of that is the fact that we were able to support a 3 front offensive war and defeat all powers. Just the naval strength we were able to field against the Japanese in a two year period (1941-1943 where we were forced to hold the line while industry caught up) was amazing. The US Navy and Marine Corps held the Japanese at bay until the full force was able to be fielded. So before you say the Russians that, remember we were fighting a three front war. Four if you want to include Burma.
God Bless the brave people who defended this tiny island .
Actually, Britain is a large island. Midway is a tiny island.
It isn't so tiny. We are in fact the 8th biggest island in the world. Why do people try to underplay our size? Our population has also been pretty big throughout history.
@@leod-sigefast Because our influence on the planet is so massive. Noone this small has done anything like it.
Like all of these docs but the battle of Britain is my favorite one thanks U Tube.
Leave us not forget "The World At War", outstanding series narrated by Lawrence Olivier. Also "Victory At Sea." narrated by Alexander Scoursby. And a superb World War 1 documentary: "The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century."
Thank you for your comments. Will search for The World at War series.
It was an impressive victory by the RAF.
And just think; if the Luftwaffe had kept up the pressure for just a "FEW" more days , the R.A.F. would have capitulated.
Some people or bots can't be helped..
@@nwga.5327 just think, Nazis of WWII were America's enemy where as todays Nazis of Ukraine are America's friend.
Hahaha, Hitler didn't wanna destroy Britain. He just wanna persuade them
@@kirbycraft9325 you ok, Adolf?
I think every British has to say a big 'THANK YOU' to those who created the Bf 110 and of course to Mr. Hermann Göring too!
What are you talking about? The Bf110s were awesome.
rdelrosso2001
Also the Bf 110 were not used to their full potential in the Battle of Britain because Goering and Hitler insisted on the idea that they should stay close to the bombers formations instead of doing what they're good at (boom and zoom). As a result, the bf 110s suffered heavy losses over Britain which fucked up its reputation.
Gled ShadowBroker You sound like you play War Thunder.
The messershmitt bf110 soon became unreliable as a long range escort fighter in the battle of britain and so had to be escorted by the messershmitt bf109 who only had 20 minutes over kent and ten minutes over london and mr hermann goring was a morphine addict and in one of the close ups of hermann goring u see him spaced out from the morphine he took the same day or the day before
Really good historical documentary.
Such a comprehensive documentary.
Incredibly brave men, I salute them ALL!
This is a great series (IMDb score = 8.6). Love the depth, narration and even the music!
Best ever by far...
This documentary on the battle of Britain was very well done. Even though I have seen many videos, and read much on WW2 air warfare, I've enjoyed this documentary greatly. It was accurate, informative for a newcomer, and had much well coordinated video, allot of which I had not seen before. It's good to see a video of this quality on CZcams and the enternet in general. There are so many junk documentaries out there that seem to be unresearched and simply thrown together. Very confusing for a newcomer to the subject.
The entire "Battlefield" series, narrated by Tim Piggott-Smith was a TOP class military history series from start to finish.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 It was garbage, and he was a very biased left-wing extremist.
I like these videos because the audio just hums along at the same level real nice. War is hell, but videos about wars are...Heaven.
Only when you are winning!
Please post the whole series. Found a bunch on dvd but can't find the rest. Thanks were ever your from.
Brilliant series and narration is top notch. Dowding is a real unsung hero of Britains victory during WW2…..he had huge vision and foresight 👏👏👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏