5.3A Who were The Few?

Throughout the summer of 1940, the fate of the entire British nation rested on the shoulders of a handful of RAF pilots. Hitler planned to invade Britain but knew he would have little chance of success if he did not destroy the RAF. These films describe the sustained attack by the German Luftwaffe and the brave response of the British pilots who eventually succeeded in thwarting German plans for invasion.

RAF FIGHTERS IN CLOSE UP
1 MIN 26 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1940

The RAF pilots scramble to attack a formation of German bombers in this newsreel from October 1940. Filmed from the ground and in the air, it features an aerial dogfight between the warring nations. The newsreel has a propagandistic tone.

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MURDER FROM THE SKIES
2 MINS 32 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1940

September 1940 - Devastation is caused in London when German planes drop bombs onto the city. Buildings and warehouses go up in flames, houses are gutted, craters form in the roads, and vehicles lie where they have toppled over. King George VI inspects the ruined suburbs and talks to ARP (Air Raid Precautions) men. The contemporary narration expresses anger that German radio claimed these targets to be of military importance.

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KNIGHTS OF THE AIR
9 MINS 0 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1940-1942

Key Section - 00:53 to 04:26.

This film, released at some point between 1940 and 1942, makes an appeal for viewers to support the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund and features an introduction by H.R.H. The Duke of Kent. It shows the work of the RAF during the Battle of Britain and the damage wrought by the Blitz.

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AIR RAIDS ON BRITAIN
1 MIN 43 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1940

A newsreel from June 1940. We see the wreckage of Nazi bombers at locations across Britain.