DOWDING AND ULTRA

[JBugler at aol.com]

AIR MARSHALL DOWDING.

AIR MARSHAL HUGH CASWELL DOWDING, HEAD OF BRITAIN'S FIGHTER COMMAND DURING
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN. [ 8-8-40----9-15-40]

IT WAS GERMAN INTENT TO DESTROY THE RAF AIRFIELDS ON THE GROUND AND THE RAF
IN THE AIR.

HOW DID DOWDING WIN WITH SOME 1200 PLANES AGAINST A FOE WITH 3600?

ANSWER DOWDING, CHURCHILL, ULTRA AND THE RAF.

THE GERMANS NEEDED TO WIPE OUT THE RAF AND TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THE AIR
BEFORE THEY COULD LAUNCH THEIR INVASION OF ENGLAND.

THE LAST AVAILABLE DAY WHEN WIND AND TIDE WOULD FAVOR A CHANNEL CROSSING WAS
SEPTEMBER 27.

GOERING WAS SURE HE COULD CRUSH THE RAF BY SEPTEMBER 17.

ON AUGUST 8 HE DISPATCHED THE MESSAGE HIS AIRMAN HAD BEEN WAITING FOR.
OPERATION EAGLE.

ULTRA HELPED ENORMOUSLY BUT THINGS WERE NOT GOING WELL. THE LUFTWAFFE WAS
DOING GOOD JOB OF WIPING OUT RAF AIRFIELDS.  THIS WAS MORE CRITICAL 
THAN FLAMING
SPITFIRES AND HURRICANES.

IF THE GERMANS WOULD WIPE OUT THE AIRFIELDS ALL WOULD BE LOST.

ONE LATE EVENING IN CHURCHILL'S BUNKER DOWDING MUSED,

"WHAT IF, MR. PRIME MINISTER, WHAT IF AN RAF BOMBER SHOULD FLY OFF COARSE BY
ACCIDENT AND FLY OVER BERLIN AND DROP ITS LOAD ON CIVILIAN TARGETS " WHAT IF.'


CHURCHILL FROZE. TOO A SIP OF BRANDY AND SAID WITH HIS EYES COLDLY GLUED ON
THE EYES DOWDING, "DO IT BY GOD DO IT."

IT WAS DONE AND A FEW DAY LATER HITLER HAD A MEETING WITH HIS LUFTWAFFE WHERE
HE STATED "TWO CAN PLAY THE SAME GAME."

  AT THAT MOMENT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN WAS WON.

FOR FROM THE MOMENT FORTH HITLER'S LUFTWAFFE WOULD CONCENTRATE IN BOMBING
LONDON.  THIS WAS A STRATEGIC MISTAKE.

IT LEFT THE AIRFIELDS TEMPORARILY FREE FROM ATTACK AND THIS GAVE THE HARD
PRESSED FIGHTER PILOTS A NEEDED IF BRIEF RESPITE.

DOWDING WAS AIDED BY ULTRA.

DAY BY DAY THAT AUGUST AND EARLY SEPTEMBER THE GERMAN PLANES ATTACKED. DAY BY
DAY DOWDING SENT UP ONLY A FEW PLANES AGAINST SUPERIOR ODDS.

THE LOSSES WERE HEAVY ON BOTH SIDES. BUT THE FEW PRECIOUS RAF SQUADRONS FLEW
ON, PARTLY BECAUSE BY SPARING USE THE PILOTS COULD REST AND THE EQUIPMENT
COULD BE REPAIRED BEFORE THE NEXT ONSLAUGHT.

DOWDING KNEW THROUGH ULTRA THAT HE ONLY HAD TO HOLD OUT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 17.
THAT WAS GOERINGS LAST DAY.

SO DOWDING HELD ON CLOSE TO HIS PILOTS.  AND ON THOSE LAST DAYS CLOSE TO THE
CUT OFF HE LAUNCHED EVERYTHING HE COULD GET HIS HANDS ON AND THAT WAS ON
SEPTEMBER 15.

THAT DAY 250 BOMBERS SUPPORTED BY 700 FIGHTERS CROSSED THE CHANNEL.

THEY WERE MET WITH MORE BRITISH PLANES THAN THE GERMANS KNEW EXISTED.

ELEVEN SQUADRONS WERE FLUNG IN OVER LONDON, SIX MORE OVER ROCHESTER, KENT.

ASTOUNDED, THE GERMANS SCURRIED FOR HOME ONLY TO MEET A FURTHER FOUR
SQUADRONS TO HARRY THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE COAST.

IT WAS ONLY TWO DAY BEFORE THE VERY LAST DAY OF THE YEAR WHICH AN INVASION
PLAN COULD BE SAFELY EXECUTED.

GOERING DETERMINED TO GET IT ALL OVER WITH ON THIS DAY SEPTEMBER 15.

GOERING WENT FOR BROKE HE TURNED HIS BOMBERS AROUND FOR A SECOND ATTACK.

HE COULD NOT BELIEVE THE BRITISH HAD ANYONE LEFT IN THE AIR.

UNBELIEVABLY, 19 SQUADRONS AND PART OFF A 20TH WERE UP IN THE AIR TO DO
BATTLE WITH THE FORCES OF EVIL ALL OVER AGAIN.

GOOD PREVAILED, AND EVIL FLED NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.

THIS EPISODE WAS A MIRACLE. AND FROM THIS GREAT MIRACLE WE WERE ABLE TO USE
BRITAIN AS THE JUMPING OFF SPACE FROM WHICH TO LIBERATE EUROPE.

GOD BLESS DOWDING. GOD BLESS THE RAF.  GOD BLESS ULTRA.
GOD BLESS CHURCHILL.  GOD BLESS THE SPLENDID PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN.

THIS WAS THEIR AND HUMANITIES FINEST HOUR.

GOD BLESS.

JOHN W. BUGLER

Intelligence Forum (http://www.intelforum.org) is sponsored by Intelligence
and National Security, a Frank Cass journal (http://www.frankcass.com/jnls/ins.htm)