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Defence of Britain

Boulton Paul Defiants - fighter aircraft with rear-facing gun turrets. These were used on front-line operations until 1942.
Boulton Paul Defiants - fighter aircraft with rear-facing gun turrets. These were used on front-line operations until 1942.
©Imperial War Museum CH000884

The catastrophic defeat of France and the collapse of Allied plans on Norway devastated British strategic thinking. However, despite a threatened invasion, Britain refused to negotiate terms and fought on under Churchill's leadership.

Related documents

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Further reading

  • Barnett, C., Engage the Enemy More Closely (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1991)
  • Collier, B., Defence of the United Kingdom (London: HMSO, 1957)
  • Terraine, J., The Right of the Line. The Royal Air Force in the European War 1939-1945 (Ware: Wordsworth Editions, 1998)
  • Terraine, J., Business in Great Waters: The U-boat Wars 1916-1945 (London: Leo Cooper Ltd, 1989)