Looking forward to this one. Although (however much it pains me to say it) I have to take exception to the claim that "there [was] the very real possibility that the home islands might be invaded, bombed into ruins, or starved into submission" in May 1941 or at any time prior. We still had the biggest navy in the world, with all its guns pointed at the Channel (despite the Admiralty being so confident there was no way the Germans would ever be able to invade they wanted to shift more resources to convoy protection in the Atlantic long before the Battle of Britain was over - the politicians said no); the 2nd biggest was neutral but gusting favourable ever since the fall of the country with the 3rd biggest had rustled feathers in their hemisphere; and said 3rd biggest navy, er, wasn't going to be fighting too many battles after we'd had a word with them at Mers el-Kebir.
So that's invaded or starved ruled out, for all the stories we like to tell ourselves to this day. Bombed into ruins perhaps more plausible, at least to someone at the time, although again there was no way the Germans were realistically going to achieve air dominance.
Anyway, as I say very much looking forward to the DFC.
Looking forward to this one. Although (however much it pains me to say it) I have to take exception to the claim that "there [was] the very real possibility that the home islands might be invaded, bombed into ruins, or starved into submission" in May 1941 or at any time prior. We still had the biggest navy in the world, with all its guns pointed at the Channel (despite the Admiralty being so confident there was no way the Germans would ever be able to invade they wanted to shift more resources to convoy protection in the Atlantic long before the Battle of Britain was over - the politicians said no); the 2nd biggest was neutral but gusting favourable ever since the fall of the country with the 3rd biggest had rustled feathers in their hemisphere; and said 3rd biggest navy, er, wasn't going to be fighting too many battles after we'd had a word with them at Mers el-Kebir.
So that's invaded or starved ruled out, for all the stories we like to tell ourselves to this day. Bombed into ruins perhaps more plausible, at least to someone at the time, although again there was no way the Germans were realistically going to achieve air dominance.
Anyway, as I say very much looking forward to the DFC.