Film Synopsis

The Battle of Britain in 3 Parts

France had fallen. Britain, its children evacuated to safety, its armies defeated in Dunkirk, stood alone.

The only defence the country had against Hitler’s Luftwaffe was a handful of brave young men and the fledgling RAF Fighter Command.

Against overwhelming odds, the resilient RAF fought and won a battle which changed the course of history. The greatest air battle of all time – The Battle of Britain.

The Battle of Britain: The Official History presents three near hour-long documentaries, charting not just the course of the legendary air battle, but also the events surrounding that conflict.

“The Fall of France” sets the scene from the beginning of the Second World War. As the story of the bombing of Rotterdam and the betrayal of Norway and France is documented the tone becomes one of conscionable moral outrage.

“Britain Stands Alone” tells of the Battle of Britain proper, when the Royal Air Force successfully defended the coast of Southern England against the numerically overwhelming forces of the Luftwaffe, preventing any possible German invasion.

“Their Finest Hour” recounts the Blitz, the massive Luftwaffe aerial bombing of British cities, especially London and Coventry, through the winter of 1940 to May 1941.

Using excellent archive footage and including several historic broadcasts and speeches by Winston Churchill, this is horrifying, moving, yet uplifting filmmaking. Chronicling the true heroism of the RAF and the British people, this is the reality behind the 1969 feature film of the same title.