Comments by "TheVilla Aston" (@thevillaaston7811) on "The Crucial Role Of Lord Dowding In Saving Britain | The Battle Of Britain | Timeline" video.

  1. What is untold about Dowding?.. Its been around for sixty odd years. 'Unfortunately, Hugh Dowding was neither a member of the 'upper crust' nor was he a 'social animal' which was so important to the Brits, and that really explains his unpopularity and removal as head of Fighter Command. To add insult to injury, when the RAF wrote the official history of the Battle of Britain, Sir Hugh Dowding was not mentioned even once. The British should forever feel shame for that slight to a man to whom they owed so much' Not really... Dowding was due for retirement before the war had even started. His retirement was thus delayed three times, the last occasion being during battle itself. The 'official history of the Battle of Britain' was published in 1943, a time when all govrnment messages to populace emphasized the collective effort rather than the roles of individuals. The document only mentioned one person by name - Hermann Goering. Further, Dowding was made Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory in June 1943, as soon as the enormity of his victory became clear, making him only the second RAF person to receive such an honour. Later, he had a mainline locomotive named after him, a statue outside the RAF church of St Clement Danes, and the RAF School of Aerospace Battle Management is named the Dowding Centre. Dowding was portrayed in the 1969 film 'The Battle of Britain', while he was still alive.
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  2. Na... They wwre just having a laugh.
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  3. Rosemary Lusty No
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  4. Really...Where is this on record?
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  5. Not really... Dowding was due for retirement before the war had even started. His retirement was thus delayed three times, the last occasion being during battle itself. The 'official history of the Battle of Britain' was published in 1943, a time when all govrnment messages to populace emphasized the collective effort rather than the roles of individuals. The document only mentioned one person by name - Hermann Goering. Further, Dowding was made Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory in June 1943, as soon as the enormity of his victory became clear, making him only the second RAF person to receive such an honour. Later, he had a mainline locomotive named after him, a statue outside the RAF church of St Clement Danes, and the RAF School of Aerospace Battle Management is named the Dowding Centre. Dowding was portrayed in the 1969 film 'The Battle of Britain', while he was still alive.
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  6. Sebastian White. Total rubbish.
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  7.  @sebastianwrites  ‘Why are we commemorating Dowding? He did not wish to assist our allies the French in the face of the Nazis advance, which is not just cowardice - but it doesn't make any sense!’ Your words. Dowding’s first duty was to the air defence of Britain. His letter of 16th May stated this:, and I quote: ‘Sir, I have the honour to refer to the very serious calls which have recently been made upon the Home Defence Fighter' Units in an attempt to stem the German invasion on the Continent. 2, I hope and believe that our Armies may yet be victorious in France and Belgium, but we have to face the possibility that they may be defeated. 3. In this case I presume that there is no-one who will deny that England should fight on, even though the remainder of the Continent of Europe is dominated by the Germans. 4. For this purpose it is necessary to retain some minimum fighter strength in this country and I must request that the Air Council will inform me what they consider this minimum strength to be, in order that I may make my dispositions accordingly. 5. I would remind the Air Council that the last estimate which they made as to the force necessary to defend this country was 52 Squadrons, and my strength has now been reduced to the equivalent of 36 Squadrons.’ His words. You can call Dowding a coward if you wish. I will not, I have not been in a war, perhaps you have been in one?.. I call Dowding, a man who was thinking clearly in fast moving, and desperate times. ‘Germany had to go through France to get to us, to put all that we have - apart from the fact it was the right thing to do - into supporting our allies made sense. Reserving our troops instead made it easier for Germany to take France... who knows they may have even been stopped at France? Instead, they gained France, and with it more supplies and useful defensive position to launch an attack on Britain!’ Your words. Get real. Germany attacked France on the 10th May 1940. In the early morning of the 15th May, the French Premier Reynaud spoke to Churchill on the telephone and told him that the war was lost. Churchill flew to Paris on the 16th (The day of the above noted letter) and met with the French government in the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs at the Quai d'Orsay. As they sat in the meeting, they could see French civil servants burning secret files in the garden. Britain did reserve its troops, they were there, as the French fell apart around them. ‘Dowding was just absolutely wrong!!! It is this sort of attitude which prevails to do, of people just looking after their own, which is why there are "million" innocent dead in Syria who were just fighting for their freedom 'and' very nearly won, but Assad when Damascus was on the verge of falling pleaded for the help of Putin! Putin did 'exactly' what we should have done, but instead joined on the side of Assad - the enemy of democracy - who then went onto to slaughter, even more than he had before the Syrian people. People look back at this and 'think' what heroes we were... well if we were heroes then, we are 'utter' cowards now who stood aside while Assad and Putin dropped napalm on children in their schools in Syria and burnt them screaming to death. "If you don't learn the lessons of history, you are doomed to repeat them."’ Your words. The idea that events in Syria in the 21st Century are connected to Dowding’s actions in 1940 is absurd.
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  8.  @sebastianwrites  'And if Britain had become involved sooner... then would France have ever said the war was lost?' Your words. Britain went to war on the morning of the 3rd September 1939. France went to war on the afternoon of 3rd September 1939. How much sooner should Britain havr got involved? 'And we disagree, our first duty is to fighting fascism and evil in all its forms. 'If' we had stood up to that "together" right from the outset, instead of Chamberlain and others selfishly just looking after themselves and not looking at the bigger picture... then I believe the war would have been over in short-shrift; certainly over in a lot shorter time than it was!' Your words. But you were criticizing Dowding, calling him a coward. Is it now Chamberlain's fault? The French had largest army in the world at that and were in charge of land campaign. Lord Gort did not even have a place on the supreme allied council. Chamberlain could do what? Before you reply, ask yourself if there is any realistic chance that you will know more about this subject than I do.
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  9. Total rubbish. 100 octane fuel was developed by the French, and was used by Britain in Schneider Trophy races before the war. The fuel only added between 10 and 15% to aircraft perforce below 15,000 ft, with almost all combat taking place at well above that height. Far more important to Fighter Command aircraft performance was the variable pitch propellor which was being fitted to aircraft before, and during the Battle of Britain. Further, the modest benefit that 100 octane fuel gave was negated when the Germans developed their own version of that fuel. WITH PREJUDICE The War Memoirs of Marshall of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder G.C.B. CASSELL & COMPANY 1966 Overture: 1932-40 P13 ‘There were some instances where one could sense a firm’s long-term selfish interest at work, and on the other hand there were some remarkable examples of unselfish collaboration between rivals. I think, perhaps, that the most remarkable of these was the collaboration between I.C.I. and Shell and Trinidad oil companies in designing and setting up a 100-octane petrol plant in Heysham.’ His words. The Battle of Britain was the most important battle of the war. Everybody wants a piece of it. Nine (Yes, that is 9) US nationals flew as Fighter Command pilots during the battle. Beyond that, the battle was not, is not, and will never be anything to do with the USA. Try to cope.
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  10. 2,936 Fighter Command pilots took part in thne battle. 145 of them were Polish.
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  11. a veteran of what?
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  12. Where is that on record?
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  13. Err.. No. Churchill was not a member of the government when war started.
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  14. Not really.
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  15.  @johnkelly3886  Dowding was due for retirement before the war had even started. His retirement was thus delayed three times, the last occasion being during battle itself. Dowding was made Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory in June 1943, as soon as the enormity of his victory became clear, making him only the second RAF person to receive such an honour. Later, he had a mainline locomotive named after him, a statue outside the RAF church of St Clement Danes, and the RAF School of Aerospace Battle Management is named the Dowding Centre. Dowding was portrayed in the 1969 film 'The Battle of Britain', while he was still alive.
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