1. Skip to Menu
  2. Skip to Content
  3. Skip to Footer

Battle of Britain

Please take the time to enjoy a small selection of the artifacts that we have on display at the Museum of World War II. Every artifact in our collection has its own history, and ties to human lives. Each artifact has a small section of its story told here.

You can use this map to jump to any section of the Museum of World War 2 to view a selection of the artifacts displayed there.

You may click on any image for a larger view.

This section contains artifacts specifically about the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain was one of the first areas collected and the comprehensiveness of the artifacts, printed material and documents exhibited reflects this. Included with this section is the original manuscripts of John F. Kennedy's Why England Slept. Numerous posters represent life in Britain during the war, and a separate case focuses on leaflets and pamphlets giving information on how to survive air raids and how to beat the invader. Artifacts from this area include an original butterfly bomb, a home made mask for fire fighting, and a contribution box for a Spitfire fund. A table from an R.A.F. Headquarters (not restored) centers an area in which many artifacts from the Battle of Britain are exhibited.

PLEASE NOTE: All firearms displayed at the Museum of World War II have been rendered inoperable.

Map of the Museum

 

The Battle of Britain was one of the first areas collected and the comprehensiveness of the artifacts, printed material and documents exhibited reflects this. Included with this section is the original manuscript of John F. Kennedy's Why England Slept Numerous posters represent life in Britain during the war, and a separate case focuses on leaflets and pamphlets giving information on how to survive air raids and how to beat the invader. Artifacts from this area include an original butterfly bomb, a home made mask for fire fighting, and a contribution box for a Spitfire fund. A table from an R.A.F. Headquarters (not restored) centers an area in which many artifacts from the Battle of Britain are exhibited. 
 
"A Last Appeal To Reason: Hitler's speech before the Reichstag" urging England to submit to Germany's demands and avoid an all-out war. Churchill's Response
 
German Map
German Bombing Map of London		 Bombing Map
German bombing map of southeast England and London
 

London
German bombing map of Glasgow, Scotland.
 
The Gestapo's briefing book of information on Britain, prepared as a guide for the security and intelligence services during the invasion of Britain. Marked "secret," page 63 begins a chapter, " Jews in Great Britain."
 
John F. Kennedy's heavily-revised manuscript of Why England Slept.
 

 
German invasion plans for England.
 
This table was used in a R.A.F. Fighter Command operation room during the Battle of Britain to plot incoming enemy aircraft and positions of R.A.F. fighters. Information from Radar and other sources was relayed via headphones to the plotters manning the table. This information included height, progressive map coordinates, and the identity of aircraft as friend or foe.
 
R.A.F. Fighter Command Control Room clocks.  To the left is the clock used to plot British aircraft; on the right, the clock used to plot incoming German bombers.
 
This R.A.F. Hornchurch Air Raid Alarm sits beside a stack of helmets used during the Blitz by different personnel. Edward Ardizzone's "Shelter Scene".  Ardizzone was a full-time war artist appointed by the War Artists Advisory Council, and this was his view of the subterranean world of war-time London.
 
Control panel from a wartime British Spitfire, a highly maneuverable aircraft for its time. The Spitfires performed well against the German Messerschmitt 109 fighter aircraft. This table shows a R.A.F. clock, surrounded by instruments from German planes shot down during the Battle of Britain. In the lower right is a rattle used to warn of a gas attack
 

CIVILIAN INSTRUCTIONS for Wartime including how to handle anti-personnel bombs and how to handle an invasion. 		WOMEN'S UNIFORMS from the Battle of Britain and the Blitz stand in front of a series of wartime posters.