The Few

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The memorial to The Few at Capel-le-Ferne, on top of the white cliffs of Dover
The memorial to The Few at Capel-le-Ferne, on top of the white cliffs of Dover

The Few is a term used to describe the Allied airmen of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) who won the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. It comes from Winston Churchill's phrase "never was so much owed by so many to so few". This phrase may have been inspired at least in part by Shakespeare's Henry V St. Crispin's Day speech.

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[edit] The pilots

“ We few, we happy few,
we band of brothers...
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"		 ”

—William Shakespeare, Henry V

Contrary to popular belief, The Few were not just a couple of dozen Spitfire pilots; in fact nearly 3,000 men were awarded the Battle of Britain Clasp. As of 2005, there were fewer than 90 alive.

The flyers were overwhelmingly Britons in the RAF (2,353 out of a total of 2,927, by one counting; of them, 407 were killed, out of a total death roll of 510). However, there were many from other British Empire countries (particularly Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada), as well as exiles from many conquered European nations. In particular, there were several squadrons of men from Poland, and many from Czechoslovakia as well. There were also seven pilots from the then-neutral USA. [1] [2][3][4]

[edit] The statistics

The Battle of Britain was fought between 10 July and 31 October 1940:[5]

  • RAF pilots claimed to have shot down about 2,600 German aircraft, but figures compiled later suggest that Luftwaffe losses were more likely nearer 1,700.
  • Of 2,332 Allied pilots who flew fighters in the battle, 38.85 per cent could claim some success in terms of enemy aircraft shot down
  • The number of pilots claiming more than one victim amounted to no more than 15 per cent of the total RAF pilots involved
  • To be proclaimed an "ace" a pilot had to have five confirmed victories. During the Battle of Britain just 188 RAF pilots achieved that performance - 8 per cent of the total involved. A further 233 of those RAF pilots claiming successes during the battle became "aces" later in the war.
  • Of the 3,080 airmen awarded the Battle of Britain Clasp, only 141 (6 per cent) were educated at the top 13 public schools, the largest contingent having attended Eton: 22 pilots (0.9 per cent).

[edit] Leading Aces

The leading Aces of the Battle of Britain were:[6]

Rank Pilot Nationality Squadron Aircraft Kills Notes
1 Sgt J Frantisek Flag of the Czech Republic Czechoslovakia 303 Hawker Hurricane 17 KiA 8 October 1940 crashed in Ewell, Surrey during a landing approach after a patrol
2 PO ES Lock Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 41 Supermarine Spitfire 16 + 1/2 KiA 3 August 1941 in a low level attack on gun positions at Calais with No 611 Squadron in a Spitfire V(W3257)
3 Sgt JH Lacey Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 501 Hurricane 15 + 1/2 Totaled 28 kills during the Second World War, the highest for any British born pilot[7]
FO BJG Carbury Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 603 Spitfire 15 + 1/2
5 PO RFT Doe Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 234 & 238 Spitfire/Hurricane 15
6 F/L PC Hughes Flag of Australia Australia 234 Spitfire 14 + 3/2 KiA over Kent, when piece of Dornier Do 17 he had destroyed hit his aircraft. Body found Sundridge, Kent after parachute fails to open
7 PO CF Gray Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 54 Spitfire 14 + 2/2 New Zealand's top ace of the Second World War
8 F/L AA McKellar Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 605 Hurricane 14 + 1/2 KiA over Adisham, Kent
9 FO W Urbanowicz Flag of Poland Poland 145 & 303 Hurricane 14
10 FO CR Davis Flag of the United States United States 601 Hurricane 11 + 1/2 KiA over Matfield nr Brenchley, Kent
11 Sgt A McDowall Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 602 Spitfire 11
Sgt RT Llewellyn Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 213 Hurricane 11

[edit] Memorial

There is a preserved Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft known as "The Last of The Many"—which may be a play on words with "The Few"—that flies as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, along with a Supermarine Spitfire that flew in the Battle (one of 5 Spitfires in the Memorial Flight). As the Hurricane was the last production model of that type, it did not itself fly in the Battle.

The pilots themselves are remembered on the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne and all the names are listed on the Battle of Britain Monument in London. The Battle of Britain Roll of Honour is held in Westminster Abbey in the RAF Chapel, and is paraded annually during the Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday.

[edit] Popular culture

The Few, a novel by Alex Kershaw, tells the stories of the men who flew in the Battle of Britain. As of 2003, a Hollywood film similarly named The Few was in preparation for release in 2008, based on the story of real-life US pilot Billy Fiske, who ignored his country's neutrality rules and volunteered for the RAF. A Variety magazine outline of the film's historical content[8] was said in The Independent to have been described by Bill Bond, who conceived the Battle of Britain Monument in London, as "Totally wrong. The whole bloody lot."[9]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Bickers 1990, Appendix 24, p. 358. Note: Gives the numerical breakdown by nationalities.
  2. ^ Bickers 1990, Appendix 25, p. 359-376. Note: Gives a complete list of the Allied aircrew in the Battle.
  3. ^ Wood and Dempster 1990, p. 187. Note: Gives the numerical breakdown by nationalities.
  4. ^ Wood and Dempster 1990, p. 194-203. Note: Gives a complete list of the Allied aircrew in the Battle.
  5. ^ "`The Few' who saved Britain were even fewer in number than anyone ever thought." The Independent, 16 September 2000.
  6. ^ RAF Top Scorers in the Battle
  7. ^ Sgt J.H. Lacey
  8. ^ Fleming, Michael. "New flight plan for Cruise." Variety, 9 September 2003. Retrieved: 28 December 2007.
  9. ^ Moreton, Cole. "Hollywood updates history of Battle of Britain: Tom Cruise won it all on his own." The Independent, 11 April 2004. Retrieved: 28 December 2007.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bickers, Richard Townsend. The Battle of Britain. New York: Salamander, 1990. ISBN 0-13083-809-8.
  • Wood, Derek and Dempster, Derek. The Narrow Margin. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, reprint 1990. ISBN 0-87474-929-8.

[edit] Further reading

  • McGlashan, Kenneth B. with Zupp, Owen P. Down to Earth: A Fighter Pilot Recounts His Experiences of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, D-Day and Beyond. London: Grub Street Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1-90494-384-5.

[edit] External links