Their Finest Hour - The Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain is the name given to the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces. It was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. The British forced Hitler to postpone and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion, a planned amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain. The Battle of Britain has an unusual distinction in that it gained its name prior to being fought. The name is derived from a famous speech delivered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons on June 18, more than three weeks prior to the generally accepted date for the start of the battle. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour. This is a fabulous documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of this most famous battle, The Battle of Britain. The program concludes with a spectacular formation fly-over London on September 15th. 1990 to celebrate the historic victory.