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During the Battle of France in June 1940, RAF pilots evacuate a small airfield in advance of the German Blitzkrieg. The pilots,
along with British and French military, leave just as German aircraft arrive and execute a heavy strafing attack. RAF Air Chief
Marshal Hugh Dowding, realising that an imminent invasion of Great Britain will require every available aircraft and airman to
counter it, stops additional aircraft being deployed to France so that they are available to defend Britain. In the next dramatic
scene, French civilians watch in grim despair as a convoy of German troops marches into France and takes control. At the deserted
beaches of Dunkirk, the BBC reports British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's declaration that "what General Weygand called the
'Battle of France' is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin". Luftwaffe Inspector-General Field Marshal Milch arrives to
inspect a large German airfield in captured France. Hundreds of Heinkel bomber aircraft are stationed under Luftwaffe General
Kesselring's command.
Luftwaffe commanders are stunned when the Führer informs them that the British are not their "natural enemy" and delays their attack
while attempting a diplomatic settlement. In neutral Switzerland, the German ambassador, Baron von Richter officially proposes new
peace terms to his British counterpart, Sir David Kelly, stating that continuing to fight the "masters" of Europe is hopeless.
Kelly's brave retort, "Don't threaten or dictate to us until you're marching up Whitehall ... and even then we won't listen", is
followed by a private comment to his wife that von Richter is probably correct. In England, commanders celebrate their good fortune,
using the delay to build up their strength and continually train their pilots and ground controllers. The wait finally ends when
Luftwaffe pilots receive orders to move to the front, where troops are preparing for a sea-borne invasion. The campaign begins with
the Luftwaffe launching an early morning assault on "Eagle Day". The plan is to destroy the RAF on the ground before they have time
to launch their Spitfire and Hurricane fighters.
Eagle Day proves highly successful, with attacks on British radar installations by Stuka dive bombers. Two radar stations are put
out of action and a number of British airfields are damaged or destroyed but British losses are relatively light. A grueling battle
of attrition ensues, with the RAF airfields under repeated attack while inflicting heavy, but non-critical, damage on the attacking
forces. Adding to the RAF's problems is a battle between the commanding officers of 11 Group, Keith Park, and 12 Group, Trafford
Leigh-Mallory. 12 Group is tasked with protecting 11 Group's airfields while 11 Group meets the enemy, but in raid after raid 12
Group aircraft are nowhere to be seen. Called to meet Dowding, Leigh-Mallory explains that the "Big Wing" tactic takes time for
form up, while Park complains that the tactic simply is not working. Dowding ends the debate noting a critical shortage of pilots,
wearily remarking, "We're fighting for survival, and losing."
The turning point occurs when a squadron of German bombers becomes lost in bad weather at night and drops bombs on London. In
retaliation, the RAF attacks Berlin. Though the damage is negligible, an enraged Adolf Hitler publicly orders London to be razed.
Hermann Göring arrives in France to personally command the attack, confident that the end of the battle nears. Their first attack
skirts the RAF, who are still defending their airfields to the south, and they bomb unopposed. Night time attacks follow and London
burns. Meanwhile, to supplement Commonwealth forces, the RAF has been forming units of foreign pilots who have escaped German-occupied
countries; the main difficulty is their lack of English-language skills. While on a training flight, a Free Polish squadron accidentally
runs into an unescorted flight of German bombers. Ignoring the commands of their British training officer, they peel off one by one and
shoot down several of the bombers with unorthodox aggressive tactics. Park rewards them by elevating them to operational status, leading
Dowding to do the same for the Canadian and Czech squadrons as well. While discussing the day's events, Park and Dowding examine the
German switch to London. Given a respite, Park notes that he will be able to repair his airfields and bring his squadrons back to
full strength. Dowding adds that 12 Group units north of London are now all within range, while enemy fighters are at the extreme
edge of their own range. He concludes that "turning on London could be the German's biggest blunder."
The next German daytime raid is met by a massive response; watching his formations build up in 11 Group's operations room, Wing
Commander Willoughby wryly states "this should give them something to think about." RAF fighters arranged into large groups, attack
en masse, overwhelming the German raids. Luftwaffe losses are now critical and Göring is incensed, ordering his fighters remain
with the bombers, an order the pilots hate. Losses continue to mount on both sides. The climactic air battle of 15 September 1940
arrives, with Winston Churchill in attendance at 11 Group's operations room. In the underground bunker, British ground control
personnel order every squadron into the air to meet the massive attack. Intense combat in the sky over London follows, with both
sides taking heavy losses. The outcome is so confused that Dowding refuses to comment on the events. The next day the RAF anxiously
await a raid that never comes. Likewise the Luftwaffe is disheartened by heavy losses and also await orders that never come to resume
raiding. Two German anti-aircraft gunners, who had earlier observed a French port teeming with Kriegsmarine vessels and landing barges,
now observe a deserted harbour basin. Göring leaves the front, accusing his commanders of betrayal. Dowding looks out over the gardens
and up to the sky where the words of Winston Churchill appear onscreen: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so
many to so few."
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Starring ... |
Laurence Olivier, Hein Riess, Trevor Howard, Robert Shaw, Christopher Plummer,
Michael Caine, Ian McShane, Ralph Richardson, Curt Jürgens, Nigel Patrick
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Director: Guy Hamilton
Producer: Harry Saltzman
Released - September 15, 1969 (UK)
Length - 133 minutes
Music Composer: Ron Goodwin
Movie Distributed by United Artists
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