Battle of Britain books. Recommendations?

[Al Schlageter]

If the LW was not running out of a/c then why was it that those units participating in the BoB could not be kept at establishment strength? In fact, they had a decreasing number of a/c available.

April 1940,
5,178 aircraft: 671 reconnaissance, 1,620 fighters, 1,726 bombers, 419 dive bombers, 46 ground attack, 230 coastal, and 466 transport.

October 1940 - 1,420
November 1940 - 1,423
December 1940 - 1,393

which show they had a steady around 1400 bombers during the whole battle, +/- 20, even increasing somewhat towards the end

That should be decreasing somewhat towards the end and some 300 less than in April 1940.

numbers from Strategy for Defeat.

Originally Posted by Al Schlageter

If the LW was not running out of a/c then why was it that those units participating in the BoB could not be kept at establishment strength? In fact, they had a decreasing number of a/c available.

April 1940,
5,178 aircraft: 671 reconnaissance, 1,620 fighters, 1,726 bombers, 419 dive bombers, 46 ground attack, 230 coastal, and 466 transport.

October 1940 - 1,420
November 1940 - 1,423
December 1940 - 1,393



That should be decreasing somewhat towards the end and some 300 less than in April 1940.

numbers from Strategy for Defeat.

Erm, Hitler put a stop to it all in September, concentrating on the preparation of the Operation Barbarossa, a logistic strain way much bigger than the Battle of Britain. Operation Seeloewe wasn't lost according to the Germans, was just put on hold.

[Kurfürst]

Originally Posted by Al Schlageter

If the LW was not running out of a/c then why was it that those units participating in the BoB could not be kept at establishment strength? In fact, they had a decreasing number of a/c available.

April 1940,
5,178 aircraft: 671 reconnaissance, 1,620 fighters, 1,726 bombers, 419 dive bombers, 46 ground attack, 230 coastal, and 466 transport.

October 1940 - 1,420
November 1940 - 1,423
December 1940 - 1,393

That should be decreasing somewhat towards the end and some 300 less than in April 1940.

numbers from Strategy for Defeat.

"Missed" something in Strategy for Defeat between April and October, perhaps? Battle of France, maybe?

Strenght 4.5.1940: 1758 bombers
Strenght 29.6.1940: 1380 bombers

So the whole story, bomber strenght in 1940:

April 1940 - 1,726 bombers
Strenght 4.5.1940: 1758 bombers
29.6.1940: 1380 bombers
29.9.1940 - 1,420
2.11.1940 - 1,423
30.11.1940 - 1,393

Source: Strategy for Defeat, Table IX, Table X, Table XI.

In short the Battle of France, though short but very intesive was what that decreased German bomber numbers, the Battle of Britain did not decreased them at all in comparison, whatever Bungay wants to tell.