Duxford and the Battle of Britain

Overview

Today it is best-known as a branch of the Imperial War Museum. But it was in the summer of 1940 that Duxford's fame was assured, during Britain's 'finest hour'. In those momentous months it's squadrons battled with the Luftwaffe in the skies over Britain. This is the story of one airfield's role in helping to mount the greatest defence of the nation since the Spanish Armada. Using footage from the Imperial War Museum's own archives, material shot for the 1969 film The Battle of Britain and interviews with the men and women who served there in 1940, this documentary places Duxford within the context of the wider struggle. From the exhilaration and terror of air-to-air combat to the controversies surrounding the 'Big Wing', Duxford and the Battle of Britain brings a 1940 fighter station vividly to life.