It was Neville Chamberlain who declared war on Germany on September 3rd 1939, but it was left to his successor, Winston Churchill, actually to make war when he succeeded to the premiership on May 10th 1940. Chamberlain who, though he had declared war, had no appetite for actually making war. He loathed the idea of war. He knew it was inevitable but he wasn’t really the man for it. When on May 10th he was forced out, it undoubtedly hurt his parliamentary pride. But the way that he moved into his new position, as a key member of Churchill’s five man inner war cabinet and the way he gave Churchill absolute loyalty, seemed to suggest that he was ready and almost relieved to pass over responsibility for the conduct of hostilities to his successor, Churchill.
Churchill inherited Fighter Command under Dowding, as the instrument of war which was both to save Britain and, indeed, make his political career. Dowding’s letter to the Under Secretary of State for Air, dated 16th May, showed that that there was no lack of will on the part of the RAF. All Churchill had to do was to back Dowding and this is what he did. During the Battle he made several visits, first to Dowding and then to Keith Park. He did so to experience the drama of the Battle.
7 comments
Comments feed for this article
September 15, 2010 at 7:49 am
Day 68 – 15th September 1940 « Battle of Britain Day by Day
[...] theme: Captains and Commanders – Winston Churchill Follow the Battle Day by [...]
September 15, 2010 at 10:52 am
Roy Watts
It is unfortunate that Churchill’s backing for Dowding evaporated the moment the Battle was over. If the Battle did indeed make Churchill’s political career, it was, to say the least, an act of spectacular ingratitude on his part to summarily remove not only Dowding but AVM Park and the AOC 10 Group from their posts. One suspects that, like all politicians, Churchill had a low tolerance of being crossed. Thus he did not take kindly to Dowding’s refusual to send further hurricane squadrons to the Continent towards the end of the battle for France despite the rash promises Churchill had made to the French government. His irritation will have been made worse by the fact that Dowding was proved right, irrespective of the fact that Dowding’s stand on this issue was probably a key factor in winning the battle. Churchill had marked Dowding’s card and he and his two key lieutenants in the Battle were dispensed with at the earliest opportunity.
Churchill was a great War Leader. But he was also a human being conditioned by a life time in politics, much of it on the wrong end of criticism and derision.
September 17, 2010 at 10:43 am
Andrew
I don’t think that Churchill was behind Dowding’s sacking but he should have stepped in to sort out the bad guys in the RAF and Air Ministry. The RAF had the wrong leaders at the top for the next few years with some exceptions, notably in the Mediterranean.
The BoB was truly the RAF’s defining moment then it slipped into mediocrity and the lessons on how not to run a bombing campaign were forgotten. Park, Saul and Brand should have been given more prominent roles at the top of the RAF after the BoB.
Churchill should also should have made sure that Dowding was appointed Marshall of the RAF particularly when the King suggested it.
September 20, 2010 at 9:59 am
Tony Rudd
Dear Andrew, We entirely agree. Churchill seems to have been stangely enough for him in the sidelines re Dowding and indeed Park, Brand and Saul. A great pity. Thank you for your comment. Yours, Tony Rudd
September 21, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Andrew
Hullo Tony. Despite all the research in to BoB and the RAF in WWII it is still a great mystery as to why Dowding was humiliated instead of rewarded and honoured. Park, Brand and Saul were badly needed at the top but were sidelined due to their association with Dowding and BoB success.
Who was behind this fiasco that robbed the RAF of some of its best leadership? Why didn’t Churchill (and Beaverbrook) step in, what was Sinclair’s role at the Air Ministry, Newall or Portall could have taken more definitive action or were they occupied passing on the baton and under the influence of retired Marshalls of the RAF Trenchard and Salmond? Dowding himself, why didn’t he sack Leigh Mallory when it was plainly clear he wasn’t doing his job and then reprimand Bader and send him to 11 Group to keep him occupied doing something useful? Newall could have stepped at that stage in too and backed Dowding in that necssary duty.
September 23, 2010 at 10:13 am
Tony Rudd
Dear Andrew, The questions you ask are absolutely relevant. The answer has to be complicated. Dowding had tremendous qualities, but being able to deal with personalities wasn’t one of them. He picked the most important man in the battle, namely Keith Park. After all he promoted him over Trafford Leigh Mallory who was his senior. He, of course, was very much not one of the group in the Air Ministry itself. As for Churchill, Beaverbrook and co., the only person that could have done more for Dowding was, I think, Churchill himself. The reason for his reluctance to get involved was, I suggest that the inner workings of the RAF at the top was a subject he knew very little about. So in a way it’s difficult to blame him. As for the rest of it, we just have to accept the way the chips fell. It was very unfortunate but there it is. Best wishes, Tony
March 11, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Silksheen
It is heartening to read the complimentary remarks by Roy, Andrew and Tony about Dowding.
The question is again raised about the plot that removed Dowding from his successful command of the new RAF Fighter Command that he had built up from July 1936. This matter has been thoroughly examined and researched for a second time by Dr. Jack Dixon in his latest book: “DOWDING & CHURCHILL – The dark side of the Battle of Britain”.
I did not know or meet Churchill, but I understand from those who did that he could be a difficult and stubborn person who was surrounded by ‘yes men’ who bent to his will. Despite the fact that Dowding stood against Churchill in misusing his minimal fighters, Churchill supported Dowding and appreciated his leadership. As Dowding wrote: “I trust that I may be permitted to record my appreciation of the help given me by the support and confidence of the Prime Minister at a difficult and critical time. In the early stages of the fight Mr. Winston Churchill spoke with affectionate raillery of me and my “Chicks”. He could have said nothing to make me more proud; every Chick was needed before the end. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh C. T. Dowding, Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command, Royal Air Force. August 20, 1941.”
Churchill was eventually misled by vengeful members of the Air Council, as Dixon explains.
Although I did not meet Dowding until 1946, when he had retired from a life devoted to the service of his country, I am probably the only person still alive who knew him well. He was not the distant severe humourless ‘Stuffy’ person so often portrayed by those recounting his appearance when he had the responsibility of the air defence and freedom of the British Isles from a mighty & experienced enemy that was sweeping across Europe. To better understand Hugh Dowding, the ski champion & sportsman; would be freethinking engineer, aviator and parliamentary debater, one might care to read the most recent biography: “DOWDING OF FIGHTER COMMAN – Victor of the Battle of Britain”, by the military historian, Dr. Vincent Orange.
25 September 1939 Dowding wrote “The best defence of the country is the fear of the fighter. If we are strong in fighters we should probably never be attacked in force”…
I believe I am correct in thinking Dowding considered his letter of 16 May 1940 to be one of the most important he had written. I’m indebted to the work of Martin Waligorski, editor of The Spitfire Site – http://www.spitfiresite.com for reproducing the transcript of the “Dispatch on the conduct of the Battle of Britain submitted by Air Chief Marshal Dowding to the Air Ministry in August 1941”.
http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/battle-of-britain-in-the-words-of-air-chief-marshal-hugh-dowding.html
Dowding’s clear and meticulous account and understanding of the situation, to me gives a clear insight of his late Victorian upbringing and character. One can imagine him at his desk drafting out his report in that small neat handwriting that I later witnessed when he was preparing his speeches for the House of Lords: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/people/mr-hugh-dowding