Facing the Abyss , livre ebook

Facing the Abyss
Mike Leddra
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-08-30
Facing the Abyss About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright Information Acknowledgement Introduction Part 1. 1588: The Spanish Armada Chapter 1 Fundamental Changes Chapter 2 European Matters Chapter 3 Preparing for Invasion Chapter 4 Attack Is the Best Form of Defense Chapter 5 Opening Rounds Chapter 6 Crunch Point Chapter 7 The Big Day Chapter 8 The Window Closed Chapter 9 They Think It’s All Over Chapter 10 Scapegoats in the Aftermath Part 2. 1940: The Battle of Britain Chapter 1 Fundamental Changes Chapter 2 European Matters Chapter 3 Preparing for Invasion Chapter 4 Attack Is the Best Form of Defense Chapter 5 Opening Rounds Chapter 6 Crunch Point Chapter 7 The Big Day Chapter 8 The Window Closed Chapter 9 They Think It’s All Over Chapter 10 Scapegoats in the Aftermath Bibliography (940)
About the Author

mike_leddra_author
Mike is a retired geology lecturer and STEM coordinator with a passion for history and a love of old military aircraft. Having grown up living close to RAF Biggin Hill, which is known as ‘the Home of the Battle of Britain,’ stories of this momentous air battle fascinated him.
Facing the Abyss: Two Decisive Battles for Britain was inspired by watching the film Elizabeth the Golden Age in 2007. Mike was struck by similarities between the fight against the Spanish Armada and the Battle of Britain. In 2008, he commenced a journey of research to discover whether these perceived views were indeed true.
About the Book
With 352 years separating the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the Battle of Britain, how could they be similar? Astonishingly, through the introduction of new and innovative designs for their ships and guns, and the fighter aircraft and their command and control system, the English Navy, in 1588, and the Royal Air Force, in 1940, were able to dictate both battles. Their success led to a new type of naval warfare that remained largely unchanged from 1588 until the start of the Second World War and the realization that aerial warfare would dominate many battlefields from 1940 to the present day.
Behind the headlines, there lay many fascinating stories including European history, power struggles, the threat of invasion, myths and legends, and heroes and villains. By including the stories behind many of these, the reader will gain a better insight into the rightful place of both battles in history.
Dedication
To Macey
Copyright Information
Copyright © Mike Leddra (2019)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Leddra, Mike
Facing the Abyss: Two Decisive Battles for Britain
ISBN 9781641828277 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781641828284 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781645366195 (ePub e-book)
The main category of the book — HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019934485
www.austinmacauley.com/us
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC
40 Wall Street, 28th Floor
New York, NY 10005
USA
mail-usa@austinmacauley.com
+1 (646) 5125767
Acknowledgement
My many thanks go to Gordon Handley and Bob Dickson, who provided me with helpful feedback in the writing of this book. I would also like to thank year six pupils at Bournmoor Primary School and their teachers, especially Danielle and Laura, for allowing me to ‘try-out’ many of the stories included in this book.
I have read so many informative books prior to and during the writing of this book, particularly about the Battle of Britain, but have only included the ones from which I have included quotes. Many of the personal memoirs are truly inspirational and deserve to be read by many more people.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Ann, who supported and encouraged me to finish the book.
Introduction
There have been a few occasions in the past where other nations or peoples have threatened to invade us. However, there have only been three times when we have faced a real threat of imminent invasion, the prevention of which depended on a famous battle, namely the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and the Battle of Britain in 1940. These, together with the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, are generally considered to be the greatest battles in our history. Two of these great battles were against Napoleon’s forces in the 19 th century; the first was Vice Admiral Nelson’s Battle of Trafalgar, which was fought on Monday, 21 October 1805. This took place 48 miles (77km) off the Spanish Atlantic coast almost halfway between the port of Cadiz and Gibraltar. The second, the Battle of Waterloo, which was purely a land battle, was led by the Duke of Wellington and occurred on Sunday, 18 June 1815, 11 miles (18km) south of Brussels.
Clearly, both of these crucial Napoleonic battles were fought well away from home soil, whereas, only the defeat of the Spanish Armada in the summer of 1588 and the defeat of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 were witnessed by people at home. Watching these first-hand, or hearing about them happening on your doorstep, helped bring home the seriousness of the situation and allowed people to see what their armed forces were doing to defend them. It also allowed them to feel as though they were playing a direct part in both battles and of course, many were either actively or passively involved. For example, the crowds on the Isle of Portland on Tuesday, 2 August 1588, were able to shout encouragement to Frobisher and his men. People threw food to the English ships, and some of the noblemen even joined ships to be able to take part in the battle. In 1940, even more of the public were in the frontline, not just during the Blitz but during all of the daytime and night-time air-raids that ranged across much of the country. Those in the south and east of the country, in particular, witnessed first-hand the many air battles taking place over their heads, while others across the country listened to the BBC radio broadcasts and news. They saw aircraft from both sides shot down and were able to offer help whenever possible. It would be fair to say that during both battles, there was a feeling of collective responsibility, a feeling of all being in it together, a feeling which was also engendered by stirring speeches made by two famous leaders and orators, namely Queen Elizabeth I and Winston Churchill, that have gone down in the annals of history.
On both occasions, our island position was a key factor in our success; the fact that an invading army had to cross the 24 miles (38km) between us and the continent has often proved to be more difficult than expected. As David Thomas explains in his book, The Illustrated Armada Handbook:
‘Curiously, Parma’s [the commander of the Spanish invasion army in the Netherlands in 1588] invasion plan foreshadowed the appreciations of Napoleon and Hitler for their own assaults on England centuries later. It is interesting to observe that all of the plans foundered on insufficient consideration being given to the question of command of the sea. Parma, Napoleon, and Hitler, military geniuses of their eras, gravely overestimated the ability of the military to cross the Channel with relative ease.’
For Philip of Spain’s and Hitler’s invasions to be successful, the Spanish had to neutralize the English Navy in 1588 and the Luftwaffe had to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force in 1940. On both occasions, the introduction of new equipment on this side of the Channel led to the adoption of new tactics which, to a large extent, set the pattern for following confrontations. Our ability to re-supply, re-arm, and re-deploy forces from home bases was a great advantage and helped significantly in both battles against what were perceived as overwhelming odds.
We will see that Parma appears to have had grave doubts that he could transport his army across the English Channel without the support and success of the Armada, and the German Navy in 1940 felt that they were in no position to support or mount an invasion fleet without the success of the Luftwaffe. Even if both the Armada and the Luftwaffe had been successful in their missions, the other commanders still harbored significant doubts about their own forces. In 1805, Napoleon faced similar problems; the combined naval forces of Spain and France were close to a match for the Royal Navy in numbers of ships that would face each other (thirty-three verses twenty-seven), but his invasion ships were generally unseaworthy and his army was suffering from similar difficulties to those faced by Parma. Alan Schom explains in his book, Trafalgar: Countdown to Battle 1803–1805 , that the Battle of Trafalgar was the ‘culmination of an intense 29-month campaign waged by the Royal Navy to prevent a French invasion.’ It is interesting to note that during the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), in spite of a twenty-month close blockade by the Royal Navy, the French were gathering their land and sea forces in preparation for an earlier invasion of England. Their plans were scuppered by another naval battle, which is sometimes referred to as ‘the other Trafalgar,’ namely the Battle of Quiberon Bay. In his b