Battle of Britain and Blitz
The 20th century1901 to 1945
Before Germany could even consider invading, its air force needed to control the skies over Britain. The Royal Air Force resisted using the Spitfire and the Hurricane, the two planes that mattered most in the fighting, and won the aerial battle that came to be called the Battle of Britain. Unable to beat the RAF by day, the German air force switched to bombing London and other British cities through the night instead, a campaign that became known as the Blitz.
Two other names sit in the same years, away from the fighting over British skies. British scientists took part in the Manhattan Project, the American programme that developed the atomic bomb. And away from the war altogether, the Scottish physician John MacLeod was one of the co-discoverers of insulin, which is used to treat diabetes.
What to remember
| The Manhattan Project | developing the atomic bomb in the United States British scientists, including Rutherford's team who first split the atom, took part. |
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| John MacLeod | co-discovering insulin, used to treat diabetes A Scottish physician and researcher, 1876 to 1935. |
| The Spitfire and the Hurricane | being the most important planes the Royal Air Force used in the Battle of Britain Both were designed and built in Britain, the handbook adds. |
| The Battle of Britain | being the aerial battle the British fought and won against the Germans in the summer of 1940 Fought with the Spitfire and the Hurricane. |
| The German night-time bombing of London and other British cities | the Blitz After the Battle of Britain: the air force could not win by day, so it bombed by night. |
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