Delay to 1941 in RAF Radar

A resounding YES, because it seriously will have altered the course of the British Airforce deployment, and effective, during the battle.

Had the RAF been “blind” to enemy aircraft approaching, other than from ground aerial observer corps look outpost, then fighter command would have sent its aircraft to the wrong places or too far away from the attacking enemy.


Air Observer Corps posts would not have been enough to coordinate RAF Fighter commands response to german raiders, if Radar had not yet been invented or deployed in the air war.


Above. Some of the RAF and Enemy aircraft types. observers were trained to know the difference, but this was of limited value when aircraft flew at night or above clouds….engine droning noise from german engines was another strong “clue”, but without rapid Radar coordination, the battle risked being soon lost.

German Dorner bombers attacking an RAF Fighter base in England 1940.



Above. Map During the “Battle of Britan” June/ September 1940.


Without radar “chain low” and “chain high” stations, enemy bandits would be dropping bombs and shooting up the country too easily…. As it was RAF Fighter command came to within 7 days of losing the battle, when Hitler suddenly changed his tactics and switched to bombing London instead, which gave the RAF a preciously needed breathing space to repair damage and re field fighter planes again.


Above. Radar Stations Fighter bases and the situation June to October 1940.

Below. An overview map of the battle situation.


Luftwaffe raids would have crashed down upon towns and cities and Military bases, greatly increasing damage to Britain's ability to respond to fight the Germans.


Above. Royal Air Force Fighter Command situation during the Raid on KENLEY during the Battle of Britain 1940.


RAF Fighter Command Situation from DOVER on the Coast, as far as RAF COLTISHALL in Norfolk. Trying to coordinate all of this without a Radar station system to warn effectively “in time” of the approaching “bandits” would have likely led to the failure of Britain's Air Defences, and a subsequent nazi Invasion in 1940 if Radar was either knocked out of operations or simply had never existed…


A Norwich Built “Bolton Paul Defiant” Fighter Aircraft MK1 of 255 Squadron RAF, during the Battle of Britan 1940. The turret greatly slowed combat performance, losses were high and survival rate low for pilots. but when it got used instead as a night fighter, it was devastating against German bombers.


Above. ReBorn into an all-black night fighter role, the Bolton paul DEFIANT proved devastating when used against german bomber formations.

It should be remembered, that the “heroes” of the battle of britian was not just all Hurricane or Spitfire Pilots. Even old interwar bi Planes saw action against the nazis in Britians skies during 1940.


Above. Norway also had the Gloster Gladiator Fighter Aircraft and used them against Hitler in the beginning of the war.


By 1940 Gladiator Aircraft were long out of date but got used in service.


Above. Typical Gladiator Bi-Plane camouflage colour schemes for a 1940 Aircraft.


Above. The “Blackburn Skua” Fighter was also involved in the battle of Britain.


Above. this was the Blackburn “ROC” designed by George Edward PETTY. (a separate design completely though similar to the” DEFIANT” Aircraft.


German Nazi ME 109 fighter Aircraft, note “Staffel Gelb” yellow colour. Other German raiders included the ME 110, the Dornier DO 17 and the Heinkel HE111 bomber, Stuka Dive bomber and also a number of ITALIAN Aircraft also took part in the battle over England.



Above. this Italian fighter got shot down over Eastern England, East Anglia, and was later restored by a Museum.

Please see the article I wrote on this subject earlier this year on Quora for more information about ITALY and their aeroplanes involved in the Battle of Britain


RAF Hurricane and Spitfire fighter aircraft.


“red leader, bandits at twelve o'clock heading east”.


Above. A radar Co-Ordination control room, plotting the courses of bandit raiders and RAF fighters sent to intercept them.

One of the RAF Radar towers.


Germany did attack and destroy some of the radar towers, but they got rebuilt almost overnight…

Hed the attacks destroyed permanently the radar towers, it would have significantly changed the outcome of the battle of britian in 1940, though due to other mitigating factors, such as german transport plane heavy losses over Holland, this might not necessarily have led to a successfull nazi invasion on its own, there are “other” factors too.


But yes, It could have shortened the Battle considerably, and led to a German Invasion in that year.


Above. German Military Logistical transport aircraft got destroyed in large numbers during the German invasion of Holland and the “Low” Countries, badly damaging Germany's ability to mount an invasion of britian that Summer.

However, even so, the Dutch Airforce before being overrun, had shot up very badly a large amount of Hitlers Transport Aircraft, which had to be replaced. This greatly influenced Hitler's ideas about whether to mount Operation Sealion, the British Invasion or not.

So in fact, you can thank the Non-Nazi Anti Calaborationist Dutch as well as raider stations for saving Britian that fateful Summer and Autumn in 1940.