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Hugh Dowding is one of my personal heroes. Thanks to my father who always despised Douglas Bader. He actually served with Bader and said he was the worst commander he ever served under.
Totally agree! I have hated Leigh-Mallory from the minute I first learned of his backstabbing-along with Doug Bader. I’m now going to add Sholtz Douglas to my list also!😀😀
@@annehersey9895 Hear, hear! Their actions clearly showed that it WAS NOT the "best interest of the nation" that motivated them. Self-aggrandizement. Or, as we say it today . . . "entitled Karens."
Excellent video, Dowding was one of the key men in the Battle of Britain and if it wasn’t for his stubborness in developing technology & expanding the number of fighter aircraft, Britain would have been in a far worse place.
An introvert administrative type who did not covet personal power but wanted the right solutions to be in place to save lives and accomplish the mission and was surrounded by overly competitive extroverts who sought personal power/glory.
Very well balanced video. He should have been promoted to Marshall of the RAF upon retirement. He was victim of ruthless petty characters at the air ministry and RAF.
Interesting to speculate what might have happened if Dowdling promoted. Maybe instead of passively shift to night time bombing, would have insisted on daytime bombing. When told the Spitfire could not be developed into a long range fighter insist on them looking into this again. After all the long range P-51 Mustang used the same engine as the Spitfire so I think if some thought was put into this, as it was for the Mustang, where senior U. S. Officers insisted that engineers keep looking into this until the Mustang did have enough range to go to Berlin and back. As it was, Britain had to settle on Bomber Harris.
@@joeelliott2157 Who is writing all these replies and do they speak English? The book the narrator is reading from is dated and his emotional input compares favourably to artificial whatever.
After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from a different author (guess who wrote the 2nd account? None other than Baron Douglas of Kirtleside a.k.a Sholto Douglas), in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE. On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?” But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
This is very accurate. Churchill was effective in being pragmatic. But that does not deflect from his admiration for Dowding. There is evidence of that in correspondence at the time. Others aloof from the pettiness, including The King, clearly felt the same.
Very timely for me! Last night I listened to a documentary on the development of radar in England during the war. It's good to learn more about Dowding.
ACM Hugh Dowding was both a visionary and a reformer. If he lives in today's world, he would have been a brilliant leader, at least in the military arena. However, it is the politics that great persons such as Dowding has to unavoidably deal with, which in turn could be much more difficult to handle compare to the professional business at hand, i.e. defeating the enemies.🙂
A national treasure, spoke the truth that needed saying. His foresight was so timely, without him no Hurricane, no Spitfire or investment in production of those fighters, and to get politicians to listen to him is utterly incredible.
@roo8300 Fortunately, Dowding was at Fighter Command at the time that it mattered most. By he time he was replaced, Fighter Command had won he Battle of Britain and the important role in the War shifted to Bomber Command.
There was an Excercise a while later , re-enacting the BoB ,but using the tactics of those incompetents.. We Lost 😢 They also instigated the fighter sweeps in '41 that devastated Fighter Command and achieved nothing. Should have been Courts Martialed 😢
@@andyb.1026 The main function of those fighter sweeps to which you refer seems to have been to provide target practice for the enemy. At the time of course Leigh Mallory and Sholto Douglas were happy to believe combat reports claiming that German aircraft were being shot down in droves.
Dowding was gracious in crediting his deputy Parks with the Battle of Britain victory. It is our good fortune that we had such outstanding individuals at our finest hour.
Thank you for another great documentary preserving our human history and the life - achievements and efforts - of another excellent person who did his best for Britain and the free world 🙏
Dowding was indeed responsible for Britain defeating the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and remaining free. It is obvious that he was stabbed in the back by Douglas, and Leigh Mallory and probably Douglas Bader. History has shown these three for the back stabbers they were. Had they been able to get rid of Dowding at the start of the battle Germany would have won the battle and invaded England.
1st off, you are right about our freedom. 2ndly, just seen the bit about Douglas's "strategy" . I am no airman, but why would you attack a plane that has forward guns, but you don't and you can only fire from the rear, that's suicide. Did his head never leave WW1??
Another myth; the RAF did not defeat the Luftwaffe. If this defeat was real, who was it that organised thousands of bombing raids over the UK until the end of the war?
I feel so bad that Dowding was put out to pasture in such an inglorious way by jealous subordinates. It can be stated as fact, I believe, that Britain would have lost the battle in summer 1940 without the Dowding System and without Dowding and Keith Parks leadership. I don’t understand how ANYONE could think fighters could fight at night being virtually blind! The worst part is that Dowding huge part in saving Britain wasn’t acknowledged to the general public until so much later.
My mother lived and worked in London all through the war. After I returned from Vietnam, I recognized that she suffered from PTSD just as much as I do. From then on I have regarded her as just as much a combat veteran as I am. The only difference between us is that she was NOT ALLOWED to shoot back.
Wow! I'm ashamed to admit I'd never heard of this great unsung, epic hero. May he and all the brave. And noble souls of that time rest in peace. And thanks for giving due credit to my Czechoslovak county men for the part they played. Respect!
Saw a 20 minute video on the Mosquito by a guy called "The Fat Electrician" on TH-cam, who I don't work for or get anything from for saying this, and he, as an American, was a big fan of Dowding. He does a lot of US centric war stuff in a funny, informative way. Dowding was treated very shabbily. Backstabbing juniors, politicians and rivals Glad he's recognised properly now.
My word, what a fantastic documentary on such a great man. Whenever his name is mentioned, I see Laurence Olivier in the Battle of Britain movie, where his dour outlook summed him up succinctly.
Leigh Mallory tried to take credit for battle of Britain, but Churchill happened to be in Keith Parks control room on the big day. Churchill rejected Leigh Mallory’s report and made sure Dowding and Park got the credit.
Douglas was such a fool ! Imagine sponsoring a plane that involves flying in front of enemy guns just to fire back. I mean come on what Dowding had to put up with Jesus 😂
Not only was he a fool but a sly bastard as well, along with that other nonentity Leigh-Mallory who both conspired to blacken Dowding's name to anyone in authority. Sir Charles Portal should have put both of them firmly in their places as Chief of Air Staff, but he didn't more bloody fool him.
As a NZer,always proud of Dowding - and Keith Park,ofc. And,as others have said here,they really got stitched up. And,as far as I'm concerned,that's on Churchill.
Yes Churchill does not come out of this very well at all, I think Dowding miffed him when he refused to send any more fighters to be lost in France. France was as far as I'm concerned Churchill's blind spot.
Churchill was NOT the author of Dowding's dismissal. The main culprits were Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Sholto Douglas and the chiefs of the air staff, Cyril Newhall followed to a lesser degree by Charles Portal. After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from Dowding's replacement & nemesis Sholto Douglas, in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE. On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was actually a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?” But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
What a guy. Totally an unsung hero and I am ashamed that I never knew his name until now. I wouldn't mind but we did the second world war at GSCE. We should have been taught this.
Great documentary for a great man. How he was treated by Churchill and his piers was an absolute disgrace and a stain on the UK which still remains today. Hugh Dowding designed and implemented the Home Chain defense system that was the first of its kind in the world. Sophisticated and It integrated various sources of information onto one simple command picture. Churchill wanted to throw all our fighters into the Battle of France. Dowding cautioned against this reckless decision (one of Churchill's many). Eventually in a meeting Dowding had to resort to a simple resource over time chart showing Fighter numbers vs weeks. Clearly showing that we would have zero fighters left within a few weeks at this rate of loss in France. Churchill, did not forget this incident and took it as a slight to his childish pride. Nobody wanted the job of fighter command initially as It seemed the RAF would fail. However, when it was clear that Dowdings strategies were actually winning the Battle of Britain, the glory hunters came out of the shadows. Dowding was replaced and sent to the USA out of the way. His replacement Sholto Douglas Implementing the disastrous "Big Wing" strategy and promoted by Bader, Mallory and himself, It proved to be a failure costing pilots lives. All three claimed that the "Big Wing" was a success (they would wouldn't they) after the battle. However later sources show that it failed. Indeed this was confirmed in an interrogation of Herman Goering when he stated that this change of tactic greatly encouraged them as their kill rate rose up significantly. Its good to see the truth finally coming out.
After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from a different author, in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE. On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?” But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
My paternal grandfather served in the RAF from 1917 through 1947. He started as an apprentice aircraft repairer, and retired as a Group Captain. For most of WW-2 he served in Egypt and the British mandate of Palestine.
Very detailed and well done. I’m glad that late in his life, this man spoke up for the humane treatment of animals in Parliament. Thank goodness horses are no longer used in war and animals are now treated as the precious beings they are.
Sir Hugh Dowding deserves uncommon high praise for leading RAF Fighter Command with leading-edge tech- nology & fighter tactics, and uncommon humanity. His fighter pilots loved him, while Churchill cherished his readiness for command. Dowding saved Great Britain after French generals fled, Britain stood alone, and vengeful German nazis were "taking down names & kicking ass" as they turned English homes to rubble, and transformed family life from joy into starvation and terror.
A military engineer as a grandparent. That explains a few things. Engineers make the best Generals. They know what's important: Preparation, logistics and economy of action.
@@AverageWagie2024 Largest and most powerful are two different matters. Look at what happened when Kido Butai went into the Indian Ocean. The Royal Navy Navy did not have a modern air arm at the time of World War II. As for largest, I am not sure just when the U.S. Navy assumed that role, but it was surely the case by 1943, perhaps 1942.
“The best defense of the country is the fear of the fighters. If we are strong in fighters we should probably never be attacked in force. If we are moderately strong we shall probably be attacked and the attacks will be bought to a standstill…. If we are weak in fighter strength, the attacks will not be bought to a standstill and the productive capacity of the country will be virtually destroyed” Sir Hugh Dowding
This man was a genius, we would be under the jack boot if wasn’t for him , god bless him and the service men & women that made the ultimate sacrifice for our future, we shall never forget them, God bless you all 🙏
While ACM Dowding was indeed a pivotal figure in the pre & early WW2 RAF, he had already had his retirement TWICE postponed, and he was also unfortunately responsible for the RAF Fighter Command's inability to deal with Luftwaffe night bombing of British cities from Late Sept 1940 onwards, which was used by his internal enemies as the lever to have him dismissed. After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from a different author, in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE. On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?” But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
From outside, the most common image of Dowding is " the architect of german defeat in the battle of Britain ". The movie has certainly a major role in this idea, but it is fully founded. As usual, if you want to be honored during your life you have to apply marketing methods
Dowding at times was recalcitrant, but for good reason. He was a technocrat, a brilliant organizer and a visionary. Cared about his pilots. I know a bit about the Luftwaffe leaders at that time, and Dowding stood head and shoulders above them all in ability and compassion. Thoroughly deserving of his accolades after death, and a major British warrior of historical fame.
A man of exceptional foresight and doggedness. He never was given the recognition he deserved as it appears others sought his deserved glory. Keith Park, whose Group bore the brunt appears similarly subordinated by others. Without these men, the fate of Britain may have been very different.
I'd be interested in you covering the story of Henry Tandey. The most decorated soldier in WWI, who was alleged to have spared Hitlers life on the battlefield. I wonder what became of Mr. Tandey
Frankly speaking, if it was not for ACM Hugh Dowding (along with his deputies such as AVM Keith Park, etc.) and his determination and persistence in keeping the RAF's Fighter Command working effectively and efficiently from the late 1930s to the early 1940s, the British could be speaking German if the Luftwaffe was not beaten up 🤨.
Well as much as he definitely did, and it cannot be understated how incredibly competent and forward looking he was, the Germans never had the wherewithal to pull off Op Sealion. It would have shortened the war if Hitler had gone ahead with his ‘river crossing’.
@@dennisweidner288 more then probably, what with the home fleet, beach defences and chemical warfare, there is not a cat in hells chance of a beach head. If you look at Op Overlord as an example of how to complete an effective seaborne invasion, we can see the German plans to tow barges over the channel then land them one at a time is at best fanciful, at worst murder…
@@chrislye8912 I tend to agree with you, but then again in 1940, it as seen as very unlikely that the Germans could destroy the French army in a few weeks. Or in 1941 that the Red army could effectively resist the Germans. Or the Japanese could attack Pearl Harbor,
We shouldn't forget that he approved Barnes Wallis' invention of the bouncing bomb that was used in the Dambusters Raid and organised the operation. That was one of my favourite childhood films as was the Battle of Britain. What a great man!
There can be no doubt that Dowding was the proper officer to meet and defeat the NAZI, Goring, who had an over-inflated opinion. The RAF was a bureaucratic organisation. Dowding had to fight on two fronts. He succeeded in both.
The battle of Britain without his oversite would have been a disaster for Britain and the war overall, this man was obviously not a petty person as some around him were. He most certainly did not get the recognition he so deserved, later yes, but not at the time.
I guess I don't know much about the history of Hugh Dowding; however from the short documentary about his life I would he was a real hero of the Battle of Britton. The only thing I wish is that my country had supplied more pilots to help our brethern in England during this crucial time.
Nelson, Marlborough, Wellington, Henry V...Dowding take your place sir. And if you became a spiritualist later I only hope you can feel that which gladdens the heart of every man that understands you, your story and what you gave this island. I hope you found your own Chain Home ❤❤
Nobody would argue that Dowding won WW2 but on the other hand he did make possible the eventual victory. The point being that losing the Battle of Britain would have resulted in overall defeat. Churchill was right and so too The King. Let’s not dwell on those within who opposed them. The lessons are that teamwork is essential. No better example of that than the work of Mountbatten and others in achieving Combined Operations. We are stronger together.
Leigh-Mallory was a snake in the grass who with others, doctored data to support his arguments . Dowsing was a real hero and deserved much greater recognition.
It is normal for people who have achieved so much to be accepted by their peers. It is now more than 80 years since Britain stood alone against the Mighty Nazi Germany, but surely, Sir Hugh Dowding saved them. Of Course the "So few" were quite a lot of airman, and ground crew, it was Dowding who had built up this "Armada"!
Hugh is the man! Not sure about the apparitions! Very sure about the first analogue communications network and his ability to argue with Chirchill (just a little not a lot)!
I don't know.... to have lived in a UK without death camps in the Cotswolds, Pennines and Scottish Highlands, and no SS einsatzgruppen stalking the shires for the last 80 years is a pretty good result in my book. Maybe you feel differently about it.
@@virginiawolf6431 Don't talk nonsense. Luftwaffe loses over 1700 aircraft during the battle of Britain for which 303 squadron contributed 45 kills, 302 Sqd contributed 5 kills and Czech 310 Sqd contributed 13¾ kills. The valiant Poles and Czechs made a small but highly regarded contribution to the victory in the battle of Britain, but stop talking nonsense about how "they saved Britain" they didn't.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Ils sont intervenu dans le moment crucial de la Bataille d'Angleterre a presque failli, faute des pilotes anglais expérimentés. De plus la maintenance au sol des appareils accidentés par des mécaniciens Polonais était brillante et plus rapide que celle British.
Dowding's accomplishments speak for themselves. Had he not been in the position he was in Britain may well have lost the Battle of Britain and been invaded by Germany. Both he and Park were shamefully treated at the end of the battle. It is my understanding that the statue of him had to be paid for by his former pilots. Scholto Douglas and Leigh Mallory both tried to take credit for his accomplishments and those of Park.
per Lord hardthrasher Hugh dowding ''spent years setting up a spendid shiny new woodchipper while free of fingerprints and blood splatters ,would quite soon get quite the workout.''....
The true winner of the Battle of Britain . Don't forget how involved he was in building the air force for that purpose. Selection of planes. The observer corp & radar system.
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You guys are the Best 😊😊
Please make more playlists!
Love your content!
Suggestion: Vineh of Bulgaria
Keep up the good work!
Keep up the good work, folks!
Hugh Dowding is one of my personal heroes. Thanks to my father who always despised Douglas Bader.
He actually served with Bader and said he was the worst commander he ever served under.
Hugh Dowding got a "raw deal." It is only later generations that appreciated what he accomplished. It's a damn shame.
Totally agree! I have hated Leigh-Mallory from the minute I first learned of his backstabbing-along with Doug Bader. I’m now going to add Sholtz Douglas to my list also!😀😀
@@annehersey9895 Hear, hear! Their actions clearly showed that it WAS NOT the "best interest of the nation" that motivated them. Self-aggrandizement. Or, as we say it today . . . "entitled Karens."
Yes. 'Stabbed in the back.'
@@gazza2933 It was . . . a War Crime.
i concur on this
Undoubtedly the most underrated military leader of his time!
@starfish370 Underrated at the time, but not today.
The most underrated military leader is the one you've never heard of.
Excellent video, Dowding was one of the key men in the Battle of Britain and if it wasn’t for his stubborness in developing technology & expanding the number of fighter aircraft, Britain would have been in a far worse place.
@chemicalqueen5460 Dowding was THE key man.
Dowdings support of Keith Parks tactics was pivotal.
An introvert administrative type who did not covet personal power but wanted the right solutions to be in place to save lives and accomplish the mission and was surrounded by overly competitive extroverts who sought personal power/glory.
He had that wonderful old fashioned ambition, the height of which was to do ones job really well
Now what does that remind you of?
Very well balanced video. He should have been promoted to Marshall of the RAF upon retirement. He was victim of ruthless petty characters at the air ministry and RAF.
Interesting to speculate what might have happened if Dowdling promoted. Maybe instead of passively shift to night time bombing, would have insisted on daytime bombing. When told the Spitfire could not be developed into a long range fighter insist on them looking into this again. After all the long range P-51 Mustang used the same engine as the Spitfire so I think if some thought was put into this, as it was for the Mustang, where senior U. S. Officers insisted that engineers keep looking into this until the Mustang did have enough range to go to Berlin and back. As it was, Britain had to settle on Bomber Harris.
@@joeelliott2157 Who is writing all these replies and do they speak English?
The book the narrator is reading from is dated and his emotional input compares favourably to artificial whatever.
After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from a different author (guess who wrote the 2nd account? None other than Baron Douglas of Kirtleside a.k.a Sholto Douglas), in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE.
On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?”
But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684
This is very accurate. Churchill was effective in being pragmatic. But that does not deflect from his admiration for Dowding. There is evidence of that in correspondence at the time. Others aloof from the pettiness, including The King, clearly felt the same.
Very timely for me! Last night I listened to a documentary on the development of radar in England during the war. It's good to learn more about Dowding.
What a brilliant man Dowding was ! Definitely up there with Nelson as great British commanders
Hard to believe he managed to place all those recievers along the coast, each tower 8 miles from the others, all by himself.
@sethpearce2878 Strange that he was not a particularly accomplished student.
@@michaelmcneil4168Yeah, what a guy!
Dowdings technical brilliance and Keith Parks tactical expertise combined perfectly.
much respect to this man, thank you for sharing his story
Sir Hugh Dowding, was one the most significant figures of WW2. He should have given the respect that he deserved during WW2. Linda Hennessy
Exactly that
ACM Hugh Dowding was both a visionary and a reformer. If he lives in today's world, he would have been a brilliant leader, at least in the military arena. However, it is the politics that great persons such as Dowding has to unavoidably deal with, which in turn could be much more difficult to handle compare to the professional business at hand, i.e. defeating the enemies.🙂
We should remember such men with honour. Thankyou Sir for your service 🌹
A national treasure, spoke the truth that needed saying. His foresight was so timely, without him no Hurricane, no Spitfire or investment in production of those fighters, and to get politicians to listen to him is utterly incredible.
Just as importantly there would have been no "Chain Home" air defence system that was the pivotal factor during the Battle of Britain.
@stephensuddens9146 And no Chain Home Network.
If ever there was a case for posthumous promotion to MRAF, ACM Dowding is the man.
Dowding and Park were both vastly more competent than the officers who replaced them, Sholto Douglas and Leigh Mallory.
@roo8300 Fortunately, Dowding was at Fighter Command at the time that it mattered most. By he time he was replaced, Fighter Command had won he Battle of Britain and the important role in the War shifted to Bomber Command.
There was an Excercise a while later , re-enacting the BoB ,but using the tactics of those incompetents.. We Lost 😢
They also instigated the fighter sweeps in '41 that devastated Fighter Command and achieved nothing. Should have been Courts Martialed 😢
@@andyb.1026 The main function of those fighter sweeps to which you refer seems to have been to provide target practice for the enemy. At the time of course Leigh Mallory and Sholto Douglas were happy to believe combat reports claiming that German aircraft were being shot down in droves.
Dowding was gracious in crediting his deputy Parks with the Battle of Britain victory. It is our good fortune that we had such outstanding individuals at our finest hour.
@@johnstringer5359 And that Goering was such an incompetent.
Thank you for another great documentary preserving our human history and the life - achievements and efforts - of another excellent person who did his best for Britain and the free world 🙏
Thanks For this Guys! Love your content! Specially british one ❤❤❤❤
Dowding was indeed responsible for Britain defeating the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and remaining free. It is obvious that he was stabbed in the back by Douglas, and Leigh Mallory and probably Douglas Bader. History has shown these three for the back stabbers they were. Had they been able to get rid of Dowding at the start of the battle Germany would have won the battle and invaded England.
remaining free? invaded England?
This level of ignorance is appalling.
_What the World Rejected_
1st off, you are right about our freedom. 2ndly, just seen the bit about Douglas's "strategy" . I am no airman, but why would you attack a plane that has forward guns, but you don't and you can only fire from the rear, that's suicide. Did his head never leave WW1??
Parks was "sidelined" to Malta, where he directed the air battle there to great affect, leading to the defeat of Rommel in Africa...
@@peterflynn9123 That is what it looked like at the time; once again luck had a really good man in the right place at the right time
Another myth; the RAF did not defeat the Luftwaffe. If this defeat was real, who was it that organised thousands of bombing raids over the UK until the end of the war?
I feel so bad that Dowding was put out to pasture in such an inglorious way by jealous subordinates. It can be stated as fact, I believe, that Britain would have lost the battle in summer 1940 without the Dowding System and without Dowding and Keith Parks leadership. I don’t understand how ANYONE could think fighters could fight at night being virtually blind! The worst part is that Dowding huge part in saving Britain wasn’t acknowledged to the general public until so much later.
I certainly think I would have been speaking German as a child of the fifties ( bn '54 )
One of the true heroes of WWII,the most important and competent leader in the Battle of Britain.
Thank you Sir Hugh. The 'Blitz' on London was simply terriffying as I was a young boy at that time.
My mother lived and worked in London all through the war.
After I returned from Vietnam, I recognized that she suffered from PTSD just as much as I do. From then on I have regarded her as just as much a combat veteran as I am. The only difference between us is that she was NOT ALLOWED to shoot back.
Wow! I'm ashamed to admit I'd never heard of this great unsung, epic hero. May he and all the brave. And noble souls of that time rest in peace. And thanks for giving due credit to my Czechoslovak county men for the part they played. Respect!
A brilliant leader who foresaw the battles in the air to come. A true British hero whose memory should be cherished.
Saw a 20 minute video on the Mosquito by a guy called "The Fat Electrician" on TH-cam, who I don't work for or get anything from for saying this, and he, as an American, was a big fan of Dowding. He does a lot of US centric war stuff in a funny, informative way. Dowding was treated very shabbily. Backstabbing juniors, politicians and rivals Glad he's recognised properly now.
Interesting how an officer with undistiguished leadership at lower levels could bloom into a brilliant leader. He found his niche at a crucial time
My word, what a fantastic documentary on such a great man. Whenever his name is mentioned, I see Laurence Olivier in the Battle of Britain movie, where his dour outlook summed him up succinctly.
The man was responsible for Great Britain to date still being on the worldmap.
Dowding earned all the awards and rewards, for his outstanding service.
Leigh Mallory tried to take credit for battle of Britain, but Churchill happened to be in Keith Parks control room on the big day. Churchill rejected Leigh Mallory’s report and made sure Dowding and Park got the credit.
Douglas was such a fool ! Imagine sponsoring a plane that involves flying in front of enemy guns just to fire back. I mean come on what Dowding had to put up with Jesus 😂
But good as the first night fighter.
Not only was he a fool but a sly bastard as well, along with that other nonentity Leigh-Mallory who both conspired to blacken Dowding's name to anyone in authority. Sir Charles Portal should have put both of them firmly in their places as Chief of Air Staff, but he didn't more bloody fool him.
You can’t fix stupid
As a NZer,always proud of Dowding - and Keith Park,ofc. And,as others have said here,they really got stitched up.
And,as far as I'm concerned,that's on Churchill.
Yes Churchill does not come out of this very well at all, I think Dowding miffed him when he refused to send any more fighters to be lost in France. France was as far as I'm concerned Churchill's blind spot.
@@samrodian919 thanks for the info.I wasn't aware of that.
Another kiwi here who is very proud of Dowding.
@@brentfairlie9159 we all should be.
Churchill was NOT the author of Dowding's dismissal. The main culprits were Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Sholto Douglas and the chiefs of the air staff, Cyril Newhall followed to a lesser degree by Charles Portal.
After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from Dowding's replacement & nemesis Sholto Douglas, in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE.
On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was actually a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?”
But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
The right man at the right time.
A very far sighted military officer. British citizens should be thankful.🇬🇧
I always have been!
I am - also despise the backstabbers who ratfucked him
What a guy. Totally an unsung hero and I am ashamed that I never knew his name until now. I wouldn't mind but we did the second world war at GSCE. We should have been taught this.
And what does that tell you about how history has treated great men like Hugh Dowding?
We should never forget how much England and Britain generally owed him.
Great documentary for a great man. How he was treated by Churchill and his piers was an absolute disgrace and a stain on the UK which still remains today. Hugh Dowding designed and implemented the Home Chain defense system that was the first of its kind in the world. Sophisticated and It integrated various sources of information onto one simple command picture. Churchill wanted to throw all our fighters into the Battle of France. Dowding cautioned against this reckless decision (one of Churchill's many). Eventually in a meeting Dowding had to resort to a simple resource over time chart showing Fighter numbers vs weeks. Clearly showing that we would have zero fighters left within a few weeks at this rate of loss in France. Churchill, did not forget this incident and took it as a slight to his childish pride. Nobody wanted the job of fighter command initially as It seemed the RAF would fail. However, when it was clear that Dowdings strategies were actually winning the Battle of Britain, the glory hunters came out of the shadows. Dowding was replaced and sent to the USA out of the way. His replacement Sholto Douglas Implementing the disastrous "Big Wing" strategy and promoted by Bader, Mallory and himself, It proved to be a failure costing pilots lives. All three claimed that the "Big Wing" was a success (they would wouldn't they) after the battle. However later sources show that it failed. Indeed this was confirmed in an interrogation of Herman Goering when he stated that this change of tactic greatly encouraged them as their kill rate rose up significantly. Its good to see the truth finally coming out.
Got any spare paragraphs?
After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from a different author, in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE.
On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?”
But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Well said.
Another Great Scot born in Scotland and educated in Scotland what a great man he was!
My paternal grandfather served in the RAF from 1917 through 1947. He started as an apprentice aircraft repairer, and retired as a Group Captain. For most of WW-2 he served in Egypt and the British mandate of Palestine.
we would have lost WWII without him, 10 times over.
Lest We Forget
@SurvivethePoleShift Dowding was brilliant, but losing the War is a stretch.
Excellent….Dowding was certainly a hero of WW 2. Thank God he was available.
great documentary, thank you!
Can just imagine how WW2 would have gone if they had disbanded the RAF after WW1.
It would have been short!
Britain used the black man's anti aircraft tactics
Had he not paid for his initial flying lessons himself, Dowding could have been just another artillery officer in WWI.
Very detailed and well done. I’m glad that late in his life, this man spoke up for the humane treatment of animals in Parliament. Thank goodness horses are no longer used in war and animals are now treated as the precious beings they are.
Even in war, some people will always try to topple the top dog...especially when the top dog is better..
Sir Hugh Dowding deserves uncommon high praise for leading RAF Fighter Command with leading-edge tech- nology & fighter tactics, and uncommon humanity. His fighter pilots loved him, while Churchill cherished his readiness for command.
Dowding saved Great Britain after French generals fled, Britain stood alone, and vengeful German nazis were "taking down names & kicking ass" as they turned English homes to rubble, and transformed family life from joy into starvation and terror.
A military engineer as a grandparent. That explains a few things. Engineers make the best Generals. They know what's important: Preparation, logistics and economy of action.
Without him Britain would have been screwed.
Only delayed. Look at what is happening now to Britain. My G grandfather saw all his mates die in Gallipoli and the Somme.... For what?
@@John-c4r1o For What? To prevent Germany from dominating Europe.
Are we just going to ignore the largest navy in the world?
@@John-c4r1o Gallipoli was a failed campaign, but the the strategic concept was sound. As for what, it was to prevent Germany from dominating Europe.
@@AverageWagie2024 Largest and most powerful are two different matters. Look at what happened when Kido Butai went into the Indian Ocean. The Royal Navy Navy did not have a modern air arm at the time of World War II. As for largest, I am not sure just when the U.S. Navy assumed that role, but it was surely the case by 1943, perhaps 1942.
Dowding and Park the greatest partnership of the 20th century.
its crazy how theres so much untold stories in history that we dont know about
Wide reading is the antidote to that problem. Something that's largely "uncool" nowadays.
'Twas ever thus . A great servant to the British people. R.I.P
“The best defense of the country is the fear of the fighters. If we are strong in fighters we should probably never be attacked in force. If we are moderately strong we shall probably be attacked and the attacks will be bought to a standstill…. If we are weak in fighter strength, the attacks will not be bought to a standstill and the productive capacity of the country will be virtually destroyed”
Sir Hugh Dowding
This man was a genius, we would be under the jack boot if wasn’t for him
, god bless him and the service men & women that made the ultimate sacrifice for our future, we shall never forget them, God bless you all 🙏
Military Genius! So sad his generation did not appreciate him. ❤
Excellent video. Thank you.
Can you make a video about Sultana Hurrem?? Please and one about Ferdinand of Aragon, the Catholic King.❤
Right man. Right place. Exactly the right time.
He was treat like something you would scrape off your shoe by Leigh-Mallory and his cohorts, Sholto Douglas and Bader. Very shoddy behaviour.
While ACM Dowding was indeed a pivotal figure in the pre & early WW2 RAF, he had already had his retirement TWICE postponed, and he was also unfortunately responsible for the RAF Fighter Command's inability to deal with Luftwaffe night bombing of British cities from Late Sept 1940 onwards, which was used by his internal enemies as the lever to have him dismissed.
After the battle of Britain, the British Air Ministry asked ACM Dowding to write an authorised history of the battle of Britain. He duly did so and provided it to the air ministry for their perusal. Such was the internal emnity of some of the RAF "top brass" towards him, that his account was rejected and the Air Ministry commisioned another account from a different author, in which ACM Dowding's name was not mentioned even ONCE.
On reading the finished Document, Churchill, who was a tacit supporter of Hugh Dowding, returned it to the minister for air, Archibald Sinclair annotated with the following comment : “The jealousies and cliquism which have led to the committing of this offence are a discredit to the Air Ministry, and I do not think any other Service Department would have been guilty of such a piece of work. What would have been said if … the Admiralty had told the tale of Trafalgar and left Lord Nelson out of it?”
But Churchill was also aware of the range of powerful figures within the RAF & govt that were arrayed against ACM Dowding, and also that he was LONG overdue for retirement, and so acquiesced to his dismissal and subsequent posting to the US.
From outside, the most common image of Dowding is " the architect of german defeat in the battle of Britain ".
The movie has certainly a major role in this idea, but it is fully founded.
As usual, if you want to be honored during your life you have to apply marketing methods
@gringoloco5989 Yes the movie is a rare example of a war film that got the history largely correct.
Dowding at times was recalcitrant, but for good reason. He was a technocrat, a brilliant organizer and a visionary. Cared about his pilots. I know a bit about the Luftwaffe leaders at that time, and Dowding stood head and shoulders above them all in ability and compassion. Thoroughly deserving of his accolades after death, and a major British warrior of historical fame.
Should use this narrator more often. Soft spoken makes it easier to listen and to fall asleep to 👍
The general idea is to stay awake and take note of whats being said !!!
Thank you for this extremely interesting documentary!!
This is what I've been waiting for.
Could you make a video on George Clemenceau?
A man of exceptional foresight and doggedness. He never was given the recognition he deserved as it appears others sought his deserved glory. Keith Park, whose Group bore the brunt appears similarly subordinated by others. Without these men, the fate of Britain may have been very different.
I'd be interested in you covering the story of Henry Tandey. The most decorated soldier in WWI, who was alleged to have spared Hitlers life on the battlefield. I wonder what became of Mr. Tandey
A true military hero.
And a maverick - one of the best.
Frankly speaking, if it was not for ACM Hugh Dowding (along with his deputies such as AVM Keith Park, etc.) and his determination and persistence in keeping the RAF's Fighter Command working effectively and efficiently from the late 1930s to the early 1940s, the British could be speaking German if the Luftwaffe was not beaten up 🤨.
Well as much as he definitely did, and it cannot be understated how incredibly competent and forward looking he was, the Germans never had the wherewithal to pull off Op Sealion. It would have shortened the war if Hitler had gone ahead with his ‘river crossing’.
@@chrislye8912 Probably true.
@@dennisweidner288 more then probably, what with the home fleet, beach defences and chemical warfare, there is not a cat in hells chance of a beach head. If you look at Op Overlord as an example of how to complete an effective seaborne invasion, we can see the German plans to tow barges over the channel then land them one at a time is at best fanciful, at worst murder…
@@chrislye8912 I tend to agree with you, but then again in 1940, it as seen as very unlikely that the Germans could destroy the French army in a few weeks. Or in 1941 that the Red army could effectively resist the Germans. Or the Japanese could attack Pearl Harbor,
Listening from Mackinac Island Michigan
We shouldn't forget that he approved Barnes Wallis' invention of the bouncing bomb that was used in the Dambusters Raid and organised the operation. That was one of my favourite childhood films as was the Battle of Britain. What a great man!
There can be no doubt that Dowding was the proper officer to meet and defeat the NAZI, Goring, who had an over-inflated opinion. The RAF was a bureaucratic organisation. Dowding had to fight on two fronts. He succeeded in both.
Lived for 30 years after his retirement. A life well lived.
The battle of Britain without his oversite would have been a disaster for Britain and the war overall, this man was obviously not a petty person as some around him were.
He most certainly did not get the recognition he so deserved, later yes, but not at the time.
I guess I don't know much about the history of Hugh Dowding; however from the short documentary about his life I would he was a real hero of the Battle of Britton. The only thing I wish is that my country had supplied more pilots to help our brethern in England during this crucial time.
Fantastic video
Nelson, Marlborough, Wellington, Henry V...Dowding take your place sir. And if you became a spiritualist later I only hope you can feel that which gladdens the heart of every man that understands you, your story and what you gave this island. I hope you found your own Chain Home ❤❤
Land sea and air. Wellington, Nelson, and Dowding.
Nobody would argue that Dowding won WW2 but on the other hand he did make possible the eventual victory. The point being that losing the Battle of Britain would have resulted in overall defeat. Churchill was right and so too The King. Let’s not dwell on those within who opposed them. The lessons are that teamwork is essential. No better example of that than the work of Mountbatten and others in achieving Combined Operations. We are stronger together.
A very great man!
Amazing video. Would love to see you cover Adrian Carton de Wiart 'The Unkillable Soldier'
Leigh-Mallory was a snake in the grass who with others, doctored data to support his arguments . Dowsing was a real hero and deserved much greater recognition.
Stillvery under-rated as far as I'm concerned.
1 hell of a great leader God love and bless him
It is normal for people who have achieved so much to be accepted by their peers. It is now more than 80 years since Britain stood alone against the Mighty Nazi Germany, but surely, Sir Hugh Dowding saved them. Of Course the "So few" were quite a lot of airman, and ground crew, it was Dowding who had built up this "Armada"!
YOU CANNOT SEPERATE DOWDINGS EXCELLENT ACHIEVEMENTS , FROM THAT OF KEITH PARK, THE BRILLIANT NEW ZEALANDER'S SKILLS, OF ORGANISATION. AND PLANNING.
Yes you can, you just need to read more on the subject.
Hugh is the man! Not sure about the apparitions! Very sure about the first analogue communications network and his ability to argue with Chirchill (just a little not a lot)!
No Dowding; No Britain
i bet if they came back , they would think their efforts were for nothing
And, I suppose, so to would Adolf et al., maybe even "Uncle Joe" too ...
I don't know.... to have lived in a UK without death camps in the Cotswolds, Pennines and Scottish Highlands, and no SS einsatzgruppen stalking the shires for the last 80 years is a pretty good result in my book. Maybe you feel differently about it.
I’m always fascinated by military forces of different countries that didn’t immediately grasp the power of the recently invented airplane.
Dowding was a hero. Mallory , Bader and co were the villans. Its not surprising that jealousy brings out the worst in people.
Without him we would be speaking German now. It also proves that the gift of the gab is not worth a light.
And then they got rid of him. Great work.
The Battle of England could be lost withut the great experience and courage of Polish Pilots.
Dream on.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 I'm not dreaming. It's true.
@@virginiawolf6431 Don't talk nonsense. Luftwaffe loses over 1700 aircraft during the battle of Britain for which 303 squadron contributed 45 kills, 302 Sqd contributed 5 kills and Czech 310 Sqd contributed 13¾ kills.
The valiant Poles and Czechs made a small but highly regarded contribution to the victory in the battle of Britain, but stop talking nonsense about how "they saved Britain" they didn't.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Ils sont intervenu dans le moment crucial de la Bataille d'Angleterre a presque failli, faute des pilotes anglais expérimentés. De plus la maintenance au sol des appareils accidentés par des mécaniciens Polonais était brillante et plus rapide que celle British.
@@virginiawolf6431 Your first point has some validity but again your second point is complete baseless nonsense.
A real thinker surrounded by dafties .
Dowding's accomplishments speak for themselves. Had he not been in the position he was in Britain may well have lost the Battle of Britain and been invaded by Germany. Both he and Park were shamefully treated at the end of the battle. It is my understanding that the statue of him had to be paid for by his former pilots. Scholto Douglas and Leigh Mallory both tried to take credit for his accomplishments and those of Park.
Dowsing had his pilots back...❤
Cometh the hour,cometh the man.
per Lord hardthrasher Hugh dowding ''spent years setting up a spendid shiny new woodchipper while free of fingerprints and blood splatters ,would quite soon get quite the workout.''....
Scotland. The Texas of Great Britain. Don't mess with Scots.😮
At 17:00 please correct the dates of Churchill's service.
The true winner of the Battle of Britain . Don't forget how involved he was in building the air force for that purpose. Selection of planes. The observer corp & radar system.
It just goes to prove every military man shouldnt be a "Yes" man