Battle of Britain

American  

noun

1. (in World War II) the series of aerial combats that took place between British and German aircraft during the autumn of 1940 and that included the severe bombardment of British cities.

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Battle of Britain British  

noun

1. from August to October 1940, the prolonged bombing of S England by the German Luftwaffe and the successful resistance by the RAF Fighter Command, which put an end to the German plan of invading Britain

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Example Sentences

A year later, SS-GB envisaged what might have happened if Germany had won the Battle of Britain - beating Robert Harris to the concept of an alternative history novel by 20 years.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, John "Paddy" Hemingway, has died at the age of 105.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2025

A planned fly past by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will no longer take place following death of a pilot in a spitfire crash last month.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2024

Also during the Battle of Britain, they fast-tracked recruits through the process so you can be in the sky I think six months from arriving for basic training.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024

It was before the disastrous May when the Allies fled, retreating to the French beaches, before the siege that was the Battle of Britain, before the thunder and flame-filled nights of the Blitz.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein