WWII: The Battle of Britain | Memories of 'Britain's finest hour'
News Report | Air Battle off Dover
BBC reporter Charles Gardner comments live on a dogfight over the Channel.
CHANNEL | Home Service
FIRST BROADCAST | 14 July 1940
DURATION | 7 minutes 27 seconds
FIRSTBROADCAST
1940
Synopsis
This report on an encounter between RAF Hurricanes and Luftwaffe Junkers caused controversy among listeners when it was broadcast the next day. The correspondent's tone was thought to be unsuitable as he appeared to get carried away with excitement at being in the right place at the right time with recording equipment to hand.
Did you know?
Unfortunately, the German pilot that Gardner thought he had spotted bailing out and landing in the sea was actually RAF Pilot Officer Michael Mudie, who died of his injuries the following day. In this particular dogfight, three Hurricanes were attempting to deal with over 40 German aircraft.
Read the listener survey report on this broadcast.
Read Charles Gardner's 'London Calling' article about the RAF.
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