Team Edwards commemorates Battle of Britain
By Kenji Thuloweit, 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
/ Published November 15, 2018
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The United Kingdom Joint Strike Fighter Test and Evaluation Squadron here at Edwards hosted the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Night at Club Muroc Nov. 9. Patrons were treated to dinner and beverages to commemorate the World War II battle, which lasted July 10 to October 31, 1940.
After a social hour, attendees from around base sat down and listened to heroic stories from the battle spoken by both American and RAF servicemembers.
Airmen from RAF’s No. 17 Squadron based at Edwards hosted the esprit de corps event. The squadron conducts operational test and evaluation of the U.K.’s version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. They are a member of the Joint Operational Test Team. The squadron is responsible for bringing the U.K.’s first fifth-generation combat air platform into Royal Navy and Royal Air Force frontline service.
According to RAF Museum, the Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces; the British in the defensive were mainly using fighter aircraft, the Germans used a mixture of bombers with fighter protection. It was the largest and most sustained bombing campaign attempted up until that date. The failure of Nazi Germany to destroy Britain's air defence or to break British morale is considered its first major setback in WWII.
During the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the RAF fighter of the battle, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the German Air Force, according to the RAF Museum.
According to its website, the RAF is the oldest independent air force in the world and turned 100 years old April 1, 2018.
You can read more about the Battle of Britain here.