Battle of Britain Bunker: Difference between revisions
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The Bunker is located at RAF Uxbridge, not far from Uxbridge town centre and Uxbridge underground station. |
The Bunker is located at RAF Uxbridge, not far from Uxbridge town centre and Uxbridge underground station. |
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| ⚫ | As the location of No.11 Group's Operations Room, The Battle of Britain Bunker was one of the key parts of the world's first Integrated Air Defence System. Often known as the "[[Battle of Britain#The Dowding System|Dowding system]]" (after Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command at the time of installation), the system linked Fighter Command with Anti-Aircraft Command, Barrage Balloon Command, the Observer Corps, Chain Home Radio Direction Finding (radar), and the intelligence services. Under the system, these organisations worked together for the first time in order to achieve one goal: the successful defence of the UK's airspace. |
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| ⚫ | No.11 Group was an important part of the system for several reasons: Firstly, as one of four group headquarters, No.11 Group's Operations Controller was responsible for making key decisions that would effect the outcomes of aerial battles - how many fighter aircraft to scramble, which type of aircraft, which squadrons to use, when to scramble them, where to scramble them from, where to scramble them to, etc. Secondly and also due to its role as a group headquarters, No.11 Group was responsible for organising and coordinating the activities of seven sector stations at which its fighter squadrons were based - RAFs Kenley, North Weald, Debden, Biggin Hill, Tangmere, Hornchurch and Northolt. And thirdly, the Bunker and it's Operations Room were the prototypes by which the other three group headquarters (No.10 Group, RAF Box; No.12 Group, RAF Watnall; No.13 Group, RAF Newcastle) were planned and constructed. |
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| ⚫ | The Operations Room displayed various pieces of information in different ways, which the controller would then use in order to make his important decisions. The location of both enemy and friendly aircraft formations was displayed using numbered blocks on a map table. The current activities of No.11 Group's squadrons e.g. "At Standby", "Enemy Sighted", "Ordered to Land", etc. were displayed on a "tote" board using a series of lights. Current weather conditions at No.11 Group's sector stations were indicated with a system of coloured discs. And the passage of time was tracked using a coordinated system of clock and coloured indicators. All information was received from either Fighter Command headquarters or the sector stations via telephone. |
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==History of the Battle of Britain Bunker== |
==History of the Battle of Britain Bunker== |
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The bunker finally became operational on 25th August 1939, just 10 days before the outbreak of the Second World War on 3rd September. |
The bunker finally became operational on 25th August 1939, just 10 days before the outbreak of the Second World War on 3rd September. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | As the location of No.11 Group's Operations Room, The Battle of Britain Bunker was one of the key parts of the world's first Integrated Air Defence System. Often known as the "[[Battle of Britain#The Dowding System|Dowding system]]" (after Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command at the time of installation), the system linked |
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| ⚫ | No.11 Group was an important part of the system for several reasons: Firstly, as one of four group headquarters, No.11 Group's Operations Controller was responsible for making key decisions that would effect the outcomes of aerial battles - how many fighter aircraft to scramble, which type of aircraft, which squadrons to use, when to scramble them, where to scramble them from, where to scramble them to, etc. Secondly and also due to its role as a group headquarters, No.11 Group was responsible for organising and coordinating the activities of seven sector stations at which its fighter squadrons were based - RAFs Kenley, North Weald, Debden, Biggin Hill, Tangmere, Hornchurch and Northolt. And thirdly, the Bunker and it's Operations Room were the prototypes by which the other three group headquarters (No.10 Group, RAF Box; No.12 Group, RAF Watnall; No.13 Group, RAF Newcastle) were planned and constructed. |
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| ⚫ | The Operations Room displayed various pieces of information in different ways, which the controller would then use in order to make his important decisions. The location of both enemy and friendly aircraft formations was displayed using numbered blocks on a map table. The current activities of No.11 Group's squadrons e.g. "At Standby", "Enemy Sighted", "Ordered to Land", etc. were displayed on a "tote" board using a series of lights. Current weather conditions at No.11 Group's sector stations were indicated with a system of coloured discs. And the passage of time was tracked using a coordinated system of clock and coloured indicators. All information was received from either Fighter Command headquarters or the sector stations via telephone. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 11:40, 14 February 2011
The Battle of Britain Bunker is an underground operations room at RAF Uxbridge, formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command and Air Defence of Great Britain during the Second World War. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from there throughout the War but most notably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day. Today it is run by the Royal Air Force as a Force Development asset, but can also be visited by the general public as a heritage attraction with attached museum.
The Bunker is located at RAF Uxbridge, not far from Uxbridge town centre and Uxbridge underground station.
Integrated Air Defence/The Dowding System
As the location of No.11 Group's Operations Room, The Battle of Britain Bunker was one of the key parts of the world's first Integrated Air Defence System. Often known as the "Dowding system" (after Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command at the time of installation), the system linked Fighter Command with Anti-Aircraft Command, Barrage Balloon Command, the Observer Corps, Chain Home Radio Direction Finding (radar), and the intelligence services. Under the system, these organisations worked together for the first time in order to achieve one goal: the successful defence of the UK's airspace.
No.11 Group was an important part of the system for several reasons: Firstly, as one of four group headquarters, No.11 Group's Operations Controller was responsible for making key decisions that would effect the outcomes of aerial battles - how many fighter aircraft to scramble, which type of aircraft, which squadrons to use, when to scramble them, where to scramble them from, where to scramble them to, etc. Secondly and also due to its role as a group headquarters, No.11 Group was responsible for organising and coordinating the activities of seven sector stations at which its fighter squadrons were based - RAFs Kenley, North Weald, Debden, Biggin Hill, Tangmere, Hornchurch and Northolt. And thirdly, the Bunker and it's Operations Room were the prototypes by which the other three group headquarters (No.10 Group, RAF Box; No.12 Group, RAF Watnall; No.13 Group, RAF Newcastle) were planned and constructed.
The Operations Room displayed various pieces of information in different ways, which the controller would then use in order to make his important decisions. The location of both enemy and friendly aircraft formations was displayed using numbered blocks on a map table. The current activities of No.11 Group's squadrons e.g. "At Standby", "Enemy Sighted", "Ordered to Land", etc. were displayed on a "tote" board using a series of lights. Current weather conditions at No.11 Group's sector stations were indicated with a system of coloured discs. And the passage of time was tracked using a coordinated system of clock and coloured indicators. All information was received from either Fighter Command headquarters or the sector stations via telephone.
History of the Battle of Britain Bunker
Construction
Following excavations in 1938, the Bunker was constructed between February and August 1939 with the express intention of housing the No.11 Group (Fighter Command) Operations Room. Their previous Operations Room had been in an above ground building at RAF Uxbridge, but following the Munich Crisis of September 1938 and with the spectre of war on the horizon, the RAF began work on a protected underground alternative. The Bunker was built by McAlpines, a civilian company, but its construction was to remain top secret to avoid the plans falling into enemy hands.
The floor of the Bunker is located 60ft below ground and is accessed by a staircase of over 70 steps. All utilities into and out of the building - electricity, water, telephone lines, sewage - are carried along pipes down this staircase. The walls, floor and ceiling are approximately 1 metre thick and are made of concrete with waterproof lining. The solid concrete walls and the approximately 30ft of earth above the Bunker's ceiling meant that no bomb of the period could penetrate it.
A ventilation and air filtration system was installed to provide an air supply to the Operations Room staff. The "forced air" system had the additional benefit of creating greater atmospheric pressure inside the bunker than outside, meaning that gas could not penetrate the building in the event of a chemical attack. The original system still exists and functions well enough to continue ventilating the bunker.
The bunker finally became operational on 25th August 1939, just 10 days before the outbreak of the Second World War on 3rd September.