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DISC 1 – ASSAULT ON FORTRESS EUROPE – D-DAY Early in the morning of 6th June 1944, a vast and bizarre armada ploughed steadily against stiff head-winds through the rough waters of the English Channel, heading for the Normandy coast. Amongst the 5,000 vessels were many of the best British and American warships, of stupendous collective firepower, also ancient battleships and tankers on their last voyage, destined to be sunk to provide breakwaters. Thousands of the craft had been built to make one journey only and that a short one; to ferry the invading allied forces tougher with their immense diversity of equipment on the last difficult, dangerous stretch from the transports to the shore of enemy-occupied France. It was D-Day. Conceived almost on the shores of Dunkirk, four years planning, two in the organising and one day in the execution, the landing in Normandy was easily the largest and most extraordinary combined military operation ever attempted. It was also a crucial one. Had D-Day failed and at times it came close to it, the western allies would have found it impossible to launch another operation for at least a year, perhaps more and today’s map of Europe might have been very different. DISC 2 – BATTLE OF BRITAIN – THE FIGHT FOR THE SKY With the surrender of France on 22nd June 1940, Britain and her Commonwealth stood alone against the might of the German armed forces. The Army was still recovering from its defeat in France and could offer no real defence against invasion. That Britain had a strategy to meet German threat was due to one man- Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding. Against enormous internal pressure, Dowding had resisted committing the majority of his Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons to the battle of the Continent, knowing that the major battle was yet to come- the Battle for Britain itself. Dowding could now concentrate on his four-point plane of defence:-A fighter strike force of Spitfires and Hurricanes – A superbly flexible radar fighter