The Battle of Britain started on July 10th 1940. It was the beginning of acampaign by the Luftwaffe to destroy the defensive capabilities of BritishFighter Command. The ultimate aim was a sea-based invasion of southernEngland in an operation codenamed Sealion. But it was recognised that airsupremacy was vital if that operation was to succeed.Although there were expectations in Germany for a quick victory, the air campaignlasted for well over two months. The battle went through a series of phases, thatculminated in a major air battle over London and southern England on September15th 1940. That event is still celebrated in Britain as 'Battle of Britain' day. Two dayslater German plans for Operation Sealion were shelved. In a technical sense thebattle continued into a new phase through October 1940, but this simulation endswith the events over London in mid-September.Rowan's Battle of Britain is one of the most ambitious simulations of aerial war everproduced. A player can take the role of a commander on either side of the conflict andcan follow the entire campaign from July 10th to September 15th 1940, or can takepart in one of twenty-eight specially designed individual flying missions. Some of theLuftwaffe's 1,000 aircraft raids are reproduced, affording a unique insight into whatit might have been like flying against, or with, such numbers of aircraft.In 'Campaign' Mode the player can select one of four starting points to enter the airwar. The campaign begins with attacks on British coastal shipping by the Luftwaffe,who then move on to attacking radar installations, coastal facilities and airfields.This is followed by concentrated attacks against the RAF’s major airfields andaircraft factories, which leads on to the final showdown during the 'Blitz' of Londonin September 1940. Players can take the role of a commander dealing with thestrategic overview of the conflict using authentic campaign maps.The specially designed quick-missions take the player from 'Basic Training', whichinvolves starting the engine and learning to take off from a grass strip, to the moreadvanced areas of formation flying and dog-fighting. A number of historic missionsare based on actual engagements, and these culminate in a massive simulation of thefinal raid of the war on September 15th 1940 - Battle of Britain Day.
