Big Wing - Big Wing Vs Park's Approach

Big Wing Vs Park's Approach

The Big Wing contrasted with the tactics used by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, the commanding officer of Fighter Command's 11 Group, which was taking the brunt of the Luftwaffe attacks.

Park met the raids with individual squadrons, which he considered to be the most flexible and effective use of his aircraft, particularly in light of the shallow depth of penetration of Britain's airspace by the Germans. He used "hit and run" tactics with an enemy raid potentially being engaged by several squadrons in turn. The tactic had been questioned by many of Park's subordinates, who were appalled by the high loss rates amongst the squadrons of 11 Group. In this battle of attrition they wanted to employ larger formations to provide mutual protection and reduce casualties.

By contrast, Leigh-Mallory, the commander of the neighbouring 12 Group to the north, was a powerful advocate of the Big Wing policy, causing enormous friction in his working relationship with Park. One of Leigh-Mallory's subordinates was the acting leader of 242 (Canadian) Squadron RAF, Douglas Bader, who had flown as part of Keith Park's own Big Wings over Dunkirk just a few weeks earlier. Experience covering the French beaches against air attack had convinced Bader that large formations were essential and with Leigh-Mallory's blessing a special wing was formed at RAF Duxford to try to prove the Big Wing theory. Supported by Duxford station commander Group Captain 'Woody' Woodhall, Baders' 'wing' theory was developed over the next few days, and initially involved three squadrons, No. 242 and No. 310 (Czech) flying Hawker Hurricanes and No. 19 Squadron RAF (based at nearby RAF Fowlmere) flying Supermarine Spitfires.

On 7 September 1940, the "Big Wing" was scrambled operationally for the first time, to patrol North Weald, but the formation arrived late. Bader acknowledged the fact that they were too slow forming up and for the flight to the patrol area the formation was too disjointed. Nevertheless the "Big Wing" claimed 11 enemy aircraft destroyed for the loss of one fighter.

Over a number of days in September 1940, the wing was sent up to try to disrupt the Luftwaffe raiders. The Duxford Big Wing was not an organised and rehearsed military unit, merely an ad-hoc collection of squadrons led by one of Fighter Command's less experienced squadron leaders. Between Leigh-Mallory and Bader there was no planning on how to use a Big Wing nor an assessment of its achievements. On 9 September two more squadrons, the Hurricanes of No 302 (Polish) and the Spitfires of No. 611 Squadron RAF, were allocated to the "Big Wing" and again Park requested protection of the 11 Group airfields. The result was practically a carbon copy of 7 September.

Park himself had experimented with large wings (covering the earlier Dunkirk evacuation) and insisted that they were unwieldy, difficult to manoeuvre into position, and rarely in the right place when needed. 11 Group was closer to the enemy than 12 Group, and Park pointed out that there was insufficient time available over Kent and Sussex for a large formation to gain crucial altitude against the incoming raids. Bader countered by pointing out that his wing could be used as a reserve for 11 Group. Positioned well away from the Luftwaffe bases in France he could be in place at altitude when the wing was needed, providing adequate early warning was given. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, commanding officer of RAF Fighter Command, had put a huge amount of effort in to developing the world's first complete air defence system incorporating the Chain Home radar stations, Royal Observer Corps ground observation posts, telecommunications and information processing. The best early warning possible was provided to 12 Group. Bader further delayed deployment of 12 Group fighters by insisting he lead the Big Wing, in order to do this he had to fly 242 Squadron to Duxford from RAF Coltishall every day. Bader wanted time in order to fly to Duxford, land, take-off again then form a Big Wing, the amount of early warning required for this was extremely unrealistic.

The Duxford Big Wing was also a mix of Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons, the Spitfires were thus delayed as they had to fly and climb at the same speed as the slower Hurricanes.

Bader did not always follow ground control instructions and often flew into 11 Group's area on his own inititative. In order for such a large formation to be successful, not only should it be well planned and rehearsed, but its leadership had to be disciplined within Fighter Command's overall battle plan. That was blatantly disregarded. If Leigh-Mallory had a vested interest in the Big Wing then he had a responsibility to make sure that at least it was organised properly.

This clash of opinions between the 11 and 12 Group commanders was left unresolved by Leigh-Mallory and Park's commander, Dowding. Subsequent events, in which Dowding retired from his post at Fighter Command and Leigh-Mallory was promoted to command Keith Park's group, show that Leigh-Mallory's arguments had the sympathies of the senior echelons of the RAF. These sympathies could have been due to tensions between these senior RAF officers and Dowding rather than any thought on how Britain could be most effectively defended.

In Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend, Leo McKinstry cites sources saying that Dowding was widely criticised after the Battle in RAF reviews of his strategy for keeping the control of 11 and 12 Group resources separate under Park and Leigh-Mallory, instead of uniting them under one command or at least coordinating them as one Group. The effect of this decision was a lack of coordination between 11 and 12 Groups which often meant the aircraft of 11 Group were fully committed, while those of 12 Group sat idle.

A letter by Park in 1968, quoted by McKinstry, illustrates the problem:

According to McInstry in another letter Park wrote at the time he said, "Frankly I was more worried at the lack of cooperation (with Leigh-Mallory), than I was about out-witting the massed German raids."

What has been described as an "even-handed" assessment of the affair was published in the Air Ministry's Air Historical Branch history, written shortly after the battle: "he pity is that a controversy was ever allowed to develop; for far from the two Group commanders representing two contrasting methods of solving one and the same tactical problem they really represented tactics complementary to each other, each of which had a valuable part to play in the common struggle, the more so as together the most economical use of the dangerously limited forces available would have been assured." (Note that this assessment is according to the Air Ministry of which the most senior individuals were involved in using the Big Wing theory as the means to conspire against Dowding. Given this and the personal animosity towards Dowding the Air Ministry view of the Battle of Britain cannot be said to be "even-handed". As first published by the Air Ministry there was no mention of Dowding or Park, it was withdrawn and revised at Winston Churchill's insistence)

Further evidence of this conflict can also be seen in a memo, again cited by McKinstry, which Leigh-Mallory sent to Park during the Battle, "Full explanation required why 11 Group fighters have shot down enemy fighters over 12 Group area." This is more than a little ironic given that 12 Group was expected to bolster defence in 11 Group's area (by shooting enemy planes down) but instead a Big Wing was sent, often to the wrong place causing more disruption to 11 Group's well thought-out plans than to the enemy.