Few stories in history have held as much fascination as that of the Battle of Britain. The idea of ​​the RAF fighting against the might and might of the Luftwaffe, and winning, captured the imagination of several generations. Yet few people know who the man responsible for this victory actually was. Most of the time, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is portrayed as the man who saved Britain. To a certain extent, this is true. If Churchill had not upheld the morale of the British people and refused to give in to Germany, the battle would have been lost. But the man who really stopped the Germans from taking over Britain was Air Chief Field Marshal Hugh Dowding. Not only did he win the battle, but he most likely saved the free world. Dowding won the battle through his support and use of radar, his insistence on a powerful fighter force instead of a bomber force, and his brilliant and revolutionary defensive tactics. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding was born in Scotland in 1882. He was a taciturn, formal, stubborn and opinionated old widower. These traits earned him the nickname “Stuffy” Dowding. Although he seemed gruff and unsentimental, he truly cared about the well-being of his fighter pilots, often referring to them as "my girls". (Corda 17). He knew without a doubt that war was indeed coming, and soon. He was determined to be ready and knew that fighter planes were the key to preventing a massive bomber attack. This stubborn adherence to the belief that it would in fact be fighters, not bombers, that would be crucial to Britain's defense led to tensions with his fellow Air Board officers. Dowding was not the nicest of people. His relationship with the other Air Neck commanders...... middle of paper...... war, Baldwin was not going to stand idly by and get beaten up. He was going to prepare defensive measures in case of attack. He was willing to listen to what Dowding told him was needed, namely more fighter planes. The practicality of combat aircraft also had to be taken into account. Fighters were much cheaper to manufacture than bombers, allowing more planes to be made for the same amount of money. In this way, Baldwin could signal to any political opposition that he was indeed making an effort to prepare in the event of war. This political maneuver proved invaluable in winning the Battle of Britain. Dowding's instructions to his fighter pilots were not to engage the Germans in major air battles. He knew that if his fighters attempted to attack the Germans head-on, with full force, the resulting loss of fighters would negate any losses inflicted on the Germans...