Originally Posted by
Ddraig Goch
Thanks for the link JetSetJimbo, a very interesting hour and a half. I was glad to hear someone sticking up for Dowding - he was badly treated by the Churchill and the RAF hierarchy
Without his foresight things could or would have turned out far differently
Dowding and Park paid the price for being 'right' and not allowing themselves to be swerved from the only way it had to be done.
They grasped the new technology way ahead of their time and coupled with their previous military experience used it to the best advantage. That they did this with fewer resources than planned for and with an enemy only 10 minutes away was so ahead of the current game it was nothing short of genius. Dowding had been under constant attack (from the rear) but knew what was needed and probably wished he could have put 12 group under Parks overall control at the time, but LM was playing the politic game at full throttle and the situation was to serious for Dowding to get involved with that side of things. Once the 'invasion crisis' was averted the 'politic players' could do their rewrite of history without the 'facts' getting in the way. To be fair to the 68 film it does go some way to exposing this, and of course Park eventually was sent to Malta and sorted that situation out.