Blog replicating Battle of Britain on a daily basis

The summer of 1940 was a dark season for Britain. The Battle of Britain — a pivotal air conflict between Britain and Germany during World War II — was being waged overhead.

In the summer of 2010, that chapter in world history is unfolding again in vivid detail in the Battle of Britain Day by Day blog.

On July 10, 1940, the Battle of Britain began with the German bombing of coastal shipping in the English Channel, triggering a major air battle. Germany's objective was to gain air superiority over Britain's Royal Air Force. It targeted shipping convoys and centers and aircraft factories. Germany's failure to achieve this goal was considered a turning point in the war.

Blogs have become a common way to document current events, but using them to retell history is a novel way to make the past come alive. On the battle's 70th anniversary, the historical Battle of Britain blog (http://battleofbritainblog.com) is tracking its daily progress and setbacks in the form of posts on the corresponding date in what it calls "a part contemporary, part historical record of Britain's finest hour, day by day."

Also in the mix are diary entries from a young pilot officer, John Bisdee of No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, who served in the battle. The entries offer rich details of his everyday life.

The Royal Air Force Museum launched the blog in May with a few occasional posts. The daily posts started in July and will run though Oct. 31 — the date the Battle of Britain officially ended.

In a recent sampling:

"August 2, 1940

"The Luftwaffe attacked a convoy off the East coast and sank a trawler. Fighter Command intercepted several raiders and flew 477 sorties. No victories were claimed but several enemy aircraft were damaged. No RAF planes were lost but one Spitfire was burnt out."

The blogger behind all this is Tony Rudd, with help from Zoe Bagley, a researcher and historian who worked at the RAF Museum in North London, on the site of the Hendon London Aerodrome. Rudd joined the RAF in 1942 and flew as a navigator with the Second Tactical Air Force during the final year of the war.

"The Battle of Britain has always fascinated me,"he writes in the blog. "The Battle itself was remarkable in that the RAF turned out to have the resources in men and material to fight on level terms with the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, which until then had seemed to be invincible. What the RAF did was to prevent Germany knocking us out of the War as they had France. This meant that Britain under Churchill emerged amongst the victors in 1945.

"This year, being the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, there is inevitably going to be considerable publicity about the Battle. What it meant to the British war effort, what it involved in national sacrifice and what the effect was on the outcome of the War. Considering all this and thinking about ways in which a useful contribution could be made to all this, I had the idea of creating a day by day blog.

"It's not often that we can look back on an event in recent history that reflects such credit on those involved who made it possible. Commemorating it with the day to day blog, will, it is hoped, bring back the memories of the amazing drama of that summer of 1940."

In addition to detailed documenting of the battle itself, the blog has sections with photos and background on the planes — the Spitfire and the Hurricane — that helped to win the battle.

There are sections devoted to individual squadrons, commanding officers, airfields and one that singles out the unsung heroes of the war, including the Royal Observer Corps, the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the ground crews.

There are several historical documents, including a moving and inspiring letter from a young RAF pilot written to his mother, which he asked to have delivered to her if he didn't survive.

The blog has sparked plenty of interest in this moment in history, judging by the user comments. One comes from a group of flight-simulator enthusiasts, who are using the "Battle of Britain 2 — Wings of Victory"flight simulation to re-create the daily sorties and skirmishes in tribute to the heroes who originally flew in those missions seven decades ago.

The blog includes links to a number of Battle of Britain-related blogs and Twitter feeds, including the Imperial War Museum's Battle of Britain blog and the official RAF website.

Readers can also follow the daily progress of the posts on Twitter, by RSS feed or e-mail updates.

E-mail Adrian McCoy at amccoy@post-gazette.com