Big Wing
E828154
Big Wing was a World War II Royal Air Force fighter tactic that involved massing large formations of fighters to intercept enemy raids, most notably during the Battle of Britain.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Royal Air Force fighter tactic
ⓘ
World War II military tactic ⓘ |
| advantageClaimed |
greater protection of targets
ⓘ
higher kill ratios ⓘ |
| aircraftUsed |
Hawker Hurricane
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Supermarine Spitfire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Duxford Wing NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
No. 12 Group RAF NERFINISHED ⓘ RAF Fighter Command NERFINISHED ⓘ Squadron Leader Douglas Bader NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| baseOfOperations | RAF Duxford NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characteristic |
attempt to engage enemy with numerical superiority
ⓘ
concentration of multiple squadrons ⓘ large formations of fighters ⓘ |
| commandStructure | controlled by No. 12 Group RAF ⓘ |
| conflict |
Battle of Britain
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
World War II ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
late interception of enemy raids
ⓘ
leaving some areas undefended ⓘ slow assembly time ⓘ |
| developedIn | 1940 ⓘ |
| doctrinalOpposition | small, flexible squadron-level interceptions ⓘ |
| doctrineDebate | centralized control vs local defense ⓘ |
| geographicFocus | southern and eastern England ⓘ |
| historicalAssessment | remains controversial among historians ⓘ |
| historicalContext | developed during Luftwaffe daylight bombing offensive ⓘ |
| influenced | postwar RAF fighter tactics debates ⓘ |
| legacy | example of massed fighter employment in air defense ⓘ |
| notablePeriodOfUse | late phase of the Battle of Britain ⓘ |
| notableTheatre | Battle of Britain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| operationalChallenge | coordination of multiple squadrons ⓘ |
| operationalGoal | to engage enemy before they reached targets ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose | interception of enemy air raids ⓘ |
| proponent |
Douglas Bader
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Trafford Leigh-Mallory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| scale | typically three to five squadrons ⓘ |
| serviceBranch | Royal Air Force Fighter Command NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| tacticType |
fighter formation tactic
ⓘ
mass fighter interception ⓘ |
| targetedForce |
Luftwaffe bomber formations
ⓘ
Luftwaffe fighter escorts ⓘ |
| usedBy | Royal Air Force ⓘ |
| usedDuring | 1940 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.