Dowding, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh

Dowding, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh (1882–1970),C-in-C of British Fighter Command which fought the battle of Britain.

A regular officer in the Royal Artillery, Dowding ended the First World War as a brigadier-general in the Royal Flying Corps, and was commissioned into the newly formed RAF. By 1936 he was C-in-C of the new Fighter Command where he spent the next four years preparing the UK's air defences which included improved communications and the erection of the vital chain of radar stations around the southern coasts of England.

After doggedly resisting the dispersal of his precious fighter squadrons during the Norwegian campaign and in the fighting which preceded the fall of France, Dowding, in July 1940, delayed his retirement till October at the request of the Chief of Air Staff. It was as well he did, for the RAF was soon faced with a critical fight for air superiority which the Germans had to have if they were to invade (see SEALION). Though the battle of Britain was fought tactically by the Fighter Groups, and by the radar operators who guided them to their targets, no one understood better than Dowding how to command this intricate and delicate form of defence. It was his tight control of the battle and his careful husbanding of his resources, both human and technical, that enabled his fighter pilots—his ‘chicks’ as he called them—to win the day.

Nevertheless, Dowding and his strategy had their detractors, and his aloof personality perhaps attracted criticism. One of his Fighter Group commanders, Leigh-Mallory (No. 12 Group), was not a Dowding admirer, while another, Park (No. 11 Group), was, and these two clashed over the employment of the ‘Big Wing’ tactics (see fighters, 2) Leigh-Mallory espoused. Dowding said later he was at first unaware of this dispute and he certainly did nothing to settle it. But as one modern commentator has re marked: ‘C-in-Cs have to know. That is what it is all about.’ An air ministry meeting in October 1940 stipulated that ‘Big Wing’ formations could be used ‘in suitable operations over the 11 Group area’, and protests by Dowding and Park were ignored.

Dowding was replaced as C-in-C Fighter Command on 24 November 1940. This was perhaps hastened by Fighter Command's failure during the Coventry raid, but the manner in which it was done, and the fact that he was given no immediate recognition of his achievements, have been roundly criticized ever since. Dowding said he merely had a telephone call saying he was to be relieved immediately, but he was in fact first told by the minister of state for air in a personal interview. He initially refused a request to go to the USA on behalf of the ministry of aircraft production, but was eventually persuaded by Churchill. The visit was not successful, nor was his appointment to the air ministry to scrutinize air establishments, and in July 1942 he retired at his own request.

Nicknamed ‘Stuffy’ from his days at the Staff College, Camberley, Dowding had an austere, withdrawn personality. His vision, necessarily, was a narrow one and he was no politician, but his dedication to his task was total. In 1943 he became Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory, the name of his old Fighter Command Headquarters. He was knighted in 1933. See also air power.

Bibliography

Carver, M. (ed.), The War Lords (London, 1976).
Collier, B. , Leader of the Few (London, 1957).