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Glite Dictionary
Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain

3 5.3
A long air fight in World War II when German planes attack British cities and fight Britain's air force
  • proper noun
translation icon : Batalla de Gran Bretaña
  • It was from this room in Bentley Priory that all RAF commands during the Battle of Britain were made.

The, the, for example, the, the, the top scoring ace of a Polish Air Force fighting in Battle of Britain.

Examples

  • During the Battle of Britain, he issued the following message:

    Academic text (1997)

  • The Battle of Britain had raged all summer and into the autumn.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Basically, speed won the Battle of Britain.

    Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)

  • The Battle of Britain is about to begin.

    Spitfire (2018)

  • Remember the Battle of Britain!

    Britannia Hospital (1982)

  • Seen from the British side, this suggests that the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 was a turning point.

    Academic text (1993)

  • I think, for most of the pilots on the flight, this one holds a particular place in their hearts because, of course, we grew up with the legend of the Battle of Britain.

    Spitfire (2018)

  • Instead of the story of the Battle of Britain, we have to follow a group of young people learning to fly a Spitfire and see who makes it.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Many of these individuals were trained as pilots in the Canadian Air Force, then shipped to England in 1940 to join the Royal Air Force and fly Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The Battle of Britain was a critical event during World War II, as the Royal Air Force defended the UK against German air raids.

Surface Forms

Battle of Britain main

Morphology

battle + of + Britain

The compound follows the regular 'battle of X' composition so a learner who knows 'battle' and 'Britain' will infer it refers to a military conflict involving Britain; this pattern is cross-linguistically common and thus easily derivable. Although the exact historical detail (the 1940 aerial campaign) is not predictable from the parts, the core referential meaning is transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Battle of Britain was the name given in 1940 to the heavy fights between German and British planes over the country. The image of a large battle fought in the sky above Britain helps explain why this long series of air fights is called a 'battle' today.