The General Post Office 

In comparison to the Luftwaffe, the RAF had fewer aircraft and, with the exception of the Hurricane and Spitfire, many of the types in use were inferior to their German counterparts. This has often been used to suggest that a hopelessly outnumbered RAF overcame the might of the Luftwaffe.

While this view has been widely publicised it is not strictly true. In Britain the integration of the Services with civilian Commands and organisations counteracted this numerical superiority. In the two years before the outbreak of war Britain's defensive structure had been transformed into a formidable obstacle to any invasion. That this was never appreciated by Hitler, and in particular by the overconfident Göring, became apparent.

The Chain Home system of radio direction finding, in conjunction with the Observer Corps and their input into the Dowding system, and the German High Command's total inability to appreciate its value, was a major factor in deciding the final outcome of the battle.

However, the whole reporting system of information being transmitted to the Filter and Operations Rooms and the subsequent orders to the sector stations and squadrons was totally reliant on the civilian telephone system and the power that supplied it.

From the beginning of August when the main attacks were directed towards the airfields, these came under increasing strain as telephone and power lines were cut or badly disrupted. Had it not been for the dedicated sense of duty of Post Office and electrical engineers, often working round the clock in highly dangerous situations, Britain would have been blind.

It is therefore surprising that this reliance was not exploited by the Luftwaffe by targeting power stations and electrical supply installations The chaos that would have resulted within a very short period of time would have been apparent to the Luftwaffe High Command.

The consequences are easy to imagine. Without being able to receive and evaluate information on incoming enemy aircraft or the ability direct fighters onto them, the whole RDF system would have been impotent. Similarly, the Observer Corps would not have been able to report sightings or Operations Rooms to establish the status of the front line fighter stations. In short, the battle would have been lost.