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The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was an air fighting tactic proposed during the
The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was an air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
by 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, (11 July 1892 – 14 November 1944) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. Leigh-Mallory served as a Royal Flying Corps pilot and squadron commander during the First World War. Remaining in th ...
and Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...
. In essence, the tactic involved meeting incoming Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
bombing raids in strength with a wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
-shaped formation of three to five squadrons. In the Battle, this tactic was employed by the Duxford Wing, under Bader's command.
The name "Balbo" refers to Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Italian Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian ...
, an Italian air force officer and fascist political leader famous for leading large formations of aircraft on long distance flights before the war.
See also
*British military history of World War II
The military history of the United Kingdom in World War II covers the Second World War against the Axis powers, starting on 3 September 1939 with the declaration of war by the United Kingdom and France, followed by the UK's Dominions, Crow ...
References
NotesFurther reading
* * Bungay, Steven. ''The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain''. (Aurum Press, 2001). * Davison, Martin and Taylor, James.''Spitfire Ace: Flying the Battle of Britain''. (Pan Books, 2004). *. * Dixon, Jack. Dowding & Churchill. (Pen and Sword Books, 2008) * Fisher, David E. ''A Race On The Edge Of Time''. New York, Athena Books 1989 . * James, T.C.G.''The Battle of Britain. Royal Air Force Official Histories, Air Defence of Great Britain, vol2''. (Frank Cass, 2000) * * * Ray, John. ''The Battle of Britain: Dowding and the First Victory, 1940'' (aka ''The Battle of Britain: New Perspectives''). (Cassell, 2000). * Sarkar, Dilip. ''Bader's Duxford Fighters: The Big Wing Controversy''. (Victory Books International, 2006). * Turner, John Frayn. ''The Bader Wing''. (Pen and Sword Books, 2007). Aerial warfare tactics Battle of Britain {{UK-mil-stub