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.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Big Wing canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

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 ⓘ
Supermarine Spitfire ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Duxford Wing ⓘ
associatedWith Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory ⓘ
No. 12 Group RAF ⓘ
RAF Fighter Command ⓘ
Squadron Leader Douglas Bader ⓘ
linked to: Douglas Bader
baseOfOperations RAF Duxford ⓘ
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 ⓘ
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 ⓘ
operationalChallenge coordination of multiple squadrons ⓘ
operationalGoal to engage enemy before they reached targets ⓘ
opposedBy Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding ⓘ
linked to: Hugh Dowding

Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park ⓘ
primaryPurpose interception of enemy air raids ⓘ
proponent Douglas Bader ⓘ
Trafford Leigh-Mallory ⓘ
scale typically three to five squadrons ⓘ
serviceBranch Royal Air Force Fighter Command ⓘ
tacticType fighter formation tactic ⓘ
mass fighter interception ⓘ
targetedForce Luftwaffe bomber formations ⓘ
Luftwaffe fighter escorts ⓘ
usedBy Royal Air Force ⓘ
usedDuring 1940 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.