Much of the Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over southern England in what became known as the 'Spitfire summer'. In June and July German bombers began attacking convoys off the south coast and making raids on the ports of Dover and Plymouth. The RAF’s 700 or so Spitfire and Hurricane fighters were outnumbered at the start but Britain had several advantages. Its radar was then the most advanced early warning system in the world, the Spitfire was a very effective fighter plane and British industry had the ability to manufacture more planes at an astonishing rate.
