samneanderthal

Hi LeEnfield,
Even the Sworfish had 3 bladed props at this time and like I said, the useless Fairey battle. There were plenty of 3 blade Hurricanes and Spitfires in GB but Dowding decided to send his best pilots with the worst planes (he valued more the planes and the pilots!). If France was a lost cause, he should not have sent the invaluable pilots, but since he sent them he should have provided them with the best weapons.

The French and expeditionary air forces fought quite well, given their inferior planes. Had the best planes been there and more plots, Göring would have lost his 187 Bf-110s in weeks and hundreds of Bf-109s, which would have allowed the inferior planes to wipe out the slow STukas, He-111, Do-17s, etc, There was no shortage of excellent pilots and mediocre planes in France (including Polish pilots, etc,) to wipe out the bombers, there was just a desperate need for Spitsfires and Hurricanes to face the German fighters. Even with the Curtiss H-75 and the even worse MS.406, the French shot down a few Bf-109s.
Dowding made the most basic military mistake, he divided his forces and sent the weakest part to the slaughter while he left the largest number and the best planes in reserve. You either send everything to save Britain and France or don't send anything and leave them all to fight Germany alone. But you don´t sacrifice the best pilots with the worst planes.