Hitler has called an emergency council with top German commanders, to decide whether to continue with Operation Sea Lion, planned invasion of Britain.
Hitler: "The efforts of the Luftwaffe are beyond praise- but we cannot bring England to her knees. We must be sure of successful invasion."
Operation Sea Lion is scheduled for 17 September, before autumn storms begin. By then, the Royal Air Force must be destroyed- next 3 days are Hitler's last hope for invasion of Britain.
Over a thousand Luftwaffe planes are heading towards Britain- Göring's "final, titanic stroke". 500 bombers threatening London will force RAF into air for destruction by 620 fighter planes. 
For weeks, UK Fighter Command has carefully limited number of planes it risks in air combat- Germans now believe RAF has less than 100 fighter planes left. Real figure: 802.
Churchill is visiting Fighter Command- who have scrambled every RAF squadron to fight off the Germans. There are no reserves.
Luftwaffe gunner Hans Zonderlind: "Hurricanes coming towards us, hundreds of them- we've been told that English fighters were close to extinction!"
For 1st time, RAF are trying "Big Wing" tactics, sending 5 squadrons of fighters in single group to smash Luftwaffe. Flight Lt. Bob Oxspring: "This is great! It must be devastating for the Germans to see that lot coming in all at once."
Hundreds of dogfights raging across southern England & London. One German Dornier, shot out of the air, crashes near Victoria Station:
RAF pilot Ray "Arty" Holmes has brought down an enemy bomber over London- by ramming it with his own plane. More: bbm.org.uk/the-airmen-sto…
After chaos of colossal air battle, last German planes are straggling back to airfields in France- southern England littered with wrecks & bombcraters, sky with contrails.
Hitler has summoned top German generals to discuss invasion of Britain; despite Luftwaffe's efforts, enemy air force not wiped out. Weather unpromising. Operation "Sea Lion" is now indefinitely postponed.
Hitler's focus is already shifting to an attack on the Soviet Union: "I want colonies I can walk to without getting my feet wet... & we would never convince the people to invade Russia, once we had conquered England."
