It is 1941. The expected continuation of the Battle of Britain has not occurred. Instead, the Luftwaffe scraps its daylight attacks altogether to concentrate on night raids. Thus, Fighter Command has been completely sidestepped and has, in effect, very little to do.

Lord Trenchard, however, sees this as an opportunity and advocates an offensive policy of what he calls 'leaning into France'. This means inflicting pressure on the Luftwaffe, pushing them onto the defensive. This new RAF campaign began tentatively with small raids at the start of the year. However, it was the arrival of long periods of good weather from the spring into the summer that saw the RAF attacks develop in earnest in June. This is where the our story begins - focusing on one squadron, the Spitfire-equipped No.19.

By the summer of 1941, like so many other RAF fighter units, it had that new role to play. Early results were encouraging. 'Leaning into France' certainly surprised the Luftwaffe and put them on the defensive, but it also came with its own disadvantages; in effect, it caused the Battle of Britain roles to be reversed. Suddenly, the RAF were operating over water and over enemy territory. New tactics would have to conceived and tried. This was an unfolding drama on a daily basis.

If it were not for this period of trying and testing, the lessons would not have been learned that enabled the allies to mount the assault on Europe. Just as 'Leaning into France' began paying dividends, the Luftwaffe introduced the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Suddenly the attacker became the defender and losses began to escalate. All of this was of little immediate interest to the working pilots of 19 Squadron whose days revolved around the next combat and trying to stay alive. What did they do each day? What did they think? And what did they feel? All is revealed in Spitfire! On the Offensive.