The Battle of Britain: an appeal for real history

‘Rarely in history has a battle been so mythologised as the conflict that took place in the skies above southern England between 10 July and 31 October 1940,’ wrote Robert Fisk for this newspaper a week ago.

He was talking, of course, about The Battle of Britain, a series of deadly dogfights, shoot-outs and aerial bombings by the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe during World War II, fought over the summer months exactly 70-years ago.

The Independent Online has trawled through the archives to uncover amazing pictures of RAF pilots: recovering back at the base after battle, smoking and chatting between take-offs, the wreckage of German bombers - and the faces of some of those who were killed.

To commemorate the events of that fraught summer, we’d like to appeal to our readers to give us an insight into real history. Send in pictures and first-hand accounts of your own, or your relatives', experiences of the battle.

If you’d like to contribute to a reader's gallery of memories and photos from the Battle of Britain, please email m.battersby@independent.co.uk and leave comments below. We'll update this article and post blogs here with your stories and photos, so watch this space!

Click here or on the image to launch our gallery