Abstract
Fighter defence in Britain sprang not from a marriage between Stuffy Dowding and radar in the 1930s, but from the First World War. Between 1915 and 1918, in response to raids by German airships and aircraft, Britain developed a sophisticated air defence system. The main air defence system of 1918, the London Air Defence Area (LADA), featured the most advanced command, control, communication, and intelligence (GT) system on earth. Cooperative competition with the Army increased the RAF's concern with air defence, precisely when mainstream RAF opinion believed that it could work. The development of effective ground-to-air radio-telephone was the most important development in air defence between 1918 and 1940, more fundamental than radar, although both devices were essential for survival during 1940. Between 1924 and 1930, Fighting Area Headquarters (FAHQ) essentially reestablished the air defence system of 1918, improving its communications and squadron performance.
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