The closing comparison follows the geographical problem faced by fighters across three campaign settings. Distance and fuel endurance limited the RAF over Dunkirk just as they later constrained German fighters operating over Britain. During the Falklands War, Britain built a forward operating base at San Carlos Bay to extend useful aircraft reach near the operational area. Moving support forward left aircraft performance unchanged while increasing the fuel available for reaching and remaining over the objective. The comparison shows why air power depends on basing and operational geography as much as on headline aircraft performance.
Notable Point · 15:50-16:10
The geography of fighter range from Dunkirk to San Carlos
Fuel limits that constrained German fighters over Britain also restricted RAF endurance over Dunkirk, a problem later addressed in the Falklands with a forward base at San Carlos Bay.