The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Luftwaffe or German Air Force was trying to pave the way for a sea and airborne invasion of Britain as an extension of Hitler’s Blitzkrieg campaign in Western Europe. The Battle of Britain is significant because it was the only battle throughout World War II which was fought only in the air. The Battle of Britain also marked the turning point in the war. The Luftwaffe was overconfident in their ability to gain complete air superiority over the British Channel and the invasion area. The Luftwaffe intended to prevent both the RAF from striking against their attack but …show more content…
The Germans would make small advancements throughout the length of the battle, but they could never make a large enough dent in the RAF to change the outcome of the battle. Britain had its hand in every major component of the battle which what caused them to win the Battle of Britain and defeat the Germans in the first major campaign fought entirely by air forces. The courageous pilots of the RAF were the heroes that helped safeguard Britain which gave way to Churchill’s speech about the few men who risked their lives for so many others. The popular saying is, “Never…was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Leadership
Goering and Hitler The commander in chief Reichsmarschall Hermann W. Goering was an unstable leader for the Luftwaffe. Although Goering was a pilot in WWI he had not kept up with the changes in air power since his time in WWI and had little knowledge of strategy. Goering was prone to make impulsive and erratic decisions which made it difficult for the Luftwaffe to get a jump on the RAF. Because of Goering’s erratic decision making, Hitler would intervene when he thought necessary which would make the results even worse. Hitler had no clue about aerial strategies or tactics which Churchill picked up on and realized that it would give the RAF a great advantage. Goering and Hitler were never on the same page with one another and Goering would only tell Hitler what he wanted to hear. As Hitler was preparing to move along with Operation Sea
Following the collapse of France during World War II, the conditions the Allied powers faced became bleaker by the day. The United Kingdom was standing alone in the face of Germany, and under Hitler’s reign, the German “blitzkrieg” or “lightning war,” a tactic involving bombardment, tanks, and ground troops in quick offense proved too much for many countries. Winston Churchill would be the one to place hope in the hearts of the British people, delivering his “Their Finest Hour” speech on the 18th of June, 1940. Churchill utilized persuasive rhetoric whilst appealing to the people's logic and emotions, to raise morale and spirit in the United Kingdom to fight.
The Germans were losing aircraft and pilots fast; Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion. Germany had lost. The fighter pilots of the battle of Britain had saved Britain from invasion, but many of its major cities were severely bombed. German U boats and surface vessels also began a new campaign.
The 8th Air Force arrived in England with one main mission, to destroy Germany’s ability to wage war over Europe. They were to do this by flying day bomb runs on a massive scale to compliment the night time raids that the RAF were conducting. These massive formations
By the time the Germans launched their air offensive against Fighter Britain 1940 Command had planes ready for immediate action. During the Battle of Britain these figures remained roughly constant as increased aircraft production made good high losses. These 700 or so planes were really all that stood between Hitler and complete victory insofar as all of continental Europe by this time was either Nazi- occupied, neutral or allied with Hitler's Germany. If the RAF failed to deny the Luftwaffe control of the skies, then 'Operation Sealion', the proposed Nazi invasion of Britain, could proceed and there's no doubt that had Hitler's armies crossed the Channel, then Britain would have been knocked out of the war. The fact that the Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain as a Turning Point in the Defeat of German in World War Two
In this essay I will explain why I think The Battle of Britain was the
Britain was able to defeat Germany in the Battle of Britain due to British resilience and poor judgement from German high command. Germany’s air force outnumbered the British significantly; by August, the Luftwaffe had gathered 2669 operational aircraft, which consisted of 1015 bombers, 346 dive-bombers, 933 fighters, and 375 heavy fighters (Churchill 323). The German planes were faster, but British planes were more manoeuvrable which gave the British an advantage during aerial combat. Moreover, the British had the strategic advantage of fighting on their home land; German planes could not fly for very long before having to return back to base to refuel, in contrast the British could make rapid stops to refuel and return to battle much quicker than the Germans.
Hitler planned to take down Britain with Operation Sealion and in the time of need, Britain turns to Canada. The Canadian army immediately begins producing Hurricane fighters and train pilots to help, taking a powerful role in the war. The battle took a turn when the Germans accidently bombed London, which was made off limits by Hitler and in retaliation, the Allied troops began dropping bombs on German cities. The losses become so great that Hitler abandons his plans and focuses on Russia instead. This battle shows the strength and superiority of the Canadian army.
They just looked in the hole and walked away..." Background of D-Day: The Second World War had started almost five years ear, on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. England and France had promised to defend Poland. But they were unprepared to fight, and as a result they were terribly beaten. by the next spring, France had fallen into German hands. The British army had to flee the Continent and escaped from the French port of Dunkirk with frightful losses. In the summer of 1940 the Germans, with their allies, the Italians, controlled all of western Europe. The German air force began its attempt to bomb the British Isles into rubble. Nevertheless, the British began to think about getting back onto the continent. They started planning an attack across the Channel- even though it seemed more likely that they would become the invaded rather than the invaders. Hitler threatened to invade England. He went so far as to assemble a fleet of barges along the French coast, planning to use them as assault boats. But he hesitated because he realized the risks of an amphibious attack. Also, he knew that the British navy would destroy itself, if necessary in an attempt to smash a German invasion fleet. Still the idea was tempting. The British knew as well as Hitler did that if the Germans could make the landing successfully, England would be lost. Meanwhile, Royal Air Force fighter pilots in their spitfires and
First, the Battle of Britain was a aircraft war between Britain and Germany. The German army bombed the civilization of Britain which can be seen at “The Bombing of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, September 7, 1940”. This image also displays burnt home around a church. In a text written by Ernie Pyle, it insists “It was a night when London was ringed and stabbed with fire.” This shows what the Battle of Britain was to the people in those days. Not only
It was one of the most prominent battles of World War Two. One that tested the strengths and weaknesses of the Worlds top air forces, the formidable Luftwaffe, and the revered Royal Air Force. It was the Battle of Britain.
Both sides went at this full force and exhausted massive amounts of resources. Though the battle was short lived it was hard fought by both opposing sides. Although they were outranked in terms of size and number by the British Naval Fleet, the German Navy fought mightily and according to them they emerged the victor of this battle. However according to the British side they were the winners of the battle. It's hard to determine who was the clear winner of this battle in the aftermath.
The entire plan was created for Germany to conquer the English Channel, which meant that Germany would need to control the skies so the Royal Air Force could not attack the German ships sailing the English Channel. His Luftwaffe air force needed
During the Battle of Britain, Germany wanted to achieve air superiority but ultimately failed to defeat the Royal Air Force (RAF). Hitler ordered the Lufwaffe to destroy the RAF in preparation for Operation Sealion which was Germany’s invasion plan for Britain. Although numerous factors contributed to Hitler’s decision to attack Britain, in keeping with his “one front at a time” war methodology, Hitler wanted to secure the Western Front prior to invading the Soviet Union. Initially, directed by Hermann Goering (commander-in-chief of the Lufwaffe) Germany targeted Britain’s coastal areas and convoys, airports, and vital British air warning and radar
They reduced their cost by using the air force, and they saved RAF from its greedy rivals, the army and the navy. More importantly, it kept Iraq and its oil in the British sphere at lower cost than any other method, and it helped the Iraqi regime too. Although the use of air force is controversial, it is still cheap and effective way to panic and defeat the enemies. In both cases, the advancement in the technology, the air force, enabled them to be superior to their enemies and easily panic and achieve its main goal. These wars indicate that war enabled people to achieve what they want in faster and more efficient manner than before.