The Battle of Britain
When: Summer 1940
Where: Air over Britain Events: After taking over France, the Germans planned to capture Britain, a goal that was set out with Hitler’s “Operation Sea Lion.” In order to do this, the Germans would have to beat Britain’s Royal Air Force in battle in order to gain access to the English Channel. An aerial battle between Britain and Germany ensued. The Lutwaffe (German Airforce) starting bombing raids on England. When London was bombed, Britain retaliated with an attack on the German city of Berlin, angering Hitler, who responded by ordering “The Blitz”- the bombing of English cities including London. The RAF proved to be a powerful fighting force, with many advantages over the Germans, such as: -Improved fighter planes (called “Spitfires” and “Hurricanes”) -Radar: the British had the ability to detect German planes, eliminating surprise attacks. -Enigma: the British were in possession of a machine (called “Enigma”) which was capable of decoding German messages. -Britain received supplies from the Commonwealth countries (such as Canada) -Canada and other Commonwealth countries supplemented Britain’s air force with planes and pilots. Significance/Outcome: Britain was ultimately successful, defeating the Germans and preventing an invasion. Britain became an important base of attack for the Allies in the war, including Canada. This was the first time that Hitler had not been had not been successful in taking over a country. |
"The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin." |