The Battle of Britain



Contrails from German and British planes during a dogfight

 August, 1940. France and the Low Countries have fallen. The British have performed nothing short of a miracle by evacuating their expeditionary forces from Dunkirk beach. Now, it seems that these troops aren't out of the woods. In fact, Hitler now sets his eyes on knocking Britain out of the war. First, though, Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering assures Hitler that his Luftwaffe will be able to destroy the Royal Air Force and achieve air superiority in time for the invasion, Operation Sea Lion. These months would see the heroism and tenacity of the RAF play out against the veteran pilots of the Luftwaffe in what would come to be known as the Battle of Britain.

The first dedicated attacks on the RAF occurred on August 12. Previous months had seen Luftwaffe attacks on Channel shipping, to which the RAF had to respond to. It was in these attacks that RAF pilots began to see weaknesses in the German planes. This is why whenever the RAF intercepted German bombers, there was massive carnage. However, this did not mean the Germans weren't having any success. Indeed, when Goering released the Bf109s (Germany's most produced fighter-interceptor) to free-roam instead of escorting the bombers, the Luftwaffe inflicted many British casualties on planes when they were returning to base low on fuel or ammunition.

However, these shot down planes did not mean that the RAF was losing. One key advantage the RAF had when fighting over Britain was that when an RAF pilot had to bail out, he could do so over his home soil and return to the fight relatively quickly. The Germans, on the other hand, were losing planes and pilots to the British. It was these losses that prompted a change of tactics in the Luftwaffe, to what Londoners would call "the Blitz".



St. Paul's Cathedral during the Blitz



It was on August 25, 1940 that British Bomber Command sent 81 planes to destroy industry centers in Berlin, in response to an accidental bombing of London by a lost German bomber. Up until this time, Hitler himself had declared that air raids against Britain would be restricted to targets of industry and air force targets. Now, with this raid against German soil all bets were off. Hitler ordered Goering to begin large-scale terror bombings of major British cities, especially London, to bring them to their knees, as it were. While many square bocks of London were leveled and many more London residents were killed, Britain held firm. It was during the Blitz that Winston Churchill gave his famous 'Finest Hour' speech to the nation, praising the deeds of the RAF and declaring that Britain shall not fall.

Churchill's words would come true. By the beginning of 1941 the Luftwaffe had sustained heavy losses from ground antiaircraft guns and RAF fighters. This, coupled with the postponement of Operation Sea Lion, spelled the end of the Battle of Britain. Outnumbered almost 3 to 1, the RAF was able to keep air superiority over Britain, defying the will of Germany, and signaling the fist major defeat of Germany, the first of many to come. Also, the Battle of Britain stirred sympathy across the Atlantic. It was during this time that the United States approved the Lend-Lease Act of war materiel to Britain, in addition to the formation of the volunteer RAF Eagle squadron. It was a foreshadow of things to come.

However, it must not be forgotten that the Battle of Britain could have ended much differently. Had the Germans not pulled their planes from military strikes, the RAF would not have lasted as long as it did. Furthermore, had the Luftwaffe not discounted the importance of Britain's radar, the priorities of the German planners might have been different, poised to rob Britain of its technological superiority rather than its planes. Finally, had there been no sustained bombardment of London, the resolve of the British people might not have been so solid when the invasion came. Ultimately, it was Hitler's impatience to deal with Russia and acquire his 'lebensraum' before knocking out Britain that would spell the doom of the Third Reich. Today, every September 15, in memory of Churchill's words, "never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few", the Imperial War Museum stages an air show with restored and refurbished period aircraft, reenacting the finest hour of the RAF. Until next time, take care, and thank you.