Battle of Britain: July, 1940
Adolf Hitler’s plan to invade Britain was called “Operation Sea Lion”. This battle later became known as the Battle of Britain.
After the escape from Dunkirk, which was an evacuation from the port of Dunkirk in France, many British soldiers were left weaponless. This meant that Britain had a vulnerable and ineffective land force. The British Navy was not helpful, as the ships could not operate in the English Channel. This was due to a concentration of German ships on the area.
Hitler wanted to destroy Britain’s air power, the Royal Air Force or RAF. By defeating the British RAF, Germany would have succeeded in conquering all of Western Europe, with exceptions of Spain and Portugal. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Commander-in-chief for the German Luftwaffe, the German air
force, believed that his force would be successful in defeating the
RAF.
On July 10th, 1940, the German Luftwaffe began their bombing campaign. With the first few bombings, Hitler intended to destroy harbours and shipping facilities in the south of England. By August, the Luftwaffe focused on aircraft factories and airfields.
To avoid these bombings, the British had developed a radar system. These radar stations gave early warnings of air raids, and a chance to foil them. The British also began producing Hurricanes and Spitfires. These highly effective defence planes were each mounted with eight machine guns. The British RAF wasn’t just made of British people, but also of the CommonWealth countries, including Canada. The goal of the RAF was not only to stop the German air raids, but to also stop Operation Sea Lion and protect the U.K.
In August of 1940, the Germans attacked British Allies shipping in the Channel. This attack was to assess what the retaliation of the British would be. On August 12th, the Germans gave a full-blown attack. On the 15th though, the course of Germans’ path changed, and the attack became more focused on other objectives. On August 23rd, in the evening, the Germans bombed London. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, ordered an attack on the Berlin factories in retaliation.
By September, 1940, Germany began bombing civilians. These raids became known as “the Blitz”. On September 7th, the Germans attacked with waves of bombers, backed up by fighter planes along the coast. Many fires occurred, especially on the London docks.
On September 11th, Hitler postponed his Operation Sea Lion to the 24th. The German air force then launched a severe assault on the British Fighter Command. This attack lasted from dawn until dusk. This day is regarded as the climax of the Battle of Britain because it was so intense.
Hitler then decided to leave his postponement date open ended. He had also come to realize that the Luftwaffe could not defeat the Fighter Command. He could also not keep his troops, military stores, and barges in the Channel, as the British Bomber Command had been bombing them.
On October 13th, 1940, Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion to the spring of 1941, though in reality, his plans had already crumbled. This entire battle was for Hitler to gain control of western Europe. Hitler could not defeat the resilient spirit of the British or their powerful RAF.
After the escape from Dunkirk, which was an evacuation from the port of Dunkirk in France, many British soldiers were left weaponless. This meant that Britain had a vulnerable and ineffective land force. The British Navy was not helpful, as the ships could not operate in the English Channel. This was due to a concentration of German ships on the area.
Hitler wanted to destroy Britain’s air power, the Royal Air Force or RAF. By defeating the British RAF, Germany would have succeeded in conquering all of Western Europe, with exceptions of Spain and Portugal. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Commander-in-chief for the German Luftwaffe, the German air
force, believed that his force would be successful in defeating the
RAF.
On July 10th, 1940, the German Luftwaffe began their bombing campaign. With the first few bombings, Hitler intended to destroy harbours and shipping facilities in the south of England. By August, the Luftwaffe focused on aircraft factories and airfields.
To avoid these bombings, the British had developed a radar system. These radar stations gave early warnings of air raids, and a chance to foil them. The British also began producing Hurricanes and Spitfires. These highly effective defence planes were each mounted with eight machine guns. The British RAF wasn’t just made of British people, but also of the CommonWealth countries, including Canada. The goal of the RAF was not only to stop the German air raids, but to also stop Operation Sea Lion and protect the U.K.
In August of 1940, the Germans attacked British Allies shipping in the Channel. This attack was to assess what the retaliation of the British would be. On August 12th, the Germans gave a full-blown attack. On the 15th though, the course of Germans’ path changed, and the attack became more focused on other objectives. On August 23rd, in the evening, the Germans bombed London. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, ordered an attack on the Berlin factories in retaliation.
By September, 1940, Germany began bombing civilians. These raids became known as “the Blitz”. On September 7th, the Germans attacked with waves of bombers, backed up by fighter planes along the coast. Many fires occurred, especially on the London docks.
On September 11th, Hitler postponed his Operation Sea Lion to the 24th. The German air force then launched a severe assault on the British Fighter Command. This attack lasted from dawn until dusk. This day is regarded as the climax of the Battle of Britain because it was so intense.
Hitler then decided to leave his postponement date open ended. He had also come to realize that the Luftwaffe could not defeat the Fighter Command. He could also not keep his troops, military stores, and barges in the Channel, as the British Bomber Command had been bombing them.
On October 13th, 1940, Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion to the spring of 1941, though in reality, his plans had already crumbled. This entire battle was for Hitler to gain control of western Europe. Hitler could not defeat the resilient spirit of the British or their powerful RAF.