What do you see? What do you think is happening?

What do you see? What do you think is happening?

What do you see? What do you think is happening?

What do you see? What do you think is happening?

The Battle of Britain

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. -Winston Churchill, in the British House of Commons 20 August 1940

The Battle of Britain After the fall of France Hitler set his sights on Britain. His invasion plan, Operation Sealion, called for a massive cross-channel invasion using troop carrying barges.

The Royal Navy Britain was defended by the Royal Navy, which was much stronger than the German Navy. If Hitler was going to mount an invasion by sea, he would have to find a way to defend his troop barges from attack.

The RAF and the Luftwaffe The German air force – the Luftwaffe – could defend the invasion, but, to do that, Hitler would first have to knock out the Royal Air Force (RAF) and establish air superiority over the English Channel. In early August Hitler announced that there would be a brief pause to allow for the destruction of the RAF.

The Battle Unfolds In the first phase of the battle, the Luftwaffe attacked RAF airfields, hangars and supply depots. Although the Luftwaffe lost more planes than the RAF, by the 31 August the RAF was on its last gasps.

The Planes Germany used heavy bombers to destroy targets on the ground. Because bombers are slow and difficult to maneuver they are susceptible to attacks from faster more maneuverable fighters.

Luftwaffe Fighters To protect the bombers the Luftwaffe sent fighter escorts. 2 types of planes were employed the ME 109 and the Bf 110

RAF Fighters The invaders were met by the RAF fighter squadron consisting of Spitfires and Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were able to effectively handle the bigger, slower Bf 110s – this allowed the faster and more maneuverable Spitfires to focus on the agile ME 109s.

Relief at last On 24 August, by accident, some Luftwaffe bombers dropped their bombs on London. The next few nights, the RAF replied by bombing Berlin. On 2 September Hitler ordered his bombers to attack London. This phase of the battle was known as the London Blitz – it lasted 76 straight nights. The Blitz took Hitler’s attention off the RAF bases and relieved pressure.

Why did Germany Lose? The role of RADAR By 1936 the RAF had a chain of 20 coastal radar installations that were capable of detecting the direction and approximate numbers of incoming enemy fighters. These stations provided information directly to the pilots. This allowed the RAF to use their fighters most effectively. Homefield advantage Luftwaffe fighters time over target was severely limited by the need to recross the channel to refuel Down German pilots were captured by the British whereas downed British pilots could walk back to base, get a new plane and return to the fight.

London Can Take It  Do you think that the clip is accurate?  Are there any parts of the clip that you find difficult to believe?  What is the message contained in this broadcast? What does it say about the people of London? Think about adjectives used.