The Battle of Britain
Notes
- Hitler's plan to invade Great Britain
- Needed control of the air for this to be possible
- Lutwaffe begins bombing aircraft factories, hangars, runways, radars,
- British come within days of not being able to sustain a defence
Royal Air Force Bombs Berlin, in return Hitler bombs London
- Hitler had promised his people that this would never happen in Germany
- He changes strategy and bombs London for 76 nights straight
- Allows the RAF to recover
- Period called the BLITS
The RAF vs. the Lutwaffe
- RAF outnumbered 3:1 by Lutwaffe
- spitfires and Hurricanes vs.Messerschmitt 162
- 24, August Accidental bombing of London
- RAF bombs Berlin
- British control of Enigma
Subjunctive Question
If Britain had been defeated would the Nazis have invaded the USA?
Interesting Fact
During this battle Britain was making on average 563 planes a day
Quote
"Never before, in the field of human conflict, has so much been owed, by so many, to so few."
-Winston Churchill
-Winston Churchill
Summary
How to deal with Brittain puzzled Hitler. He didn't necessarily want war with them, however, Winston Churchill made it clear that he would make no deal with Germany, and that they would fight til the finish. One of Hitlers problem was that his Blitzkrieg tactics that worked in Poland and France wouldn't work over the channel. Therefore, he would need control over the air. The battle of Britain was a series of air battles.The Lutwaffe changed tactics in 1940 and instead of attacking the RAF, they bombed London. This gave the RAF breathing space. This period was known as the Blitz, and was essentially what the Battle of Brittain was won over. After a while it became clear that if Hitler gave up on his plan to destroy the RAF, he must've given up on his plans for invasion. Britain was left in victory. This was Hitlers first real defeat which was a morale booster for the allies.