The Battle of Britain

Introduction
The first time in history aircraft were used as
a standalone offensive weapon.
Command of the Air, Giulio Douhet
Stage One: Bomb enemy air defenses
Stage Two: Bomb enemy war production
infrastructure
Stage Three: Terror bombing

Introduction
Operation of Sea lion
Fhrer Directive no. 16
Since England, in spite of her hopeless military situation,
shows no signs of being ready to come to an understanding, I
have decided to prepare a landing operation against England
and, if necessary, to carry it out.
The aim of this operation will be to eliminate the English
homeland as a base for the prosecution of the war against
Germany and, if necessary, to occupy it completely.

Introduction
Major German difficulties:
Improvised nature of the German operations
RAF Fighter Command was defending its on
territory
British air defense
Production

Keegans 5 phases

Air Chief
Marshal HugH
Dowding
RAF
RAF

Hermann
Goring
Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-chief of
of the
the
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe

Aircrafts

Hawker
Hurricane
Fighter
Fighter
Armament:
Armament: 8
8 machine
machine guns
guns
Top
Top speed:
speed: 340
340 mph
mph
Range:
Range: ??

Supermarine
Spitfire
Fighter
Fighter
Armament:
Armament: 8
8 machine
machine guns
guns
Top
Top speed:
speed: 367mph
367mph
Range:
Range: 425
425 miles
miles

Messerschmitt
109
Fighter
Fighter
Armament:
Armament: 2
2 machine
machine guns
guns &
&
1
1 canon
canon
Top
Top speed:
speed: 398
398 mph
mph
Range:
Range: 528
528 miles
miles

Messerschmitt
110
Fighter
Fighter B
B omber
omber
Armament:
Armament:

44 machine
machine guns,
guns,

22 xx 20mm
20mm cannons,
cannons,

22 xx 30mm
30mm cannons
cannons

11 7.92
7.92 mm
mm cannon
cannon

Top
Top speed:
speed: 370
370 mph
mph
Range:
Range: 558
558 miles
miles

Junkers 87
Stuka
Dive
Dive bomber
bomber
Armament:
Armament:

33 machineguns
machineguns

44 bombs
bombs

Top
Top speed:
speed: 342
342 mph
mph
Range:
Range: 1,553
1,553 mil
mil

Heinkel He 111
Medium
Medium bomber
bomber
Armament:
Armament:

11 xx 20mm
20mm cannons
cannons

77 machineguns
machineguns

Top
Top speed:
speed: 310
310 mph
mph
Range:
Range: 1,491
1,491 mil
mil

Dornier Do 217
Heavy
Heavy Bomber
Bomber
Armament:
Armament:

66 machineguns
machineguns

Top
Top speed:
speed: 347
347 mph
mph
Range:
Range: 1,332
1,332 mil
mil

1.Channel Battle
"...the "Battle of France" is
over. I expect that the Battle
of Britain is about to begin
~Churchill
June 26th 16th July
Two Goals:
Strangle Britain by attacking
ships and ports
Create air supremacy

Hitler believed that the

British had already been
defeated, but just needed to
acknowledge it.

2. Operation Eagle
"The English Air Force must be so
reduced morally and physically
that it is unable to deliver any
significant attack against the
German crossing (of the English
Channel)"
~Hitler

Eagle day Aug 13

The goal was to destroy Fighter
Command
Ceaselessly attacked ground
installations and war infrastructure.

3. Classic Phase
Lasted until August 18th
Aerial combat battles btwn the Luftwaffe and
the RAF in an attempt to destroy the RAF.

4. Efforts against Fighter

Commands airfields
August 24- 6 September
Germans destroyed
Manston
The forward most air station

Destroyed major aircraft

factories
Result:
Britain lost 260 aircrafts
Germany lost 380 aircrafts
Hitler wanted an invasion
and could not wait any
longer and decided to switch
the target to London.

5. Battle of London
"My fellow commanders, we are now on the
brink of victory. Our intelligence
has...informed us that the RAF is now down
to less than a hundred fighter aircraft, the
airfields protecting London are out of action
because of the superb and accurate bombing
of our bomber force... The next target must
be London itself."
~Herman Gering 3 September 1940

7-30 September
Luftwaffe bombed London day and night.
Londons Defenses
Sept 17th Hitler delayed Operation Sea Lion
indefinitely.
The Blitz
Terror Acts

The Victory of Few

2500 young pilots were responsible for
preserving Britain from invasion
Results:
Britain lost 832 fighters
Germany lost 688 fighters and 600 bombers
The Few and radar handed Hitler his first defeat and
most certainly determined the downfall of Hitlers
Germany.