The summer months of 1940 saw World War II reach the English skies as the Royal Air Force heroically fought off the endless attacks of Hitler's Luftwaffe. After a phase known as the 'Phoney War', Hitler had ordered his forces to invade several other European countries and they met minimal resistance in Belgium, Holland or France.
Operation Dynamo saw about 300,000 men of the BEF plucked to safety by a flotilla of boats who made crossing out of England to Dunkirk over a number of days. So now Hitler had his sights on England. The white cliffs of Dover were clearly in view as the German High Command gazed across the English Channel from Calais.
However, until the skies over England were under German command, Hitler wasn't able to authorise Operation Sealion - the invasion of United Kingdom. With America being reluctant to take part in the war at this stage and her Allies vanquished, Great Britain would need to face the Germans on it's own.
Could Britain hold out until the summer was over when the weather would thwart the Germans from crossing the Channel? British hopes was in the hands of the brave pilots of the Royal Air Force, "The Few" as Churchill later referred to them. It wasn't merely British airmen in the RAF, the Commonwealth was represented with pilots from an array of colonial outposts like as South Africa and Rhodesia as well as Poles and even a couple of Americans.
Hitler despatched his bombers over to pound United Kingdom into submission but yet crucially, their fighter escorts at best had the fuel for only a few minutes battle before they would have to go back home leaving the bombers unprotected. For the first time, the Luftwaffe were up against solid resistance and there was to be no repeat of their swift victories on the Continent. Britain's airfields in the south east were suffering a beating until a particular night in August 1940, a German bomber got lost and dropped its bombs over London before returning home. In retaliation, the RAF launched an air raid on Berlin.
Hitler was furious and instructed his aircraft to attack London and not the RAF airfields. This was a decisive turning point as it gave the RAF some much needed relief. The Luftwaffe failed to achieve the upper hand at any point and in mid September, Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sealion. The risk of attack was gone and Churchill spoke of the contribution of Fighter Command in a widely known speech "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few".
The number one fighter ace was Sgt Frantisek from the Czech Republic with a score of 17 kills. He flew in a Hawker Hurricane which was the true workhorse of Fighter Command but everybody remembers the iconic Spitfire. Sgt Frantisek was killed in October 1940.
The Battle of Britain was the first time the Germans had experienced a military defeat in World War II.
Operation Dynamo saw about 300,000 men of the BEF plucked to safety by a flotilla of boats who made crossing out of England to Dunkirk over a number of days. So now Hitler had his sights on England. The white cliffs of Dover were clearly in view as the German High Command gazed across the English Channel from Calais.
However, until the skies over England were under German command, Hitler wasn't able to authorise Operation Sealion - the invasion of United Kingdom. With America being reluctant to take part in the war at this stage and her Allies vanquished, Great Britain would need to face the Germans on it's own.
Could Britain hold out until the summer was over when the weather would thwart the Germans from crossing the Channel? British hopes was in the hands of the brave pilots of the Royal Air Force, "The Few" as Churchill later referred to them. It wasn't merely British airmen in the RAF, the Commonwealth was represented with pilots from an array of colonial outposts like as South Africa and Rhodesia as well as Poles and even a couple of Americans.
Hitler despatched his bombers over to pound United Kingdom into submission but yet crucially, their fighter escorts at best had the fuel for only a few minutes battle before they would have to go back home leaving the bombers unprotected. For the first time, the Luftwaffe were up against solid resistance and there was to be no repeat of their swift victories on the Continent. Britain's airfields in the south east were suffering a beating until a particular night in August 1940, a German bomber got lost and dropped its bombs over London before returning home. In retaliation, the RAF launched an air raid on Berlin.
Hitler was furious and instructed his aircraft to attack London and not the RAF airfields. This was a decisive turning point as it gave the RAF some much needed relief. The Luftwaffe failed to achieve the upper hand at any point and in mid September, Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sealion. The risk of attack was gone and Churchill spoke of the contribution of Fighter Command in a widely known speech "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few".
The number one fighter ace was Sgt Frantisek from the Czech Republic with a score of 17 kills. He flew in a Hawker Hurricane which was the true workhorse of Fighter Command but everybody remembers the iconic Spitfire. Sgt Frantisek was killed in October 1940.
The Battle of Britain was the first time the Germans had experienced a military defeat in World War II.
About the Author:
Defeating Nazi Germany in the Battle of Britain allowed Britain and her Allies would carry on with World War II against Nazi Germany.. This article, The Battle of Britain - The Royal Air Forces Finest Hour has free reprint rights.