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 had seen approximately 300,000 men of the BEF brought to safety by a flotilla of ships making the journey between England to Dunkirk over a number of days. So now Hitler had his sights on England. The white cliffs of Dover were clearly visible as the German High Command peered past 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 on until the autumn after which the weather would ward off the Germans from crossing the Channel? The country's hopes was in the hands of the fearless airmen of the RAF, "The Few" as Churchill later referred to them. It was not exclusively British pilots in the Royal Air Force, the Commonwealth was represented with airmen from an assortment of colonial outposts such 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 the Luftwaffe to bomb London in place of the RAF airfields. This was a key turning point as it offered the Royal Air Force some much called for relief. The Luftwaffe was unable to gain the initiative at any point and in mid September, Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sealion. The risk of invasion was over and Churchill spoke of the contribution of Fighter Command in a widely recognized 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 total of seventeen kills. He piloted a Hawker Hurricane which was the real workhorse of Fighter Command although almost everyone remembers the legendary Spitfire. Sgt Frantisek was killed in action in October 1940.
The Battle of Britain was the first time the Germans had suffered a military defeat during World War II.
Operation Dynamo had seen approximately 300,000 men of the BEF brought to safety by a flotilla of ships making the journey between England to Dunkirk over a number of days. So now Hitler had his sights on England. The white cliffs of Dover were clearly visible as the German High Command peered past 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 on until the autumn after which the weather would ward off the Germans from crossing the Channel? The country's hopes was in the hands of the fearless airmen of the RAF, "The Few" as Churchill later referred to them. It was not exclusively British pilots in the Royal Air Force, the Commonwealth was represented with airmen from an assortment of colonial outposts such 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 the Luftwaffe to bomb London in place of the RAF airfields. This was a key turning point as it offered the Royal Air Force some much called for relief. The Luftwaffe was unable to gain the initiative at any point and in mid September, Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sealion. The risk of invasion was over and Churchill spoke of the contribution of Fighter Command in a widely recognized 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 total of seventeen kills. He piloted a Hawker Hurricane which was the real workhorse of Fighter Command although almost everyone remembers the legendary Spitfire. Sgt Frantisek was killed in action in October 1940.
The Battle of Britain was the first time the Germans had suffered a military defeat during World War II.
About the Author:
Defeating Nazi Germany in the Battle of Britain allowed Britain and her Allies could continue with World War II with Nazi Germany.
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