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| The Battle Of Britain |
Here are 8 things you need to know about
one of Britain’s most important victories of the Second World War.
1 . Hitler planned to invade Britain in 1940
Adolf Hitler had expected the British to
seek a peace settlement after Germany’s defeat of France in
June 1940, but Britain was determined to fight on.
Hitler explored military options that would bring the war to a quick end and ordered his armed forces to prepare for an invasion of Britain – codenamed Operation ‘Sealion’. But for the invasion to have any chance of success, the Germans needed to first secure control of the skies over southern England and remove the threat posed by the Royal Air Force (RAF). A sustained air assault on Britain would achieve the decisive victory needed to make ‘Sealion’ a possibility – or so the Germans thought.
2 . The Battle of Britain saw the RAF take on the German Air Force
The Battle
of Britain was ultimately a test of strength between the German Air
Force (Luftwaffe) and the RAF.
The RAF
had become an independent branch of the British armed forces in 1918. Although
it developed slowly in the years following the First World War, it went through
a period of rapid expansion in the latter half of the 1930s – largely in
response to the growing threat from Nazi Germany. In July 1936, RAF Fighter
Command was established under the leadership of Air Marshal Sir Hugh
Dowding.
Germany
had been banned from having an air force after the First World War, but the
Luftwaffe was re-established by the Nazi government, and by 1940 it was the
largest and most formidable air force in the world. It had suffered heavy
losses in the Battle of France, but by August the three air fleets
(Luftflotten) that would carry out the assault on Britain were at full
readiness. The RAF met this challenge with some of the best
fighter aircraft in the world – the Hawker Hurricane and the
Supermarine Spitfire.
3 . The British had a highly effective air defense network
The
British developed an air defense network that would give them a critical
advantage in the Battle of Britain. The Dowding System – named
for Fighter Command’s Commander-in-Chief Sir Hugh Dowding – brought together
technology such as radar, ground defenses, and fighter aircraft into a unified
system of defense.
The RAF
organized the defense of Britain into four geographical areas, called ‘Groups’,
which were further divided into sectors. The main fighter airfield in each sector
– the ‘Sector Station’ – was equipped with an operations room from which the
fighters were directed into combat.
Radar gave
early warning of Luftwaffe raids, which were also tracked by the Observer
Corps. Information on incoming raids was passed to the Filter Room at Fighter
Command Headquarters at Bentley Priory. Once the direction of the raid
was clearly established, the information was sent to the relevant Group’s
headquarters. From there it was sent to the Sector Stations, which would
‘scramble’ fighters into action. The Sector Stations received updated
information as it became available and further directed airborne fighters by
radio. The operations rooms also directed other elements of the defense
network, including anti-aircraft guns, searchlights, and barrage balloons.
The
Dowding System could process huge amounts of information in a short period of
time. It allowed Fighter Command to manage its valuable – and relatively
limited – resources, making sure they were not wasted.
4 . There were several phases to the Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain took place between
July and October 1940. The Germans began by attacking coastal targets and
British shipping operating in the English Channel.
They launched their main offensive on 13
August. Attacks moved inland, concentrating on airfields and communications
centers. Fighter Command offered stiff resistance, despite coming under
enormous pressure. During the last week of August and the first week of
September, in what would be the critical phase of the battle, the Germans
intensified their efforts to destroy Fighter Command. Airfields, particularly
those in the south-east, were significantly damaged but most remained
operational. On 31 August, Fighter Command suffered its worst day of the
entire battle. But the Luftwaffe was overestimating the damage it was
inflicting and wrongly came to the conclusion that the RAF was on its last
legs. Fighter Command was bruised but not broken.
On 7 September, the Germans shifted the
weight of their attacks away from RAF targets and onto London. This would be an
error of critical importance. The raids had devastating effects on
London’s residents, but they also gave Britain’s defenses time to recover.
On 15 September Fighter Command repelled another massive Luftwaffe assault,
inflicting severe losses that were becoming increasingly unsustainable for the
Germans. Although fighting would continue for several more weeks, it had become
clear that the Luftwaffe had failed to secure the air superiority needed for
invasion. Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation ‘Sealion’.
5 . Not all of the pilots were British
Nearly 3,000 men of the RAF took part in
the Battle of Britain – those who Winston Churchill called ‘The Few’. While
most of the pilots were British, Fighter Command was an international
force. Men came from all over the Commonwealth and occupied Europe – from
New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Belgium,
France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. There were even some pilots from the neutral
United States and Ireland.
Two of the four Group Commanders, 11
Group’s Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, and 10 Group’s Air Vice-Marshal Sir Quintin
Brand came from New Zealand and South Africa respectively. The War Cabinet
created two Polish fighter squadrons, Nos. 302 and 303, in the
summer of 1940. These were followed by other national units, including two
Czech fighter squadrons.
Many of the RAF’s aces were men from the Commonwealth and the highest-scoring pilot of the Battle was Josef Frantisek, a Czech pilot flying with No. 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron. No. 303 entered the battle on 31 August, at the peak of the Battle of Britain, but quickly became Fighter Command’s highest-claiming squadron with 126 kills.
6 . 'The Few' were supported by many
Many people in addition to Churchill’s
‘Few’ worked to defend Britain. Ground crew – including riggers, fitters,
armorers, and repair and maintenance engineers – looked after the aircraft.
Factory workers helped keep aircraft production up. The Observer Corps tracked
incoming raids – it's tens of thousands of volunteers ensured that the 1,000
observation posts were continuously manned. Anti-aircraft gunners, searchlight
operators, and barrage balloon crews all played vital roles in Britain’s
defense. Members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
served as radar operators and worked as plotters, tracking raids in the group
and sector operations rooms. The Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home
Guard) had been set up in May 1940 as a ‘last line of defense against
German invasion. By July, nearly 1.5 million men had enrolled.
7 . All of the RAF helped defend Britain
The RAF was organized into different
‘Commands’ based on function or role, including Fighter, Bomber, and Coastal
Commands. While victory in the Battle of Britain was decisively gained by
Fighter Command, the defense was carried out by the whole of the Royal Air Force.
Britain’s most senior military personnel understood the importance of the
bomber in air defense. They wrote on 25 May: ‘We cannot resist invasion by
fighter aircraft alone. An air striking force is necessary not only to meet the
sea-borne expedition but also to bring direct pressure to bear upon Germany by
attacking objectives in that country.
In other words, RAF Bomber Command would
attack German industry, carry out raids on ports where Germany was assembling
its invasion fleet, and reduce the threat posed by the Luftwaffe by targeting
airfields and aircraft production. RAF Coastal Command also
had an important role. It carried out anti-invasion patrols, provided vital
intelligence on German positions along the European coast, and occasionally
bombed German shipping and industrial targets.
8 . The Battle of Britain was a defensive victory for Britain
During the Battle of Britain, the
Luftwaffe was dealt an almost lethal blow from which it never fully
recovered.
Although Fighter Command suffered heavy
losses and was often outnumbered during actual engagements, the British
outproduced the Germans and maintained a level of aircraft production that
helped them withstand their losses. The Luftwaffe, with its lack of heavy
bombers and failure to fully identify critically important targets,
never inflicted strategically significant damage. It suffered from constant
supply problems, largely as a result of underachievement in aircraft
production. Germany’s failure to defeat the RAF and secure control of the skies
over southern England made invasion all but impossible. British victory in the
Battle of Britain was decisive, but ultimately defensive in nature – in
avoiding defeat, Britain secured one of its most significant victories of the
Second World War. It was able to stay in the war and lived to fight another
day.
So why was the Battle of Britain important? Victory in the Battle of Britain did not win the war, but it made winning a possibility in the longer term. Four years later, the Allies would launch their invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe – Operation ‘Overlord’ – from British shores, which would prove decisive in ultimately bringing the war against Germany to an end.
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