Events September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland September 3, 1939 Britain, France declare war on Germany “Phony war” begins April 9, 1940 Germany invades Denmark & Norway May 10, 1940 Germany invades Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg May 27-29, 1940 Evacuation of Dunkirk June 4-22, 1940 Battle of France June 22, 1940 France Surrenders July 10-October 31 Batle of Britain 1

Miracle of Dunkirk 300,000+ rescued Equipment abandoned

Battle of Britain: Plan Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)

Operation Sealion Germans began planning for invasion in November 1939 With Dunkirk (May 1940): British and Nazi negotiations for peace Vichy France as model Rejected by Churchill…and Chamberlain in split vote. Initial criteria for success: Phase one: * The Royal Navy had to be eliminated. (German Navy still weak) * The Royal Air Force (RAF) needs to be destroyed * British coastal defenses had to be destroyed. * British submarine action against landing forces had to be prevented.

German Confidence "My Luftwaffe is invincible. And now we turn to England. How long will this one last - two, three weeks?” Hermann Goering in June 1940. General Guenther Blumentritt in June 1940. "How long would they last in battle, they ran from Dunkirk, they deserted France completely for the safety of home, England is there for the taking." General Hugo Sperrle June 1940.

Invasion barges in French ports Operation Seelöwe Invasion barges in French ports July 1940

Battle of Britain Orders of Battle 1940 RAF Luftwaffe Single-seat fighters Twin-seat fighter Bombers Maritime patrol 754 159 560 500 1,107 357 1,300 233

RAF LEGEND: Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh-Pujji, 91. 10

German weaknesses Fighters could only carry fuel for 30 min flight over Britain German losses greater than British ones, ex 16-30 Sept 1940, Luftwaffe lost 213 to 133 RAF planes Germans producing 156 new planes per month compared with 563 planes in Britain Luftwaffe flying over enemy territory

Evidence of German strengths British pilots were reservists & part-timers Germany trained 800 pilots per month (Britain, 200) Luftwaffe outnumbered RAF e.g. 824 German fighters to 591 British fighters RAF pilots overstretched, 35 mins between sorties Production issues

The Fog of War Significance: Gave the RAF a critically needed breather August 24, 1940 Luftwaffe bomber crews mistakenly bombed London • Residential area August 25 RAF bombers hit Berlin industrial area in retaliation August 26 Enraged, Hitler orders massive attacks against London and other British cities Attacks on cities continue into the fall, switching to night raids after September 15th Significance: Gave the RAF a critically needed breather

Battle of Britain: Phase III Daylight Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas 7 September- 5 October

Battle of Britain: Civilians London’s East End Burning - September 7, 1940

Attacks on British Cities “The Blitz” September 7, 1940 - May 10, 1941 “The Blitz” St. Paul’s Cathedral, 26 December 1940 London experienced 57 consecutive nights of bombing • September - November 1940 Over 41,000 civilians killed, 137,000 injured throughout Britain

Battle of Britain Concludes ir battles continue until 1941 (the next year) Operation Sea Lion postponed indefinitely on September 17 Guarantees US support Critical errors: No focus on intelligence Shift in strategy halfway Nazi Germany turns now… to the Soviet Union

Did the British Win or the Germans Lose? Battle of Britain Did the British Win or the Germans Lose?