Battle of Britain & Operation Sea Lion EW, CJ, KR

Context and Connection Blitzkrieg = Nazi European domination Britain = last Allied power not invaded Allies = aerial and naval superiority Germans outnumbered British 2670 to 600 (22 to 5) Winter War - Russians vs. Finnish Eve

Thesis Predetermined by Germany’s flawed strategy and Britain’s homefront advantage, Germany’s scheme for European domination was interrupted by their unexpected defeat in the Battle of Britain, ultimately instilling hope in Allied countries for resistance against the Nazi regime. Catherine Ji

Germany’s Goals in the Battle of Britain Force peace with Great Britain Aerial supremacy Control over the British Isles Kaitlyn

Battle of Britain Plan Direct bombing of the Royal Air Force (RAF) bases (see map) Luftwaffe (German Air force) led by Göring Planned British Invasion Targeted military base attacks If continued with his plan, may have succeeded Eve

Operation Sealion Enforce peace with Great Britain following the Battle of Britain Control over the British Isles Plan: use navy to approach and take control of British Isles Catherine

Germany Advantages Disadvantages Large air force Confidence from previous invasions Must fly over English Channel Radar easily detected by British Not as experienced as RAF Eve

Britain Advantages Disadvantages Smaller air force No nearby allies Radar detected when they took off Britain always prepared for attacks RAF close to battlefield Had a lot more fuel/resources RAF fighters were more experienced/disciplined Smaller air force No nearby allies Eve

Timeline July 10 - early Aug. 1940 “Channel Battle” Attacks on coastal airfields and ports Aug. 24 - Sept. 6, 1940 Offensive Bombings Luftwaffe target bombs military bases Sept. 17, 1940 Operation Sea Lion postponed indefinitely June 22, 1941 “Operation Barbarossa” Invasion of USSR Aug. 13 - Aug. 18 “Operation Eagle” Aerial combat, heavy bombings on ports and industrial areas Sept. 7 - Sept. 30, 1940 “Battle of London” Costly raids in broad daylight Sept. 30 - Oct. 30, 1940 “The Blitz” Minor raids until end of Battle of Britain Kaitlyn

Map Blue: Radar & Radar stations Green: British Fighter Stations Orange: German Fighter Stations Pink: German Bomber stations Map “[...] fifty radar warning stations with which the Air Ministry had lined the coast from the Orkneys to Land’s End since 1937” (Keegan 92). Kaitlyn

Activity! Blue sticky notes: British Red Sticky Note: German (Kaitlyn)British - defend the entire half of the classroom Germany - target is to touch the two front table groups *One group of two (Catherine) Time’s up - Germany return to your base (Eve - Hitler) Start bombing civilians! We’ve already beaten the RAF! (Kaitlyn)British - sit down at military base, since not enough fire power to defend civilians Germans easily bomb civilians (Catherine) Wait! While you focused on the civilians, the RAF recovered. Britain just became more angry because you bombed innocent citizens! Winston Churchill, mastermind who further inspires all of Britain, to remain resilliant and stand up against Nazi Germany! (Eve) Go back to your seats, we will watch speech

Winston Churchill Famous for speaking skills Crucial to boosting British spirit “The Few” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynq9Aikz36Q 2:40 - 3:15 Eve Speech: 2:40 to 3:15

Results Germany Defeated Operation Sea Lion postponed indefinitely Switched warfront to the invasion of Russia Operation Barbarossa Kaitlyn

Significance Air force is the primary fighting unit Nazi Regime can be resisted Instilled hope for victory in Allied nations Churchill’s speeches: boosted morale Cancellation of Operation Sealion due to failure in Battle of Britain Catherine

Work Cited Axelrod, Alan. “Battle of Britain.” Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 1, Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=264777. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018. "Battle of Britain (July-October 1940)." The New Penguin Dictionary of Modern History 1789-1945, 2001. History Study Center, http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:ho-us&rft_dat=xri:ho:sup_ref:pmh00125. Keegan, John. The Second World War. Penguin Books, 2005. Print. Tompson, Richard S. “Churchill, Winston.” Great Britain, Facts On File, 2003. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=250553. Accessed 20 Apr. 2018. Quinn, Edward. “The Blitz.” History in Literature, Facts On File, 2004. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=44970. Accessed 20 Apr. 2018.