Battle of Britain & The London Blitz

Background: The Battle of Britain Britain was a puzzle to Hitler since Hitler did not want to go to war with Britain Hitler expected Britain to make peace, however, Britain, led by a new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, refused to surrender. Hitler wanted to control the skies before he would attack the seas.

The German Plan The German air force (The Luftwaffe) was to destroy the British RAF This would mean that German soldiers could land safely in Britain France had already been defeated, so Britain stood alone.

What was the Battle of Britain? The Battle of Britain was a series of air battles throughout the summer of 1940 German bomber planes would attack a series of British targets

Phase1: Recon Mission July 10th to August 12th, 1940. The Luftwaffe conducted recon missions for larger attacks Attacked the southern ports, shipping, and radar stations around the English Channel. Prevented the British from using all Channel convoys.

Phase 2: Attacking RAF Planes August 13th to September 6th, 1940. Luftwaffe would try to destroy RAF planes both in the air and on the ground with the airfields belonging to RAF Group 11 being heavily targeted.

Phase 3: The London Blitz September 7th to October 5th, 1940:. Turned from day light attacks to nighttime attacks First attack on civilians in war Large scale bombing against major cities (to include London) , manufacturing and strategic targets. London Blitz Video Clip

Phase 4: Final Phase October 6th to October 31st 1940. Heavy raids against London and other cities but less frequently due to poor weather. The Battle of Britain officially concluded on 31 October 1940.

Outcomes: How Did Britain Do? The RAF consistently shoot the Luftwaffe Britain builds more planes than they lose unlike Germany Radar is now fully developed giving Britain the advantage Germans begin the Blitz-heavy bombing of British cities

Significance Germany failed to achieve its objective of destroying the RAF Now German soldiers could not attack the sea Failed to force the British government to negotiate. First major defeat for Adolf Hitler and German government.

Significance If Germany had won the Battle of Britain, it is possible that the Nazis could have launched an invasion of the British Isles, which was prevented.

WWll in Colour-The Battle of Britain and the Blitz Over London Video Clip Link

YOUR TASK Imagine that you are a German pilot. You had to bale out of your plane when you got hit by the enemy. You get to the ground safely you are taken prisoner by the local Brits. Write an imaginary conversation between yourself and your captors. In it you must tell them why Hitler thought it was important to launch an air attack on Britain What was the Battle of Britain What made the RAF so strong. Why the Luftwaffe was weak. Finally how the defeat of the Luftwaffe will affect the war plans of Germany