JULY – OCTOBER, 1940

WE SHALL GO ON TO THE END. WE SHALL FIGHT IN FRANCE. WE SHALL FIGHT ON THE SEAS AND OCEANS. WE SHALL FIGHT WITH GROWING CONFIDENCE AND GROWING STRENGTH IN THE AIR, WE SHALL DEFEND OUR ISLAND, WHATEVER THE COST MAY BE. WE SHALL FIGHT ON THE BEACHES, WE SHALL FIGHT ON THE LANDING GROUNDS, WE SHALL FIGHT IN THE FIELDS AND IN THE STREETS. WE SHALL FIGHT IN THE HILLS. WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER. SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, JUNE 4, 1940

“ THE ‘Battle of France’ IS OVER. I EXPECT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.” WINSTON CHURCHILL, HOUSE OF COMMONS SPEECH, 1940

BACKGROUND CAUSES: WERMACHT SUCCESSES IN SPRING, 1940 LEAD HITLER TO HOPE / BELIEVE… THE WAR IS BASICALLY OVER (AT LEAST IN WESTERN EUROPE) THE U.K. WILL SETTLE FOR PEACE POSSIBLE EFFECT? IF SO, GERMANY WOULD BE FREE TO CONTROL EUROPE WITHOUT INTERFERENCE GERMANS COULD SHIFT MILITARY FOCUS (AGAIN) TOWARDS EAST TO PREPARE FOR RUSSIAN INVASION HITLER & GOERING DON’T THINK BRITISH AIR FORCE (R.A.F.–ROYAL AIR FORCE) HAS THE ABILITY TO DEFEND BRITAIN LONG-TERM. THEY ALSO… BELIEVE BRITS ARE DEMORALIZED DON’T BELIEVE U.S. WILL BE DRAWN INTO THE WAR THEREFORE, THEY THINK THE BRITS ARE “PLAYING FOR TIME” WERMACHT, AND ESPECIALLY LUFTWAFFE, MORALE IS VERY HIGH – DEFEAT IS NOT GENERALLY REGARDED AS A POSSIBILITY BY TROOPS, PILOTS, ETC. PROBLEM? CHAMBERLAIN IS GONE; CHURCHILL IS NEW PRIME MINISTER CHURCHILL WILL NOT NEGOTIATE WITH / APPEASE GERMANS RESULT? HITLER ORDERS & PLANS FOR AMPHIBIOUS / AIRBORNE INVASION OF BRITIAN INVASION MUST BE PRECEDED BY AERIAL ATTACK TO NEUTRALIZE… R.A.F ROYAL NAVY WHY? SO THAT THE ENGLISH CHANNEL WILL BE OPEN FOR INVASION FLEET

OPERATION SEA LION INVASION PLAN JUNE, 1940

LUFTWAFFE OPERATION PLANS GERMAN PLAN FOR AERIAL ASSAULT WAS NOT WELL PLANNED RESULT? A CONSTANTLY ADJUSTING STRATEGY & TACTICS LACKED ORGANIZATION & COORDINATED ATTACK BATTLE OF BRITAIN BECAME BROKE INTO 4 “PHASES”, EACH W/ A DIFFERENT GOAL PHASES OF THE BATTLE: PHASE 1: ATTACK NAVY CONVOYS IN ENGLISH CHANNEL ATTACK RADAR STATIONS ON COAST ATTACK COASTAL CITIES TARGETED FOR INVASION SITES PHASE 2: DESTROY R.A.F. FIGHTERS IN LARGE NUMBERS (ON GROUND OR IN AIR COMBAT) ARIFIELDS IN S.E. ENGLAND WERE HIT HARDEST PHASE 3: LONDON & MAJOR CITIES BOMBED FACTORIES & STRATEGIC SITES ALSO TARGETED PHASE 4: CITIES BOMBED IN NIGHT RAIDS AIRFIELDS & MILITARY TARGETS ALSO ATTACKED BEGINNING OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS “THE BLITZ” ***THE BLITZ WAS A PERIOD OF INTENSE BOMBING ON CITIES, ESPECIALLY LONDON THAT BEGAN AS THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN WAS COMING TO A CLOSE

PHASE I

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

PHASE 4

BRITISH PLAN FOR DEFENSE BRITISH PLAN RELIED HEAVILY ON 4 FACTORS ALL HAD TO BE WELL COORDINATED IN ORDER FOR PLAN TO SUCCEED: RADAR: COASTAL R.D.F. SITES WOULD IDENTIFY ENEMY PLANE FORMATIONS ALARM THEN SENT TO R.A.F. COMMUNICATION CENTERS INFORMATION (# OF PLANES, DIRECTION, etc.) SENT TO AIR GROUPS IDIVIDUAL SQUADRONS ALERTED & “SCRAMBLED” TO INTERCEPT GERMANS BRITISH HAD ALSO MADE BACKUP PLANS IF THIS RADAR WAS KNOCKED OUT EXAMPLE: BRITISH CIVILIAN “OBSERVER CORPS” ON COAST ALSO WATCHED FOR LUFTWAFFE THEY COULD ALSO ALERT R.A.F. BY PHONE ANTI-AIRCRAFT SITES PLACED… ON COAST AROUND ALL AIRFIELDS AROUND ALL MAJOR CITIES

CHAIN HOME (CH) RADAR MAST, PRESENT-DAY, ENGLAND

R.A.F. PILOTS BEING “SCRAMBLED” FROM AIRFIELD

LONDON HERALD AUGUST, 1940

R.A.F. SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE

R.A.F. HAWKER HURRICANE

BASIC DESIGN SCHEME; HAWKER HURRICANE (top) SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE (right)

HURRICANE & SPITFIRE

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE, PRESENT-DAY

DOGFIGHT: Me-109 and Spitfire

ORDER OF BATTLE STRENGTH OF FORCES: R.A.F.: 1,963 AIRCRAFT LUFTWAFFE: 4,074 AIRCRAFT COMMANDERS: R.A.F.: AIR MARSHALL SIR HUGH DOWDING – C/O, FIGHTER COMMAND AIR VICE MARSHALL SIR KEITH PARK – X/O, FIGHTER COOMAND LUTFWAFFE: HERMANN GOERING PRIMARY AIRCRAFT: R.A.F.: SUPERMARINE “SPITFIRE” – SINGLE-ENGINE FIGHTER HAWKER “HURRICANE” – SINGLE ENGINE FIGHTER LUFTWAFFE: MESSERSCHMIDT Me-109 – SINGLE-ENGINE FIGHTER MESSERSCHMIDT Bf-109 – SINGLE-ENGINE FIGHTER MESSERSCHMIDT Bf-110 – TWIN-ENGINE FIGHTER/BOMBER JUNKERS Ju-87 “STUKA” – SINGLE ENGINE DIVE BOMBER HEINKEL He-111 – TWIN-ENGINE, MULTIPLE CREW BOMBER AIR UNITS: R.A.F.: 4 PRIMARY AIR GROUPS, COVERING ENGLAND, SCOTLAND & WALES 13 GROUP: SCOTLAND 12 GROUP: CENTRAL ENGLAND 11 GROUP: LONDON & S.E. ENGLAND 10 GROUP: WALES & W. ENGLAND LUFTWAFFE: 3 AIR GROUPS, CALLED “LUFTFLOTTE” LUFTFLOTTE 2 – TARGETED LONDON & S.E. ENGLAND LUFTFLOTTE 3 – TARGETED WALES & W. ENGLAND LUFTFOLTTE 5 (unit based in Norway) – TARGETED N. ENGLAND & SCOTLAND

BASIC TACTICS R.A.F.: USE RADAR SYSTEM TO DETECT GERMAN AIR MOVEMENT EARLY (while forming over France or over the English Channel) RADAR POSTS ALERT SQUADRONS SQUADRONS “SCRAMBLE” (2-3 min) TO GET AIRBORNE RADAR POSTS GUIDE SQUADRONS TO INTERCEPT POINTS (altitude, direction, etc.) SQUADRONS ATTEMPT TO SHOOT DOWN AS MANY BOMBERS AS POSSIBLE LUTFWAFFE: AIR GROUPS ALL HAVE DESIGNATED TARGETS (airfields, factories, etc.) FIGHTERS CONCENTRATE ON STRAFING R.A.F. AIRFIELDS OR SHOOTING DOWN FIGHTERS BOMBERS HEAD TO TARGETS AND CONCENTRATE ON KNOCKING THEM OUT

R.A.F. AIR GROUPS BATTLE OF BRITAIN, 1940

R.A.F. RADAR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

R.A.F. DEFENSE SYSTEM, SOUTHEASTERN ENGLAND, SUMMER, 1940

HERMANN GOERING SIR HUGH DOWDING SIR KEITH PARK Commanding Officer Commanding Officer Executive Officer German Luftwaffe Fighter Command Fighter Command Royal Air Force Royal Air Force

SPITFIRE ATTACK ON He-111 BOMBER SQUADRON

ADOLPH GALLAND, LUFTWAFE ADOLPH “SAILOR” MALLAN, R.A.F. 58 KILLS 27 KILLS, 7 SHARED, 3 PROBABLES, 16 DAMAGED

GROUP LEADER Major Werner Molders, Luftwaffe DOUGLAS BADER, R.A.F. 30 Kills 11 Kills, 4 Shared, 6 Probable, 11 Damaged

SAILOR MALLAN’S RULES OF ENGAGEMENT WAIT TO SHOOT UNTIL YOU SEE THE WHITES OF HIS EYES. FIRE SHORT BURSTS OF 1-2 SECONDS ONLY WHEN YOUR SIGHTS ARE DEFINITELY “ON” THE TARGET. BRACE YOUR WHOLE BODY WHEN SHOOTING. KEPP BOTH HANDS ON THE CONTROL STICK AND CONCENTRATE ON YOUR GUN SIGHT. ALWAYS KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT FOR THE ENEMY. HEIGHT GIVES YOU THE INITIATIVE. ALWAYS TURN AND FACE THE ATTCK. MAKE YOUR DECISIONS PROMPTLY. IT’S BETTER TO ACT QUICKLY EVEN IF YOUR TACTTICS AREN’T THE BEST. NEVER FLY STRAIGHT AND LEVEL IN THE COMBAT AREA FOR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS. WHEN DIVING TO ATTACK, ALWAYS LEAVE A PART OF YOUR SQUADRON ABOVE TO ACT AS A TOP GUARD AGAINST ATTACK. INITIATIVE, AGGRESSION, AIR DISCIPLINE AND TEAM WORK ARE WORDS THAT MEAN SOMEHTING IN AIR COMBAT. GO IN QUICKLY – PUNCH HARD – GET OUT!

ADOLPH GALLAND

GALLAND’s Bf-109 FIGHTER

MESSERSCHMIDT Me/Bf-109 SINGLE-SEAT FIGHTER

BASIC DESIGN SCHEME: MESSERSCHMIDT Me/Bf-109

Me-109 SQUADRON ON GERMAN AIRFIELD, 1939

MESSERSCHMIDT Bf-109 DURING TAKEOFF

LUFTWAFFE “SCHWARM” (FINGER-FOUR) FORMATION

“SCHWARM” FORMATION ADVANTAGES

FINGER FOUR AIRCRAFT SPACING

R.A.F. “V” or “VIC” FORMATION

SPITFIRES IN STANDARD “V” FORMATION

SPITFIRES IN 2 SUPPORTING “V” FORMATIONS

HEINKEL He-111 TWIN ENGINE BOMBER

JUNKERS Ju-28 “STUKA” DIVE BOMBER

STUKA DIVE BOMBERS AFTER DIVE ATTACK

BRITISH and GERMAN AIRFIELD DISPERSAL, MAY – OCT., 1940

Heinkel He-111 Bomber over London

“BLITZ” DAMAGE IN LONDON

St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, During The Blitz

RESULTS CASUALTIES: R.A.F.: 544 KIA 1,547 AIRCRAFT DESTROYED LUFTWAFFE: 2,500 KIA 1,887 AIRCRAFT DESTROYED LOSSES ARE HIGHEST AMONGST BOMBER / DIVE BOMBER CREWS LONG-TERM RESULTS: ENGLISH CHANNEL REMAINS OPEN TO BRIT./ALLIED NAVAL FORCES OPERATION SEA LION IS CANCELLED R.A.F. FIGHTER COMMAND GAINS VALUABLE EXPERIENCE GERMANS SUFFER FIRST LOSS OF THE WAR HITLER ORDERS PREPARATIONS FOR INVASION OF RUSSIA GERMANS WILL SOON BE INVOLVED IN A TWO-FRONT WAR

1940 R.A.F. PROPAGANDA POSTER

BATTLE OF BRITAIN R.A.F. MEMORIAL

RIGHT: CHURCHILL DURING THE BLITZ BELOW: CHURCHILL AT HOME

“NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW.” WINSTON CHURCHILL, 1940

“WE SHALL FIGHT THEM ON THE BEACHES, WE SHALL FIGHT THEM IN THE FIELDS AND IN THE STEETS, WE SHALL FIGHT THEM IN THE HILLS, WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER.” Winston Churchill

“LET US BRACE OURSELVES TO OUR DUTIES, AND SO BEAR OURSELVES, THAT IF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH LASTS FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, MEN WILL STILL SAY, THIS WAS THEIR FINEST HOUR.” WINSTON CHURCHILL