Learning Outcome To know the series of events in the Battle of Britain To be able to explain multiple reasons why The Battle of Britain was a success for Britain.
Why did the battle of Britain happen? But the German Navy was not as strong as the British Navy But the Luftwaffe had to defeat the RAF first. Hitler wanted to invade Britain to ensure victory in WWII – He called this ‘Operation Sealion’ Hitler planned to use the German Airforce, the Luftwaffe, to defend his invasion force.
What happened during the Battle of Britain? But the RAF had also lost many planes. The pilots were exhausted and were dying faster than they were being trained. But the Luftwaffe accidentally bombed London and the RAF replied by bombing Berlin. But the Luftwaffe returned in numbers on Sept 15th. But the Luftwaffe too, was at the limit and – just in time – it turned back. In August 1940 the Luftwaffe attacked British radar stations and airfields. The Luftwaffe lost more planes than the RAF… The Luftwaffe continued coming and the RAF were on the brink of defeat… Hitler was so angry he ordered the Luftwaffe to disengage the RAF and bomb London. This gave the RAF time to recover… At one point every British plane was in the sky – soon, some would have to come in to refuel and there were no reserves to protect them… Hitler postponed Operation Sealion. and concentrated on night-bombing London. This became known as the Blitz.
Why did Britain win the Battle of Britain? British radar was superior. It could tell where the enemy planes were coming from and tell the RAF where to go to attack them. Air Chief Marshall Dowding was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command. He was a brilliant commander who organised the RAF exceptionally well. The British developed 2 brilliant planes: The Hurricane was reliable and could be used to shoot down German Bombers and the Spitfire (the fastest plane in the world) was used to destroy the fighters protecting the bombers, Lord Beaverbrook used ingenious campaigns and ways to increase production of planes such as recycling pots and pans to make fighters. In 1940, British factories produced 4,283 fighters, compared to Germany’s 3,000. These are some reasons why Britain succeeded. Look at the events again and try to find some more reasons. How much did other factors contribute? e.g. The Germans, luck etc.