Battles of the WW2 Battle of Britain Who? Britain (RAF) vs. Germany (Luftwaffe) What? Operation Sea Lion Fought mostly in the air Where? Began attacks on airfields near coast before moving inland to London When? July 10 to October 31, 1940 Why? 1. Luftwaffe was to gain control of British air space and destroy the RAF 2. Destroy aircraft production/intimidation for surrender Invention of the Dowding system: early warning detection – radar Canadian pilots were involved Outcome: First failure of Hitler’s war machine Realized the Allies were better equipped for the air war

Battle of Britain After the fall of France, Hitler turned his attention to his next target: Britain July 10 – October 31, 1940 (continued until May 1941) British airspace (and German) Allies: Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) – More than 100 Canadian pilots flew in fighter operations and 200 more in bombing raids Axis: Germany’s Luftwaffe “Never was so much owed by so many to so few”

Battle of Britain ‘Operation Sea Lion’: weaken Britain’s defences to prepare for a land invasion; take control of the air Phase 1: bomb Britain’s coastal defences and knock out early warning radar system Phase 2: bomb airfields and destroy the RAF Phase 3: “The Blitz” – lasted 57 days (bombing of London) Phase 4: continued bombings

Battle of Britain Luftwaffe = 2500 planes; RAF = 1200 planes and short of trained pilots and experienced ground crew British had several advantages: superior radar system and assistance from Allied countries – Pilots, radar personnel, replacement aircraft, etc. By October the Germans realize the RAF can’t be beaten and ‘Operation Sea Lion’ is cancelled 43,000 killed (many British civilians) and 50,000 buildings destroyed

Battle of Britain Hitler’s 2 nd mistake: switching from defensive targets to civilians Only battle to be fought entirely in the air Prevented Germany from taking Britain

Battle of Britain

How Canadian Communities contributed overseas -Aboriginal Peoples’ Participation in the Military, about 3000 aboriginal people enlisted - They were involved in every major battle -When war was over, many aboriginal veterans were denied their benefits -Many African Canadians served Canada in WWII, came from Nova Scotia, Montreal, and southern Ontario -Over 600 Chinese Canadians served for WWII -In 1947 the government finally extended the vote to Chinese Canadians