1. Hansen. Name _____________________ World History. Period _________
Hansen Name _____________________ World History Period _________ The Battle of Britain Note-Taking Guide
Hitler’s Attack on Britain
Hitler made an offer of ____________
When Britain refused, Hitler planned to __________ _____________. He cannot allow an anti-Nazi Britain…
(why not?) ___________________________ ___________________________________________
The Advantage of Being _________ with Superior ________ ___________________
Churchill talks about the incredible advantage of superior sea power- _________________________.
Enemy might be able to ________ across, but even then, how can it defend _____________?
Necessities of __________________for a good invasion… high tide, half moon, clear weather… the problem is that the enemy ____________________ _________________as well… can be prepared…
For this reason, he argues that Britain has always been safe… even more so in WWI when __________ took away the ability of the aggressor to wait for _____________________ to help them but drive the defender away.
However, there was a new intangible in WWII
… _______________________.
Basic German Invasion Plan… _______________________
Construct a Naval ________________
cordon off the ______________________ between France and Britain
line it with _____________and ____________, and ferry the German army across…
Churchill claims that Britain could have ___________ _______________________________, destroyed the subs, and __________________________________
he also says that this was the most ______________ ____________section of the British coast…
The Odds
Churchill estimated that at the beginning of the Battle of Britain the Luftwaffe forces ________________________ _____________________, but there was considerable home field advantage for the British
Partly this is because of ________… Luftwaffe only had about ________________of fighting time over England before having to _____________________.
Also, Enigma (bigger story here) and radar : _______ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Churchill describes the need to defend a long coastline in Britain meant to set up forces on the perimeter that would _____________________________ and then the largest possible ________________for quick counterattack… (what he accused ___________________________in the Battle of France )
Churchill’s _________________
Air battles between the Luftwaffe and the RAF occurred through the _______________________________________
Operation Sea Lion would have to be launched by _______ ____________________or it would have to wait _______ _____________ winter…would the RAF __________?
RAF started ________________ because of damage to its fighter command….
I’ve read one historian who claims England came ________________ of permanently losing the air war
Churchill, in desperation, _______the Germans by ________ ______________________
Hitler had promised _________________________if German cities were _________________________
Goering (head of Luftwaffe) had promised that _______________________________________

2. So much? __________________
The London ________________
The bombing of Berlin caused _______________
The Germans altered their focus from an attack on British air power to an attack on __________________________________
tried to bomb the Brits into submission through ___________________________
London was bombed after this for ___ consecutive ________________
Problem of underground shelters during incendiary bombings?- ___________________ _____________________________________
Solution? – _______________________
Thus, the Battle of Britain had two phases
The attack on ____________
And
The attack on London, known as the __________________
Record Two Interesting Facts from the London Blitz
Readings
1)________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
2) ________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
The Bombings of London Were _______________ to Churchill
“London can _________________”
RAF is being _________________________
By October, Hitler ______________the bombing of Britain
Too late to launch Sea Lion
Instead, Hitler decided to deal with England via the _______ ________________________________________ (__________)
____________the British out
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
So much? __________________
So many? ___________________
So few? _____________________

3. Hitler’s Attack on Britain
Hitler made an offer of peace
When Britain refused, Hitler planned to subdue Britain. He cannot allow an anti-Nazi Britain…(why not?)

4. The Advantage of Being An Island with Superior Naval Power
Churchill talks about the incredible advantage of superior sea power- very hard to invade.
Enemy might be able to sneak across, but even then, how can it defend its supply lines?
Necessities of perfect weather for a good invasion… high tide, half moon, clear weather… the problem is that the enemy can calculate these dates as well… can be prepared…
For this reason, he argues that Britain has always been safe… even more so in WWI when steam power took away the ability of the aggressor to wait for favorable winds to help them but drive the defender away.
However, there was a new intangible in WWII
… air power.

5. Basic German Invasion Plan… Operation Sea Lion
Construct a Naval corridor
cordon off the shortest straight line between France and Britain
line it with minefields and subs, and ferry the German army across…
Churchill claims that Britain could have torn this minefield up, destroyed the subs, and crushed this invasion
he also says that this was the most heavily fortified section of the British coast…

6. The Odds
Churchill estimated that at the beginning of the Battle of Britain the Luftwaffe forces outnumbered the RAF 3-1, but there was considerable home field advantage for the British
Partly this is because of fuel… Luftwaffe only had about 10 minutes of fighting time over England before having to head back to refuel.
Also, Enigma (bigger story here) and radar
Churchill describes the need to defend a long coastline in Britain meant to set up forces on the perimeter that would stall the enemy and then the largest possible reserve for quick counterattack… (what he accused the French of not doing in the Battle of France… )

7. RAF Planes
Hurricane… first RAF plane with a top speed of over 300 mph…
8 machine guns in the wings… (gets rid of synchronizing gear)
1,715 Hurricanes flew with Fighter Command during the period of the Battle
It is estimated that its pilots were credited with four-fifths of all enemy aircraft destroyed in the period July-October 1940.

8. Hurricane…

9. Hurricane…

10. Spitfire
Spitfire
“The Spitfire has always attracted more attention than the Hurricane, and is undoubtedly one of the most famous aircraft ever built. Its graceful lines combined with outstanding handling qualities to produce a "dream plane" extremely fast, and in comparison to contemporary types was second to none.”
8 machine guns in wings

13. Luftwaffe Messerchmitt 109
2 machine guns in the nose and two in the wings
The various strengths and shortcomings of the Messerschmitt, the Hurricane, and the Spitfire largely cancelled out in combat.

16. Stuka Dive Bomber
Won great success in battles of Poland and France, but in the Battle of Britain proved to be almost helpless without fighter cover

18. “The Hurricane's comparative weakness in acceleration was offset by its extreme strength and ruggedness. There was little to choose between the Spitfire and the Me109 between 12,000 and 17,000 feet, but above 20,000 feet the Messerschmitt was undoubtedly the better machine. It dived faster than its opponents, but required much more physical effort to fly. The weak, narrow undercarriage caused many accidents, but despite this and the cramped cockpit, the aircraft was popular with its pilots.”

19. Churchill’s Gamble
Air battles between the Luftwaffe and the RAF occurred through the late summer and fall (1940)
Operation Sea Lion would have to be launched by late September or it would have to wait through the winter…would the RAF hold out
RAF started to crack because of damage to its fighter command….
I’ve read one historian who claims England came within one week of permanently losing the air war
Churchill, in desperation, bated the Germans by bombing Berlin
Hitler had promised never to bomb London if German cities were not bombed
Goering (head of Luftwaffe) had promised that German cities would never be bombed

20. The London Blitz The bombing of Berlin caused a change in tactics
The Germans altered their focus from an attack on British air power to an attack on England’s civilian population
tried to bomb the Brits into submission through terror bombing of London ..
London was bombed after this for 57 consecutive nights…
Problem of underground shelters during incendiary bombings?
Solution? – To the roof!

21. Primary Source Readings…
Thus, the Battle of Britain had two phases
The attack on the RAF
And
The attack on London, known as the London Blitz
Primary Source Readings…

22. The Bombing of London were a ‘Relief’ to Churchill
“London can take it.”
RAF is being reconstituted
By October, Hitler gave up on the bombing of Britain
Too late to launch Sea Lion
Instead, Hitler decided to deal with England via the War in the Atlantic (Wolf Packs)
Starve the British out

23. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

24. Look at Churchill Speeches from the Invasion of France and the Battle of Britain