1. Events September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland September 3, 1939
Britain, France declare war on Germany
“Phony war” begins
April 9, 1940
Germany invades Denmark & Norway
May 10, 1940
Germany invades Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
May 27-29, 1940
Evacuation of Dunkirk
June 4-22, 1940
Battle of France
June 22, 1940
France Surrenders
July 10-October 31
Batle of Britain 1

2. Miracle of Dunkirk
300,000+ rescued
Equipment abandoned

5. Battle of Britain: Plan Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)

6. Operation Sealion Germans began planning for invasion in November 1939
With Dunkirk (May 1940): British and Nazi negotiations for peace
Vichy France as model
Rejected by Churchill…and Chamberlain in split vote.
Initial criteria for success:
Phase one:
* The Royal Navy had to be eliminated. (German Navy still weak)
* The Royal Air Force (RAF) needs to be destroyed
* British coastal defenses had to be destroyed.
* British submarine action against landing forces had to be prevented.

7. German Confidence
"My Luftwaffe is invincible. And now we turn to England. How long will this one last - two, three weeks?” Hermann Goering in June 1940.
General Guenther Blumentritt in June 1940.
"How long would they last in battle, they ran from Dunkirk, they deserted France completely for the safety of home, England is there for the taking." General Hugo Sperrle June 1940.

8. Invasion barges in French ports
Operation Seelöwe
Invasion barges in French ports
July 1940

9. Battle of Britain Orders of Battle 1940 RAF Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
Twin-seat fighter
Bombers
Maritime patrol
754
159
560
500
1,107
357
1,300
233

10. RAF LEGEND: Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh-Pujji, 91.10

11. German weaknesses
Fighters could only carry fuel for 30 min flight over Britain
German losses greater than British ones, ex Sept 1940, Luftwaffe lost 213 to 133 RAF planes
Germans producing 156 new planes per month compared with 563 planes in Britain
Luftwaffe flying over enemy territory

12. Evidence of German strengths
British pilots were reservists & part-timers
Germany trained 800 pilots per month (Britain, 200)
Luftwaffe outnumbered RAF e.g. 824 German fighters to 591 British fighters
RAF pilots overstretched, 35 mins between sorties
Production issues

13. The Fog of War Significance: Gave the RAF a critically needed breather
August 24, 1940
Luftwaffe bomber crews mistakenly bombed London
• Residential area
August 25
RAF bombers hit Berlin industrial area in retaliation
August 26
Enraged, Hitler orders massive attacks against London and other British cities
Attacks on cities continue into the fall, switching to night raids after September 15th
Significance:
Gave the RAF a critically needed breather

14. Battle of Britain: Phase III
Daylight Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
7 September- 5 October

15. Battle of Britain: Civilians
London’s East End Burning - September 7, 1940

20. Attacks on British Cities “The Blitz”
September 7, May 10, 1941
“The Blitz”
St. Paul’s Cathedral, 26 December 1940
London experienced 57 consecutive nights of bombing
• September - November 1940
Over 41,000 civilians killed, 137,000 injured throughout Britain

22. Battle of Britain Concludes
ir battles continue until 1941 (the next year)
Operation Sea Lion postponed indefinitely on September 17
Guarantees US support
Critical errors:
No focus on intelligence
Shift in strategy halfway
Nazi Germany turns now… to the Soviet Union

23. Did the British Win or the Germans Lose?
Battle of Britain
Did the British Win or
the Germans Lose?