1. Battle of Britain and Operation Sea Lion
VR, DW, JC

2. Thesis
Thanks to a sophisticated radar defense system and a well coordinated Royal Air Force powered by Winston Churchill’s blazing spirit of resistance, Britain was able to defend its homefront and establish air superiority for the remainder of the war.

3. Previously in WWII…
Allied troops in France evacuated to Britain in the events of Dunkirk
France surrenders to Nazi Germany
The Axis forces holds a large majority of Europe
Britain stands alone.
“The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
Winston Churchill

4. Key Figures in the Battle of Britain
Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of Britain during the Battle of Britain and the rest of WWII
Hermann Goering: German Air Force commander and involved in the Battle of Britain
Adolf Hitler: Originally planned out and tried to implement Operation Sea Lion, which he would later call off on September 17th, 1940 due to failure in the Battle of Britain
Hint: Who’s who

5. The New Prime Minister Winston Churchill was elected May 1940
The nation was split between negotiating with Nazi Germany and those who rejected any compromise or settlement (Cooke et al 187).
The mounting sense of Nationalism ignited by Churchill’s speech preceding Dunkirk led to an increasing war effort from the average citizen.
Anthony Eden, the new secretary of war appointed by Churchill created the Local Defense Volunteers. More than 250,000 volunteers appeared in the first 6 days (Holland 134).
Winston Churchill personally oversaw the command center during the Battle of Britain
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”
Winston Churchill

6. Adlerangriff
The first major attack began in August 13 with the german offensive called Adlerangriff (Eagle Attack)
German bombers targeted air bases and aircraft factories
Britain and Germany continued to bomb each other through the summer
This set up for the definitive air battle over London

7. Germany’s plan for Britain
Germany believed that Britain would surrender but was soon proven wrong
Germany is preparing for an easy invasion over Britain
The strategy involves the use of Blitzkrieg
Why might Germany want to invade Britain?
Do you guys remember what the first step of Blitzkrieg was from the case white presentation? We will get back to that later

8. Thesis
Thanks to Britain’s sophisticated radar defense system and the blazing spirit of resistance from Winston Churchill, Britain was able to defend its homefront and establish air superiority for the remainder of the war.

9. Britain's Defense and the use of Radar
The pilots stayed in constant radio communication with coastal radar operators and fellow pilots
The effectiveness of Britain’s radar was demonstrated in the RAF’s ability to intercept German air assaults.
German aircraft could be identified shortly after taking off from Belgium or France, giving a significant amount of time for the defenders to prepare (Cooke at al. 197).
Radar would later be used in future battles during WWII

10. The Battle of Britain
After Germany’s accidental bombing of London, Britain retaliated by bombing Berlin
Germany began bombing Britain’s major cities, most notably London
Germany sent 375 bombers and bombed London in full daylight
historicalphotosdaily.blogspot.com
The battle involved three blitzes or major assaults by the Germans

11. The Battle of Britain
On September 15 Britain dominated over the Luftwaffe
The city was left devastated but not defeated
Hitler called off Operation Sealion

12. Defending the Homefront and The Spirit of Resistance
Hitler had two goals in the bombings of London:
To destroy Britain's morale and will to fight
To defeat Britain as quickly as possible

13. The Few
Adlerangriff inspired one of Churchill’s most famous speeches, speaking about the pilots who were sacrificed for the defense of Britain
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
How could this quote impact the war?

14. Thesis
Due to Britain’s sophisticated radar defense system and the blazing spirit of resistance of Winston Churchill’s, Britain was able to defend its homefront and establish air superiority for the remainder of the war.

15. Impact: Air Superiority
- Hitler realized that an invasion of Great Britain (Operation Sea Lion) was not possible.
- His paranoia and insecurity would lead him to turn his attention towards the eastern front.
- RAF would increase its aircraft output to a point where Germany could no longer keep up.
- The battle showed the advantages of a radar, this technology would be improved and utilized even more.
- Radar would show incredible importance in the Siege of Malta 1942.

16. Works Cited
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Battle of Britain.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8
Nov. 2017,
Cooke, Tim, et al. Origins and Outbreak. New York, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, vols.
Cumming, Anthony J. “Did Radar Win the Battle of Britain?” The Historian, vol. 69, no. 4, 2007, pp. 688–705. JSTOR,
JSTOR,
13 Hours That Saved Britain. Directed by Stephen Saunders, ASA Productions, 2010.
Holland, James. The Battle of Britain. New York, St. Martin's Press, 2010.
Miller, Donald L., and Henry Steele Commager. The Story of World War II. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2006