1. WW II -- Battle of Britain
Lesson 14
WW II -- Battle of Britain

2. Lesson Objectives
•  Understand the implications of strategic air warfare in World War II. •  Be able to describe and analyze the German strategy in the Battle of Britain. •  Describe the impact of new technology on the Battle of Britain. •  Describe and analyze the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.

3. Battle of Britain
"What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
Winston Churchill
June 18, 1940
Excerpt-Int
Excerpt-LoC
Full

4. Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)
Battle of Britain
Background
Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)

5. Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)
Battle of Britain
Background
Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)

6. Invasion barges in Channel ports
Operation Seelöwe
Invasion barges in Channel ports
July 1940

7. Operation Sealion Germans began planning for invasion in November 1939
Initial criteria for success:
* The Royal Navy had to be eliminated.
* The Royal Air Force (RAF) air strength had to be eliminated.
* British coastal defenses had to be destroyed.
* British submarine action against landing forces had to be prevented.

8. The air battle must be won if the war is to be won.
First Law of Modern War
The air battle must be won if the war is to be won.
General of the Army Omar Bradley
November 1951

9. USAF Doctrine (modern) Priorities for tactical (theater) airpower:
1. Air Superiority
2. Interdiction
3. Close Air Support

10. Operation Sealion Hitler’s conditions for Sealion:
Defeat of the Royal Navy in the invasion area required control of the air
Hitler’s conditions for Sealion:
The RAF is to be "beaten down in its morale and in fact, that it can no longer display any appreciable aggressive force in opposition to the German crossing".
Warning Order for Seelöwe, 16 July 1940

11. Operation Sea Lion German Plan Take control of the air
1940
German Plan
Take control of the air
 Defeat the RAF
Isolate the invasion area
 Neutralize Royal Navy, destroy communications & defenses
Invade England
 Land Panzers, employ Blitzkrieg tactics
Source: Royal Air Force

12. 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 / 428*
233
* Dive-bombers
Source

13. German Fighters
Messerschmitt Bf 110 "Zerstörer"

14. Most widely produced aircraft in WW II (33,000+ units)
German Fighters
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Most widely produced aircraft in WW II (33,000+ units)

15. British Fighter
Supermarine Spitfire

16. British Fighter
Hawker Hurricane

17. Generally felt to be evenly matched
Spitfire vs. Bf 109
Generally felt to be evenly matched
More rugged
Higher maximum dive speed
Better handling characteristics
Heavy on controls at high speed
Better visibility
Heavier armament (cannon)
Source

18. German Bombers
Heinkle He 111
Dornier Do 17
Junkers Ju 88

19. (Click image for video)
Battle of Britain
(Click image for video)

20. 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 / 428*
233
* Dive-bombers
Source

21. Battle of Britain How to overcome a numerical disadvantage?
British Challenge:
How to overcome a numerical disadvantage?

22. Principles of War • Objective • Offensive • Mass • Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity

23. Principles of War • Mass • Objective • Offensive • Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity

24. Early Warning System
Ground Observers
Source: Royal Air Force

25. Source: Royal Air Force
Battle Management
Source: Royal Air Force

26. Chain Home Radar Site - Dover
Battle of Britain
Chain Home Radar Site - Dover

27. Battle of Britain
Chain Home Radar Towers

28. Source: Royal Air Force
Chain Home RDF
Source: Royal Air Force

29. Alignment of Forces
Source

30. Alignment of Forces
Source

31. Battle of Britain: Phase I Attacks on Channel Ports and Shipping
10 July –12 August
Source: Royal Air Force

32. Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Problem: They were vulnerable to fighters

33. Battle of Britain: Phase II Attacks on RAF: Fighter Bases, Radar
12 August – 6 September
Source: Royal Air Force

34. 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

35. Battle of Britain: Phase III
Daylight Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
7 September- 5 October
Source: Royal Air Force

36. Battle of Britain: Phase III
London’s East End Burning - September 7, 1940

37. 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
Source

38. Considered the turning point of the battle
Climax
September 15, 1940
Massive daylight raid on London
• Largest to date
56 German aircraft lost versus 28 RAF fighters
RAF used every fighter in 11 Group (no reserves)
Germans switch to night raids on cities
Considered the turning point of the battle

39. RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Climax
September 15, 1940
September 15th is celebrated as
Battle of Britain Day
RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

40. Battle of Britain: Phase IV
Night Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
6 October May 1941 (unofficially)
Source: Royal Air Force

41. Battle of Britain September 17, 1940
Operation Sealion
September 17, 1940
Operation Sealion postponed indefinitely
October 31, 1940
Battle of Britain declared over by Air Ministry
Night bombings of cities continued through winter

42. Bad Weather Operations Knickebein (Crocked Leg) Navigation System
Source

43. Coventry Industrial city in the midlands
Subjected to a massive air raid (400+) on November 14, 1940
Center city and cathedral wiped out
1,400 killed or injured

44. Cathedral of Saint Michael
Coventry
c 1880
Cathedral of Saint Michael

45. Coventry X-Gerät Navigation Aid
Myth: Churchill knew about raid but could not act to defend

46. Battle of Britain
Summary
Source

47. 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 / 428*
233
* Dive-bombers
Source

48. Battle of Britain } Losses 1940 RAF Luftwaffe Single-seat fighters
Twin-seat fighter
Bombers
Maritime patrol }
1,023
376
148
520
1,107
357
1,014
2,600+
Pilots Lost
Source

49. Directed by Frank Capra, 1943
Battle of Britain
Video Clip
Directed by Frank Capra, 1943
4. Battle of Britain
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

50. “… the whole population … committed to total victory”
Total War
“… the whole population … committed to total victory”
Princess Elizabeth
- Age 17

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

52. Principles of War • Objective • Offensive • Mass • Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity

53. Principles of War • Objective • Offensive • Mass • Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity

54. Factors Battle of Britain British use of radar (command & control)
• Allowed RAF to concentrate scarce resources where needed
• Allowed RAF to hold aircraft on ground until last moment

55. Factors Battle of Britain British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
• Initial fighter strength
• Fighter production capabilities

56. Factors Battle of Britain British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
British “home field” advantage
• Fighting close to home airfields
• Closer to the fight, more combat time
• RAF pilots shot down had a good chance of returning to the fight

57. Factors Battle of Britain German loss of focus
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
British “home field” advantage
German loss of focus
(Change of Objective)

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

59. First Law of Modern War
First of all, you must win the battle of the air. That must come before you start a single land or sea engagement.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1943

60. WW II – Germany Turns East
Lesson 13
WW II – Germany Turns East

61. End

62. Battle of Britain Preliminary June – 10 July
1940
Preliminary June – 10 July
Phase I: Attacks on Coastal Shipping 10 July –12 August
Phase II: Attacks on Fighter Command (airfields & radar)
12 August – 6 September
Phase III: Attacks on London 7 September- 5 October
Phase IV: Night Attacks on London 6-31 October (officially)
Source: Royal Air Force

63. National Leadership in World War II
Writing Assignment
National Leadership in World War II
Analyze the decisions made by President Franklin Roosevelt in support of Great Britain prior to U.S. entry into World War II with particular emphasis on those decisions which have been controversial as having been contradictory to U.S. law, U.S. treaty obligations and/or international law (minimum of four).
Without discussing the legal justification for each decision, discuss what was done, the background situation, and the intended results of the decision.
Length: 1,000 – 2,000 words
Due: NLT 11:59 PM, Oct. 22, 2012