1. Essential Question: Why were the Nazis unable to defeat Britain in by 1941?

2.  Newly elected prime minister in 1940.  Declared that his nation shall never give in.  “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets…we shall never surrender.”

3.  Operation Sea Lion – plan was to first knock out the RAF (Royal Air Force) and then land 250,000 soldiers on England’s shores.  In the summer of 1940, Germany’s Air Force, called the Luftwaffe, began raining bombs on Great Britain.

5.  The RAF had 2,900 planes to the Luftwaffe’s 4,500.  The Germans targeted British airfields and aircraft factories.  On September 7, they began bombing cities, especially London.  Bombs exploded daily in city streets. Civilians were killed, and buildings were set on fire.  Despite these losses, the British fought back.

7.  Two secret weapons turned the war in Great Britain’s favor.  Radar – an electronic tracking system that could tell the number, speed, and direction of incoming warplanes.  Enigma – a German code-making machine. It was smuggled into Great Britain in 1938. The British had access to German secret messages.

9.  Germany gave up daytime bombing in October 1940 and bombed only at night.  Londoners spent nights in air-raid shelters in the city’s subway system.  The Battle of Britain continued until May 1941.  Stunned by British resistance, Hitler called off the attack.  The world learned that Hitler could be blocked.

10.  Hitler planned on dealing with Britain later  He turned his focus to the Balkans and then to the ultimate prize…the Soviet Union