Ba#leofBritain

SamJohnson

Background

Hitler’sConquestofEuropeNaziGermanyandItalyenteranAllianceinNov1936beginningtheexpansionofHitler’scontrol.InMarch1938AustriaisannexedintoGermanyasitsfirstterritoryacquisiNon,Czechoslovakiaisaddedmonthslater.GermanyinvadesPolandstarNngconflictinEuroperesulNnginFranceandBritaindeclaringwaronGermany.GermanyconNnuesitsassaultbyinvadingDenmarkandNorwayinApril1940andinvadesFranceamonthlater.GermanyconNnuesitsassaultbyinvadingDenmarkandNorwayinApril1940andinvadesFranceamonthlater.GermanynowcontrolsmostofEuropeandsetsitssitesonGreatBritain.

InvasionPreparaNonHitlerwantedtoconquerBritaintoeliminateEuropeanresistancetohisruleandproposedandaplancalledOperaNonSeaLiontoinvadeBritain.However,inordertomountalandassaulthebelievedthatGermanyneededtohavecontrolovertheEnglishChannelsouthernEnglandairspacetoallowhisnavytocrosssafely.ThustheRoyalAirForcebasesbecametheLu[waffe’snewtargets.

PastBombingsofEnglandbyZeppelinDuringWorldWarItheGermansusedtheZeppelinairshipstoquietlybombLondonfrom1,100[.Inordertopreventthisstreetlightsweredimmedtolimitthevisibilityofthetargets.EventuallyincendiarybulletsweredevelopedforairplanestocombattheZeppelinsintheair.

PastGothaBombingsInordertoimproveonthesuccessoftheZeppelins,theGermansstartedusingtheGothabomber,ahugebiplane,tolaunchbombingraidsonBritainin1917.BritainrespondedwiththedevelopmentofwirelesscommunicaNonfortheirpilotsandtheimprovementofaerialcombatmaneuvers.Overthecourseofayearover60GothabombersweredestroyedbyBriNshfighters.

NewTechnology

DevelopmentofRadarIn1935waragainstGermanywasloominginthefuture.GiventheirexperienceofbeingbombedviaZeppelinandGothabombersinWWI,BritaindecidedtofundradarresearchandbuildaradarsystemmonitoringBritain’sborders.A[erthreeyearsSirRobertWatson-Wa#hadcreateda30MHzsystemofradarthatwasoperaNonalthroughoutthewar.Over20radarstaNonswerebuiltandinstallednearthecoaststodetectGermanbombers.

DowdingSystemHavingradarwasn’tenough.TheBriNshcreatedtheworld’sfirstwide-areaground-controlledintercepNonnetworkundertheguidanceofAirChiefMarshalHughDowding.UndertheDowdingSystemBritainwasdividedintogroupsandsubgroupscalledsectors.EachsectorhadamainairfieldwithanoperaNonsroom.IftheradarsystemdetectedanyincomingraidstheObserverCorpsmonitoredtheirdirecNonandsenttheinformaNontothemainairfieldsforthesecNonstheLu[waffewasin.Theairfieldsthenscrambledthefighterstointerceptthebombers.TheDowdingsystemdramaNcallydecreasedtheresponseNmeandincreasedtheaccuracyofintercepNngthebombers.

TheAircra[

DornierDo17(Germanbomber)DornierDo17Two1,000hpBramo322Pnine-cylinderair-cooledenginesSpan59[¾inchLength52[MaxSpeed265mphBetween4and87.9mmmachinegunsinfront,rearandbeamcockpitmounNngsandventralposiNonBombloadof2,200lbPilotand4gunnersnavigatorsandbombaimersBomberusedbytheGermansintheba#leofBritain

HeinkelHe111(Germanbomber)HeinkelHe111Two1,100Daimler-BenzDB601A-1twelve-cylinderliquid-cooledenginesSpan74[1¾inLength53[9½inMaxSpeed247mphThree7.9mmmachinegunsinnosedorsalandventralposiNonsPilottwogunnersnavigatorsbombaimersBombload4,410lbStartedoffbeingdesignedasamailandpeoplecarrier

JunkersJu87(Germanbomber)•  1,100hpJunkersJumo211A-1twelve-

cylinderliquid-cooledengine•  Span45[¾in•  Length36[1in•  MaxSpeed232mph•  Two7.9mmmachinegunsinwingsonein

rearofcockpit•  Bombload1,100lbinbodyoftheplane•  4110lbbombsonwings•  SeatsPilotandGunner•  Divebomberandbomber

Messerschmi#109(GermanFighter)

•  1,150hpDaimlerBenzDB601twelve-cylinderliquid-cooledengine

•  Span32[41/2in•  Length28[8in•  MaxSpeed357mph•  Two7.9mmmachinegunsonthenose•  Two20mmcannoninwings•  Pilotonly

SupermarineSpiiire(BriNshfighter)1,103hpRolls-RoycemerlinIIItwelve-cylinderliquid-cooledengineSpan36[11inchLength29[11inMaxSpeed362mphEight.303inBrowningmachinegunsmountedinwingsPilotMainairplaneusedintheba#leofBritain

HawkerHurricane(BriNshfighter)HawkerHurricane1,030hpRolls-RoyceMerlinIIItwelvecylinderliquid-cooledenginespan40[length31[4inmaxspeed328mpheight.303inbrowningmachinegunsmountedinwingspilotonlyfighterinba#leofBritain1715flewintheperiodoftheba#le

TacNcs

BriNshTacNcsWhenfighNngtheLu[waffeRaidstheBriNshreliedonNghtformaNonswiththeSpiiireshandlingtheGermanfighterswhiletheHurricanesa#ackedthebombers.However,theNghtformaNonslimitedthemobilityofthefightersweakeningtheira#ack.OverNme,theRAFloosenedtheirformaNonsallowingthea#acktobemorefluid.WiththerelaxedformaNonstheRAFwereabletoisolateanddestroymanymoreofthebombers.

BriNshCivilianResponseDuringtheBlitzkriegLondonersevacuatedintotheTube,o[enspendingthenighta[ertheBriNshradarsystemdetectedapproachingGermanaircra[.InordertoprotectthechildrenofLondonmanyweresenttothecountrysideawayfromthebombings.

GermantacNcsadvantages

TheGermanBombersflewinaformaNonwiththefightersabovethem.Thiswasadvantageousasitiseasiertoflydownthentoflyup.TheGermanMesserschmi#’spreformedbe#erthantheBriNshSpiiireandHurricaneathighalNtudesgivingthemanotheradvantage.

Ba#leofBritainNmelineTheBa#leofBritaincanbeseparatedinto4majorPhases.

Phase1:A#ackingtheshippingconvoys,Channelports,andcoastalradarstaNons.

Phase2:BombingtheAirfieldsandradarstaNons

Phase3:CivilianlocaNonsarenowtargetedinbombingraids

Phase4:LondonandmajorBriNshciNesbecamethefocusofa#acks.

1940July

1940August

1940September

1940October

”Neverinthefieldofhumanconflicthassomuchbeenowedbysomanytosofew.”–WinstonChurchill

”WhatGeneralWeygandcalledtheBa#leofFranceisover,theBa#leofBritainisabouttobegin.”-WinstonChurchill

WhyDid“TheFew”Win

DuringtheBa#leofBritainthepilotswerethemostimportantresourcetoboththeGermansandBriNsh.Becausetheba#letookplaceoverBritainanyGermanpilotthatsurvivedacrashwascapturedwhiledownedBriNshpilotswhereabletobesentbackintocombat.AlongwiththisanyGermanplanesthatsustaineddamagehadtorisktravelingacrosstheChanneltotheirbasewhilethedamagedBriNshaircra[couldlandintheirowncountryandberepaired.Duringtheba#letheBriNshwereabletooutproduceGermanyinaircra[.Atthestartoftheba#letheLu[waffehadastaggering2,600fightersandbomberswhencomparedtothe640fighteraircra[intheRAF.Bytheendoftheba#letheRAFhadmoreaircra[.TheBriNshhadtheadvantageinpilotsinthelongrun.Throughouttheba#letheRAFlostaround1,000aircra[whiletheLu[waffelost1,800.Becausetheaircra[onbothsideswereclosetoequallymatchedtheRAFpilotsweresuperiorastheydestroyedmoreaircra[.