France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin. Because Britain was an island, Hitler needed control of the skies in order to invade. He ordered the Luftwaffe to destroy Britains Royal Air Force in preparation for an invasion from the sea. Here is a brief description of the Battle of Britain, the first battle to be fought in the skies alone. The records kept of aircraft destroyed by either side were quite accurate. The numbers tell their own story very well.
The Opening Phase: July-August 1940.
The Luftwaffe makes small raids on Britain and tries to sink ships in the Channel.
The First Phase: August 1940. The Luftwaffe tries to destroy the British airfields. This was the correct tactic. Up to now the British secret weapon, radar, had allowed the Royal Air Force (RAF) to concentrate their defence against the higher numbers of German aircraft.
The Second Phase: mid-August-September 1940.
Soon the RAF was near to collapse. There were not enough pilots, never enough sleep and too many enemy planes. Then a German bomber dropped its bombs over London by mistake. Churchill ordered raids on German cities in revenge. This angered Hitler who ordered the Luftwaffe to change tactics and destroy London. This gave the British airfields the chance to recover.
The second pupil:The Third Phase: September-October 1940.
Now the autumn had arrived, invasion was no longer a real possibility. Hitler was already planning his attack on Russia. The German pilots were skilled and brave, but their commanders were not allowed to use effective tactics. The fighters had to protect the bombers, which meant things were easi-er for the British. September 15: the biggest raid on London. This day is called Battle of Britain Day.
The Final Phase: October-No
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