The Battle of Britain (Operation Sea Lion)
- Hitler's plan to invade Great Britian
- Needed control of the air before this would be possible
- Luftwaffe begins bombing aircraft factories, hangars, runways, radar, convoys
- British come within days of not being able to sustain a defence
- Hitler had promised this would never happen in Germany
- He changed strategy and bombs London for 76 nights straight
- Allows the RAF to recover
- "The Blitz"
- The Battle of Britian
- RAF outnumbered 3:1
- Spitfires and Hurricanes vs Messerschmitt 162
- 24 August Accidental bombing of London
- RAF bombs Berlin
- British in control of Enigma
- Led by Winston Churchill
- St. Paul's Cathedral a sign of resistance
- Americans begin the lend lease policy in 1941
- Elected as British Prime Minister after the Fall of France
- Famous for his speeches during WWII
- Knighted
Interesting Fact
It is estimated that around 1,000 British planes were shot down during the battle, while over 1,800 German planes were destroyed.
Quote
"a landing in England is possible, providing that air superiority can be attained and certain other necessary conditions fulfilled.....all the preparations must be made on the basis that the invasion is still only a plan, and has not yet been decided upon."
-Hitler, July 2nd 1940
-Hitler, July 2nd 1940
Subjunctive Question
How would have happened if Hitler could have kept his promise?
Summary
Operation Sea lion is Hitler's plan to invade Great Britian. The Germans needed more control of the air before they could do this, so the Leftwaffe starts to bomb Britians aircraft stations. This only takes days to put Britian in a position of not being able to defend themselves. The RAF bombs Berlin, so Hitler bombs London. Hitler had promised that this would never happen to Germany, however, since it did he changed his strategy and bombed London for 76 nights straught. This was the beginning of the Battle of Britain/ "The Blitz". The RAF was outnumbered by the Luftwaffe 3:1. The British has control over the Enigma. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, led the dogfights. Churchill was famous for his speeches, he was also knighted. The Americans begin the lend lease policy and the St. Paul's Cathedral becomes a sign of resistance.