The Battle of Britain
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Early in the European phase of World War II, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler began preparing for an invasion of southern England. His plan was to pummel the island nation into submission in a series of air raids, leading to an armistice or even surrender. Failing that, he would launch a land invasion called "Operation Sea Lion."
The German air force, called the Luftwaffe, began by targeting ports and shipping centers, as well as convoys of shipments operating along the coast, in July of 1940. They then shifted their efforts in August to bombing Royal Air Force (RAF) fields and infrastructure, followed by attacking factories specializing in aircraft production. Later in the campaign (which ended in May, 1941), they terrorized the citizenry by bombing politically important cities and the civilians in them.
The effectiveness of the RAF prevented the Luftwaffe from running many successful daylight bombing raids, so they focused more heavily on nighttime attacks. These came to be called "the Blitz," from the German word for "lightning." Beginning on September 7, 1940, London was bombed consistently, suffering 56 attacks in the ensuing 57 days. One especially heinous attack was carried out in the daylight hours of September 15.
Previously, the Germans had easily overrun France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In a speech to the House of Commons on June 18, 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated: "What General Weygand called the 'Battle of France' is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin." This gave the battle-to-come its name, before it even commenced.
(Maxime Weygand, incidentally, was a French general who, after Germany's victory over his country, collaborated with the Nazis in the so-called Vichy government. The Germans later arrested him for failing to cooperate fully.)
The Battle of Britain has been called the first major battle fought almost entirely in the air. It is also considered Germany's first major defeat in the war, since British resistance forced Hitler to cancel Operation Sea Lion.