The Battle Of BritainThe Battle Of Britain
Michelle H, Michelle H, Natasya, Jessica O, Natasya, Jessica O,
DavinDavin
What: An aviation war fought between Brtain and Germany
When: July 10 – September 15, 1940
Effects: The Battle of Britain was an unnecessary war in which the Luftwaffe attacked Brtain for pointless reasons
The Battle Of The Battle Of BritainBritain
The Battle Of BritainThe Battle Of Britain
Germans needed to control English Channel in order to invade Britain
They had planned on sending in barges full of soldiers through English Channel
To take over channel, had to dominate in air So the Luftwaffe - German air force - was
sent to fight to Royal Air Force (RAF) Germany had the advantage of numbers Luftwaffe had 4,000 planes versus the RAF’s
1,660, but in the end Germany lost the battle
The Battle Of The Battle Of BritainBritain
The Battle of Britain was a war fought between Britain’s RAF and Germany’s Luftwaffe
First battle completely fought in the air Began August 10, 1940, ended October 31,
1940 Germany came very close to defeating Britain,
but in the end the Luftwaffe lost the battle
The Battle Of BritainThe Battle Of Britain
Why Germany LostWhy Germany Lost
New DevelopmentsNew Developments RADAR
Device used by Britain to warn them of approaching enemy planes
Radar located Luftwaffe planes so that RAF did not have to search for them
Eliminated element of surprize that Luflwaffe had conted on
Michelle.H
Hurricane Plane Heavy duty plane, could
stay in air even when hit several times
Effective guns, very versitile
Spitfire Plane More quick and agile than
Hurricane When hit, went down easily
Why Germany LostWhy Germany Lost
New DevelopmentsNew DevelopmentsMichelle.H
Why Germany Lost
Location Disadvantages Luftwaffe traveled far to get to Britain,
had to go back to rearm and refuel Pilots did not get much air time over
Britain before they had to head back to Germany
There were many RAF fighter bases spread around Britain, so RAF planes could quickly land, rearm, and refuel
German fighters could not fly as far as bombers
So bombers went unprotected and were very vulnerable to attack
Jessica
Why Germany Lost
Location DisadvantagesJessica
Why Germany Lost
Poor Strategic Decisions used Planes at war changed from airfield to cities ignored the radar and defese of allies Bomb Raids Unexpected Attacks Caused too many casualties Caused too much destruction
Loss of planes
Hermann Goering – Leader of Luftwaffe Corrupt Stop doin g his job Didn't listen to field commanders Involve himself in long& pointless
discussions on minor matters
Why Germany Lost
Poor Strategic Decisions
Why Germany Lost
Other Important Facts
The planned invasion of Britain was codenamed “Operation Sealion” by Germany
For awhile the weather was bad Once the skies cleared on August 15,
most of the German dive-bombers had been put out of action
So it became much harder for Luftwaffe to destroy British radars
Davin
Propaganda was used by both sides Germany claimed to have shot down
3,058 RAF planes, when they really only destroyed 650
Britain claimed to have shot down 2,698 Luftwaffe planes, when they really only destroyed 1,100
Why Germany Lost
Other Important FactsDavi
n
Conclusion
• The Battle of Britain was an war of aviation between the British RAF Fighter Command and the German Luftwaffe
• Although Britain came close to loosing, they prevailed in the end
• Britain’s success ensured freedom for them and allowed them to continue involvement in World War II
Effects on War
– The Battle of Britain was the first predominately air-based battle in WWII
– German plans to quickly and completely invade Britain were foiled when they were defeated
– Britain’s victory ensured they would remain a free nation and stay involved in the war
– Eventually Britain was able to play a major role in the success of the Allied Powers
Discussion Question
– How could Herman Goering have planned attacks better in order to ensure defeat over Britain?
– Had the weather been more clear, how might the outcome of the battle have differed from the actual results?
– Explain why Britain was actually very fortunate to win triumph over Germany in the Battle of Britain.