Post on 26-Mar-2018
The Battle Of Britain
Michelle H, Natasya,
Jessica O, Davin
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 Britain
The 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 Britain
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 Britain
Why Germany Lost
New 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 Lost
New Developments Michelle.
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
Jessic
a
Why Germany Lost
Location Disadvantages Jessic
a
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 Facts Davin
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.