Lesson 14

WW II -- Battle of Britain

Lesson Objectives

•  Understand the implications of strategic air warfare in World War II.

•  Be able to describe and analyze the German strategy in the Battle of Britain.

•  Describe the impact of new technology on the Battle of Britain.

•  Describe and analyze the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.

Battle of Britain

"What General Weygand called the Battle of France

is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."

Winston ChurchillJune 18, 1940

FullExcerpt-LoCExcerpt-Int

Battle of BritainBackground

Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)

Battle of BritainBackground

Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)

Operation Seelöwe

Invasion barges in Channel ports

July 1940

Operation Sealion

* The Royal Navy had to be eliminated. * The Royal Air Force (RAF) air strength had to be eliminated. * British coastal defenses had to be destroyed. * British submarine action against landing forces had to be prevented.

Germans began planning for invasion in November 1939

Initial criteria for success:

First Law of Modern War

The air battle must be won if the war is to be won.

General of the Army Omar BradleyNovember 1951

USAF Doctrine(modern)

Priorities for tactical (theater) airpower:

1. Air Superiority

2. Interdiction

3. Close Air Support

Operation Sealion

Defeat of the Royal Navy in the invasion area required control of the air

Hitler’s conditions for Sealion:

The RAF is to be "beaten down in its morale and in fact, that it can no longer display any appreciable aggressive force in opposition to the German crossing".

Warning Order for Seelöwe, 16 July 1940

Operation Sea Lion1940

German Plan

Source: Royal Air Force

Take control of the air

Defeat the RAF

Isolate the invasion area Neutralize Royal Navy, destroy communications & defenses

Invade England

Land Panzers, employ Blitzkrieg tactics

Battle of Britain1940

Orders of Battle

Source

RAF Luftwaffe

Single-seat fighters

Twin-seat fighter

Bombers

Maritime patrol

754

159

560

500

1,107

357

1,300 / 428*

233

* Dive-bombers

German Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf 110 "Zerstörer"

German Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf 109

Most widely produced aircraft in WW II (33,000+ units)

British Fighter

Supermarine Spitfire

British Fighter

Hawker Hurricane

Spitfire vs. Bf 109Generally felt to be evenly matched

More rugged

Better handling characteristics

Better visibility

Higher maximum dive speed

Heavier armament (cannon)

Heavy on controls at high speed

Source

German Bombers

Junkers Ju 88

Dornier Do 17

Heinkle He 111

Battle of Britain

(Click image for video)

Battle of Britain1940

Orders of Battle

Source

RAF Luftwaffe

Single-seat fighters

Twin-seat fighter

Bombers

Maritime patrol

754

159

560

500

1,107

357

1,300 / 428*

233

* Dive-bombers

How to overcome a numerical disadvantage?

Battle of Britain

British Challenge:

Principles of War

• Objective

• Offensive

• Mass

• Economy of Force

• Maneuver

• Unity of Command

• Security

• Surprise

• Simplicity

Principles of War

• Objective

• Offensive

• Mass • Economy of Force • Maneuver

• Unity of Command

• Security

• Surprise

• Simplicity

Early Warning System

Source: Royal Air ForceGround Observers

Battle Management

Source: Royal Air Force

Battle of Britain

Chain Home Radar Site - Dover

Battle of Britain

Chain Home Radar Towers

Chain Home RDF

Source: Royal Air Force

Alignment of Forces

Source

Alignment of Forces

Source

Battle of Britain: Phase I

Source: Royal Air Force

Attacks on Channel Ports and Shipping

10 July –12 August

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka

Junkers Ju 87 “Stuka”

Problem: They were vulnerable to fighters

Battle of Britain: Phase II

Source: Royal Air Force

Attacks on RAF: Fighter Bases, Radar

12 August – 6 September

The Fog of War

August 24, 1940 Luftwaffe bomber crews mistakenly bombed London

• Residential area

RAF bombers hit Berlin industrial area in retaliation

Enraged, Hitler orders massive attacks against London and other British cities

Attacks on cities continue into the fall, switching to night raids after September 15th

Significance: Gave the RAF a critically needed breather

August 25

August 26

Battle of Britain: Phase III

Source: Royal Air Force

Daylight Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas

7 September- 5 October

Battle of Britain: Phase III

London’s East End Burning - September 7, 1940

Attacks on British CitiesSeptember 7, 1940 - May 10, 1941

“The Blitz”

London experienced 57 consecutive nights of bombing

• September - November 1940

Over 41,000 civilians killed, 137,000 injured throughout Britain

Source

St. Paul’s Cathedral, 26 December 1940

ClimaxSeptember 15, 1940

Massive daylight raid on London

• Largest to date

56 German aircraft lost versus 28 RAF fighters

Germans switch to night raids on cities

Considered the turning point of the battle

RAF used every fighter in 11 Group (no reserves)

ClimaxSeptember 15, 1940

September 15th is celebrated as

Battle of Britain Day

RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

Battle of Britain: Phase IV

Source: Royal Air Force

Night Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas

6 October 1940 - 10 May 1941 (unofficially)

Battle of Britain

Operation Sealion

September 17, 1940 Operation Sealion postponed indefinitely

October 31, 1940 Battle of Britain declared over by Air Ministry

Night bombings of cities continued through winter

Bad Weather Operations

Knickebein (Crocked Leg) Navigation System

Source

Coventry

Industrial city in the midlands

Subjected to a massive air raid (400+) on November 14, 1940

Center city and cathedral wiped out

1,400 killed or injured

Coventry

Cathedral of Saint Michael

c 1880

Coventry

X-Gerät Navigation Aid

Myth: Churchill knew about raid but could not act to defend

Battle of BritainSummary

Source

Battle of Britain1940

Orders of Battle

Source

RAF Luftwaffe

Single-seat fighters

Twin-seat fighter

Bombers

Maritime patrol

754

159

560

500

1,107

357

1,300 / 428*

233

* Dive-bombers

Battle of Britain1940

Losses

Source

RAF Luftwaffe

Single-seat fighters

Twin-seat fighter

Bombers

Maritime patrol

1,023

376

148

520

1,107

357

1,014

2,600+

}

Pilots Lost

Battle of BritainVideo Clip

Directed by Frank Capra, 1943

Part 1 Part 2 Part 6Part 4 Part 5Part 3

4. Battle of Britain

Total War“… the whole population … committed to total victory”

Princess Elizabeth - Age 17

Battle of Britain

Did the British Win or

the Germans Lose?

Principles of War

• Objective

• Offensive

• Mass

• Economy of Force

• Maneuver

• Unity of Command

• Security

• Surprise

• Simplicity

Principles of War

• Objective • Offensive

• Mass

• Economy of Force

• Maneuver

• Unity of Command

• Security

• Surprise

• Simplicity

Battle of Britain

Factors

British use of radar (command & control)• Allowed RAF to concentrate scarce resources where needed

• Allowed RAF to hold aircraft on ground until last moment

Battle of Britain

Factors

British use of radar (command & control)

German underestimation of RAF strength• Initial fighter strength

• Fighter production capabilities

Battle of Britain

Factors

British use of radar (command & control)

German underestimation of RAF strength

• Fighting close to home airfields

• Closer to the fight, more combat time

British “home field” advantage

• RAF pilots shot down had a good chance of returning to the fight

Battle of Britain

Factors

British use of radar (command & control)

German underestimation of RAF strength

British “home field” advantage

German loss of focus (Change of Objective)

Battle of Britain

Did the British Win or

the Germans Lose?

First Law of Modern War

First of all, you must win the battle of the air. That must come before you start a single land or sea engagement.

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1943

Lesson 13

WW II – Germany Turns East

End

Battle of Britain1940

Preliminary June – 10 July

Phase I: Attacks on Coastal Shipping 10 July –12 August

Phase II: Attacks on Fighter Command (airfields & radar) 12 August – 6 September

Phase III: Attacks on London 7 September- 5 October

Phase IV: Night Attacks on London 6-31 October (officially)

Source: Royal Air Force

Writing Assignment

National Leadership in World War II

Analyze the decisions made by President Franklin Roosevelt in support of Great Britain prior to U.S. entry into World War II with particular emphasis on those decisions which have been controversial as having been contradictory to U.S. law, U.S. treaty obligations and/or international law (minimum of four).

Without discussing the legal justification for each decision, discuss what was done, the background situation, and the intended results of the decision.

Length: 1,000 – 2,000 words

Due: NLT 11:59 PM, Oct. 22, 2012