The Germans Make a Move
In July of 1940, the German air force (Luftwaffe) began attacking Britain. Germany wanted to be able to control the air over southern Britain and the English Channel. If the Germans controlled the air, the German navy and ground troops would be able to attack and conquer Britain. For this to occur, Germany needed to destroy the British Air Forces, also know as the Royal Air Force (RAF). The RAF was left to defend Britain in this desperate time. Britain did have one major advantage over Germany called Radar. Radar allowed the British to detect attacks early and be able to prepare for German attacks. But this did not stop the Luftwaffe. Instead of trying to destroy the RAF in air battles, they would bomb the RAF bases, communication centers, and Radar towers. If the Luftwaffe was able to do this, the RAF would struggle to keep up with the war. They would have no attack warnings, no ability to communicate to fighting pilots, and basically no defense. But later, the head of the Luftwaffe decided that attacking the British Radar was useless. This greatly aided the RAF. This allowed them to have some radars to be able to see and prepare for attacks.
In late August to early September, the Luftwaffe began night raids on Britain. The Luftwaffe would bomb British cities while they were sleeping and left defenseless. These night raids were termed The Blitz short for Blitzkrieg, a German fighting tactic that involves harsh bombing. London was harshly bombed during this time along with many other cities. These raids in Britain killed many civilians. The Germans had no mercy with their attacks.
Eventually, Hitler postponed the attack on Britain, land, air, or otherwise. Hitler wanted to attack the Soviet Union more than he wanted to bother with Britain. With the damage the German's had inflicted on Britain, Hitler believed that they would not be a threat to him. But he had not damaged Britain like he had hoped. Their industry was still very productive and Britain still remained a strong country.
Throughout the Battle of Britain, the loss of German life and planes was much greater than that of Britain. The German's lost approximately 2,000 planes, while Britain only lost 1,500. The German's lost about 3,000 airman to Britain's 500.
Throughout the Battle of Britain, the loss of German life and planes was much greater than that of Britain. The German's lost approximately 2,000 planes, while Britain only lost 1,500. The German's lost about 3,000 airman to Britain's 500.
Overall, only a few main factors led to Germany's defeat. Because Germany fought with planes so far away from home, the flights had to be very limited. If the plane ran out of fuel, there was nowhere to refuel it. The German planes were also not able to land and rearm their planes. Britain was able to refuel and rearm their planes, which gave them a distinct advantage. Furthermore, the British planes were strong enough to take on the Luftwaffe. If the RAF planes had been weak, the battle would have turned out differently, most likely leaning in the favor of the Germans. This war was a great success for the British. For Germany, the battle left their forces damaged and left them fighting what would only prove to be a losing battle.