Germany Attacks Britain
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” - Winston Churchill
Introduction
The Battle of Britain is well known, and the details are quite interesting. Apart from it being the worlds first strategic bombing raid, it was also the first battle determined in the air. Germany wanted to invade Britain and take their land, and of course Britain didn’t want that, so they fought back and eventually won.
Before The Battle
On July 10th 1940, 120 German bombers and fighters attacked the British channel. The beginning of the Battle of Britain. Before everything started, Germany had 1300 fighters, while Britain only had 600. Britain did have a very effective radar system, making it hard for Germany to launch a sneak attack. The British Spitfire aircrafts were very good quality and could turn tighter than the German fighters which had very limited flight radius and lacked bomb load capacity. Britain's Hurricane fighters could carry 40 mm canons, a lot more than the German fighters could. Britain also had the advantage of unified focus; to get rid of the Germans. The Germans didn’t plan out the battle very well and their timing could have been better. Their plans to invade Britain had the name Operation Sea Lion. The main point of the operation was to gain control of the air over southern England and the english channel. For this plan to work they would have the Luftwaffe attack the RAF (Royal Air Force) fighter fields, known as Eagle Day. This wouldn’t happen until Hitler made the call, so until he did Germans attacked domestic shipping in the english channel to try and bait the RAF so they could lessen their numbers. It worked, the RAF did retaliate and took down 248 of the German fighter planes, Germany, however, only managed to take down 148 of Britain’s planes. This didn’t do as much damage as they hoped, but they did take out a number of good British pilots. It was already getting exciting, and the real battle hadn't even begun yet.
The Battle
August 1st, Operation Sea Lion was a go, Hitler had given the go ahead and the Luftwaffe was ready to attack the British radar systems. Eagle Day was to be on August 10th, and the main event to attack the RAF command bases would begin. There was only one problem, the weather got too bad and the Luftwaffe couldn’t take out the radar systems until August 12th, this threw a wrench in the plan. It was successful though, the Germans did lose more aircraft than the British, but they took out almost all of the radar systems. Eagle Day came and the Germans thought they did a good job, they attacked airfields all over southern England and destroyed 84 fighters and 8 air bases. What they didn't know is that Britain got all but one of their radar systems working again. Then they shot down 46 German aircrafts, only losing 13. Germany also made a embarrassing mistake, the bases they attacked were coastal command not fighter command, so it didn't help them. The next couple days of fighting were the same, Germany losing 75 aircrafts, while Britain only lost 35. Goering, the German military leader in charge of Operation Sea Lion, decided to change their strategy, attacking the RDS (Radar Defence System) was pointless, the main focus now was to destroy RAF fighters. He had small bombers escorted by heavy fighters to draw out the RAF, this tactic almost won him the battle. Then a lone lost German pilot accidentally bombed central London, changing the course and most likely the outcome of the battle.
Victory
The British were outraged about this attack on civilians, Churchill called for an attack on Berlin. Goering laughed and said if this happens you can call me Meyer. Surprise! on the night of August 25th, 81 British bomber appeared over Berlin, in a military perspective it was not the best move, it was actually quite unnecessary. Afterwords people did start calling Goering “Meyer”, hurting his pride. So in a sense the attack on Berlin was useful after all. Of course Goering assured people it wouldn't happen again, but it did. The Bombing in London continued, giving the RAF a break to restock supplies and repair factories and planes. When they were back and ready to attack the Luftwaffe couldn’t handle them. Operation Sea Lion was postponed, and daylight bombing raids were canceled all together, they did continue at night though, known as the Blitz. In the end the British won, a victory.
Fun Fact : The Battle of Britain got it’s name from Winston Churchill in a speech given on June 18th, 1940 in the British House of Commons, “The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
Canadian War Hero:
Earnest. A. McNab
Earnest. A. McNab was a pilot that joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1926 at twenty years old. In September of 1937 McNab was appointed the new flight commander in squadron 46, and was in England when the war started. He flew back to Canada and took over command of Squadron No.1, in November 1939. In June 1940 McNab led his squadron to the UK. From the time period of August 15th to 27th he destroyed 7 aircraft and damaged many others. McNab was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, DFC for short, in October of 1950. A month later he returned to Canada and became commander of squadron 118. McNab led them to Nova Scotia to help with coastal defence. He was made an OBE, honour from the Queen given to an individual for a major role in any activity. OBE stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. McNab retired in 1957, and settled in Vancouver. He died on January 10th 1977, after living for 71 years. He was one of many brave fighters during the Battle of Britain in World War ll.
Works Cited
"Great Air Battles: The Battle of Britain." Great Air Battles: The Battle of Britain. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2017.
History.com Staff. "Battle of Britain." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 05 Jan. 2017.
"The Battle of Britain Begins." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2017.
History.com Staff. "Battle of Britain." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 05 Jan. 2017.
"The Battle of Britain Begins." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2017.
Works Cited - War Hero
"The Airmen's Stories - S/Ldr. E A McNab." Battle of Britain London Monument - S/Ldr. E A McNab. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.