Against Impossible Odds
“The Battle of France is over, I expect the Battle of Britain to begin” declared England’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill on June 4, 1940. The world waited. One month later, Germany launched surprise airborne attacks against British convoys in the English Channel and along the southern coast of Britain. With these strategic fear inducing strikes, Hitler hoped to coax Britain’s surrender. If Britain had succumbed, the world would not have witnessed England’s statistically underrated success. But Churchill had already rallied his nation with the war cry: “We will never surrender”!
After Germany invaded France, the quest was to move forward and invade Britain, known to German intelligence as Operation Sealion. Germany needed to have complete control over the Channel before land invasion of Britain was possible. But in order to dominate the English Channel, they had to revise their tactics and now fight from the air. Hitler understood that the best way to succeed at air battle, was to quickly locate and exterminate Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF). Germany then proceeded to bomb the airports, fighters and planes. Next they bombed the towns and army defenses along the southern coast. Hitler’s attacks were intended to intimidate the British and again on July 19th, he encouraged surrender.
On July 21st, Germany decided to extend their attacks on Britain, codenamed the Adlerangriff, which officially began on August 13th. On this day, miscommunication amongst Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe, significantly impoverished them ten bombers. Then August 15th, now known as “Black Thursday”, Germany suffered heavy losses -- twenty percent of their aircraft. Three days later, “The Hardest Day”, the Luftwaffe lost 69 airfighters, while the RAF lost only 29. On August 19, the Royal Canadian Air Force squadron along with other Polish and Czech pilots joined the RAF.
In the early morning hours of August 25th, a lone German bomber plane drifted off course, mistakenly sending bombs at the center of London. This error created a dramatic strategy shift. Churchill, outraged by this civilian attack decided to retaliate by bombing the heart of Berlin that same night. This unexpected attack on the German homeland outraged and humiliated Hitler so that he altered his action against Britain.
On September 3rd, Germany’s military leader, Hermann Goering, advised by the Fuhr, now began attacks on Britain that would produce the highest civilian casualties. Bombings were now directed at Plymouth, Coventry and London. “The Blitz” commenced September 7th, lasting 57 consecutive nights. All the daylight bombings were cancelled with Germany strategically focusing on night attacks. This alteration allowed the RAF the necessary relief needed to repair their airports, bases and planes while also continuing to defend their country against the German bombings. The climax of this battle occurred on September 15th -- the Luftwaffe losing twice as many planes as the RAF: 56 to 28. After this significant loss, two days later, on September 17, Operation Sealion was officially postponed. From this point on, Hitler decided to focus his army and war tactics on the Soviet Union, however, the bombings on Britain continued but with decreased intensity.
Up to this point in war history, airplanes had only been used as a supporting role for land and/or navy battles. Uniquely, the Battle of Britain became the first war of the air. The differences in the Allies’ and Axis’ aircrafts substantially affected the outcome of this battle. Britain’s Spitfires and Hurricanes were outnumbered 675 to the 2,000 German Messerschmitts. Even though Britain’s RAF was greatly outnumbered, they had several advantages that aided their success. Since the Battle of Britain was fought over English land, the British aircrafts could easily be refueled, maintained and quickly put back into action. Also, if an Allied plane was shot down with the pilot parachuting to safety, he would be able to return into service. Whereas a surviving Axis’ pilot would be captured and remain out of action. Another major contributor for Allied victory was Britain’s well developed radar system. This advantage allowed the RAF early notifications of the incoming German aircrafts. Finally, the limiting fuel load and economy of the Messerschmitts constrained the German pilots to only twenty minutes of flight time over British land. This restraint resulted in unexpected failure for the Luftwaffe fleet.
Despite the horrendous Blitz bombings the British people remained resilient. Leading by example, their rulers rallied a frightened nation. King George and Queen Elizabeth were brave, strong monarchs during the war, even placing their lives at risk by choosing to remain at Buckingham Palace, London. Caring and loving for their people, they visited hospitals, wounded soldiers and destroyed cities. During WWII, Churchill and King George worked together and both owned a deep respect for each other. Since Britain boasted of a dependable, feisty prime minister, plus dedicated and thoughtful monarchs, their supportive roles became priceless at a time of great need.
Continued devastating bombings lasted through to May 1941 until Germany decidedly moved attacks towards the Soviet Union. Britain had not succumbed. There was victory and not surrender. The world exhaled in relief. Gratitude surged to the Canadian, Czech and Polish pilots, who together with England's best aviators had warded off an immense enemy. As Winston Churchill so eloquently proclaimed, “Never in the human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” joined the RAF.