battle of britain
The aftermath of "The Blitz"
After the Battle of Dunkirk and invasion of France, Britain and its empire stood alone. The Germans were planning a British invasion, called operation “Sea Lion”, however it was postponed. This allowed Britain to regain the equipment lost from the Battle of Dunkirk. While the British were trying to recover equipment, the 1st Canadian Division, which had most of its equipment, joined the 7th British Army Corps. When the time came to start operation “Sea Lion”, the Germans knew that the Britain’s air force, the Royal Air Force, would attack the German soldiers passing the Dunkirk channel. Therefore, Hitler ordered his air force, the Luftwaffe, to take control of the skies (Veteran Affairs Canada, October 1, 2011).
The British had many advantages such as radar. This gave the British an early warning of the Luftwaffe approaching. The British were also mainly fighting over their own land, giving them the benefit of refueling and re-arming quickly (Veteran Affairs Canada, October 1, 2011). Furthermore, the German pilots were untrained at long range warfare, since most of their tactics involved around close air support for ground forces. Britain also mainly used the planes Spitfire and the Hurricane, which was superior to the German Messcherschmitt. However, the Luftwaffe severely outnumbered the Royal Air Force. Even though the Royal Air Force had many little advantages over the Luftwaffe, the Luftwaffe with their immense numbers was in a stronger position (History, n.d.).
Canada was a major factor in this war. At the home front, most Canadian factories were focused on making supplies and munitions for the war. Canada and some of the other countries in the British Empire were able to send them pilots, radar personnel, replacement aircraft and many other supplies as well. More than 200 Canadian pilots flew bombing raids and more than 100 Canadian pilots were involved in higher operations with Britain (Colyer, Cecillon, Draper & Hoogeveen, 2010).
Even with Canada’s support, Britain was still losing. Germany was headed for victory until Adolf Hitler made a key strategic mistake. The Luftwaffe had accidentally bombed London, so in response, Britain attacked the German capital, Berlin. This angered Hitler, so he ordered the Luftwaffe to continuously drop bombs on London and other British cities; this was known as “the Blitz”. The breathing space that the Royal Air Force received from “the Blitz” gave enough time for them to recover and come back stronger. Germany was soon defeated in this memorable battle.
The British had many advantages such as radar. This gave the British an early warning of the Luftwaffe approaching. The British were also mainly fighting over their own land, giving them the benefit of refueling and re-arming quickly (Veteran Affairs Canada, October 1, 2011). Furthermore, the German pilots were untrained at long range warfare, since most of their tactics involved around close air support for ground forces. Britain also mainly used the planes Spitfire and the Hurricane, which was superior to the German Messcherschmitt. However, the Luftwaffe severely outnumbered the Royal Air Force. Even though the Royal Air Force had many little advantages over the Luftwaffe, the Luftwaffe with their immense numbers was in a stronger position (History, n.d.).
Canada was a major factor in this war. At the home front, most Canadian factories were focused on making supplies and munitions for the war. Canada and some of the other countries in the British Empire were able to send them pilots, radar personnel, replacement aircraft and many other supplies as well. More than 200 Canadian pilots flew bombing raids and more than 100 Canadian pilots were involved in higher operations with Britain (Colyer, Cecillon, Draper & Hoogeveen, 2010).
Even with Canada’s support, Britain was still losing. Germany was headed for victory until Adolf Hitler made a key strategic mistake. The Luftwaffe had accidentally bombed London, so in response, Britain attacked the German capital, Berlin. This angered Hitler, so he ordered the Luftwaffe to continuously drop bombs on London and other British cities; this was known as “the Blitz”. The breathing space that the Royal Air Force received from “the Blitz” gave enough time for them to recover and come back stronger. Germany was soon defeated in this memorable battle.
Images from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/battle_of_britain
http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/battle_of_britain.php
http://www.worldwar2facts.org/battle-of-britain.html
http://www.saoc.rtaf.mi.th/elearning_wars/Battle%20of%20Britain/pages/image/imagepage27.html
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/history-of-the-battle-of-britain/introduction-to-the-phases-of-the-battle-of-britain.aspx
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/battle_of_britain
http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/battle_of_britain.php
http://www.worldwar2facts.org/battle-of-britain.html
http://www.saoc.rtaf.mi.th/elearning_wars/Battle%20of%20Britain/pages/image/imagepage27.html
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/history-of-the-battle-of-britain/introduction-to-the-phases-of-the-battle-of-britain.aspx