The Battle of Britain took place during World War II and was Germany’s attempt to dominate the skies of Great Britain. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was significantly outnumbered in one of the biggest air battles in history and managed to emerge victorious against the German air force, the Luftwaffe. German’s unexpected defeat was attributable to their underestimation of Britain’s strength, their inexperience in aerial warfare and their tactical and technological liabilities.
The fall of France was the catalysis for the start of the Battle of Britain as Great Britain became predominantly isolated despite the distant support of the commonwealth nations. Germany saw this as their opportunity to gain air superiority and further their influence and control around the world. The Battle of Britain was considered to be a small part of Germany’s bigger plan which was to overthrow Russia and rest of the Soviet Union. The attitudes and emotions of both countries at the time contrasted greatly as they were both in very different positions regarding power and confidence. As they were experiencing major success and progress during World War II, and having just claimed victory over France, Germany was triumphant and empowered with a victorious movement. The fighter pilots were extremely confident did not see Britain as a threat, “In 1940 the situation was still very positive for the German’s, we were certain of victory, spirits were high … the British rather were just getting started …” Hitler was at the height of his rule and because of this he underestimated Britain’s power. The commander in chief of the German Luftwaffe Hermann Goring was optimistic and guaranteed Hitler that the RAF could be destroyed in just four clear days, paving the way ...
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...r II Today, (2014). 18th June 1940 Churchill ‘The battle of Britain is about to begin …’. [online] Available at: http://ww2today.com/churchill-the-battle-of-britain-is-about-to-begin [Accessed 2 May. 2014].
Hans Ekkehard Bob, Fighter Pilot, JG54, Luftwaffe
BBC, (2013). Battle of Britain: The Real Story (full documentary) HD
Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons, August 20th 1940
Dr Peter Caddick-Adams, Military Historian from the Defence Academy at Shrivenham
Propaganda poster of RAF fighter pilots, 1940, with quote Churchill, op.cit. See appendix 1.
Churchill, op.cit
Tom Neal, Fighter Pilot, RAF
Bbc.co.uk, (2014). BBC - History - The Battle of Britain
Dennett, B. and Dixon, S. (2008). Key features of modern history. 1st ed. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press. Pg. 467
BBC, op.cit ibid Churchill, op.cit
...onger. But a generation later, the game was on once again; the war aims were much the same. Germany felt it must defend its way of life and stand up for progress. Britain wanted to defend the status quo but it used the excuse of the invasion of another country as the immediate pretext for entry: first Belgium, later Poland. In both world wars, Germany was the innovator, morally and technologically. Britain and France were fighting previous wars while Germany led the way in technology, techniques and tactics.
In terms of war-making resources, the Union marginally outnumbered the Confederacy; the Union had more soldiers, bank capital, manufacturing output, iron, coal, fire arm production, warships, and naval officers. The Civil War thus looked as if it would be a joke because the many predicted that the war would only last one month due to the marginal differences in resources. However, after the First Battle at Bull Run, it was quickly discovered that the Confederacy would not submit so easily. In fact, they showed that they were very capable of victory, by successfully countering on the Union flank and giving them the upper hand in the battle . The Union was forced to retreat and at the same time, change up their strategy. Prior to the start of the war, the Secretary of the Navy felt that the best approach to the war was a blockade of Confederate ports. The Union defeat at Bull Run made his previous skeptics his supporters. Thus, the Anaconda Plan, to “suffocate Southern imports” was put into effect. One of the battles to establish the blockade was the Battle at Port Royal. Port Royal is the most significant battle of the war because it served as a moral victory, it changed the Confederate strategy, and it ultimately gave the Union control of the Atlantic coast which had a tremendous effect on the war.
of something big. This battle marked the being of the end of World War II.
On October 9, 1781, General George Washington surrounded General Lord Charles Cornwallis at the Virginia port city of Yorktown with 8,500 American soldiers and around 10,000 French soldiers. The bruised up British army contained only around 8,000 soldiers. The Siege of Yorktown lasted eight days, and Cornwallis had to surrender to American forces. The British loss crushed their southern army and forced them to give up on the war. The surrender of Yorktown could easily be one of the greatest moments in American history. Not only did the surrender signal the end of the war, but it also signaled that independence had been won by the colonies. No longer would the colonies have to answer to Great Britain and the tyrants that ruled it.
World War II was one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. There were many different battles that took place within this war; some more important than others. World War II began once Germany’s new dictator, Adolf Hitler, decided that he wanted to gain power for Germany and for himself. One of Hitler’s first moves in power was invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Many other countries became involved in this war because of the alliance system. The two sides during this war were the Allies and Axis powers. German, Italy and Japan were on the Axis powers; France, Britain, and the United States were on the Allies. Germany first began with the Blitzkrieg tactic meaning “lightning war”. This tactic is based on speed, surprise and was the most popular tactic. It is set up with military forces based around tanks which are supported by planes and infantry. The Blitzkrieg tactic lead to air wars with airplanes between countries. All of the countries were allowed to participate in the air wars but the four main countries were United States, Japan, Britain, and Germany. During the 1920’s and 1930’s airplanes grew in size and structure giving them more power, and making planes more effective. Planes made it easier to drop bombs, or plan attacks. All of these countries fought over air superiority. Air superiority is the position in which the air force has control over all of the air warfare and air power of the opposing forces. Germany began with air superiority but they lost it when Britain defeated them at the Battle of Britain. Gaining control over the air is a very big advantage because it is easier to plan an attack on an opposing country. All of the countries relied on their aircrafts during this war. The issue about the use of...
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered as one of the greatest minds in military history. His revolutionary approach to warfare changed the course of history and the principles which governed his style of leadership are still valued today. Although he had an illustrious career of over 25 years and expanded the French Empire from Portugal to Russia, his reign came to end at the hands' of his enemies. The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon's last stand as a military commander and will be examined for his use of the principles of the operations process. Napoleon failed to implement these activities effectively and is ultimately responsible for the loss of the battle. Napoleon was able to lead his men, but was unable to overcome his failures. He failed to understand the operational environment which affected his subordinates ability share an understanding of the environment. He failed to direct his forces and functions which lead to the loss of initiative and lacked in violence of action. Finally, Napoleon failed to assess the battle continuously and accurately which kept him from adapting when necessary. After a hard fought battle at Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated.
In the fall of 1931, the Atlantic Ocean was the boiling point of a criminal battle between the British and Germans. Most people think that the Battle of the Atlantic may have decided World War II’s outcome. This battle was the dominating factor throughout the war. The Battle of the Atlantic was a violent and destructive battle. Many people lost their lives fighting in this battle. New technology was one of the major factors in the Allies winning the long and crucial Battle of the Atlantic.
In the spring of 1940 Europe was enveloped in war. The German military machine had already conquered Poland, Denmark, and Norway. However, not content with northern and eastern expansion, Adolf Hitler wanted to control the western countries in Europe. Hitler had long been obsessed with attacking and controlling France. After their defeat in World War I, the German people, government, and military were humiliated by the enormous post war sanctions leveraged against them from the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler wanted to defeat and humiliate the French people in the same way that his country had to experience. For him, revenge was necessary. The German plan was to swing into France using a new tactic know as Blitzkrieg or “Lightning War”. Blitzkrieg used speed and surprise along with highly concentrated tank corps, supported by mechanized infantry and airplanes.
...is, Elisabeth Gaynor., and Anthony Esler. World History Connections to Today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print.
This statement begins to expose the fear felt by Britain of the imposing German fleet. Due to the militaristic views of Europe, many countries desired to have more power and control, by any means possible. This hunger initiated the Naval Arms Race, in which nations believed as one country increased its naval powers, they too were obliged to increase their armed forces, to maintain a balance of power. The British had dominated the seas and many far off colonies because of their naval fleet, granting them immense power. As the Germans began to propose a new and vast naval fleet, and France and Russia formed a new alliance sparking suspicion in Britain, Germany quickly became a threat to British supremacy. This created a chain reaction of stressed importance upon naval arme...
In this essay I will explain why I think The Battle of Britain was the
Ellis, Elizabeth Gaynor, and Anthony Esler. World History: The Modern Era. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
Winston Churchill was perhaps one of the greatest public speakers in history. Some of the best speeches have come from being in life or death situations, Winston was known best for this. His small sound clips like, “this was their finest hour”, and “this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”, encourage his troops and his people that they will win this war and will overcome the greatest odds. Although Churchill told many speeches, his speech on June 18, 1940 showed the most emotion and courage of any other speech he told. In this speech he explained that the war in France is over and the war in Britain would begin. He said that if we fail then the world sink into an abyss. This emotion that he shows would give Britain hope, courage and most of all determination.
It’s 4:30am on September 1st, 1939 and the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein awaits the order to open fire on the Polish garrison of the Westerplatte Fort, Danzig in what was to become the first military engagement of World War II. Meanwhile, sixty two German divisions supported by 1,300 fighter planes prepared for the invasion of Poland. Fifteen minutes later, the invasion would take place and spark the beginning of World War II. Two days later at 9am Great Britain would send an ultimatum to Germany, demanding that they pull from Poland or go to war with Great Britain. Four hours later the Ultimatum would expire and Great Britain would officially be at war with Germany on September 3rd, 1939.
Duiker, William J. , and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History . 6th. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2010. print.