Air Campaign Waged by Germany in The Battle of Britain

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The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Luftwaffe or German Air Force was trying to pave the way for a sea and airborne invasion of Britain as an extension of Hitler’s Blitzkrieg campaign in Western Europe. The Battle of Britain is significant because it was the only battle throughout World War II which was fought only in the air. The Battle of Britain also marked the turning point in the war. The Luftwaffe was overconfident in their ability to gain complete air superiority over the British Channel and the invasion area. The Luftwaffe intended to prevent both the RAF from striking against their attack but they failed. After a German defeat, Hitler postponed his planned invasion of Britain indefinitely on September 17, 1940 only two days after the Battle of Britain had begun.
With the entire nation backed behind them, the British Royal Air Force had the Luftwaffe beaten every aspect of the battle. Not only was the technology used by the British superior to the Germans but so was the leadership. The air defense system establish by Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding proved to be overly effective in defeating the Germans along with the technological advances in the British planes compared to the German planes. Finally the swift production of fighter planes and bombers also played a role in the British success of the Battle of Britain. While all these contributions helped to grasp a British victory, the lack of leadership, poor planes and planning and weak intelligence gathering may have affected the German loss in the Battle of Britain. The German’s lack of good leaders and poor intelligence gathering b...

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...however did not gain much intelligence about the RAF which caused the Luftwaffe to make many assumptions which helped push it to its downfall in the war. In addition, the RAF’s Hurricane and Spitfire were crucial in the defeat of the Messerschmitt and Bombers. Both the Spitfire and Hurricane and the aerial tactics used by them made it overwhelmingly difficult for the Luftwaffe to compete with. The RAF adapted quickly after realizing that old aerial tactics would not work against the Luftwaffe’s new tactics, which with the help of the RAF’s advanced planes aided in the defeat of many dogfights and downed planes. With strong leadership, superior technology and planes, inaccurate information gathering and a joint effort between British civilians and the Royal Air Force, the British had numerous advantages over the Germans which helped them win the Battle of Britain.

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