The Battle of Britain Flashcards
What was the code name given to the planned German seaborn invasion of Britain?
Operation Sealion.
When did Hitler give the order for Operation Sealion to start?
July 1940.
Why didn’t Hitler immediately send his navy to invade Britain as part of Operation Sealion?
Because he needed dominance of the skies first. It was essential to stop the RAF sinking the ships that would transport the German soldiers across the Channel.
What was the ‘Battle of Britain’?
It is the name commonly given to the effort by the Luftwaffe to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), before a planned sea and airborne invasion of Britain during the Second World War. The Luftwaffe tried to destroy the Royal Air Force.
When did France surrender to Germany?
22nd June 1940
After France surrendered to Germany on the 22nd June 1940, where did Hitler turn his attention?
Hitler turned his attention to Britain and launched Operation Sealion.
What was radar?
The word comes from: RA(dio) D(etection) A(nd) R(anging).
It was an invention that allowed the British to send pulses of radio waves that would bounce off objects and then return to the original source to give information about how many planes were approaching, where they were and how fast they were travelling.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/radar_and_the_battle_of_britain.htm
What was the name of the German airforce?
The Luftwaffe. ‘Luft’ means ‘Air’ and ‘Waffe’ means ‘Force’.
What does RAF stand for?
The Royal Air Force
What were the four stages of the Battle of Britain during 1940?
10 July-7 August: Luftwaffe attacked British coasts, especially RAF radar stations 8 August-6 September: Luftwaffe attacked RAF airfields 7-15 September: Luftwaffe attacked London - either because they thought the RAF was beaten or in revenge for RAF retaliating for the dropping of bombs on London; 15 September: Luftwaffe defeated - Hitler called off Operation Sealion because he was convinced the RAF was still a fighting force.
When was the end of the Battle of Britain?
For most historians, it was the 17th September 1940. However, because there was still fighting over Britain until October, some say it ended on the 31st October 1940, when Hitler shifted the Luftwaffe’s focus to the Soviet Union.
Why did the RAF win?
The RAF were outnumbered by the Luftwaffe but had several key advantages. Also, the Luftwaffe had some disadvantages.
What were the RAF’s advantages?
- Radar - a system invented in 1935 and installed all along the south and east coasts of Britain at the start of the war. 2. The RAF had more fighter planes than the Luftwaffe and British factories worked around the clock to build even more to replace losses. 3. The Supermarine Spitfire fighter had the most efficient design because of its ‘elliptical wing’ which meant that it could out-fly the German fighters and win more dog fights in the sky. Also, it vibrated when the engine was close to stalling and so gave the pilots a vital warning sign to change speed or course. 4. ‘Dunkirk spirit’ kept RAF pilots flying, despite terrible losses. Also, it was possible to get RAF pilots back into the sky soon after they had been shot down, whereas German pilots were killed or captured as they were fighting over British soil.
What were the disadvantages of the Luftwaffe?
- They were taking off and landing in France or Belgium - so the pilots had limited time over Britain because their fuel would run out. 2. The design of the Messerschmidt and Fokker planes meant that they were often beaten in dog fights by the superior Spitfire fighters of the RAF. Also, they tended to stall without warning, causing the fighters to drop out of the skies. 3. Pilots who crashed or bailed out of aircraft were captured by the British and it took time to replace them.
What was unusual about the Battle of Britain from a historical point of view?
Most battles get their name afterwards - but this one was anticipated by Churchill before it happened. Try and memorise this quote: “What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. upon it depends our own British life and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us now. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age, made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will say, “This was their finest hour.”
