Battle of Britain

"Battle of Britain" is the term used for the successful defence of Great Britain in 1940. It was mainly achieved by the fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF) whose aircraft, principally the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire, were in almost daily combat against air attacks by the Luftwaffe from 10 July to 31 October 1940.

Hitler needed the Luftwaffe to establish air superiority over the RAF so he could launch Operation Sea Lion, his plan to invade Britain by crossing the English Channel. On 16 July, he issued his Führer Directive #16, instructing all divisions of the Wehrmacht to make preparations for Sea Lion. As Hitler said, "the British Air Force must be eliminated to such an extent that it will be incapable of putting up any sustained opposition to the invading troops". This was asking too much of the Luftwaffe whose pilots and aircraft could not match, let alone overcome, those of the RAF. For the first time in World War II, the Wehrmacht was defeated and Sea Lion was cancelled.