Reasons for British Victory in the Battle of Britain

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Reasons for British Victory in the Battle of Britain

After the BEF's retreat from Dunkirk, of all the countries opposed to

Nazi Germany, Great Britain was the only one still in resistance.

Hitler's plan was to quickly invade Britain and to concentrate

fighting on other fronts, with almost the whole of Europe under Nazi

Germany. The Blitzkrieg tactics used to invade other countries so far

could not be used effectively as the British channel blocked infantry

advance. Britain at this time still had a superior navy compared to

the Germans, hence plans to eliminate the RAF, allowing easier

destruction of Britain's ports; and so its navy. Operation Sealion, as

it was named, began on 1st July 1940. The following attacks, that

lasted until September that year came to be known as the Battle of

Britain, won by the British for several reasons.

The Luftwaffe, led by Herman Goering, had several disadvantages,

concerning both tactics and leadership. Primarily, German air force

fighters contained only enough fuel for them to cross the channel and

have approximately 30 minutes flying time over England. If shot down,

the German pilots would become Prisoners of War, whereas RAF pilots

could recuperate and return to duty. It has been suggested that

Goering did not fully comprehend modern air warfare; Luftwaffe targets

were continually shifted, causing confusion amongst pilots- often many

didn't know where their formation was headed.

These German disadvantages did not bode well when coupled with

advantages held by the RAF. Led by Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding, it

appeared the RAF had a good chance of success. Dowding had planned the

British Air Defence system since 1936 and used technological advances

and improvements to great effects, for example bulletproof windscreens

for fighter planes.

The RAF also had a very important tool, much overlooked by those in

charge of the Luftwaffe- Radar. It enabled a very fast response time

to approaching German Aircraft, also allowing an estimation of the

attack force's size and speed. Without radar, bombing RAF bases would

have been much easier for the Luftwaffe, and it is one of the most

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