Transcript L12-BattleOfBritain

Lesson 14
WW II -- Battle of Britain
Lesson Objectives
• Understand the implications of strategic air warfare in
World War II.
• Be able to describe and analyze the German strategy in
the Battle of Britain.
• Describe the impact of new technology on the Battle of
Britain.
• Describe and analyze the strategic bombing campaign
against Germany.
Battle of Britain
"What General Weygand called the Battle of France
is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
Winston Churchill
June 18, 1940
Excerpt-Int
Excerpt-LoC
Full
Battle of Britain
Background
Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)
Battle of Britain
Background
Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)
Operation Seelöwe
Invasion barges in Channel ports
July 1940
Operation Sealion
Germans began planning for invasion
in November 1939
Initial criteria for success:
* The Royal Navy had to be eliminated.
* The Royal Air Force (RAF) air strength had to be eliminated.
* British coastal defenses had to be destroyed.
* British submarine action against landing forces had to be prevented.
First Law of Modern War
The air battle must be won if the war is to be won.
General of the Army Omar Bradley
November 1951
USAF Doctrine
(modern)
Priorities for tactical (theater) airpower:
1. Air Superiority
2. Interdiction
3. Close Air Support
Operation Sealion
Defeat of the Royal Navy in the invasion area
required control of the air
Hitler’s conditions for Sealion:
The RAF is to be "beaten down in its morale and in fact, that it can no
longer display any appreciable aggressive force in opposition to the
German crossing".
Warning Order for Seelöwe, 16 July 1940
Operation Sea Lion
1940
German Plan
Take control of the air
 Defeat the RAF
Isolate the invasion area
 Neutralize Royal Navy, destroy communications & defenses
Invade England
 Land Panzers, employ Blitzkrieg tactics
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain
1940
Orders of Battle
RAF
Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
754
1,107
Twin-seat fighter
159
357
Bombers
560
1,300 / 428*
Maritime patrol
500
233
* Dive-bombers
Source
German Fighters
Messerschmitt Bf 110 "Zerstörer"
German Fighters
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Most widely produced aircraft in WW II (33,000+ units)
British Fighter
Supermarine Spitfire
British Fighter
Hawker Hurricane
Spitfire vs. Bf 109
Generally felt to be evenly matched
More rugged
Higher maximum dive speed
Better handling characteristics
Heavy on controls at high speed
Better visibility
Heavier armament (cannon)
Source
German Bombers
Heinkle He 111
Dornier Do 17
Junkers Ju 88
Battle of Britain
(Click image for video)
Battle of Britain
1940
Orders of Battle
RAF
Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
754
1,107
Twin-seat fighter
159
357
Bombers
560
1,300 / 428*
Maritime patrol
500
233
* Dive-bombers
Source
Battle of Britain
British Challenge:
How to overcome a numerical disadvantage?
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Early Warning System
Ground Observers
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle Management
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain
Chain Home Radar Site - Dover
Battle of Britain
Chain Home Radar Towers
Chain Home RDF
Source: Royal Air Force
Alignment of Forces
Source
Alignment of Forces
Source
Battle of Britain: Phase I
Attacks on Channel Ports and Shipping
10 July –12 August
Source: Royal Air Force
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
Problem: They were vulnerable to fighters
Junkers Ju 87 “Stuka”
Battle of Britain: Phase II
Attacks on RAF: Fighter Bases, Radar
12 August – 6 September
Source: Royal Air Force
The Fog of War
August 24, 1940
Luftwaffe bomber crews mistakenly bombed London
• Residential area
August 25
RAF bombers hit Berlin industrial area in retaliation
August 26
Enraged, Hitler orders massive attacks against
London and other British cities
Attacks on cities continue into the fall, switching to
night raids after September 15th
Significance: Gave the RAF a critically needed breather
Battle of Britain: Phase III
Daylight Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
7 September- 5 October
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain: Phase III
London’s East End Burning - September 7, 1940
Attacks on British Cities
September 7, 1940 - May 10, 1941
“The Blitz”
St. Paul’s Cathedral, 26 December 1940
London experienced 57 consecutive nights of bombing
• September - November 1940
Over 41,000 civilians killed, 137,000 injured throughout Britain
Source
Climax
September 15, 1940
Massive daylight raid on London
• Largest to date
56 German aircraft lost versus 28 RAF fighters
RAF used every fighter in 11 Group (no reserves)
Germans switch to night raids on cities
Considered the turning point of the battle
Climax
September 15, 1940
September 15th is celebrated as
Battle of Britain Day
RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain: Phase IV
Night Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
6 October 1940 - 10 May 1941 (unofficially)
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain
Operation Sealion
September 17, 1940
Operation Sealion postponed indefinitely
October 31, 1940
Battle of Britain declared over by Air Ministry
Night bombings of cities continued through winter
Bad Weather Operations
Knickebein (Crocked Leg) Navigation System
Source
Coventry
Industrial city in the midlands
Subjected to a massive air raid (400+)
on November 14, 1940
Center city and cathedral wiped out
1,400 killed or injured
Coventry
c 1880
Cathedral of Saint Michael
Coventry
X-Gerät Navigation Aid
Myth: Churchill knew about raid but could not act to defend
Battle of Britain
Summary
Source
Battle of Britain
1940
Orders of Battle
RAF
Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
754
1,107
Twin-seat fighter
159
357
Bombers
560
1,300 / 428*
Maritime patrol
500
233
* Dive-bombers
Source
Battle of Britain
1940
Losses
RAF
Single-seat fighters
}
Luftwaffe
1,023
1,107
Bombers
376
357
Maritime patrol
148
1,014
520
2,600+
Twin-seat fighter
Pilots Lost
Source
Battle of Britain
Video Clip
Directed by Frank Capra, 1943
4. Battle of Britain
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Total War
“… the whole population … committed to total victory”
Princess Elizabeth - Age 17
Battle of Britain
Did the British Win or
the Germans Lose?
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
• Allowed RAF to concentrate scarce resources where needed
• Allowed RAF to hold aircraft on ground until last moment
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
• Initial fighter strength
• Fighter production capabilities
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
British “home field” advantage
• Fighting close to home airfields
• Closer to the fight, more combat time
• RAF pilots shot down had a good chance of returning to the fight
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
British “home field” advantage
German loss of focus
(Change of Objective)
Battle of Britain
Did the British Win or
the Germans Lose?
First Law of Modern War
First of all, you must win the battle of the air.
That must come before you start a single
land or sea engagement.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1943
Lesson 13
WW II – Germany Turns East
End
Battle of Britain
1940
Preliminary
June – 10 July
Phase I: Attacks on Coastal Shipping 10 July –12 August
Phase II: Attacks on Fighter Command (airfields & radar)
12 August – 6 September
Phase III: Attacks on London 7 September- 5 October
Phase IV: Night Attacks on London 6-31 October (officially)
Source: Royal Air Force
Writing Assignment
National Leadership in World War II
Analyze the decisions made by President Franklin Roosevelt in support of
Great Britain prior to U.S. entry into World War II with particular emphasis on
those decisions which have been controversial as having been contradictory
to U.S. law, U.S. treaty obligations and/or international law (minimum of four).
Without discussing the legal justification for each decision, discuss what was
done, the background situation, and the intended results of the decision.
Length: 1,000 – 2,000 words
Due: NLT 11:59 PM, Oct. 22, 2012