Transcript The Battle of Britain

A Political Perspective
By Rebecca Stevens
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After WW1, Germany was forced to give up
all its land and was banned from having
armed forces. The country was
impoverished and debt ridden. At this
time, Adolf Hitler, was the leader of the
National Socialist German Worker's Party
(Nazi). In 1933, in the midst of the
depression, Hitler's Nazi party won the
most seats in the Reichstag (parliament).
Shortly after the election, the Nazis set the
Reichstag building afire and blamed it on
the communists. The communists were
expelled from parliament, and the
remaining deputies granted Hitler
dictatorial powers.
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Hitler immediately eliminated his political
opponents and began stockpiling
weapons. Hitler had long argued that the
future of the German race could only be
guaranteed by taking over large parts of
Eastern Europe and settling them with
Germans.
The Second World War was started by
Germany in an unprovoked attack on
Poland. Britain and France declared war on
Germany after Hitler had refused to abort
his invasion of Poland.
The war was fought between two major
alliances: the Axis (Hitler) and the Allies
THE
AXIS
Italy
Japan
Germany
THE
ALLIES
Yugoslavia
The
Netherlands
Australia
India
Lithuania
USSR
Denmark
Latvia
South
Africa
Belgium
Poland
New
Zealand
Estonia
Greece
Malta
Canada
United
Kingdom
Czechoslovakia
Norway
United
States
Brazil
China
France
In 1940, Adolf Hitler turned his attention to invading Great Britain.
He had conquered all of Europe, Britain would be the last to fall.
The plan was to allow the German air force, the Luftwaffe, to
gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), before a
planned sea and airborne invasion of Britain. He believed this
would be an easy task as the Luftwaffe had twice as many planes.
What he had not considered was the determination of the newly
elected prime minister, Winston Churchill, or the patriotism and
fighting spirit of the British people and their allies.
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Some consider Sir Winston Churchill one of the
greatest politicians of the 21st Century (Daniel Nader,
Harvard University). The historian, Michael Beschloss,
believes that were it not for Churchill, western
civilisation of which Australia is one, would not exist
as we know it . Instead we would be living in a
totalitarian state where our every action and
behaviour would be scrutinised.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) became prime
minister of Great Britain in 1940, shortly before the
Battle of Britain. He rallied the British people during
World War II and led his country from the brink of
defeat to victory.
To many people in Britain Churchill’s stand against
Nazism and all it stood for, summarised why the war
was being fought. His speeches have become part of
legend. He said to the men from Fighter Command
who took on the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain,
"Never in the field of human conflict, was so much
owed to so few.“
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Both my grandparents on my mother’s side were born shortly before the Battle of
Britain and believe that it was through the actions and words of the ‘British
Bulldog’ (a nickname given to Churchill due to his determination and fighting
spirit) that the allies were able to defeat the Germans. My grandmother claims that
Churchill was able to instil this patriotism and determination into the British
people and enable them to keep going during these hard times. She and her twin
brother, mother and grandmother were evacuated from London during the Battle
of Britain whilst her father (my great grandfather) stayed and fought with the Royal
Artillery, shooting down the planes that came over London. Though many of the
women and children were evacuated during this time, many more stayed and
stoically kept working, often having to walk to work avoiding unexploded bombs
and craters that used to be homes, schools roads etc. My great grandad (my
grandad’s dad) spent much of this time at work, 12 hour shifts were the norm, as
he was involved in making the fuel tanks for the spitfire engines, a vital role to
ensure a successful outcome to the battle of Britain.
As a child, my grandparents worshiped Sir Winston Churchill. He was seen as a
saviour and the ultimate role model for the allies. As an adult, my grandmother
attended his funeral along with many thousands of other grateful Britons.
Interview with Gillian Westcott (grandmother)
The gratitude of every home in
our Island, in our Empire, and
indeed throughout the world,
except in the abodes of the
guilty, goes out to the British
airmen who, undaunted by
odds, unwearied in their
constant challenge and mortal
danger, are turning the tide of
the world war by their prowess
and by their devotion. Never in
the field of human conflict was
so much owed by so many to
so few.
Extract from speech made by
Winston Churchill 1940
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This famous quote by Winston Churchill is now
forever embedded in history and the pilots of the
Battle of Britain forever referred to as ‘The Few.’ 3080
men from fourteen nations, fought to save Britain
including 35 Australians.
Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne
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Australians can be proud knowing that they helped
defend Britain during the battle. One well-known
Australian pilot was Flight Lieutenant Pat Hughes of
Cooma from New South Wales. Like many brave
pilots, he lost his life on the 7th of September while
intercepting a large group of Dornier bombers and
Messerschmitt fighters over Kent.
During the Battle of Britain thirty five Australians
flew combat operations. Of these 35 pilots, 10
were killed.
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On 10 July, 1940, the Luftwaffe made their first bomber attack on British ships in the
Channel.
During August German bombers began striking cities and civilian targets, marking the
beginning of what became known as The Blitz.
In August, 1940 the German air force began its mass bomber attacks on British airfields,
harbours, aircraft factories and radar stations.
August 13th "Eagle Day". The Luftwaffe launched its offensive against Britain, with 1,485
sorties. The Germans lost 45 'planes and the RAF lost 13.
August 15th-a day of intense attacks. The Luftwaffe launched a total of 1,790 sorties
and lost 75 planes. The RAF lost 34.
August 17th The Germans established an 'operational area' around Britain. In it, any ship
was to be sunk without warning.
August 25th The RAF launched its first raid on Berlin.
September 7th- Some 300 German bombers, escorted by 600 fighters, attacked London.
. The Blitz - From September 7th the city of London was heavily bombed. Hitler hoped to
destroy the morale of the British people but due to Churchill’s leadership this was not to
be. With the failure of daylight bombing raids Hitler began a series of nightly bombing
raids on London and other important industrial cities
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The turning point in the Battle of Britain came on Sunday 15 September 1940. On that
morning, British coastal radar stations picked up dense formations of German bombers
and fighter escorts racing across the English Channel. RAF Fighter Command managed
to get 24 fighter squadrons to intercept them – the maximum force of 300 Hurricanes
and Spitfires that it could get across southern England. Throughout the day, the skies
over Britain were filled with hundreds of British and German aircraft locked in fierce
aerial combat.
The RAF suffered heavily throughout the campaign, but on 15 September 1940 the tide
turned against the Luftwaffe. Goering's sudden change of tactics, from striking RAF
airfields to bombing British cities, gave Fighter Command the brief respite it needed to
reinforce squadrons with aircrew and to replace lost aircraft. Goering's change of
strategy was a fatal error of judgement that gave the RAF the edge it required to deliver
the Luftwaffe a fatal blow. Unable to rid the skies of the RAF, while faced with mounting
losses that of extremely heavy aerial combat and was chosen as the day on which to
remember the significance could not be replaced, the German invasion was cancelled
and the Battle of Britain was won.
31 October 1940, is generally considered to be the end of the Battle of Britain, after the
RAF caused considerable damage to the Luftwaffe.
1,547 allied aircraft were lost during the Battle of Britain.
During July, August and September the Royal Air Force lost 792 planes and over 500
pilots were killed.
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The immediate effects include the loss of the pilots resulting
in grieving families and friends
On a positive note the experiences of this battle benefitted
how future Australian pilots fought air battles
The battle further strengthened the relationship between
Britain and Australia
Winning this battle gave all allied nations, including Australia,
hope that they could defeat Adolf Hitler and the Nazis
Author
Title of Entry
Mandy Barrow The Battle of Britain
URL (location)
Date
Updated
2010
http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/war/battleofbritain.ht
m
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/people_n2/perso ns6_n2/hitler.html
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Adolf Hitler
1889 - 1945
German Politician
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The Few
www.winston-churchill-leadership.com/speech-few.html
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Adolf Hitler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
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Why Study Winston Churchill?
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/biography
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John Setear
Sir Winston Churchill
http://faculty.virginia.edu/setear/courses/howweget/chur
ch.htm
11/10/2000
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The Battle of Britain
http://www.brooksart.com/bobmap.html
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http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the_few.htm
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2007
12
November
2010
Anniversary talks
http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/britain/ 15 September 1940, Battle of Britain index.asp
Chris Trueman The Few