The Battle of Britain Essay - 5809 Words

The Battle of Britain As the cold hand of death swept over the remnants of France, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, orated on the imminent battle that would rage over his homeland and the foreboding struggle for survival that was now facing Britain: The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin†¦ The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. 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, the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss†¦show more content†¦The United States of America, though sympathetic to Britain, was still neutral, and did not believe that the British nation could survive for long. At the headquarters of the British War Cabinet, Winston Churchill gazed at the map of Europe, and what he saw would have chilled the heart of a man with less courage and patriotism than he possessed. To the north and west of Britain was open sea. To the northeast, east and south, the whole of the European coastline - Norway, De nmark, Holland, Belgium and France – was in German hands. (Hough 11-12). To Britain, the outlook of the imminent siege of its homeland appeared hopeless. With the enemy surrounding the last stronghold of the Allies, the odds against Britain were extremely in the favor of the opposition: â€Å"Britain not only faced an enemy ten times as powerful as she was on land and more than twice as powerful in the air. Invasion appeared imminent and inevitable. On July 16, Adolf Hitler issued a directive ‘As England despite her hopeless military situation, still shows no sign of willingness to come to terms, I have decided to prepare, and if necessary carry, a landing operation against her. The aim of this operation is to eliminate the English motherland as a base from which war against Germany can be continued†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Hough 13). Like the mouth of a leviathan opening to consume a lone minnow on the open sea, the German forces faced an enemy that wasShow MoreRelatedBattle of Britain1604 Words   |  7 Pagesfrom the Brits: An Investigation of Hitler’s Defeat at the Battle of Britain By: Jake Pilla Global History II 11-28-07 In 1940, German planes flew over Britain in an attempt to take over the country and tear apart the enemy’s alliance. Britain was surprised by this attack, but countered by shooting down at least twenty planes of the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force, during the initial attack. Hitler sent waves of planes into Britain every day, trying to lower British morale; however, he didRead MoreThe Battle of Britain Essays1805 Words   |  8 PagesThe Battle of Britain By June 1940, France had surrendered to Germany and Britain had rescued approximately 330,000 men from the beaches of Dunkirk. Britain now stood alone with its empire against Germany. Hitler believed that Britain had to be defeated before he could turn his attention to the USSR and so in the invasion of Britain codenamed Operation Sealion, two German armies (totalling 100,000 men) would be transported across the English Channel. However this crossingRead MoreEssay on Why Britain Won the Battle of Britain4008 Words   |  17 PagesWhy Britain Won the Battle of Britain After taking France in addition to his list of captured countries on mainland Europe, Adolf Hitler set his sights on Britain. After the success of Blitzkrieg, the evacuation of Dunkirk and the surrender of France, Britain was by herself. However, before Hitler could contemplate undertaking an invasion he was advised by his generals that Germany had to destroy the Fighter Command of the Royal Air Force in order to gain superiorityRead MoreBattle of Britain Essay4211 Words   |  17 PagesBattle of Britain This film is about the Battle of Britain during World War II. It happened in 1940. This movie was made 29 years later in 1969. The Nazis tried to invade Britain. The Royal Air Force of Britain fought a grave battle against the Nazis to prevent the invasion. Most of the fighting was in the air. There were lots of fighting scenes between the German planes and the RAF and their allies. This film is pretty realistic. I thought that the air battles were pretty realisticRead MoreEssay on The Battle of Britain in 19401245 Words   |  5 PagesThe Battle of Britain in 1940 In the summer of 1940, the German Luftwaffe attempted to win air superiority over southern Britain and the English Channel by destroying the Royal Air Force and the British aircraft industry. This attempt came to be known as the Battle of Britain, and victory over the RAF was seen by the Germans as absolutely essential if they were eventually to mount an invasion of the British Isles. The Germans had overrun Belgium, the Netherlands andRead MoreThe Battle of Britain: The Nazi ´s Failure1201 Words   |  5 PagesBattle of Britain is the name given to the effort by the German air force, run by Luftwaffe to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Battle of Britain was the first major battle to be fought entirely by air forces. It was the largest and most sustained bombing campaign to be attempted, as well as the first real test of vital bombing theories developed since World War I. The failure of Nazi Germany to destroy Britains air force or to break the spirit of the British governmentRead MoreFailure of the Battle of Britain Campaign Essays1747 Words   |  7 PagesIn the summer of 1940, Adolf Hitler began operation â€Å"Sea-Lion,† or better known as the Battle of Britain. This was the plot to destroy the British RAF so that a German landing on the beaches of England and air assault could be possible. Because of the failure of the battle of Britain campaign, the course of the war was changed in the allies favor, and, Hitler’s plan for European domination was halted. The early stages of the war were dominated by Germany, attacking Europe in quick succession. TheRead MoreThe Battle of Britain and Sir Winston Churchill Essay1881 Words   |  8 PagesThe Battle of Britain and Sir Winston Churchill Shortly after the Battle of Britain Sir Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Great Britain, is quoted as exclaiming, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. The few that Churchill was referring to were the brave aircrew that undertook the daunting task of repelling the massive offensive by the dreaded German air corps, the Luftwaffe. In the year 1940 Adolf Hitler ordered an offensive in coordinationRead MoreThe Battle Of Trafalgar Between France And Great Britain Essay845 Words   |  4 PagesParties involved need to be assured that their products will arrive to their destination, else, no one would join free trade. Fourthly, international money (e.g. currency) which everyone recognizes for its notable value. The Battle of Trafalgar between France and Great Britain (GB) that resulted to the latter’s domination of the former made it clear to every European states who is the commanding power in Europe. This battle’s significance lies on the fact that it assured GB’s naval supremacy and theRead MoreThe Importance of the Battle of Britain In World War Two Essay1560 Words   |  7 PagesThe Importance of the Battle of Britain In World War Two In this essay I will explain why I think The Battle of Britain was the most important turning point in World War Two. I think this because although there was many turning points that were important to the direction the war took, The Battle of Britain showed for the first time that Hitler and the Nazis could be defeated and if Germany had won the battle, Britain and possibly the world would be a completely different