Battle
of Britain: Why Germany wanted to defeat Britain?
The Battle of Britain was the first major
campaign to bee fought entirely by air forces and was also the largest and most
sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. This battle took place in the
Second World War, during the summer and autumn of 1940. For Germany, the Battle
of Britain was the first step in the invasion of England. Germany needed to
have control over the channel in order to invade England successfully. But what
was the purpose of Germany? The Battle of Britain was an attempt by the German
air force to establish air supremacy over the English Channel and south coast
by destroying RAF, especially Fighter Command or at least its ability to
function effectively in the skies over the area. The proposed invasion of
England by Germany was prepared by Operation Sea Lion. Air supremacy over the
invasion route and beaches was necessary to prevent the Royal Navy from
interfering with the invasion effectively.
Germany wanted to defeat Britain
because there would not be any other European countries to fight Germany,
except the USSR. Hitler´s plan was RAF: 2900 VS LUFTWAFFE: 4500; the Royal air
force of Britain against Germany air force. Germany invested a lot of money in
order to have a strong force. The problem was that Germany underestimated the
enemy; in secret the British knew Germany´s plan. They were using “enigma
machine”, it sent secret messages, that´s why the British’s knew the strategy.
After the fall of France the German forces were
convinced to assault Britain, they were the only remaining un-invaded nation
that had declared war on Germany, for this they had to cross the Channel by
sea. Also after Germany had defeated France in five weeks they seemed invincible.
Apart from the Royal Navy, the RAF also had the ability to attack any invasion
forces while they were vulnerable at the sea and deny a beach head. The Germany
Luftwaffe was tasked with destroying the RAF.
In order to achieve their goal, how was Germany’s
strategy? As it was mentioned before, this battle was between the Luftwaffe and
the RAF. German Luftwaffe had to operate in a strategic role, something for
which it was unsuited. The main task of the Luftwaffe was to ensure air
supremacy over southeast England, cover the way for an invasion fleet.
They thought it would take four days to defeat
the RAF Fighter Command in southern England; followed by a four-week offensive
during which the bombers and long-range fighters would destroy all military installations
throughout the country and wreck the British aircraft industry. It was going to
begin with attacks on airfields near the coast and gradually moving inland. To
achieve this goal, Fighter Command had to be destroyed, on air or in the
ground. Other alternative to the goal of air superiority was a terror bombing
campaign aimed at the civilian population. The Luftwaffe followed its plan, but
the problem was the different opinions that the commanders had on the strategy,
and this definitely affected a lot in the way to reach their goal.
The Battle of Britain marked the first defeat of Hitler´s military
forces, with air superiority seen as the key to victory. The Germans launched
some spectacular attacks against important British industries, but they could
not destroy the British industrial potential and made little systematic effort.
The main problem was that Germany was very secure that they were able to defeat
a great force like was the British; they came from a victory so they thought it
was going to be another opportunity. Britain was the remaining un-invaded
territory and they wanted to establish air superiority. Germany’s failure to
achieve its objectives of destroying Britain’s air defenses or an outright
surrender, it’s considered its major defeat and turn the situation in WWII.
This Battle ended the threat that Hitler would launch Operation Sea Lion, a
proposed amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain.References:
By: Nicole Miñan
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