Figure 1.--Never before or since in the history of warfare has an air force been presented with such an important, defensless target -- some 340,000 men lined up neatly and clustered together on an open bench without any cover. This included virtually the entire British Army. Here we see the target presented to the Luftwaffe. Notice the absence of anti-aircraft guns. And Britain for a year would offer the only substantial resistance to NAZI aggression. Duccess here would have had staggering stratehic implications. Dunkirk was, however, the Luftwaffe's first failure, unheralded at the time because all men on the beaches only saw the few Luftwaffe aircraft that broke through the RAF defenses. It was the first time that Luftwaffe was confronted by a modern air force on somewhat equal terms.

Air power would be a much greater factor in World War II than it had been in World War I. And it began with the Luftwaffe mastery of the skies. The first conflicts were against countries without modern air forces (Poland--September 1939), Denmark--April 1940, and Norway--April 1940). This continued with the Netherlands (May 1940) and Belgium (May 1940). France and Britain had modern air forces, but the conflict on the German border was an unfair test (May 1940). The French spread out their air force so it would not be destroyed on the ground in a surprise attack as was the basic Luftwaffe tactic. That meant when the Germans struck in the Ardennes (May 10 1940), the French air force was not a major factor. The small RAF contingent was likewise overwhelmed because a defensive posture without early warning systems meant certain failure. The air conflict over Dunkirk was the first true test of the RAF and Luftwaffe. They were both operating at a distance from their bases and without early guidance systems--most notably the British Chain Home System. German air chief Göring promised Hitler that he would destroy the British-French pocket on the ground. It was the perfect set up for the Luftwaffe with defenseless men massed together on the beaches. Göring was Hitler's closer associate and victory would have burnished not only Göring's image, but the NAZI image as opposed to the Heer which was not as Nazified as the Luftwaffe headed by Göring. Little noted as the time is how flatly Göring and the Luftwaffe failed the Führer in a operation that the Panzers could have easily accomplished, but in the process lost more aircraft than the RAF. It was the opening phase of the Battle of Britain and the Germans ignored the results, focusing on their victories on the French-German border. Entirely missed ny the Germns was that the Luftwaffe's strength was short range tactical operations, but was not well suited for longer-range strategic operations.

Luftwaffe

At the time of World War II, the Luftwaffe led by Herman Göring was the most powerful air force in the world. They had experienced air crews and modern aircraft with experience gained in Spain. The Luftwaffe played key roles in the early German victories. The Luftwaffe had played a major role in the German victory in Poland and in the smashing the Dutch. This included the break through that would lead to the fall of France. The RAF and French squadrons were put in an impossible situation because of the Allies defensive status. Without early warning systems there was no way to deal with Luftwaffe attacks. Göring had been a fighter pilot in World War I, but was not a professional military man. He also had a tendency to boast. At this stage of the War, he had enormous prestige with Hitler. Ge was also the leading NAZI with a military commend. Both Hitler and Göring overestimated what could be accomplished with air power. Without consulting his generals, Göring offered to smash the Allied Dunkirk pocket. Hitler and Rundstedt concerned that the Panzers were over extended, accepted Göring's offer to 'finish' the Dunkirk pocket from the air. Göring at this stage was at the height of his power. The Luftwaffe had performed brilliantly in both Poland and France. The Luftwaffe did inflict heavy losses on the British evacuation fleet, but it failed to prevent the evacuation. Looking at the long lines of men lined up on the beech, it is difficult to understand how the Luftwaffe could have failed. There were a number of reasons. One factor was that the sand on the beach had the impact of dampening the impact of high-explosive bombs. The men lined up, however, would have been vulnerable to strafing attacks if the Luftwaffe had gained air superiority over the beach. The major reason for the Luftwaffe's failure was the RAF fighter screen over Dunkirk--it was the Luftwaffe's first failure. It was unheralded at the time because all the men on the beaches was the Luftwaffe aircraft that broke through. It was the first time that Luftwaffe was confronted by a modern air force on somewhat equal terms. Neither Göring or the Luftwaffe commanders learned anything. It was, however, the beginning of Göring losing Hitler's confidence. This continued when Göring and the Luftwaffe failed in the Battle of Britain. Göring may have gained back some influence with his central role in the Holocaust, but nothing could could restore his status after the Luftwaffe's failure to supply the Sixth Army at Stalingrad and to successfully protect German cities from Allied bombers.

Royal Air Force

The BEF evacuees arriving back from Dunkirk complained bitterly that the RAF was absent from the beaches over Dunkirk. This is largely true, but highly misleading. It is true that the French Air Force played no role in the Dunkirk evacuation, but this is not true of the RAF. Hugh Dowding who commanded Fighter Command had convinced the War Cabinet not to refuse frantic French requests to commit further RAF fighter squadrons to the defense of France . He was already preparing for the Battle of Britain. He thus convinced Churchill noit to commit additional squadrons to France. To save the BEF, however, he was willing to commit Fighter Command for the first time in full strength. Dowding had two options. He could maintain a small force of fighters over the beach at all times. This would mean that the RAF force would be at all times a small force and outnumbered and under attack by the Luftwaffe. Or he could commit the RAF in force for shorter periods. He chose the later. It meant as a result of the RAF tactics and the weather, from the perspective of the men on the ground that there was no RAF air cover. There actually were major battles between the RAF and Luftwaffe, but they occurred away from the beaches out of site. The result was that large numbers of Luftwaffe fighters and bombers were kept off the beaches. If this had not occurred, it is difficult to see how the Royal Navy could have pulled off the evacuation. The RAF had not yet developed methods for accurately assessing German losses. Thus the initial accounting exaggerated German losses. Modern assessments still show an RAF victory. They are believed to have shot down 132 Luftwaffe planes. (Numbers vary somewhat in different accounts with some sources giving the Luftwaffe a slight edge.) This was accomplished with the loss off 99 RAF planes (including 42 spitfires). It was the first Allied victory in the air. More important than the loss of planes of course was that Luftwaffe air operations were disrupted. And this wa at a time that the RAF pilots were still reltively inexperienced.

Created: 9:33 PM 3/23/2022
Last updated: 9:33 PM 3/23/2022