Battle of Britain: Importance


Figure 1.--This British boy at a school in southern England where the Battle of Britain was fought reads about the battle that so affected the course of world history.

HG Wells writes, "The battle which was to come ranks with Marathon and Salamis among those which changed history and saved a civilization. Had Britain not resisted, or had it been conquered, it is not difficult to estimate what would have followed." [Wells, p. 978.] The Battle of Britain was compared to other campaigns a rather small operation, but in many ways was the key battle of World War II. RAF Fighter Command began the battle with only 656 operational fighters. Churchill was not exagerating when he said, "Never in the history of human conflict was so much owed to so few by so many." The significance of the Battle of Britain was at the time was not fully appreciated. Even after the success of the RAF in staving off invation, Hitler still controlled virtually all of Western and Central Europe and it was the startling German successes that still dominated headlines. Britain continued to be bombed and soon the Wehrmacht would launch the titanic struggle with the Soviet Union which began with another series of spectacular successes. The Luftwaffe was bloodied over Britain, but not iremperably damaged. It did mean that unlike the significantly expanded Heer with its Panzers, the Luftwaffe that supported Barbarossa was about the same strength at the time of the Battle of Britain. Loses were repalaced , but the force was not expanded. What did occur was the Germans experienced not only superior tactics, but for the first time an opponent was able to match German technology. Even more importantly, the British scored a not fully appreciated stategic victory. Hitler's strategy was based on destroying his opponents quickly before they could unite and produce modern armaments. He succed with Poland, France, and the small countries of Western Europe (Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxenburg). In the skies over southern England victory over Britain and perhaps victory in the War were within Hitler's grasp. Brtains's survival meant that it would not be a short war, but a longer struggle in which superior Allied resources could gradually be brought to force on Germany. The failure to defeat Britain meant that he would have a dangerous enemy in the west when he launched his invasion of the Soviet Union. It also mean that America would have time to rearm and a key ally when it entered the war. If Britain had fallen, not only could Germany focused the full force of its arms on a single ememu, but America would have had no Euroean bases from which it could strike at Germany.

Key Battles of History

HG Wells writes, "The battle which was to come ranks with Marathon and Salamis among those which changed history and saved a civilization. Had Britain not resisted, or had it been conquered, it is not difficult to estimate what would have followed." [Wells, p. 978.] Marathon can be seen as the battle that invented freedom. Other key militry evens that preserved and advanced freedom can be seen as the British at Waterloo, the Colonials at Valley Forge, and the Americans at Gudalcanal.

Invasion of Britain

After the fall of France, it all turned on Britain in June 1940. And the British Army had been stripped of its arms. Few knew after Dunkirk how desperate the British situation was. The BEF had left its equipment on the beaches of Dunkirk. There was in all of Britain "about 1 1/2 equipped infantry divisions, a few brigades of field artillery, and only 60 tanks." [Brophy] The only fully equipped, bttle ready division was the 1st Canadian Division. The Home Guard existed, was untrained and largely armed, if at all, with shot guns until 0.8 million riles arrived from America later in the year. This was the situation Churchill and the War Cabinet faced in June 1940.

Scale of Conflict

The Battle of Britain was compared to other campaigns a rather small operation, but in many ways the key battle of World War II. RAF Fighter Command began the battle with only 656 operational fighters. Churchill was not exagerating when he said, "Never in the history of human conflict was so much owed to so few by so many." The significance of the Battle of Britain was at the time was not fully appreciated.

Soviet Union

World War II after the fall of France would be decided in Russia. Even after the success of the RAF in staving off invation, Hitler still controlled virtually all of Western and Central Europe and it was the startling German successes that still dominated headlines. Britain continued to be bombed and soon the Wehrmacht would launch the titalic struggle with the Soviet Union with another series of spectacular successes. The Luftwaffe was bloodied over Britain, but not iremperably damaged. It did mean that unlike the significantly expanded Heer with its Panzers, the Luftwaffe that supported Barbarossa was about the same strength at the time of the Battle of Britain. Loses were repalaced , but the force was not expanded. The NAZI plan after eliminating Britain was to attack the Soviet Union. Even with Britain in the War, the NAZIs came very close to victory in Russia in 1941 and 1942. Meanwhile the NAZIs would have been free to employ their genocidal racial policies developed in Poland on the 80 million Slavs of the Soviet Union. [Wells, p. 978.] It seems likely that without having to defend France from possible British attack and without the Royal Navy to block supplies from othercountries that the NAZIs would have succeeded.

Technology

The Luftwaffe was bloodied over Britain, but not seriously damaged. What did occur was the Germans experienced not only superiot tactics, but for the first time an opponent was able to match German technology. Even more importantly, the British scored a not fully appreciated stategic victory.

NAZI War Strategy

Hitler's strategy was based on destroying his opponents quickly before they could unite and produce modern armaments. He succed with Poland, France, and the small countries of Western Europe (Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxenburg). In the skies over southern England victory over Britain and perhaps victory in the War were within Hitler's grasp. Brtains's survival meant that it would not be a short war, but a longer struggle in which superior Allied resources could gradually be brought to force on Germany.

America

Victories over Britian and the Soviets would have left Hitler with the capabolity of turning on America. Then they could have turned on a partially armed United States. The NAZIs with all the industrial power of a conquered Europe would have attacked from the east, the Japanese from the west, and NAZI South American allies from the south.

Allied Coalition

THe Anglo American war-time coalition was perhaps the most significant military alliance in history. The failure to defeat Britain meant that he would have a dangerous enemy in the west when he launched his invasion of the Soviet Union. It also mean that America would have time to rearm and a key ally when it entered the war. If Britain had fallen, not only could Germany focused the full force of its arms on a single ememu, but America would have had no Euroean bases from which it could strike at Germany.






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Created: 7:18 AM 9/24/2004
Last updated: 1:54 PM 6/12/2017