Battle of Britain - Causes and Key Events

In 1940, during World War II, an aerial campaign was fought over the skies of Southern England between the German Luftwaffe and Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF). It is commonly known as the Battle of Britain.

What caused the Battle of Britain?

Starting on 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain lasted for just over three months before coming to an end on 31 October 1940. The major air campaign followed just after the Fall of France in May 1940, when Germany invaded the country. Eventually leading to France’s surrender.

Operation Sea Lion

After the defeat of France, the German dictator, Adolf Hitler, believed Britain would seek a peace settlement. When Britain rejected Hitler’s offer, the planning of Operation Sea lion – the German codename for their proposed invasion of Britain – began.

Hitler planned an immediate invasion of Britain, with the aim of preventing British troops from recovering after their involvement in the Battle of France.

German forces pulled together a large invasion fleet based at various ports along the English Channel and North Sea coasts, including barges and merchant ships. However, before any seaborne invasion could take place, the German forces needed to first eliminate the RAF. This would give them superiority over the English Channel, without the risk of British fighter planes destroying the invasion fleet.

German Luftwaffe

The German Air Force, more commonly known as the Luftwaffe, launched a campaign in August 1940 to destroy the RAF. On 12 August, they began their attacks, starting with RAF airfields in the South-East, and radar installations in Kent, Sussex and on the Isle of Wight.

Key Events

13 August 1940 - Eagle Day

The 13 August 1940 is known as ‘Adlertag’ (Eagle Day), and is what marked the start of the Battle of Britan for the German forces. The attacks were widespread, and in the weeks following, there were several more major attacks against Britian.

18 August 1940 - The Hardest Day

Sunday 18 August is known as the ‘hardest day’ fought in the Battle of Britain. The Luftwaffe flew 850 sorties, and three big raids were attempted. The RAF responded to the attacks by flying 927 sorties, with pilots being said to fly several sorties each day.

By the end of the day there were several Luftwaffe wrecks across southern England, with eight German men killed in the conflict, and more having been taken for prisoner and/or wounded.

7 September 1940 - The Blitz

The Blitz consisted of a series of bombing attacks on British towns and cities, beginning on 7 September 1940 - also known as Black Saturday. The attacks began in London and lasted 57 consecutive nights, causing 430 deaths on the first day alone.

By mid-October, the Luftwaffe began attacking Birmingham and Bristol before they began attacking port cities between mid-November to February 1941. The Blitz lasted for eight months in total, continuing way beyond when the Battle of Britain came to an end.  

15 September 1940 - Battle of Britain Day

The 15 September marked a turning point in the battle. The Fighter Command fought off two large attacks, destroying 56 German aircrafts. This convinced the German High Command that the Luftwaffe wouldn’t be able to get air supremacy over Britain.

17 September 1940 – Operation Sea Lion postponed

Following the Luftwaffe’s losses only a few days earlier, Operation Sea Lion was announced to be postponed indefinitely.

The end of the Battle of Britain

The Luftwaffe failed to defeat the RAF and successfully gain air superiority, which was required before any channel invasions could take place.  31 October 1940 signalled the end of the Battle of Britain. It also marked the first major German defeat in World War 2.