The Battle of Britain Badge

The Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain
Jul 10 1940
German bomber over London on 7 September 1940 (Source: Public Domain)

Hitler tries to bring Great Britain to its knees

The spring of 1940 saw the victorious Wehrmacht scythe a path across Europe, encircling the French and Belgian forces and threatening to cut off the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from the ports that connected it to its island home. Conducting a fighting retreat, the British managed to establish a perimeter at the port of Dunkirk, from where the majority of the BEF and many French soldiers were evacuated to Great Britain. The French capitulation of 22 June 1940 meant that Great Britain stood alone against Hitler. Seeking to put the country under pressure, the German Luftwaffe flew bombing raids on convoys in the English Channel and against English naval installations on 10 July 1940. This marked the start of what Winston Churchill called the “Battle of Britain”, which pitted the Luftwaffe against the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Germans launched mass bombing raids first on RAF air fields and other military installations and then residential areas. Historians are still unclear as to the exact German aims during this campaign and are unsure whether Hitler sought to force a negotiated peace, perhaps even an unconditional surrender. In mid-July, he gave the order to prepare for “Operation Sea Lion”, the code name given to the invasion of Great Britain.

Three days later, Hitler made a fresh appeal to Britain’s “common sense” and demanded that its government act to avoid further bloodshed. However, the new British Prime Minister – the appeaser Neville Chamberlain had been replaced by the more bellicose Winston Churchill – was convinced that the war against Hitler’s “monstrous tyranny” could only end in “victory at any cost”. Accordingly, a strengthened RAF was able to prevent the Luftwaffe from achieving the air superiority required to launch an invasion. Having been unable to defeat the RAF, Hitler shifted his focus to bombing British cities in an attempt to break the morale of the population. The failure of this strategy combined with mounting German losses caused Hitler to postpone Operation Sea Lion “indefinitely”. Although major daytime raids stopped at the end of October, the bombing of key cities was continued up to the spring of 1941, when Hitler needed all his resources for his attack on the Soviet Union. Claiming more than 27,000 civilian lives, causing extensive material damage in London and Coventry and leading to the destruction of 1,700 aircraft on each side, the Battle of Britain ended with the first German defeat in the Second World War.

Learn more about the adventure museum

About the Deutschlandmuseum

An immersive and innovative experience museum about 2000 years of German history

Learn more

The whole year at a glance

“The theatre resembled a madhouse” “The theatre resembled a madhouse”
Jan 13 1782
“The theatre resembled a madhouse”
The Lusatian Wends Association
Oct 13
Artikel erst ab morgen verfügbar
Happy birthday, Hannah Arendt!
Oct 14 1906
Item only available from the 14., check back!
Karl Marx, wage slave
Oct 15 1842
Item only available from the 15., check back!
Der Hauptmann von Köpenick
Oct 16 1906
Item only available from the 16., check back!
Erstes Oktoberfest in München
Oct 17 1810
Item only available from the 17., check back!
Wartburgfest
Oct 18 1817
Item only available from the 18., check back!
Oct 19
No entry available
Oct 20
No entry available
Oct 21
No entry available
Oct 22
No entry available
Oct 23
No entry available
Oct 24
No entry available
Oct 25
No entry available
Oct 26
No entry available
Oct 27
No entry available
Oct 28
No entry available
Oct 29
No entry available
Nov 2
No entry available
Nov 4
No entry available
Nov 6
No entry available
Nov 7
No entry available
Nov 8
No entry available
Nov 9
No entry available
Nov 10
No entry available
Nov 11
No entry available
Nov 12
No entry available
Nov 13
No entry available
Nov 14
No entry available
Nov 15
No entry available
Nov 16
No entry available
Nov 17
No entry available
Nov 18
No entry available
Nov 19
No entry available
Nov 20
No entry available
Nov 21
No entry available
Nov 22
No entry available
Nov 23
No entry available
Nov 24
No entry available
Nov 25
No entry available
Nov 26
No entry available
Nov 27
No entry available
Nov 28
No entry available
Nov 29
No entry available
Nov 30
No entry available
Dec 1
No entry available
Dec 2
No entry available
Dec 3
No entry available
Dec 4
No entry available
Dec 5
No entry available
Dec 6
No entry available
Dec 8
No entry available
Dec 9
No entry available
Dec 11
No entry available
Dec 12
No entry available
Dec 13
No entry available
Dec 14
No entry available
Dec 15
No entry available
Dec 16
No entry available
Dec 17
No entry available
Dec 18
No entry available
Dec 19
No entry available
Dec 21
No entry available
Dec 22
No entry available
Dec 23
No entry available
Dec 24
No entry available
Dec 25
No entry available
Dec 26
No entry available
Dec 27
No entry available
Dec 28
No entry available
Dec 29
No entry available
Dec 30
No entry available
Dec 31
No entry available

Discover history

Visit the unique Deutschlandmuseum and experience immersive history

2000 Jahre
12 Epochen
1 Stunde