Battle of Britain

Churchill becomes Prime Minister • 10 May 1940 • Britain retreats from France 26 May - 4 June 1940
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Biblioteka Baidu
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Churchill decides to fight on May 1940
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Germany bombs British coastal airfields
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Photo: Soldiers at a defence post on the south-east coast anxiously watch German aircraft overhead on 1 August 1940.
Battle of Britain
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The Battle of Britain was the aerial (空军的）conflict between Britain and Germany air forces in the skies over the United Kingdom in the summer and autumn of 1940. It is the World War II air campaign whose objective was destroying Britain‟s air defences or forcing Britain to negotiate an armistice (休战书）or an outright surrender. The name derives from a famous speech delivered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons: “ The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin…..”
Background
Before the Battle of Britain, Germany had got tight control of the coast of Holland, Belgium and France, thus facing far each other with Britain. Between 1939 and 1941, Germany invaded and conquered much of Europe. Therefore, Britain had no ally.
Britain bombs Berlin
• On 25 August 1940, the RAF （英国皇家空军）launched its first raid on Berlin in retaliation(报复 )for the German bombing of London the previous day.
• Hitler plans the invasion of Britain •
July 1940 Germany bombs British towns and cities • July - August 1940
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Churchill becomes Prime Minister on May 10 1940. It was one of the most dramatic days in British history. The government was in disarray(混乱） as Winston Churchill became PM and, on the continent, Germany ended the Phoney War(静坐站） by invading the Low Countries.
Results
• The Battle of Britain was the German air force's attempt to gain air superiority over the RAF from July to September 1940. Their ultimate failure was one of the turning points of World War Two and prevented Germany from invading Britain. •
Churchill decides to fight on May 1940
• In late May, against the backdrop of the Dunkirk（敦刻尔克） evacuation and the unstoppable German advance, Churchill disregarded calls for peace talks with Hitler. Britain would fight on, he ordered.
Hitler gave his „Last Appeal to Reason‟ speech to the German Reichstag(国会大厦） at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin.
Germany bombs British towns and cities July - August 1940
Timeline of key events
• • • • • • Germany advances through Europe September 1939 - May 1940
• • Germany bombs British coastal airfields 11 July -18 August 1940 Germany attacks RAF Fighter Command 24 August - 4 September 1940 Britain bombs Berlin 25-28 August 1940 Gemany bombs London 7 -14September 1940 Battle of Britain 15 September Hilter postphones the invasion of Britain 17 September
Churchill examines a Tommy gun during an inspection of invasion defences near Hartlepool（哈特尔 普尔） , 31 July 1940.
Hitler plans the invasion of Britain
• After the invasion and defeat of France in June 1940, Hitler turned his attention to the invasion of Britain, the last country in Western Europe to stand against him.
The invasion is postponed
• It was clear to Hitler that his air force had failed to gain air superiority so, on 17 September, he postponed his plans to invade Britain.
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It's difficult to establish an exact figure of how many aircraft were shot down in the Battle of Britain, partly because both sides tended to exaggerate their successes and downplay their losses. However, it's estimated that between 10 July and the end of October 1940, the RAF lost around 1,023 aircraft whilst the Luftwaffe lost 1,887.
Battle of Britain Day
• The most decisive confrontation of the Battle of Britain took place in the skies above London on 15 September. •
•Photo: The average age of an RAF pilot in 1940 was 20. Squadron Leader（皇家空 军中队长）B J E 'Sandy' Lane (centre), pictured here aged 23. He was killed in combat 2 years later.
The Battle of Britain Beacon(不列颠空战 纪念塔 )was built in the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain .