Battle of Britain
air battle waged between German and British air forces in 1940 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Britain[23] was a continued attack by the Luftwaffe on Great Britain during the summer and the autumn of 1940.[24]
Quick Facts Date, Location ...
Battle of Britain | |||||||
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Part of the Second World War | |||||||
An Observer Corps spotter scans the skies of London. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom[info 1] Canada[nb 9] |
Germany Italy | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Hugh Dowding Keith Park Trafford Leigh-Mallory |
Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Hugo Sperrle | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,963 serviceable aircraft[nb 10] |
2,550 serviceable aircraft. [nb 11] [nb 12] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
544 aircrew killed[3][18][19] 422 aircrew wounded[20] 1,547 aircraft destroyed[nb 13] |
2,698 aircrew killed[21] 967 captured 638 missing bodies identified by British Authorities[22] 1,887 aircraft destroyed[nb 14] | ||||||
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The Germans' first objective was to get control of the air space above Britain from the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially the Fighter Command.
The name comes from a famous speech, which was delivered by British 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...."[25][26]
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought only by air forces, and it was also the largest and longest aerial bombing campaign until then.