Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain was a battle in World War Two fought between the German Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air Force (RAF), after France and the Low Countries had fallen to the armies of Nazi Germany. The battle was fought between July 1940 and May 1941, and is regarded as the Nazis' first major defeat.

The Battle of Britain was essentially a contest for air superiority. German air superiority was considered a necessary prelude for the planned land invasion (Operation Sea Lion). The Germans initially attempted to destroy British airfields. They did not succeed in this: RAF 'Hurricane' and 'Spitfire' aircraft piloted by 'The Few' (Winston Churchill's name for RAF fighter pilots) caused them to have heavy casualties, in spite of the Luftwaffe's superior numbers. The Messerschmidt Bf109 fighter that the Luftwaffe had as its main escort for the twin-engined Heinkel, Dornier and Junkers bombers was at the limit of its range.

They then switched to targeting British cities. London and many other cities suffered air raids in The Blitz and Coventry, an historic city in the English Midlands, was almost destroyed by a firestorm.

By the end of the battle, the RAF had lost 788 aircraft, while the Luftwaffe's losses were 1294 aircraft, mostly bombers.