London sky during the Battle of Britain, Big Ben watching, 1940

Sky in London during the battle of Britain (summer 1940), with Big Ben in the foreground. The Battle of Britain was a huge assault by the Luftwaffe in an attempt to subdue the British, so that Germany could force them into peace and focus on the Eastern front.

It was a monumental war effort and the first major military campaign in history to be fought exclusively in the air.

The main blows took part between July-October 1940, but the bombing campaign continued until the Summer of 1941.

Germany’s failure to win the Battle of Britain was the first and one of the most important turning points in World War Two. The Germans planned to take superiority in the air and follow that up with a killing blow on the sea against what should have been a depleted Royal Navy (operation Sea Lion), but the British Royal Air Force resisted.

Book suggestion ⤵️

📖 The Battle of Britain: Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940 (James Holland, 2010)