But Grasshopper, you are again mistaken.
The
Battle of Britain (
German:
Luftschlacht um England, literally "Air battle for England") is the name given to the
Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force (
Luftwaffe) against the
United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces,
[18] and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date.
The objective of the
Nazi German forces was to achieve
air superiority over the
Royal Air Force (RAF), especially its
Fighter Command. Beginning in July 1940, coastal shipping convoys and shipping centres, such as
Portsmouth, were the main targets; one month later, the Luftwaffe shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. As the battle progressed, the Luftwaffe also targeted factories involved in
World War II aircraft production and ground
infrastructure. Eventually the Luftwaffe resorted to attacking areas of political significance and using
terror bombing strategy.
[nb 10]
By preventing Germany from gaining air superiority, the British forcedAdolf Hitler to postpone and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion, a planned amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain. However, Germany continued bombing operations on Britain, known as
The Blitz. The failure of Nazi Germany to achieve its objective of destroying Britain's
air defences in order to force Britain to negotiate an
armistice (or even surrender outright) is considered by
Steven Bungay to be its first major defeat in World War II, and a crucial turning point in the conflict.
[20]
The Battle of Britain has an unusual distinction in that it gained its name prior to being fought. The name is derived from a
famous speech delivered by
Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the
House of Commons on June 18, more than three weeks prior to the generally accepted date for the start of the battle: