What was the Battle of Britain?
The Battle of Britain began when Adolf Hitler decided he needed to destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF) before he could invade Britain.
Britain’s superior Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft, the use of advanced RADAR technology (a system that uses radio waves to detect objects in the sky) and the work of many people from different backgrounds helped to secure victory against Nazi Germany.
The Battle of Britain was a significant turning point in the war and proved Nazi Germany could be defeated.
Important words
Important words on who helped Britain win the Battle of Britain.
| Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|
| Airfields | An area of land where different aircraft can take off and land. |
| Conquered | To defeat someone and take full control of land or a possession by force. |
| Dogfight | A fight between two or more planes that chase each other in the air. |
| Luftwaffe | The German air force. |
| RADAR | A system that uses radio waves to detect objects in the sky, such as planes. |
| RAF | The British Royal Air Force. |
| Teamwork | When a wide range of people work together towards a common goal. |
| Turning Point | A time when a something significant happens that changes the outcome. |
Watch: Who helped Britain win the Battle of Britain?
Find out about the pilots and crew from Britain and beyond who helped to win the Battle of Britain.
My name is Hugh Dowding. Leader of Fighter Command.
The Nazis have taken to the skies and are trying to knock us out of this war.
They send their planes across the Channel day after day to destroy our airfields, our factories, our cities.
Their bombers are big, slow, but deadly when they reach their targets. And they send fighter planes to guard them. Fast, dangerous, always circling above.
We fight back with our own fighters, Hurricanes and Spitfires. The Spitfire’s quick, nimble, a match for any German fighter. The Hurricane is tougher, the workhorse. And it brings down most of the bombers. Together, they’re our shield.
And with our secret weapon, radar, we see them coming before they reach our coast. That gives our pilots time to scramble. Without radar, we'd be fighting blind.
And it isn't just British lads in the cockpits. Look here: The Polish, the New Zealanders too, Canadians, Czechoslovaks…
And on the ground, we've men from the Caribbean, India, Africa … keeping those machines flying. None of this works without them.
It's sad that some of these men are judged purely on the colour of their skin. In America, Black airmen aren't even allowed to fight in the same unit as white airmen. Here, when the sirens sound, everyone helps out. What matters is courage.
We are outnumbered. Every day we lose good men. But we are still standing.
Britain will not fall.
What contributed to the start of the Battle of Britain?
By the summer of 1940, Germany had successfully invaded and conquered (to defeat someone and take full control by force) much of Europe, including France.
Adolf Hitler expected Britain to surrender, but if they didn’t, he thought it could be successfully invaded. He named the plan Operation Sea Lion.
For Operation Sea Lion to be successful, Hitler believed the Royal Air Force (RAF) needed to be destroyed, this would give Germany air superiority (full control of the skies) over Britain meaning their soldiers could land without being attacked by aircraft.
On 10th July 1940, the Luftwaffe (the German Airforce) began to attack the south coast of Britain, they first targeted British ships, ports and airfields (an area of land where different aircraft can take off and land).
The Battle of Britain had begun.
How did the RAF defend the British skies?
At the start of the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe had far more planes than the RAF.
The Luftwaffe had around 2500 planes, while the RAF had around 750 planes. However, the planes the RAF used gave Britain a significant advantage.
The British RAF mainly used the Hurricane and Spitfire fighter planes, these planes were fast and could turn more easily.
The Luftwaffe used the Heinkel bomber and the Messerschmitt fighter plane. The Messerschmitt did have powerful guns, but it could not turn as quickly as the British planes and was not as fast.
This meant it struggled to keep up in dogfights (a fight between two or more planes that chase each other in the air).
RADAR
Britain's RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) bases could spot German planes as soon as they left France and flew across the English Channel.
This gave Britain an early warning of attack and helped the RAF to quickly send their planes into the sky to attack the incoming bombers.
The Royal Observer Corps also spotted enemy aircraft using telescopes and binoculars, they then shared this information with the RAF.
How was location a British advantage?
The Battle of Britain was fought above Britain which was a significant advantage for the RAF.
British pilots could land, refuel and rearm quickly at any airfields in the south of England, meaning they could rejoin the fight quickly.
German pilots could not do this because their bases were too far away. Their planes could not fight over Britain for very long before needing to be refuelled.
RAF pilots could also parachute out, land and quickly rejoin the battle in a new plane, whereas if German pilots had to parachute out, they would be captured as a prisoner of war. This meant Germany lost a plane and a trained pilot.
Slideshow: Defending British skies
Click through the slideshow to learn more about how the RAF defended Britain's skies.
Image caption, RAF Flight Sergeant James Hyde from Trinidad. Pilots from other countries, such as Poland, India, Belgium, Australia, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and Jamaica, played an important role in securing victory.
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Who helped secure victory in the Battle of Britain?
Winning the Battle of Britain was a significant moment for Britain and the outcome of the Second World War.
Pilots from other countries, such as Poland, Belgium, New Zealand and Jamaica, played an important role in securing victory against a much larger attacking force.
Many Polish pilots came to Britain after Poland was invaded, they were some of most experienced Allied pilots and made a significant contribution to the outcome of the Battle of Britain.
The teamwork (when a wide range of people work together towards a common goal) of everyone involved, such as British intelligence, pilots from different backgrounds, the ground crews and mechanics, were all crucial to Britain’s success.
Think like a historian
Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.
Why do you think Adolf Hitler wanted to achieve air superiority above Britain before launching his planned invasion?
Why do you think the quick turning Spitfire and Hurricane were so significant for Britain winning the Battle of Britian?
Who were the few that Winston Churchill spoke about when he said, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Did you think it was because he considered the RAF a significant threat to the success of Operation Sea Lion. Perhaps you thought the air attacks were the first step in his plan to take control of Britain.
Did you think that being able to turn quickly was more important than having the most powerful guns. This meant the RAF pilots could be more successful in a dogfight. Perhaps you thought that being able to turn quickly meant the Spitfire and Hurricane could enter and leave the fight without being hit.
Did you think the few may have been the many pilots who helped to defend Britain from the Luftwaffe attack during the Battle of Britain? Perhaps you thought he was talking about the ground crews and mechanics who helped to keep the planes ready to be flown and fight in the Battle of Britain.
Activities
Activity: Quiz
Grown-ups corner
Are you a parent, carer or teacher?
Take a look at some of the links below on KS2 History which are packed full of knowledge, videos, quizzes and activities.
History KS2: The Battle of Britain and beyond
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
History KS2: Machines of the military
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
KS2 History: Noor Inayat Khan - Britain's first muslim war heroine
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade game! game
Play Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade KS2 History
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