Battles of the WW2 Battle of Britain Who? Britain (RAF) vs. Germany (Luftwaffe) What? Operation Sea...
8
Battles of the WW2 ttle of Britain ritain (RAF) vs. Germany (Luftwaffe) peration Sea Lion Fought mostly in the air gan attacks on airfields near coast before moving inland to London uly 10 to October 31, 1940 1. Luftwaffe was to gain control of British air space and destroy th 2. Destroy aircraft production/intimidation for surrender the Dowding system: early warning detection – radar ots were involved st failure of Hitler’s war machine Realized the Allies were better equipped for the air war
-
Upload
michael-robertson -
Category
Documents
-
view
230 -
download
0
Transcript of Battles of the WW2 Battle of Britain Who? Britain (RAF) vs. Germany (Luftwaffe) What? Operation Sea...
Battles of the WW2Battle of Britain
Who? Britain (RAF) vs. Germany (Luftwaffe)What? Operation Sea Lion Fought mostly in the airWhere? Began attacks on airfields near coast before moving inland to LondonWhen? July 10 to October 31, 1940Why? 1. Luftwaffe was to gain control of British air space and destroy the RAF 2. Destroy aircraft production/intimidation for surrenderInvention of the Dowding system: early warning detection – radarCanadian pilots were involvedOutcome: First failure of Hitler’s war machine Realized the Allies were better equipped for the air war
Battle of Britain
• After the fall of France, Hitler turned his attention to his next target: Britain
• July 10 – October 31, 1940 (continued until May 1941)• British airspace (and German)• Allies: Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF)
– More than 100 Canadian pilots flew in fighter operations and 200 more in bombing raids
• Axis: Germany’s Luftwaffe
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few”
Battle of Britain
• ‘Operation Sea Lion’: weaken Britain’s defences to prepare for a land invasion; take control of the air
• Phase 1: bomb Britain’s coastal defences and knock out early warning radar system
• Phase 2: bomb airfields and destroy the RAF• Phase 3: “The Blitz” – lasted 57 days (bombing of
London)• Phase 4: continued bombings
Battle of Britain
• Luftwaffe = 2500 planes; RAF = 1200 planes and short of trained pilots and experienced ground crew
• British had several advantages: superior radar system and assistance from Allied countries– Pilots, radar personnel, replacement aircraft, etc.
• By October the Germans realize the RAF can’t be beaten and ‘Operation Sea Lion’ is cancelled
• 43,000 killed (many British civilians) and 50,000 buildings destroyed
Battle of Britain
• Hitler’s 2nd mistake: switching from defensive targets to civilians
• Only battle to be fought entirely in the air• Prevented Germany from taking Britain
Battle of Britain
How Canadian Communities contributed overseas
-Aboriginal Peoples’ Participation in the Military, about 3000 aboriginal people enlisted- They were involved in every major battle-When war was over, many aboriginal veterans were denied their benefits-Many African Canadians served Canada in WWII, came from Nova Scotia, Montreal, and southern Ontario-Over 600 Chinese Canadians served for WWII -In 1947 the government finally extended the vote to Chinese Canadians
