The Battle of Britain was the first major military campaign fought almost entirely in the air. After the fall of France, Germany's Luftwaffe tried to destroy the Royal Air Force so that an invasion of Britain, planned as Operation Sea Lion, could go ahead. RAF Fighter Command under Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding used Hurricane and Spitfire fighters, backed by a radar network and a system of ground control, to resist much larger waves of bombers and escorts. In early September the Luftwaffe shifted from attacking airfields to bombing London, which relieved pressure on the RAF and began the Blitz. By the end of October Germany had failed to gain air superiority, and the invasion was postponed. Churchill honoured the pilots as the Few.
Before and after
- from 28 June 1940 to 3 July 1940Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
- 28 June 1940Birth of Muhammad Yunus
- 6 July 1940Birth of Nursultan Nazarbayev
- 7 July 1940Birth of Ringo Starr
- from 10 July 1940 to 31 October 1940Battle of Britain
- from 10 July 1940 to 29 August 1944Vichy France
- from 14 July 1940 to 15 July 1940Operation Ambassador
- 19 July 1940Battle of Cape Spada
- from 21 July 1940 to 20 August 1991Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916Gallipoli Campaign
- 4 June 1917Pulitzer Prize
- 30 September 1938Munich agreement
- from 1 September 1939 to 6 October 19391939 Invasion of Poland
- from 7 December 1941 to 2 September 1945Pacific War
- from 6 June 1944 to 29 August 1944Normandy landings
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.