Lesson 13
WW II – 1940:
Fall of France & Battle of Britain
Lesson Objectives
• Describe the sequence and implications of events from
the invasion of Poland to the fall of France.
• Be able to describe and analyze the German strategy in
the Battle of Britain.
• Describe the impact of new technology on the Battle of
Britain.
• Begin to understand the implications of strategic air
warfare in World War II.
Events
September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland
September 3, 1939
Britain, France declare war on Germany
“Phony war” begins
April 9, 1940
Germany invades Denmark & Norway
May 10, 1940
Germany invades Belgium, Netherlands,
Luxembourg
Chamberlain resigns *
Churchill becomes PM *
Britain occupies Iceland *
* Not related to invasion
Battle of France
French Plan
Dyle
Plan
1939
Schlieffen
Plan
1914
Manstein
Plan
Events
September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland
September 3, 1939
Britain, France declare war on Germany
“Phony war” begins
April 9, 1940
Germany invades Denmark & Norway
May 10, 1940
Germany invades Belgium, Netherlands,
Luxembourg
May 27-29, 1940
Evacuation of Dunkirk
Dunkirk
May 26-31, 1940
Dunkirk
Trapped on the beach
German Halt at Dunkirk
German army had little amphibious experience
• Looked at the Channel as a barrier
• Didn’t believe British could possibly get away
Panzer units arrived well ahead of the infantry
• Were exhausted, out of supply
• Called halt to rest, resupply, allow infantry to catch up
Luftwaffe hadn’t gotten much credit in battle
• Asked for and received permission to destroy BEF
British saw Channel as a highway - organized evacuation
Withdraw to Dunkirk
(1:32:09 – 1:35:35)
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Miracle of Dunkirk
“The Small Ships”
Miracle of Dunkirk
300,000+ rescued
Equipment abandoned
Evacuation at Dunkirk
Evacuation at Dunkirk
The troops were saved to fight another day
.. but their equipment was left behind
Evacuation From Dunkirk
May 26-31, 1940
(1:35:40 - 1:44:45)
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Myth
Mechanized Juggernaut
Reality
3/4 of German infantry moved by foot or horse
Battle of France
First Phase 4-14 June 1940
Battle of France
4-22 June 1940
Events
September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland
September 3, 1939
Britain, France declare war on Germany
“Phony war” begins
April 9, 1940
Germany invades Denmark & Norway
May 10, 1940
Germany invades Belgium, Netherlands,
Luxembourg
May 27-29, 1940
Evacuation of Dunkirk
June 4-22, 1940
Battle of France
June 22, 1940
France Surrenders
France Surrenders
French surrendered at Compiègne – June 20, 1940
Fall & Occupation of France
(one opinion)
(0 – 4:10 & 4:11-10:00)
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Britain Stands Alone
“Very well, Alone!”
Winston S. Churchill
Sandhurst (1894)
Served in Sudan (1898),
the Second Boer War (1899-1900),
the Western Front (1915-1916)
First elected to Parliament (1900)
First Lord of the Admiralty
(1911-1915 and 1939-1940)
Prime Minister
May 10, 1940 - July 27, 1945 *
1874-1965
Led Great Britain during
its darkest hour.
* Also October 26, 1951 - April 17, 1955
Britain At Bay
Battle of Britain
"What General Weygand called the Battle of France
is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
Winston Churchill
June 18, 1940
Full Speech (external, 6:08)
Excerpt-LoC
Excerpt (internal, 1:35)
Battle of Britain
Background
Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)
Battle of Britain
Background
Operation Seelöwe (Sealion)
Operation Seelöwe
Invasion barges in Channel ports
July 1940
Operation Sealion
Germans began planning for invasion
in November 1939
Initial criteria for success:
* The Royal Navy had to be eliminated.
* The Royal Air Force (RAF) air strength had to be eliminated.
* British coastal defenses had to be destroyed.
* British submarine action against landing forces had to be prevented.
First Law of Modern War
The air battle must be won if the war is to be won.
General of the Army Omar Bradley
November 1951
USAF Doctrine
(modern)
Priorities for tactical (theater) airpower:
1. Air Superiority
2. Interdiction
3. Close Air Support
Operation Sealion
Defeat of the Royal Navy in the invasion area
required control of the air
Hitler’s conditions for Sealion:
The RAF is to be "beaten down in its morale and in fact, that it can no
longer display any appreciable aggressive force in opposition to the
German crossing".
Warning Order for Seelöwe, 16 July 1940
Operation Sea Lion
1940
German Plan
Take control of the air
 Defeat the RAF
Isolate the invasion area
 Neutralize Royal Navy, destroy communications & defenses
Invade England
 Land Panzers to employ Blitzkrieg tactics
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain
1940
Orders of Battle
RAF
Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
754
1,107
Twin-seat fighter
159
357
Bombers
560
1,300 / 428*
Maritime patrol
500
233
* Dive-bombers
Source
German Fighters
Messerschmitt Bf 110 "Zerstörer"
German Fighters
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Most widely produced aircraft in WW II (33,000+ units)
British Fighter
Supermarine Spitfire
British Fighter
Hawker Hurricane
Spitfire vs. Bf 109
Generally felt to be evenly matched
More rugged
Higher maximum dive speed
Better handling characteristics
Heavy on controls at high speed
Better visibility
Heavier armament (cannon)
Source
German Bombers
Heinkle He 111
Dornier Do 17
Junkers Ju 88
Battle of Britain
1940
Orders of Battle
RAF
Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
754
1,107
Twin-seat fighter
159
357
Bombers
560
1,300 / 428*
Maritime patrol
500
233
* Dive-bombers
Source
Battle of Britain
British Challenge:
How to overcome a numerical disadvantage
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Early Warning System
Ground Observers
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle Management
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain
Chain Home Radar Site - Dover
Battle of Britain
Chain Home Radar Towers
Chain Home RDF
Source: Royal Air Force
Alignment of Forces
Source
Alignment of Forces
Source
Battle of Britain: Phase I
Attacks on Channel Ports and Shipping
10 July –12 August
Source: Royal Air Force
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
Problem: They were vulnerable to fighters
Junkers Ju 87 “Stuka”
Battle of Britain: Phase II
Attacks on RAF: Fighter Bases, Radar
12 August – 6 September
Source: Royal Air Force
The Fog of War
August 24, 1940
Luftwaffe bomber crews mistakenly bombed London
• Residential area
August 25
RAF bombers hit Berlin industrial area in retaliation
August 26
Enraged, Hitler orders massive attacks against
London and other British cities
Attacks on cities continue into the fall, switching to
night raids after September 15th
Significance: Gave the RAF a critically needed breather
Battle of Britain: Phase III
Daylight Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
7 September- 5 October
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain: Phase III
London’s East End Burning - September 7, 1940
Attacks on British Cities
September 7, 1940 - May 10, 1941
“The Blitz”
St. Paul’s Cathedral, 26 December 1940
London experienced 57 consecutive nights of bombing
• September - November 1940
Over 41,000 civilians killed, 137,000 injured throughout Britain
Source
Climax
September 15, 1940
Massive daylight raid on London
• Largest to date
56 German aircraft lost versus 28 RAF fighters
RAF used every fighter in 11 Group (no reserves)
Germans switched to night raids on cities
Considered the turning point of the battle
Climax
September 15, 1940
September 15th is celebrated as
Battle of Britain Day
RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain Action
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Battle of Britain: Phase IV
Night Attacks on Cities & Industrial Areas
6 October 1940 - 10 May 1941 (unofficially)
Source: Royal Air Force
Battle of Britain
Operation Sealion
September 17, 1940
Operation Sealion postponed indefinitely
October 31, 1940
Battle of Britain declared over by Air Ministry
Night bombings of cities continued through winter
Bad Weather Operations
Knickebein (Crocked Leg) Navigation System
Source
Coventry
Industrial city in the midlands
Subjected to a massive air raid (400+)
on November 14, 1940
Center city and cathedral wiped out
1,400 killed or injured
Myth: Churchill knew about raid but could not act to defend
Coventry
c 1880
Cathedral of Saint Michael
Coventry
X-Gerät Navigation Aid
Battle of Britain
Summary
Source
Battle of Britain
1940
Orders of Battle
RAF
Luftwaffe
Single-seat fighters
754
1,107
Twin-seat fighter
159
357
Bombers
560
1,300 / 428*
Maritime patrol
500
233
* Dive-bombers
Source
Battle of Britain
1940
Losses
RAF
Single-seat fighters
}
Luftwaffe
1,023
1,107
Bombers
376
357
Maritime patrol
148
1,014
520
2,600+
Twin-seat fighter
Pilots Lost
Source
Total War
“… the whole population … committed to total
victory”
Princess Elizabeth - Age 17
Battle of Britain
Did the British Win or
the Germans Lose?
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Principles of War
• Objective
• Offensive
• Mass
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Surprise
• Simplicity
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
• Allowed RAF to concentrate scarce resources where needed
• Allowed RAF to hold aircraft on ground until last moment
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
• Initial fighter strength
• Fighter production capabilities
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
British “home field” advantage
• Fighting close to home airfields
• Closer to the fight, more combat time
• RAF pilots shot down had a good chance of returning to the fight
Battle of Britain
Factors
British use of radar (command & control)
German underestimation of RAF strength
British “home field” advantage
German loss of focus
(Change of Objective)
Battle of Britain
Did the British Win or
the Germans Lose?
First Law of Modern War
First of all, you must win the battle of the air.
That must come before you start a single
land or sea engagement.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1943
Lesson 14
WW II -- Second Battle of the Atlantic
Lesson Objectives
• Understand the magnitude and significance of the Battle of the
Atlantic during World War II.
• Understand the degree of British dependence on maritime lines
of communication.
• Describe U.S. participation in the Battle of the Atlantic prior to
December 1941.
• Describe and analyze the tactics and technology used by both
sides in the Battle of the Atlantic.
• Understand the importance of code breaking in the Atlantic war.
End
Video Title
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