First

Year of the War and the Battle of Britain

¡  Nazi’s invade Poland September 1, 1939.
¡  WWII Begins
¡  Sept. 1939-April 1940
¡  Europeans expect a great
war like WW1, but not
much happens.

§  Germany occupies Poland.

§  Winter War between Russia

and Finland

§  Germany takes over

Norway.
¡  May 10, 1940

¡  Hitler launches
massive invasion of
France, Belgium, &
Netherlands.

¡  Winston Churchill
appointed Prime
Minister in England.
¡  Battle of Dunkirk
§  Allied troops evacuated from
European shores.

¡  June 16, 1940 France seeks

peace terms with Germany.

¡  June 18, 1940 Churchill gives

Finest Hour Speech.
§  Goal: to boost British fighting
morale.

¡  July 19, 1940 Hitler offers

“peace or destruction” to
Britain.
¡  You stand alone against the might of the Nazi
empire. No one is coming to save you. What
would you do?

¡  Do you think Churchill was right in his

decision to fight on? Or do you agree with
those who said they should agree to peace
terms with Hitler?
¡  Radar:
§  Used to detect and
locate incoming enemy
aircraft.
§  Gave early warning of
incoming raids.

¡  Churchill played
important role in
development from
WW1-Interwar years.
¡  Phase 1: Attacks on
Channel Shipping
§  July 10-August 12th 1940
§  Luftwaffe attack shipping
convoys and British ports.

¡  July 16th-Hitler issues

Directive No. 16:
§  Operation Sealion
§  Invasion plan for Britain
¡  Phase 2:
§  13-18th of August
§  Attacks on airfields and
Radar stations

¡  Eagle Day August 13th

§  Intense air raids on RAF
airfields. Official start of
Nazi attack on Britain.

¡  Aug. 18th
§  Hardest day of battle
§  Severe RAF losses
¡  Phase 3:
§  Aug. 19-Sept. 6th
§  Random bombing
towns, airfields.

¡  Aug. 24th
§  London night bombing

¡  Churchill speech
¡  Phase 4:
§  Sept. 7-Oct. 31
§  Shift focus of bombing
from air fields to cities.
§  Aimed at terrorizing
people of Britain.

¡  The Blitz
§  57 consecutive nights of
bombing on London.
¡  First battle to be fought almost exclusively in
the air.

¡  German planes: 2,550 - lost 1,887
¡  RAF planes: 1,964 - lost 1,023

¡  German pilots killed: 2,585
¡  RAF pilots killed: 544

¡  More than 40,000 civilians killed in Blitz.