2. The Battle of Britain
The German Blitzkrieg has devastated a number of European nations by the middle of 1940 and Hitler’s attentions turned to Great Britain. It was the dictator’s hope that he would be able to use his air power to destroy London and effectively take over the country. His plans laid out the course of air battles of World War Two and led to worldwide recognition for British capabilities in the form of the Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane. To overcome the obstacle of the English Channel, Hitler decided to take full control of the skies before inching his way into the United Kingdom.
The German Luftwaffe deployed a significantly large strike force, including 1300 bombers, 1200 single and twin-engine fighters and dive fighters. They were met by a much smaller British RAF force which comprised just 600 front-line fighters. However, the Germans were not organized well and were shocked by the superiority of British radar systems. Britain was successful in defending the country and destroyed almost 600 Messerschmitts and Heinkels from the German force. Following a British retaliation surprise attack on Berlin, Hitler became enraged and initiated further attacks on the UK. Attacks on London led to hoards of casualties but had allowed enough time for the British forces to regroup and prepare their defense. Despite boasting a much larger force, the lack of organization shown by German forces led to their inability to match the disciplined and superior British Spitfires and Hurricanes, who subsequently shot down German attempts.