9. The Battle of Britain Made History as the First Airborn Combat
Hitler’s war plan against the British was to win air superiority over England by completely destroying the RAF after which he could invade Great Britain with less resistance. The Luftwaffe went ahead to launch an attack on coastal shipping convoys and shipping centers and after one month, they shifted their target to RAF airfields, infrastructures, and aircraft factories. So, the British, realizing that the attacks were airborne, came up with airborne counter attacks. The RAF and allied pilots continued with this plan, dominating the skies and displaying their superiority over the Luftwaffe. This continued until the Allies raided Berlin which shifted the German targets away from the RAF airfields and infrastructures.
Hermann Goering was the Luftwaffe commander, and he believed that he could sweep aside the RAF in a few days of airborne combat. He greatly underestimated the skill and tenacity of the RAF fighters. They dragged the battle out for three and a half months proving that the RAF would not be so easily dispatched. Britain had support not only from the UK, but from 15 other countries. With the aid of so many planes and skilled pilots this was the first battle that was waged exclusively in the air, mainly because Hitler wanted to avoid an invasion of Britain while the RAF was still operational.
The Germans operated throughout the battle by constantly underestimating the number of aircraft and pilots that the RAF had and their ability to service them and get new planes in the air. On the other hand the RAF constantly overestimated the size and strength of the Luftwaffe causing them to believe that even with their gains they were still fighting a much more powerful enemy. The beliefs held by the two sides might explain the ferocity with which the Allied pilots flew and the inability of the Luftwaffe to win the battle.