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Battle Of Britain

The Battle of Britain, the first major battle ever fought exclusively in the air, was critical in determining the success of the Allies in the Second World War. Following the invasion of Poland and the fall of France, Britain remained as the last major Allied Power resisting Nazi aggression. For three months, Britain staggered under the full weight of the German Luftwaffe. When the dust settled on October 12, 1940, Britain remained triumphant; however, not without great loss. The economic, social, and political consequences of this Pyrrhic victory achieved by the Britons eventually led to the decline of British influence in world affairs.

September 1, 1939; Hitler invades Poland, thus plunging the rest of Europe into a Second World War that would ravage the world for a devastating 6 years. With the perfection of the Blitzkrieg, or Lightning warfare, Hitler's Wehrmacht devised a plan that would coordinate the Heer, the German Army, with the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. Following a period of time known as the "phony war", Hitler once again began his relentless conquest of Europe, dismantling municipality after municipality. Beginning with Denmark and Norway in April 1940, Hitler continued his campaign by overrunning the Netherlands and Belgium in May. He then turned his gaze toward Germany's rival, France. In an attempt to save the French government, the British Parliament sent the British Expeditionary Force, or the BEF, in order to aid French troops. However, despite the added munitions and men, France was soon forced to surrender in late June. France's overwhelming confidence in the fortifications of the Maginot Line, which was created after World War One, proved to be folly. The German advance avoided the Line by deploying a decoy force opposite it while a second division cut through Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Ardennes Forest, thus evading this defensive matrix. These circumstances pushed the remaining heyAllied Forces to Dunkirk, a port near the...