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…that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years,
men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, June 18th, 1940
…that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a
thousand years, men will still say,
“This was their finest hour.”
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, June 18th, 1940
Think:
• France had fallen to the Germans and over 338,000 Allied
troops had been evacuated from Dunkirk.
• The British Empire and Commonwealth now stood alone
against Germany.
• The German army and air force was much larger and much
better equipped than the British army and air force.
Who do you think these words from Churchill’s famous speech of
1940 were aimed at and why?
Photo courtesy of M. Williams - ‘German troops advance across France’.
"....the Battle of France is over, I expect
that the Battle of Britain is about to begin.
Upon this battle depends the survival of
Christian civilization. Upon it depends our
own British life, and the long continuity of
our institutions and our Empire.“
WINSTON CHURCHILL June 18, 1940
According to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, how important was
The Battle of Britain going to be for:
• The people of Britain
• People opposed to Hitler and the Nazis around the world
See more of this speech
Highlight the words that Churchill used to emphasise the danger
that is posed by Hitler and the Nazis.
"What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over.
I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon
this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. upon
it depends our own British life and the long continuity of our
institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the
enemy must very soon be turned on us now. Hitler knows that
he will have to break us in this island or lose the war.”
Again, highlight the words that Churchill used to emphasise the
danger that is posed by Hitler and the Nazis.
“If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the
life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit
uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the
United States, including all that we have known and cared
for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age, made more
sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of
perverted science.”
Highlight, using a different colour, the words that Churchill used to
give the people of Britain and Europe hope in the face of
Nazi aggression.
What words and phrases does Churchill use here to try and boost
the morale of the British People and the people of the
Commonwealth?
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so
bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its
Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will say,
"This was their finest hour."
Think of the situation that Britain, Europe and the World faced
in June 1940. What makes this speech so effective?
“Since England, in spite of her hopeless military
situation, shows no signs of being ready to come
to an understanding, I have decided to prepare a
landing operation against England and, if
necessary, to carry it out.”
ADOLF HITLER, July 1940
After reading this statement by Adolf Hitler, do you think that
Winston Churchill had cause to feel worried in the Summer of 1940?
Discuss: Why do you think that Hitler believed Britain’s military
situation to be hopeless?
With France defeated it seems logical that Hitler and the Nazis
would want to move on to an invasion of Britain who was now
fighting Germany on its own. Hitler codenamed the planned
invasion ‘Operation Sealion’.
The British Navy was extremely powerful however, and any
German invasion force would have to cross The English Channel
from France.
Think about what the Germans would have needed to carry out an
invasion of Britain.
How best could they protect their ships and barges as they
approached Britain?
How many reasons can you think of for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion?
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
Reason
Victory over Britain
would weaken the
resolve of other
countries to stand up to
the Nazis
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
Next Reason
Victory over Britain
would weaken the
resolve of other
countries to stand up to
the Nazis
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
Hitler
believed that
Britain’s
defences
were
disorganised
and in poor
shape
Next Reason
Victory over Britain
would weaken the
resolve of other
countries to stand up to
the Nazis
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
Hitler
believed that
Britain’s
defences
were
disorganised
and in poor
shape
Next Reason
Britain stood alone
fighting Germany by
June 1940
Victory over Britain
would weaken the
resolve of other
countries to stand up to
the Nazis
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
Hitler
believed that
Britain’s
defences
were
disorganised
and in poor
shape
Next Reason
The Luftwaffe told Hitler that
they could defeat the R.A.F. in
weeks
Britain stood alone
fighting Germany by
June 1940
Victory over Britain
would weaken the
resolve of other
countries to stand up to
the Nazis
German troop
morale was high
after defeating
Poland, Belgium,
Holland and
France
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
Hitler
believed that
Britain’s
defences
were
disorganised
and in poor
shape
Next Reason
The Luftwaffe told Hitler that
they could defeat the R.A.F. in
weeks
Britain stood alone
fighting Germany by
June 1940
With Britain defeated Hitler could
turn all of his attention to Russia. Only
having to fight a war on one front
should ensure a swift victory.
German troop
morale was high
after defeating
Poland, Belgium,
Holland and
France
Victory over Britain
would weaken the
resolve of other
countries to stand up to
the Nazis
Reasons for Hitler launching
Operation Sealion
The Luftwaffe told Hitler that
they could defeat the R.A.F. in
weeks
Hitler
believed that
Britain’s
defences
were
disorganised
and in poor
shape
Britain stood alone
fighting Germany by
June 1940
How many reasons can you think of for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion?
Reasons for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion
Reason
Short time scale in
which to complete it:
sometime between
June-October
Reasons for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion
Next Reason
Short time scale in
which to complete it:
sometime between
June-October
Reasons for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion
Perhaps
Britain could
be persuaded
to become an
ally of
Germany’s
without
further
conflict
Next Reason
Short time scale in
which to complete it:
sometime between
June-October
Reasons for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion
Perhaps
Britain could
be persuaded
to become an
ally of
Germany’s
without
further
conflict
Next Reason
Resources need to be conserved in preparation for
the invasion of The Soviet Union
Short time scale in
which to complete it:
sometime between
June-October
The German
fighting forces
had been
fighting over a
long period of
time and needed
to rest before
tackling an
enemy like
Great Britain
Reasons for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion
Perhaps
Britain could
be persuaded
to become an
ally of
Germany’s
without
further
conflict
Next Reason
Resources need to be conserved in preparation for
the invasion of The Soviet Union
The R.A.F. had proved itself to be a
much stronger opponent than the
Luftwaffe maintained during the
Battle for France
The German
fighting forces
had been
fighting over a
long period of
time and needed
to rest before
tackling an
enemy like
Great Britain
Short time scale in
which to complete it:
sometime between
June-October
Reasons for Hitler cancelling
Operation Sealion
Perhaps
Britain could
be persuaded
to become an
ally of
Germany’s
without
further
conflict
Resources need to be conserved in preparation for
the invasion of The Soviet Union
What do you think Hitler should do?
Prepare a report for Hitler to consider. Outline the reasons for and
against an invasion of Great Britain in 1940.
You could jot down some key points here
Hitler knew that the Luftwaffe would have to play a central role
if any invasion attempt were made. German aeroplanes would
have to gain air superiority over The United Kingdom.
By doing this the Luftwaffe could help to keep the Royal Navy
away from any invasion fleet and stop any Royal Air Force
(R.A.F.) planes attacking the fleet.
Discuss how the Luftwaffe could gain air superiority over Britain.
The Luftwaffe had however underestimated the strength of the
R.A.F. The Germans believed there to be only about 300 fighter
planes available to Fighter Command for the defence of the United
Kingdom. The R.A.F. in fact had many more planes than this. The
R.A.F. also had the help of Radar and the Observer Corps to plot
the course and height bomber formations.
The Royal Air Force, 1st July 1940
Aircraft in Fighter Command Squadrons
Spitfires
286
Hurricanes
463
37
Twin-engined fighters
(Blenheims)
Aircraft in Air Fleets 2, 3 and 5
Fighters:
Single-engined fighters:
Defiants
The Luftwaffe, 20th July 1940
114
TOTAL:
Add up the number of planes
available to Fighter Command and
those available to the Luftwaffe
to attack Britain.
Single-engined (Me 109’s)
844
Twin Engined (Me 110’s)
250
Bombers:
Single Engined (Ju 87’s Stukas)
Twin-engined
(Do 17s, Ju 88s, He 111s)
Long-Range Reconnaissance
280
1,330
80
TOTAL:
Discuss who you would expect to
win The Battle of Britain and why.
Table based upon the figures given in ‘Battle of Britain’ by Alfred Price (Arms and Armour Press, 1990)
The Battle of Britain was one of the first major battles of
World War Two and officially lasted from July 10th until
October 31st 1940.
Plans to invade Britain were abandoned by October 1940. Hitler
now turned his attention to bombing towns and cities within
Britain. He hoped that this would affect the morale of the
British people so much that they would eventually surrender.
Discuss what happened between July and October 1940 to make
Hitler abandon the idea of invading Britain.
END