One the main reasons to why Britain one the battle of Britain was due to the development of this technology and planes, this enabled them to win along with there experience and knowledge. If these planes and machinery were not bought into action during the period of the war, Britain probably would not be able to succeed, as they were an easy target due to the location so it could probably be attacked by sea, air and land. The RAF was a big factor into the victory as it had developed the Spitfire which was the fastest plane at the time and most manoeuvrable, therefore this pace could outrun and class the German planes. This is what forced the Germans to change many tactics, as they were used to Blitzkrieg and destroying planes before they had even taken off, however due to the RAF developing there planes and inventing radar this wasn’t possible so a different approach had to be taken, also by inventing minor things like bullet proof windscreens this reinforced there defences in the skies. Due to this technology and seeing how France and Poland had fallen, the Brits could learn from there mistakes and use it to there advantage. Also Britain commanded the air due to there advance in planes so this was no problem.
Just like technology, the weapons used in the Battle also gave Britain the victory. Even though most of the battle was fought in the air, artillery and guns and vehicles would probably be useless however it was what weapons they developed in the air which helped the British. The British planes needed to develop bombing capabilities as well as machine gun fire which was also developed in WW1 however it was taken to a further stage by firing through the propellers which was stolen from the Germans, however the British used it to their advantage. In comparison the Germans were good at this as they had some of the best bomber planes such as the Dorneir D.17 and Junkers Ju 88, which had very powerful and destructive bombing capabilities, this was an advantage to them and Hitler as his original plan was to bomb the RAF bases and later on during the Blitz he decided to bomb the major cities in Britain. With the effective planes they had the most experienced and trained pilots, however as Blitzkrieg didn’t work in England, the bombers would be as effective as in previous battles, however they were a success during the Blitz when Hitler was forced to change his tactic dramatically as everything else was failing. The machine guns on the planes with bullets firing through the propellers were effective for both nations as the firing was effective and successful at close range.
The Luftwaffe were quite powerful in the air and they had enough aircrafts, however they didn’t have the right type, as they had aircraft like the Stuka dive bomber which were there to support the ground troops and not gaining superiority in the air over the RAF. Also another problem for the German planes were that they had the same fuel problems as the British did at Dunkirk, as the planes only had enough fuel for 30mins of flying time over England which was a big problem. This was a big advantage to Britain as they could basically run a goose change in the air with the German Spitfire, until the Germans ran out of fuel.
Britain was the more superior nation in the air as they had the best and fastest planes with better movement. When Lord Beaverbrook took control of production he stopped making bomber planes and increased the production of fighter planes, he made sure that they were built for speed and manoeuvrability. When Beaverbrook arrived form July-September Britain were making 563 planes per month, so they were basically out producing the German who were no match. This was probably done as the Germans were failing in there tactic to attack and bomb RAF bases or bombing the cities (Blitz) therefore the RAF were prepared with these agile planes. Therefore if the German did try to bomb the British planes would simply outrun them which did eventually happen. Also by the time the Luftwaffe had resumed its attacks on fighter Command the RAF was in a much stronger position as the factories had almost produced 2000 fighter planes in 4 months.
Even though the British were simply in control of the Skies with there planes, there was point were the RAF nearly came close to defeat, in the first week of September the British had lost 185 aircraft and 300 airmen. How ever due to the development of
weapons and the planes this soon reversed as statistics show below (See table below). As planes and men were being destroyed this meant that planes had to be built quickly, however it took longer to train new pilots, therefore the pilots used were young an inexperienced.
Due to the location of Britain as it is an Island, it was going to be a problem for Hitler to attack the Nation as the Blitzkrieg tactic which they previously used in Poland wasn’t going to work, as the Channel was in the way. Also Blitzkrieg was a rapid and flexible movement of ground troops. However in Britain’s case, the Germans would have to attack by air and sea. However the German Navy and air force was no match for the British as they were strong in all areas, Hitler was told this by his military adviser, however he had a plan to wipe out the RAF by bombing British air bases (Operation Sealion) so that the RAF were crippled, by bombing the air bases using the Luftwaffe and destroying the run ways before the planes could take off would certainly damage the British. By defeating the RAF the Navy would also collapse and become vulnerable once the RAF was destroyed even though it was already weak. As the British were fighting on home soil they had the advantage however enormous pressure would be on them to also win. The German had quite a dilemma as they had planes flying into England; however they were useless with out any ground troops. The troops had to travel by sea however they would be attacked by the British who were waiting on the coast with their guns. Also on the coast they had anti-aircraft guns which would shoot any passing enemy aircraft. Despite this Hitler main aim was to basically cripple the RAF by destroying the heat of the RAF planes which is are the bases. The Germans again however came across some problems which the British faced which was the fuel, the German planes only had 30mins to fly before they had to go back and refuel. Due to the develop of technology such as radar planes like the Messerschmitt and Heinkel were unsuccessful in destroying the RAF asses, as they were detected before they even reached the base, therefore this forced Hitler to change his tactics and try and destroy the RAF via aerial battle, however this was also unsuccessful as the British planes such as the Spitfire were to agile and fast for the German planes, the Spitfire just basically outgunned the German planes due to its manoeuvrability. As the German panes and pilots were getting gunned down and the pilots were getting killed, this caused big problems as it was the experienced pilots getting killed, this meant that the Luftwaffe had to use young inexperienced pilots who were also vulnerable to attack with the lack of experience, so they were also getting killed. Due to the heavy losses this was also lowering the morale of the men and the Germans, however the British were strengthening from this, as the pilots wanted to win and prove that they were better than the German forces; also as they were fighting for their country they needed to win and prove themselves. This created positive energy amongst the British, as they were becoming more optimistic in that they could defeat Hitler. Now that the British were on top they were also producing many planes each month around 563 per month, they were out producing the Germans at this point. As no progress was being made by the Germans this forced Hitler to change his tactics again, In September 1940, they decided to turn there attention to bombing the major cities in Britain such as London and Liverpool, this was known as the Blitz. This meant that Hitler had to basically give up and abandon his plan on invading Britain as he had abandoned his plan to defeat the RAF. As the RAF were no longer the main targets of the Germans, therefore the Head of production Beaverbrook decided to abandon building bombing planes and built more fighter planes to try and attack the Germans. Also as the Germans had the Stuka Dive bomber these were no use with out ground troops as they would have to cross the Channel, which wasn’t wise as the British were ready waiting on the coasts.
By attacking the major cities Hitler thought that it would break British morale and would force Churchill to give up, but that wasn’t the case as they got stronger and more confident.
By forcing the Germans to change there tactics, by being quicker and stronger, prevented the Germans and the Luftwaffe achieving victory. Also the weapons and technology developed helped them do this, as it basically pushed the Germans backwards. Also German problems such as refuelling worked to the British advantage. The British forced Germany to change there tactics, there 1st tactic was to cripple the RAF which didn’t succeed due to the speed of the Spitfire and the technology of radar. Then they decided to attack the major cities, this was dashed by Beaverbrook’s fighter planes so this want achieved either. Therefore the change in tactics did play a big role in Britain wining.
Without any leaders, the tow nation probably wouldn’t have succeeded as there would be no organisation, without any leaders. The RAF was led by Sir Hugh Dowding and the Luftwaffe was led by Hitler’s right hand man Hermann Goering. This was the first problem for the German as there leader wasn’t as experienced at all he could fly but not lead. However Dowding had a wealth of experience, he had been planning the Britain defence since 1936, however Goering knew nothing. When the Germans attacked Britain Goering thought that the Luftwaffe would succeed, as he thought that his planes were better and stronger than the British, which was quite true, as they were better quality, however the British had developed the Spitfire which Goering underestimated, this matched the Messerschmitt 109, however it was much faster and manoeuvrable than the German plane. All that Goering was concerned about was the style and appearance of the plane and that it was comfortable. Unlike Goering, Dowding was more concerned with speed and agility. As the battle took place in Britain, the British had a lot to loose as it was there home soil. This means that the RAF has a lot to loose; therefore they must win the battle. The energy and morale played a big roles, as the British had quite high morale and energy as they were succeeding and driving away and destroying the Germans and also forcing them to change tactics, however it was opposite in the German corner as they were loosing me and planes rapidly. British government propaganda did exaggerate the number of German planes destroyed during the battle, and also greatly emphasised the role of the Spitfire, even though the RAF did actually use the Hurricane the most. However this boosted the morale of Britain and the pilots desire to win and succeed. Dowding was much more organised than Goering, the RAF were much more constructed. Dowding was also much better in organising his tactics and planning before hand unlike Goering who went on instinct. Too help Britain’s defence, he helped design the bullet proof windscreens, so that the pilots were resistant to attack and that the fatality rate was less. Dowding also introduced command and communication systems which meant that fighter could effectively and quickly be directed to meet enemy attacks. He was a big supporter of radar, and was willing for Britain to invest in it; this meant that the RAF planes were not caught on the ground as the Luftwaffe arrived. Goering himself didn’t really that radar was very effective, which was a decision that cost Germany in the end.
The leaders of both nations also played a major role in the battle, as Hitler the one making most of the decisions was failing in his tactics, which lowered the morale of the Germans. Hitler thought that it would be an easy ride as Britain was weak from Dunkirk. Hitler didn’t really motivate or give any morale boosting speeches to his country; with a bit of a push the Germans could’ve achieved something. Overall Hitler was very much disorganised and he made it people’s problems when task had to be delegated. In comparison the British leader Winston Churchill was a great motivator, and with his speeches he inspired Britain to victory. During the start of the battle Churchill stated that he would never give up he said to his people “ After Germany had withdrew from invading Britain, Churchill said “Never before, in the field of human conflict, has so much been owed, by so many few”, this gives the impression that Churchill was impressed n how proud and patriotic his people were to win this battle for their country.
This leadership played an important role in Britain winning the battle of Britain, as with out the leaders the decision and tactics used would not have been possible without the leaders, they came up with all the plans and what to do and when. Germany were very optimistic but underestimated the power and morale of the British. They thought it would be a breeze like Poland and France. Due to Britain’s organisation they were able to win. Also as Dowding had more experience that the two this played an important role, also he supported radar, and made the right choices and tactics which enable Britain to victory. Goering was a terrible leader, as he didn’t know how to organise the Luftwaffe or what decisions to make such as dismissing the radar idea. These minor things led Britain to victory.
I believe that Britain were able to win the Battle of Britain due to four main reasons and points, technology, weapons, tactics and leadership. All processes were effective, however believe that without Leadership none of the above would have been possible, as they leader implemented this into the Battle, also with good tactics and organisation; this is the only way to win a battle of this kind. The British leader Dowding was much well organised and experienced; therefore he had the tactics and knowledge, unlike Hermann Goering, who was a poor leader with poor tactics, which is why the Luftwaffe failed in their task. The Germans themselves relied too much on there planes and technology, however this was good as they were effective. However they dint use the right types at the right time. The bombers that they did have were ineffective, and the only real plane they had was the Messerschmitt 109 which could just about compare to the Spitfire. In contrast the British had much better technology, as there planes were more advanced, also they had developed radar which also helped defeat the Germans as they were detected before they could reach the RAF. However the Germans also had a chance to use it, but they dismissed it, which proved costly. The decision for Britain to invest in radar was a good one and proved effective. Due to British planes such as the Spitfire this enabled Britain to victory, such as the Spitfire which outgunned all the German planes, as they were manoeuvrable and also had radar. Due to this Hitler had to change his tactics, as pilots were falling short, which meant that he had to use young inexperienced pilots these were also getting killed, they were also being out produced by Britain at this point. Both nation had good tactics, however it was how the leader used them and Britain were more effective in this as they had Dowding, who used the tactics to his advantage. Britain’s morale was also high which created positive energy, on top Winston Churchill was also motivating the country, which boosted peoples hopes and desire to win, including the pilots. If there was no leader, technology, weapons and tactics would have not worked on their own as the leaders guided and controlled this, as Britain had good tactics and planning unlike Germany, which also led them to not using there technology or weapons properly, as Goering had poor organisation and little experience and not much backing from Hitler. In the end Dowding with his qualities of experience and organisation, and decisions was more effective than Goering. Goering just wanted to win any how, but he wanted to win with comfort and ease unlike Dowding who led the RAF to victory from start to finish, which is what enabled Britain to achieve Victory at the battle.
