Battle of Britain
The Luftwaffe is coming!
The Iron Cross
- The Iron Cross is the highest order of decoration in the German Armed Forces!
- This symbol is represented on the Luftwaffe's(Air Force) planes!
- This award can be received by any rank in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine!
- The symbol represents bravery, heroism, and valor!
Event Information
The Battle Begins!
- The German's failed attack on the British Air Force just made the German's angrier.
- Hitler wants to take out his rage on all of the major cities in Britain!
- So come on down to see some amazing "fireworks"!
When?
Saturday, Aug 31, 1940, 12:00 AM
Where?
Major Britain Cities
Background Info!
- At first, the German's planned to raid the British Air Force with the Luftwaffe and then raid along the southern coast of Britain in an attempt called Operation Sealion.
- The British, however, were able to hold the German's off in spite of how badly outnumbered they were.
- The British knew there would be another attack, so they started to prepare for battle.
- Meanwhile, Adolph Hitler is so frustrated that he sends in almost his entire Air Force to do nothing but bomb the major British cities in hopes to destroy moral and hopes.
- The battle begins and the British Fighter's are heavily outnumbered 4:1.
- Suprisingly, the British was able to fend the Germans off once more.
- The Battle of Britain was over, but the bombings continued for another 56 nights!
Catastrophic Damage!
Only one bomb did all of this damage and these bombings happened for about 3 months.
Britain's Defenses!
These planes were made out of the blood, sweat and tears of Britain's aerospace engineers. The efforts to gather this material were impeccable. It took help from the U.S. and many civilians efforts as well. The planes made were the best of their time as they were able to fend off an air force that outnumbered British planes 4:1.
Bombs Everywhere!
This is one of the bombs used in the air raids that the Luftwaffe did on the major cities of Britain. They require a lot of time and money to craft.
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding
Although Sir Hugh Dowding left the Royal Air Force after the war, Britain owes the victory of the Battle of Britain to him. He applied and was accepted into the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1899. Dowding later attempted to become an engineer, but that failed and he became a gunner in the marine core. A few years later, Dowding became a licensed pilot and got his wings. Since Britain had just begun war with Germany, promotions came quickly. By the end of the war Dowding had achieved the rank of Air Chief Marshal for his ideas on strategy. Dowding will always be remembered as a hero for outstanding performance in front of a global threat.