(above) by Robert E. Lee Taylor's painting, The Climax of the Battle, depicts the spectacular scene of British fighter jets intercepting a group of German bombers over London on September 15th, the day the RAF won a decisive victory and completely thwarted the German Air Force's plans for conquest.
After the Battle of France, the Kesselin Air Force moved to airports in north-west France, Belgium and the Netherlands to prepare for the Battle of Britain. The German Air Force has about 2,800 aircraft attacking Britain, with the exception of Norway's 5th Air Force, which has just 190, and more than 2,600 aircraft that are roughly split between Kesselin's 2nd and Hugo Sperrle's 3rd. In an overall strategy, Kesselin advocated a blow to the British Empire's overseas territories in the Mediterranean, while Speyler was a major force in attacking British ports and transport routes in order to preserve the myth of invincibility and avoid excessive losses.
As a result, Goering and Hitler preferred Speyler's plan. Kesselin had reservations, but once the resolution was in place, he went all out with enthusiasm above others. On the attack priorities, Mr Speier called for bombing to wipe out the air defences of opponents, while Mr Kesselin advocated direct attacks on London - either by bombing to force Britain to yield or by inducing RAF fighter jets to fight. Goering had no clear opinion on the differences between the two generals, and all he asked for was "a Blitz to take the air advantage in five days and to take air power in 13 days".
The initial phase of the British air campaign continued from 10 July to 8 August, when Kesselin's Stuka Bombers launched multiple rounds of attacks on ships in the English Channel, and fighter units engaged in fierce battles with the RAF. Once the blockade of the English Channel was completed, the Germans were ready to launch an air-control offensive on Eagle Day, for which the Kesselin Air Force had the largest concentration of fighter jets on the Western Front (more than 1,600, of which 764 were fighter jets and 821 bombers), but bad weather on August 13th thwarted Kesselin's well-planned attack plan. In the week that followed, the Germans lost 358 warplanes (and another 102 damaged), the Stuka bombers suffered particularly heavy losses and had to withdraw from the battlefield, and the twin heavy-duty fighters (the expellors known as the Iron Armoured Army) had to reduce the number of units for the same reason.
Map of the Sino-German airbase at the Battle of Britain (above).
On 19 August, Goering ordered Speyler to hand over most of his single-shot fighter jets to Kesselin, who instead carried out night bombings, and Kesselin Air Force, which carried out the vast majority of attack missions, also required his units to carry out bundled escorts for bombers, in accordance with Goering's strict orders. From 24 August, the British air campaign entered its most critical phase, with Kesselin attempting to concentrate on the elimination of RAF fighter jets while repeatedly bombing British airfields.
Although Kesselin's strong leadership caused unbearable damage to the British side, especially the loss of fighter jets and pilots much faster than the speed of replenishment, the tenacious RAF did not yield, and the British government and people were not intimidated by the endless bombardment. Between 24 August and 6 September, 295 British fighter jets were destroyed and 171 others were severely damaged. The British side's losses were heavy, but Germany's assessment at the end of August was clearly outrageously high, with intelligence that "1,115 British fighter jets have been destroyed since 8 August". This completely untrue report was refuted by Speer, but was creduged by the optimistic Kesselin, who confidently said that "the British have basically no warplanes left, and recently it was only bad weather that kept my bombers from achieving their goals"!
With his opponent "only 150 to 300 fighters left", Kesselin suggested on September 3rd that Goering start attacking London, luring British fighters into a final showdown. The order to attack London was officially issued on September 5, and German 625 bombers, backed by 648 fighter jets, struck the city on the 7th, but were unexpectedly met with strong resistance and resistance. On 15 September, a further 56 aircraft from the Kesselin Air Force were unable to return to their bases.
Ralph Ingersoll, an American journalist who visited devastated London in November 1940, wrote in a book: "... The vast majority of British generals who have lived through this air war believe that in the five days after (September 15), if Hitler and Goering had the courage and resources to pay the price of losing 200 warplanes a day, there would be no power to save London. ”
But the Nazi leaders had no capital to splurge on - between July and September 1940, the German Air Force was destroyed and badly wounded, with 1,636 and 697, respectively!
A He 111 bomber flies over the city of London in September 1940, showing the winding River Thames and the scale of the buildings on the ground. Even after the height of the campaign, the German Air Force insisted on air strikes on London.
Goering's intention to destroy the RAF did not materialise when the autumn came, his opponents continued to resist relentlessly, and Hitler seemed to lose patience, but he wanted to observe for some time that his bombing of British towns would destroy Churchill and the will of the British people. But that luxury soon fell through. When the Germans' losses were unsustainable, Britain showed no signs of giving in, Hitler turned his attention to the East, and his plans to attack the British Isles were put on hold.
Although Kesselin's aces such as Moldes and Garland appeared in the aviation team, and the pilots had a stunning record in the air war, he had the first taste of failure. In fact, as most historians admitted after the war, the German Air Force did not have enough advantages to wipe out the RAF. If Kesselin can turn his narrow advantage in terms of the number and quality of aircraft, the tactical capabilities and experience of pilots into a decisive victory, defeating the RAF,"s "unprecedented and most powerful rival" (Garland), it will undoubtedly be the greatest miracle in the history of world air warfare.
This article is excerpted from the 2018 revision of "The Knights of the Empire: The Full Biography of the Third Reich's Highest Medal of War."