Churchill led Britain in the Battle of Britain

On June 22, 1940, the Pétain government signed an armistice with Germany.

After the defeat of France, Britain, with its favorable position in the English Channel, produced a national boldness from the pain of defeat and the deadly threat. This spirit made ordinary people dare to despise the invincible Nazi war machine and resolve to fight the German fascists to the death.

The two commanders-in-chief of the Home Army, General Ironside and General Alan Brook, commanded the troops to build a strong defensive line on the island hill, dig anti-tank trenches, build reinforced concrete bunkers, and form mobile units to directly attack the enemy landings.

In July 1940, President Roosevelt, despite the fierce opposition of many, brought to Britain some 500,000 rifles, 80,000 machine guns, 130 million rounds of ammunition, 900 75 mm cannons, 1 million shells, as well as bombs, high explosives, and smokeless gunpowder. The supplies nearly emptied the U.S. arsenal.

Churchill immediately instructed the distribution of shipments to be organized in "planned military operations" and immediately distributed to nearly 1 million National Guard troops. The British now have weapons and ammunition, and they feel invincible.

Beaverbrook made great strides in aircraft production, with the Spitfire and Whirlwind increasing from 331 to 620 at the time of the evacuation and the number of reserve aircraft from aircraft to aircraft. The Navy also brought most of its destroyers back from escort missions to deal with the German invasion.

In order to avoid the "danger of fighting another war", Churchill also ignored the needs of china and other countries in the war of resistance against Japan, and announced the closure of the Burmese passage for 3 months. This act of appeasing Japan actually laid the foundation for Britain's subsequent failure in Southeast Asia.

Churchill conducted a series of inspections of areas that might be invaded, military exercises in Kent and Sussex and fortifications in Harwich and Dover. He also inspected the northeast coastal area, which greatly boosted the morale of the military and civilians.

Churchill also used the radio to speak directly to the military and civilians of the whole country in a way that his predecessors had never used before, inspiring everyone's courage to fight with strong determination and victory. It is estimated that more than 64 percent of adults across the country listened to his july 14 radio address and were moved.

The first onslaught of the Germans against Britain began on July 10, 1940, a day that is usually used as the day when air combat began.

On 16 July, Hitler issued Order Sixteen "on preparing for a landing operation in Britain", the so-called "Sea Lion" project. Preparations for the order were to be completed by mid-August, with the aim of "clearing the British mainland as a base for war against Germany and, if necessary, occupying them in its entirety".

Hitler knew that the precondition for an invasion of Britain was that the Luftwaffe would gain air supremacy over the British Isles. So Hitler planned to destroy the British Air Force in 4 weeks, gain air supremacy, and pave the way for the German landings. Then, in mid-September, the British Isles will be fought, at the end of September it will occupy the southern part of LinkedIn, and in early October the victory parade will be held in London.

Such a plan was not unfounded, since the British at the time, despite their efforts to increase the production of aircraft, were still not strong enough to resist the Luftwaffe's invasion. So when the curtain opened on the "War of Britain", Britain was in a very disadvantageous position.

When London and other British cities were bombarded by Germany, the British government had intended to move to the Midwest. Churchill, however, saw the pros and cons of doing so more, because he had witnessed the chaos caused by the French government moving out of Paris.

The famous Prime Minister's Residence at 10 Downing Street is an old building that is not sturdy, and although an air defense trench has been built in the garden, it is still not safe enough. So the Prime Minister's Office moved to an annex to the Stolry Gate called the Annix Building, which had air defense facilities and where cabinet meetings could be held.

Churchill was generally at 10 Downing Street during the day, at Annix House at night, and at the prime minister's suburban residence at Chequers on weekends. On the night of the full moon, he tends to live at the home of a Conservative MP in Oxfordshire, slightly further away.

In the German offensive, there were 3 overlapping phases. The first phase, from July to August 18, bombarded the British convoy and southern ports and drew out the British Air Force in an attempt to deplete it and thus gain air supremacy, which was a prerequisite for a sea landing. As a result, luftwaffe air raids became more frequent during this phase.

However, the RAF only flew some fighters to the battle. Although this caused some losses to the port and ships, and 4 destroyers and 18 merchant ships were sunk, it preserved the strength of the air force and also cost the Germans dearly. The British Air Force lost 148 aircraft, while the Luftwaffe shot down 296 aircraft and 135 were damaged.

Due to bad weather, the air battle stopped for 5 days from 19 to 23 August.

In the second phase, which began on 24 August 1940, the Luftwaffe first intended to destroy the Air Force's ground communications command center, the Fan Station.

Between 24 August and 6 September, the Luftwaffe flew an average of more than 1,000 aircraft per day, severely damaging five forward airfields in the south of England, with 6 of the 7 sector stations almost completely destroyed; 440 aircraft shot down or injured; 103 pilots killed and 128 seriously injured, a quarter of all pilots at the time.

Churchill was "very anxious" about this.

At a critical juncture when the British Air Force was suffering heavy losses and could not support the situation, Goering made a second and more serious tactical mistake, and on September 7, the Luftwaffe turned to a large-scale night attack on London. This was a major turning point in the first major air battle in the history of the world. The British Air Force was relieved, and this tactical change had serious consequences for Hitler and Goering.

On September 7, 1940, the Luftwaffe poured in 625 bombers and 648 fighter jets to carry out a massive round-robin bombardment of London.

German planes dropped a large number of bombs on the Valwich Arsenal, gas plants, power plants, warehouses and several kilometres of docks on the Thames, and London was suddenly in flames. The next day, it was bombarded like this all night. It is estimated that during these two nights alone, about 842 people were killed and 2347 injured in London, and the city was greatly damaged. However, the Germans also lost a lot of aircraft in the air battle. On 11 September, Churchill delivered a radio address to the nation's military and civilians, in which he pointed out: "There is no doubt that Mr. Hitler is rapidly depleting his fleet of fighters, and if he continues in this way for a few more weeks, he will be exhausted and completely destroyed of this important part of his air force." This is in our best interest.

Churchill also reminded that the Germans, with their usual thoroughness and orderliness, were preparing for a massive invasion of our island. If an attempt is made to invade, it doesn't seem like it will drag on for long. We must therefore regard next week or around next week as a very important period in the history of our country. It can be compared to when the Spanish Armada approached the English Channel and Drake was about to finish a wooden ball, and it was comparable to when Nelson was in Boulogne to defend us against Napoleon's army. We have read all this in history. But what is happening now, on its scale and in terms of its impact on the lives and futures of all mankind and on world civilization, is far from being comparable to the brave days of the past.

On 15 September, the Luftwaffe concentrated its maximum forces on an air raid on London. More than two hundred bombers and three-fold groups of fighters flew toward London. The British Air Force also went all out to meet the attack, and the two sides engaged in a fierce confrontation.

Churchill witnessed the air battle at the RAF Xith Fighter Command in Uxbridge that day, and the bravery and tenacity of the British pilots left an indelible impression on him. That night, his personal secretary John Martin reported that on that day "a total of 183 enemy aircraft were shot down, with losses not more than 40".

Churchill later wrote: "Most prominently, our fighter pilots have always maintained the greatest perseverance and courage of indomitable perseverance. Britain was saved. So I said in the House of Commons: "Never before in the realm of human warfare has so few people made such a great contribution to so many people." ”

Churchill's words were later broadcast repeatedly and widely circulated.

From 24 August, London was hit by airstrikes on 82 of its 85 consecutive nights. From September 7 to November 3, an average of 200 German aircraft bombed London each night, and the bombing of London lasted 57 days without interruption.

The world's largest city has withstood the toughest tests.

In retaliation, the British Air Force also bombed Berlin. Due to the long distance and the small scale of the bombing of Berlin, the German casualties and losses were not heavy, but the impact on the morale of the German army and the psychology of the people was enormous.

During the bombing of London, Churchill took time almost every week to visit the bombed site to see for himself what was happening. Churchill was always deeply moved whenever he saw the devastated ordinary British people still showing their determination to resist.

In early September, he inspected a bombing site in the London Harbor Dockyard, and the crowd welcomed him warmly from the bottom of their hearts. General Ismay, the military chief of the war cabinet secretariat who accompanied him on his inspection, later wrote: "They cried and shouted: "Kind old Winston, we thought, you will come to see us." We can withstand it and give them a hard hit back. Churchill cried bitterly. As I pushed him through the crowd, I heard an elderly woman say, "Look, he cares so much about us, he's crying." He calmed his emotions and walked across the dock at great speed.

Churchill also recalled that many small British flags had been planted in the rubble piles, which made people feel mixed feelings. When the residents recognized my car, they came from all directions and soon gathered more than a thousand people. The emotions of these people are very high. They gathered around us, cheering and showing their love for me in various forms, wanting to touch my clothes. People may think that I have brought them some good practical benefits that will improve the destiny of their lives. I couldn't stand it, and I burst into tears. Ismay, who was with me at the time, recounted that he heard an old lady say, "Look, he really cares about us, he's crying!" I am not tears of sorrow, but tears of admiration and admiration.

In order to mitigate the damage caused by the airstrikes, Churchill directed the establishment of what he called the "Jem Crow" emergency warning system, and in order to rescue the property of the house and those seriously damaged in the bombing, he stepped up the war insurance program. He also used Professor Lindemann to organize scientists to use science and technology to sabotage the German air offensive and misguid the incoming enemy aircraft.

In November, the air battle entered its third phase. Once again, the Germans changed the main target of their air raids, trying to destroy the British industrial production center. This operation began with the bombing of Coventry on the 14th, but it did not last as long and failed to achieve the germans' goals.

During 1940, British aircraft production not only did not decline, but also surpassed the Germans with its ratio of 9224 to 8070 aircraft. Because the British people, under the leadership of the government headed by Churchill, were united inrity, united in one heart, heroic and tenacious, and fought to the death, Hitler's plan to invade the British Isles was completely bankrupt.

On September 19, 1940, Hitler decided to postpone the air raid plan indefinitely; on October 12, he officially announced that he would postpone the invasion until the following spring. In July 1941, Hitler again postponed the invasion until the spring of 1942. By February 13, 1942, at the advice of Admiral Raeder, Hitler finally agreed to shelve the air raid plan completely.

The world-renowned Battle of Britain ended with the complete victory of the British people.