The Battle Of Britain - RAF or the Navy?

Question

For those who havnt heard, a number of eminant Revisionist Historians have today published in a History Journal a new take on an old theory.

Basically, they believe it was the Navy, not the Air Force, that held back the Nazis during those early grim years of the War. They say that the sheer power of the Royal Navy forced the Germans to take the fight to the air, where the RAF famously forced them back.

So friends, the question is, what do you think? Was this the RAF;s finest hour, or was it a silent victory for the Royal Navy

Answer 1

RAF or RN hmmmm it might not sound helpful but i tend to say: both.
the question is not easy to answer as there are many factors to consider. i try to present some of them


- both (RAF and RN) had an enourmous impact on the war effort. The overwhelming numbers of the RN compared to the German navy helped to keep the german surface forces basically ported.

- new era of warfare: until the advent of bombers and fighters, the battleship ruled the sea. to some extent already in the Great War and particulary during ww2 it was clear battleships become obsolete. fleets started to rely on carriers with bombers and fighters. the former queen of the seas , the battleship became a sitting duck when facing a squadron of torpedo bombers. (look at present day navies not even the USN has combat ready battleships commissioned)
and one of the few german surface ships which made it to the atlantic the famous Bismarck was sunk by swordfish bombers.

- key element air superiority: the planned invasion of england 'Operation Seeloewe' /'Operation Sea Lion' could only succeed with german air superiority, otherwise potentional german landing ships would have bombed to pieces in the channel and north sea.
new RADAR stations and rotation of the squadrons (RAF Fighter Command) helped to win the 'Battle for Britain', as well as tactical mistakes of the germans (for example: fighters were ordered to fly close formation by goering himself , while fighter pilots insisted to use other tactics.)

of course in their finest hour the RAF role was more important thatn the RN but think about all the convoys and merchant navy ships which provided supplies.

so to make it short: despite there where single battles or aspects during the war where either the RAF or the RN had a key position, but overall each service branch of the armed services where necessary and essential .

so RAF vs. RN ... it s a draw ... well of course let s not forget the army and other allies .

maybe that was not really answering your question but just few things to think about .

Answer 2

The victory truly did belong to the RAF, since it was they who did all the fighting. But the Navy did play a significant role.
It was during the Second World War that the airplane became the most important weapon of any navy (the Japanese admiral Onishi actually proposed to replace the anchor with a propeller as the symbol for the Japanese navy). The German Kriegsmarine had always been the weakest link in Hitler's war machine, while in 1940 the Royal Navy was considered to be the best navy in the world. Therefore to brave the channel the German armed forces, who by no means could achieve superiority on the sea, had to have complete air superiority. Without it, the Germans had no chance in living h*ll to succeed in an attempted landing.
So, the result was a kind of joint effort -- the Royal Navy deterred the Kriegsmarine by its sheer force, while the RAF did really beat the Luftwaffe in actual combat. The fact that the RAF did the fighting itself is probably why the importance of the Royal Navy is barely mentioned in this context in history books.

Answer 3

The German Navy was not that strong. Their submarinbe force was excellent and devastating in the early years of the war. However, their surface fleets were not that powerful. The Bismarck, while being the largest and most lethal battleship extant at that time, was ultimately hunted down and sunk, and two German battleships were scuttled in an Argentine port. if I remember correctly the Graf Spee and the Gneisneau.

The British Navy, however, was strong enough to prevent any sea borne invasion force from reaching England from European shores.

But that is not really the issue. Germany had made the decision not to invade England until the Luftwaffe had pounded England into submission. At this they failed miserably. Churchill's profound statement should be remembered: "Never have so many owed so much to so few". And remember, during the time of the Bismarck Churchill as the Lord of the Admiralty.

Revisionist or not, it can safely be said that the survival of Great Brittain was due primarily to the RAF.

Answer 4

From what I have seen the RAF was the difference maker, The Navy did a good job but early in the war the Navy couldnt spot the German U-Boats. The RAF did a good job of bombarding the German home front but Hitler wasnt all that worried about his people to really care. The RAF also did water runs to stop or slow enemy ships when they got past key points in the ocean. The RAF was a major part of why the Allies won WW2.

Answer 5

Hitler didn't seriously put effort in getting ready to cross the Channel and simply decided to pound Britain into submission rather than conquer it so the fact the RN was around the island is really non-issue in this debate I'd say. Hitler just didn't care about engaging them so he order the Luftwaffe to do the damage. THAT SAID, there is two parts to Britain staying in the war. The first was staying in it, and the second was preparing to bring it back to Hitler. In the case of the former, the RAF was responsible for pushing the Luftwaffe back all on their own. They didn't have much to contribute however when it came to keeping Britain armed though. That was the combined efforts of the RN, and Royal Canadian Navy, as well as the nominally neutral USN that protected American merchant marine bringing material to Britain (that effort tends to be forgotten BUT IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE) So I'd say your answer is both unless you narrow your definition of what the Battle of Britain was.

Answer 6

i would say RAF. the navy was spectacular, to be sure, but they were also kinda cowardly part of the time. because they couldn't see the german u-boats a lot of the time, commanding officers had the authority to turn around and leave the area if they felt (not knew for a fact) that there were too many u-boats. there was one battle that the navy did just that, when in acuality, they could have won it. radar had been invented by that point, but the officers were so hard headed that they didn't want that newfangled technology on their boats, because their methods were better. so i would say the RAF takes the cake.

Answer 7

The RAF held the Germans at bay. They help keep the shies clear so that the Royal Navy could keep the Nazis from getting a beachhead.

Answer 8

The Royal Navy was certainly a major factor considered by the nazis but if they had gained absolute control of the air they could have devastated the navy. Ships in those days were very vulnerable to air attack as the whole history of WW2 in the Pacific and the Atlantic showed.

Answer 9

Its not really revisionism, Germany had to have control of the air to force the Royal Navy out of protecting the channel. Germany had suffered too many naval losses in taking Norway for her remaining fleet to be able to protect an invasion force on its own. The Sixth Army, infamous at Stalingrad, had been built specifically as the spear-point of the Sealion Invasion.

Answer 10

the RAF because if the germands bid suceed in destroing the RAF the the german airforce had it hands free to take out the home fleet when they came out of harbour to attack the invasinon fleet of the germans.
What happens with a naval fleet that didn't had any aircover has been proeven in the past.
So the RAF