For what two reasons were the British able to defeat the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain?

Question

world war 2

Answer 1

Many of the RAF aircraft that were shot, the pilots were able to bale out and be back on base the same day of the following day if they were uninjured.
The Germans were made POWs

Limited ranges by the German fighters gave them a vey short time ti protect the bombers over the target. The bombers themselves were only medium bombers in terms of range and bomb load.

The British radar was able to see the German Luftwaffe assembling, over France, and once they worked out where they were going to scambled the squadrons in that area.
That was timed so the RAF had time to above them so they had the maximum amount of fuel aboard to do battle.
Although the Spitfire was reputed to have one the Battle of Britain it was in reality the Hurricane. With its wooden frame and canvas skin a little bit of woodwork was often all that was required to patch one.

Answer 2

The British were able to shoot down German planes faster than the Germans shot down British planes.

Actually... the British were ready to lose the Battle of Britain. If Germany had kept up the air raids another week history would have been rewritten. The RAF was down to a point of barely having an effective force. Their aircraft were badly in need of repairs. The pilots were exhausted. The Germans just didn't realize it and quit.

Germany started the Battle of Britain with greatly superior air power, and still had superior air power when they quit trying. So in the end... it was akin to a football team being ahead 20 to 15, and just walking off the field with 5 minutes left in the game.

Answer 3

Many people believe it was a stalemate, neither side gained absolute air superiority.

The British planes couldn't do steep dives, their carburators cut out while the Messersmitts had fuel injection. The British had radar sites which gave them advanced warning of attacks and time to form "meeting' parties. The Germans had only enough fuel for 10 minute dogfights, then they'd have to beat feet to make it back home. The RAF was nearly to its knees by the end of aug 1940, if it werent for the Miracle when the Luftwaffe switched targets to cities.

Absolute air superiority was not achieved by the RAF, however, they succeeded in causing Hitler to call off Operation Sea Lion...thus a stalemate.

Answer 4

Fuel for one, the germans were coming from further afield and could only stay over england for about 35 minutes before having to turn back. radar was another allowing the british to concentrate there forces in a more organised attack.
The failure of the luftwaffe to carry on bombing the airfields rather than the cities also allowed the raf to repair and reorganise there depleated forces. The use of french, polish, indian, canadian, irish and basically the commonwealth countries in supply of planes and men also allowed for quick replenishment of resources. Britian was not standing alone it had dozens of nations behind it, a bit of word play by churchill i'm afraid. good speach though.

Answer 5

While logistics is a very valid answer, I would be forced to refer to a conversation I had with a very dear friend who was in fact an Eagle Squadron pilot. His name is Steve Crowe. During a lengthy discription of the event, he mentioned how many times he got shot down, and that the third time he took off in a different airplane, he was mortified to realize that he had the only plane he could find, a Tigermoth. His reasoning behind flying that plane into battle with a Thompson Machine gun in the cockpit was "if I couldn't shoot the bastards down, I was sure as hell going to muck up their intent". I believe that yes logistics and locality to supply played a large roll, but when you have nothing, you have nothing to loose. Despiration and courage are seperated by a very fine line.

Answer 6

If the Luftwaffe had defeated the RAF i do no longer think of something distinctive might have happened, as a results of fact the landing craft have been merely no longer waiting and the Royal army may well be nevertheless intact. i think of it became rigidity from Hitler to rigidity renounce. it relatively is asserted That Churchill became waiting to sleep nicely in the process the conflict of england, what stored him conscious at evening became the conflict of the Atlantic. i do no longer easily have faith the conflict of england became a precursor to Invasion, that being suggested I do have faith that it became Operation Barbarossa that replaced the concentration from the Invasion of england in that the Luftwaffe became redeployed, in that appreciate if Barbarossa did no longer take place possibly there might have been an overall German Victory.

Answer 7

Coordinated response action utilizing radar and Britain's 'back against the wall' resolve.

Appreciating the efforts of the pilots in Fighter Command, Winston Churchill said, "Never in the field of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few."