Battle of Britain?

Question

Does anyone know reasons why Britain won the Battle of Britain appart from the use of radar?

Answer 1

Actually, Churchill goes into quite a lot of detail about this in his six-volume set of books called "The Second World War."

Before we talk about airplanes, let me just tell you that in addition to radar, the British set up extensive spotter networks on the coastline of the English Channel. Spotters were volunteers drawn from civilian life who basically were taught to recognize different Luftwaffe aircraft and formations, and who then had radios which they could use to contact the RAF bases in their areas. The spotters were easily as important as the radar installations, because they could give very detailed information about exactly which aircraft were coming. The spotters usually worked either alone, or in groups of two, and they worked fairly short shifts, so that their day jobs weren't disrupted (most spotters were farmers or people who lived in small coastal villages). The result of having trained spotters was that in addition to knowing how many aircraft were coming, the RAF knew which planes were coming, as well. They scrambled different types of planes for different types of Luftwaffe attacks. Spotters were so close together that the could, literally, signal one another with flashlights if needed. They tended to not use the lights, though, as that gave away their positions to Luftwaffe pilots.

Another reason for success was the fact that so much of the fighting took place over friendly water or soil. RAF pilots who had to ditch in the Channel were often picked up by small fishing vessels, and could be back at their base and in the air by the next night. If they had to bail over land, that was even better--it saved them a soaking, and sometimes they could be back up flying in a matter of hours. Luftwaffe pilots, on the other hand, faced two equally unappealing prospects. Those who went down in the Channel often didn't send out emergency coordinates calls, because they would be intercepted by English civilians, who would then turn them over to authorities. So they tended to either drown or die of hypothermia in the water. If they had to bail over land, they knew they would be captured, and end up as POWs. Either way, they weren't going to be back in a cockpit anytime soon.

The Luftwaffe also suffered from a lack of accurate information. Obviously, they knew which cities had heavy war industry plants, or civilian populations, but they didn't know where the new airfields were. RAF bases were springing up all over the place, and the only way for the Luftwaffe to find the locations was to send out reconnaissance patrols. Those patrols are, of necessity, small, usually limited to a few planes. Since they were flying in pairs or as singletons, they were no match for the RAF. That inability to get good information about airbases and other military installations really hurt them, because a lot of the time they were simply flying blind, hoping to happen on a target. There were German spies in England, but the British did a very good job with counterintelligence, and managed to catch and either turn or simply remove a lot of the spies who would have otherwise been able to give good information to the Germans.

When it comes to the actual aircraft, each side had advantages and disadvantages. Bombers need escort planes, namely fighters, while defenders only need fighters and ground defenses. The Luftwaffe had some really outstanding airplanes that could climb very quickly and dive very quickly, as well as maneuver very well. The British were able to also get planes which, while not being able to climb or dive as fast, were every bit as maneuverable. They were also fast. The main difference was not so much the planes, though there were differences, but rather the experience of the pilots. The Luftwaffe pilots were, for the most part, highly skilled, especially at dogfighting. Many of them were actually vets from WWI, as well as having logged a lot of hours during the Spanish Civil War. The RAF, on the other hand, had a lot of really inexperienced pilots who didn't have the actual skills for aerial combat. They did a lot of intensive training to get guys into the sky. By the middle of the Battle of Britain, both sides had approximately the same number of pilots, but as I noted above, once a Luftwaffe pilot was out, he was out, while an RAF pilot simply went back to flying. Additionally, the RAF had a lot of units made up of Allies, like pilots from the US who had volunteered despite the fact that the US wasn't involved in the war yet. There was also a Polish unit with a lot of experience which had a high kill rate. They had a lot of help from people who hated fascists. There is a lot of historical data on which planes did what and what their limitations were, but the simple fact is that a plane is only as good as the pilot flying it. The RAF pilots had a baptism of fire, and by necessity, became good pilots quickly.

There was one problem that the RAF had, which was their insistence on flying in formation. The Luftwaffe was a lot more relaxed and gave pilots leeway to break formation and do whatever seemed appropriate. It was about half-way through the Battle before the RAF relaxed their insistence on strict formation flying, which was really a good idea, because after they relaxed the restrictions, pilots were finally able to really engage and get down to business. Before that, the RAF did a lot of flying where they were basically sitting ducks and could be picked off by the Luftwaffe's more experienced fighters.

The final advantage that the British had was simply the home court advantage--they were fighting to save their country. Hitler had already shown his fondness for Blitzkrieg--the British knew his purpose was to try and soften them up so that he could launch an actual land assault. That gave them a lot of reason to fly fast and fight hard. They knew very well that the Battle of Britain would be decisive, because if they lost, they would have to fight Germans on the shores. They didn't want to be invaded.

So, to recap briefly, Britain's advantages included:
--Ground spotting units;
--Fighting over friendly territory;
--German lack of good intelligence;
--A fierce determination to protect their country and keep from being invaded.

I hope some of this is of use to you.

Answer 2

There are some factors which have not been mentioned.

The British had very good intelligence sent to them by people working for the Germans under compulsion in Europe. The Germans got next to nothing from England as all the German agents in Britain were turned immediately the war broke out and fed their controllers false information, either that or the noose.

They also had the advantage of being able to read some of the German radio signal traffic, since they had decoded the Luftwaffe versions of Enigma quite early on. (They later built the first digital computer to do this more quickly and for more complex versions.) Thus they sometimes had forewarning of a raid. This made the RAF look bigger than it really was.

A third reason is that they detected the German radio navigation system quite early and after a couple of false starts pretty consistently interfered with it. This was not radar, but a different thing altogether. Detection of the radio navigation signals meant a raid was likely, in some forms the direction of the beams indicated the target. Almost as soon as the Germans changed their system the British found it and jammed it.

At one time their intelligence was so good that their jamming system was ready for the next system before the Germans deployed it. Goering commented that after the war he would buy an English radio.

Radar. The Germans had some fairly good radar but the British system was better after the invention of the cavity magnetron tube (still used in microwave ovens) and what is probably more important, better organised.

For a good account of some of the intelligence behind this see "Most Secret War" by Professor R. V. Jones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._V._Jones

http://intellit.muskingum.edu/alpha_folder/J_folder/jones_rv.html

Answer 3

Radar play a part it allowed the British better use of fuel and planes allowing them to concentrate their forces in the right place at the right time.
Germans did not have a heavy bomber and their planes did not have the long range capacity needed to be effective in an extended bombing campaign.
Another point is the switching from military targets to civilian targets. When the Germans were bombing military targets mainly airplane production industries they were severely hampering and slowly Britain's ability to produce aircraft. Britain was having difficulty in keeping planes in the air and a war of attrition was the result. But for some reason the Germans decided to switch from military targets to that of bombing British cites, it gave the British aircraft industry the ability to recovery and continue to produce aircraft. Britain had already sent aircraft engineers to the US and designs of the best plane to the US including the jet engine because Britain's aircraft production capability nearly failed and the US was the only possible place to have planes made. But the most important factor is the the British people dug in and fought back with tooth and nail. They did not cry and run away or surrender like their ally did but were determined to fight with what ever they had. Not to mentions the skill, cunnning and daring of the valiant fighter pilots of the RAF. As Churchill said " Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty and so bear ourselves that if the British Commonwealth and Empire last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was our finest hour."

Answer 4

The Battle of Britain which took place in 1940 was the German air offensive prior to their invasion of Britain. The use of radar was a factor in the British succeeding in holding off the Germans, but also poor strategy and tactics dictated by the German High Command helped the Royal Air Force.

Answer 5

Its RAF (Air Force) saved Britain during the Battle of Britain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain
Primarily it was the RAF which saved the day; secondarily it was radar which aided the RAF.

The Battle of Britain marked the first defeat of Hitler's military forces, with air superiority seen as the key to victory. It also signaled a shift in U.S. opinion at a time when many people from the U.S. believed the UK could not survive, a view promoted by Joseph Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador in London.
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Answer 6

I consider it a stalemate; by early September, the RAF had fought the Luftwaffe to a stalemate, an incredible achievement given the advantages enjoyed by the Germans. By the end of Oct, 1940 the Battle of Britain was over.

On September 7 a change occurred in Nazi strategy--one Dowding later called "a miracle"--that took pressure off RAF airfields, the miracle of the battle occurred when Hitler changed bombing RAF targets (radar and airfields) to the bombing of London and other cities. Up to that date, the RAF was nearly to its knees (Dowding's own words).

The air war over England was by no means over. The Germans were to continue bombing for many months, and a November 14 bombing raid on Coventry was one of the most severe of the war. But by then it was clear that a German invasion of England was not going to be possible, and that mastery of the skies over England belonged to the RAF.

Some could say the British won, but the result was the invasion of Britain was called off, altho the Luftwaffe still carried on the air war over british cities.....the Germans turned their attention elsewhere...to the East....therefore... a stalemate.

Answer 7

Ever hear the phrase 'it is all in the planning.'
The British out planned the Germans. The Germans were led by an Idiot named Adolf Hitler and he surrounded himself with Idiots who in turned surrounded themselves with more Idiots.
The Germans scarcely knew what they were gonna do. Hitler had no strategic vision. The war with Britain was a long range conflict. Even with airbases in France and Holland, the distance was too great for the planes designed during the mid nineteen thirties. German planes LITERALLY ran out of Gas. The vaunted Messersmitt BF109 had less than an hour of time available to it once they were over London and the Heart of England.
Whereas the British were fighting over their own country and had time & gasline to prepare and pursue German planes, the German planes had to hit and go.

And the when British fliers were hit and had to bail out they were bailing out over their own homes. Some British airmen were shot down and back in the air within the hour. German pilots who bailed out over England faced the wrath of civilians and never managed to escape to Germany. Those Germans whose planes were hit and did manage to make it back to the English cjhannel risked drowning.

And English aircraft production made up for losses whereas the German aircraft industry fell behind - - - for every British plane that was lost two eventually four would take its place. Every German plane lost was LOST. Do the Math.

And the British had TWO Fighters of note// the Hurricane and the Spitfire. Yes the Hurricane was 'out classed' by the BF109 but that was fine because the Hurricane was intended to attack the German Bomber Fleet and did so very well. Germany never developed a good long range bomber which also contributed to Germany's defeat. As for the Spitefire it was faster tougher more manueverable than the BF 109. A Superior Weapon - - - the Plane, the Pilots, The Ground Crews, the Whole Oraganization of Britain won the Battle.

A final note about gasoline. Eventually external tanks were fitted on to the BF 109 and they looked spiffy hanging by the tips of the wings. But as sleek as they were they hindered flying AND the Plane used its wings internal fuel FIRST and so could not eject the external wing tanks without loosing fuel. If they could have used their external tanks first, then jettisomed them, well you are bright enough to figure it out.

A final note about Adolf. Yes a majority of Yahooers rhapse lyrically about his military greatness but no he was an Idiot. His stoolie Gorng wasnear to winning with a strategy of destroying airfields and radar installations but no, the Fuhrer insisted on switching targets to venegance bomn London and kill civillians. The civillians endured, Hitler ended up biting down on a cyanide capsule while popping a bullet into his brain within four years.

Peace....

Answer 8

The Luftwaffe had no systematic or consistent plan of action: sometimes it tried to establish a blockade by the destruction of British shipping and ports; sometimes, to destroy Britain's Fighter Command by combat and by the bombing of ground installations; and sometimes, to seek direct strategic results by attacks on London and other populous centres of industrial or political significance. The British, on the other hand, had prepared themselves for the kind of battle that in fact took place. Their radar early warning, the most advanced and the most operationally adapted system in the world, gave Fighter Command adequate notice of where and when to direct their fighter forces to repel German bombing raids. The Spitfire, moreover, though still in short supply, was unsurpassed as an interceptor by any fighter in any other air force.

The British fought not only with the advantage--unusual for them--of superior equipment and undivided aim but also against an enemy divided in object and condemned by circumstance and by lack of forethought to fight at a tactical disadvantage. The German bombers lacked the bomb-load capacity to strike permanently devastating blows and also proved, in daylight, to be easily vulnerable to the Spitfires and Hurricanes. Britain's radar, moreover, largely prevented them from exploiting the element of surprise. The German dive bombers were even more vulnerable to being shot down by British fighters, and long-range fighter cover was only partially available from German fighter aircraft, since the latter were operating at the limit of their flying range.

British fighters shot down German bombers faster than German industry could produce them. The Battle of Britain was thus won, and the invasion of England was postponed indefinitely by Hitler. The British had lost more than 900 fighters but had shot down about 1,700 German aircraft.

More detail at this link:

Answer 9

Basically in a short answer ,The Brits had the Spitfire and Hawker hurricanes that were of a better design and could turn tighter corners than the German ME109 Fighters and a better quality repair and production line. But to sum it up , Never before in the field of human conflict has so much be owed to so few by so many

Answer 10

The RAF maintained air superiority over the skies.

Answer 11

Who was the battle of Britain between.
This is not an answer hopefully someone can also answer this question for me?