Beginning of the air war against England

© Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin Propagandist paper about the war against England, Berlin 1940

After his victory over France in June of 1940, Adolf Hitler hoped in vain that the British government under Prime Minister Winston Churchill would accept his offer of peace conditions. Instead Churchill proclaimed that the British would make whatever sacrifice of „blood, sweat and tears“ necessary to defend their country. On 13 August 1940 the German Luftwaffe initiates the „air war against England“. The goal of the operation is the elimination of the English air force (Royal Air Force, RAF) in preparation for an invasion of the British Isles. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the German leadership’s plans are not working out as envisioned: Due to the limited range of Germany’s fighter planes, its bombers cannot be effectively protected and become easy prey for British fighter planes. In the following months the Luftwaffe loses more than 2,000 aircraft. In particular, it is barely able to compensate for the loss of experienced pilots. By December of 1940 Hitler has to abandon his plans to invade Great Britain. However, the bombardment of English cities continues.