Royal Air Force and or the Royal Navy contributed to putting Operation Sealion

Operation Sealion

The Battle of Britain was a series of German Luftwaffe attacks to defeat the British Royal Air Force in preparation for the invasion of Britain by sea and air, which was called Operation Sealion. These attacks extended from July 9 to October 31 of 1940 and were a failure of the Luftwaffe to damage the RAF enough to ensure a successful Operation Sealion.

Hitler believed that Britain would agree to a peace treaty because of the British evacuation from Dunkirk and also the invasion and surrender of France. A portion of the British public believed this but the newly elected Winston Churchill managed to convince the public against any peace negotiations with Germany. Churchill's speech to the House of Commons on June 18, 1940 stated his position and also coined the phrase "the Battle of Britain" (Rose, 2004, 19-66).

After the invasion of France, Hitler could either blockade Britain to force it to surrender or invade. The two alternatives needed the defeat of the RAF. Hitler chose to implement an invasion of Britain in the future, which was to be carried out by the Army and Navy while the Luftwaffe's objective was to destroy RAF aircraft, costal airdomes, and communications. To achieve invasion, Hitler gave the condition that the Luftwaffe must first defeat the RAF so that it could not operate in Southern England. The Luftwaffe aimed to destroy the enemy supply lines through the destruction of the RAF, its ground organization, and the airplane factories.

Royal Air Force Comparision with Royal Navy

The RAF had considerable experience of operations in India and the Middle East but devoted little effort to cooperation with the Army or Navy at home since not until the mid-1930s was a war in Europe contemplated. The strategic offensive dominated RAF plans until fighters and the other elements of air defence began to be built up to meet the now obvious German threat in the last couple of years before the War. It was ironic that the aeroplane, the offensive weapon, should win its first and greatest battle as a defender (Glen, 2004, 16-20).

In reality, the bomber force in September 1939 had little by way of aircraft, bombs or experience to execute its plans. While the bombers and fighters dominated at the start of the War, the demands of the War and the realisation that air power was vital in all operations gradually forced the RAF into large-scale co-operation with the Army (tactical air forces) and the Navy (coastal or maritime air forces) as well as into air supply and the transport of men and equipment. This expansion of roles demonstrated the flexibility inherent in the practice of air power by the RAF; because the Luftwaffe remained inflexible, it suffered defeat. By examining separately the major roles of air defence, strategic bombing, maritime operations, tactical support of ground forces, and airborne and transport operations, a very clear picture of the RAFÕs contribution to final victory can be ...