Battle of Britain | |||||||
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Part of the Second World War | |||||||
![]() An Observer Corps spotter scans the skies of London. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
1,963 serviceable aircraft[nb 10] |
2,550 serviceable aircraft. [nb 11] [nb 12] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
544 aircrew killed[6][18][19] 422 aircrew wounded[20] 1,547 aircraft destroyed[nb 13] |
2,698 aircrew killed[21] 967 captured 638 missing bodies identified by British Authorities[22] 1,887 aircraft destroyed[nb 14] | ||||||
The Battle of Britain[23] was a continued attack by the Luftwaffe on Great Britain during the summer and the autumn of 1940.[24]
The Germans' first objective was to get control of the air space above Britain from the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially the Fighter Command.
The name comes from a famous speech, which was delivered by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons: "The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin...."[25][26]
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought only by air forces, and it was also the largest and longest aerial bombing campaign until then.
Bungay p. 368
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