75 Years After—So Much Owed By So Many To So Few
Friday, July 10th, 2015July 10, 2015
Fires illuminate London’s St Paul’s Cathedral during a German bombing raid on Dec. 29, 1940. © MPVHistory/Alamy Images
July 10 marks the 75th anniversary of the first raid in the Battle of Britain, when Nazi Germany began a prolonged air attack on the United Kingdom. It formed a pivotal moment in World War II (1939-1945). At the time the battle started in 1940, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Poland had already fallen to Nazi Germany and were occupied countries. By defeating the United Kingdom, Nazi Germany was poised to conquer all of western Europe.
The British victory in the Battle of Britain, a bombing campaign mounted by Nazi Germany, prevented a German invasion of the United Kingdom. (World Book map)
Officers of Germany’s Luftwaffe (air force) believed that invading and conquering Britain would be easy once its air force and warships were destroyed. On July 10, the first attack was made by a squadron of some 60 German war planes attacking British ships in the English Channel. The bombings continued for many months, destroying large sections of major cities, damaging Royal Air Force (RAF) fields, and killing civilians. Britain’s RAF put up an amazing fight, eventually ending Germany’s plan for invasion. In tribute to the RAF, Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill stated: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
The Royal Air Force commemorated the 75th anniversary of the opening of this historic battle with a flyover of Buckingham Palace. The planes involved in the flight included Hurricanes and Spitfires from World War II. The ceremony was observed by Elizabeth II, other members of the royal family, and the six surviving RAF pilots from the Battle of Britain.
Most historians consider the Battle of Britain to have ended in September 1940. But Germany’s bombing campaign, known as the Blitz, continued in strength until May 1941. Smaller German raids and “buzz bomb” attacks lasted in Britain until the war’s final months.
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