The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought over southern England in the summer and autumn of 1940. Here are 8 things you need to know about one of Britain's most important victories of the Second World War.
1. HITLER WANTED TO INVADE BRITAIN IN 1940
Adolf Hitler had expected the British to seek a peace settlement after Germany's defeat of France in June 1940, but Britain was determined to fight on.
Hitler explored military options that would bring the war to a quick end and ordered his armed forces to prepare for an invasion of Britain – codenamed Operation ‘Sealion'. But for the invasion to have any chance of success, the Germans needed to first secure control of the skies over southern England and remove the threat posed by the Royal Air Force (RAF). A sustained air assault on Britain would achieve the decisive victory needed to make ‘Sealion' a possibility – or so the Germans thought.
