Anthony Eden
British Secretary of War

These are dangerous days; days when the fiber of our race will be put to a hard test.

In June of 1940, the Western democracies of continental Europe fell to Germany one by one, leaving Great Britain alone in its resistance to Adolf Hitler's plans for Nazi world domination. With British armed forces outnumbered by their German counterparts in almost every respect, and U.S. aid not yet begun, it seemed certain that Britain would soon follow the fate of France. However, Winston Churchill, the new British prime minister, promised his nation and the world that Britain would ‘never surrender,’ and the British people hastily mobilized behind their defiant leader. On July 10, Hitler ordered his powerful air force--the Luftwaffe--to wipe out the British Royal Air Force (RAF), and the ‘Battle of Britain’ commenced. Destruction of the RAF would pave the way for the German invasion, code-named Operation Sea Lion and was scheduled to begin in the fall. On July 29, with German air raids increasing in intensity every day, future British prime minister Anthony Eden reassured the British people that with their cooperation the tide would be turned against the Luftwaffe. Beginning in August, the outnumbered RAF flyers began to successfully resist the massive air invasion, relying on radar technology, more maneuverable aircraft, and exceptional bravery. For every British plane shot down, two German warplanes were destroyed. In October, Hitler delayed Operation Sea Lion indefinitely, but ordered a massive bombing campaign against London to crush British morale and force a peace agreement. Despite significant loss of life and tremendous material damage to the city, British resolve remained unbroken and in May of 1941, the German air raids essentially ceased. By denying the Germans a quick victory, depriving them of forces to be used in their invasion of the U.S.S.R., and proving to the United States that increased arms support for Britain was not in vain, the outcome of the Battle of Britain greatly changed the course of World War II.