Battle o Breetain

The Battle o Breetain (German: Luftschlacht um England, leeterally "The Air Battle for Ingland") wis a militar campaign o the Seicont Warld War, in that the Ryal Air Force (RAF) defendit the Unitit Kinrick (UK) against lairge-scale attacks bi Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe.

Battle o Breetain
Pairt o the Seicont Warld War
An Observer Corps spatter scans the skies o Lunnon.
Date 10 Julie – 31 October 1940[nb 1] (3 months and 3 weeks) Location Breetish airspace Result Breetish veectory[2][nb 2]
Belligerents
Unitit Kinrick  Canadae[nb 3][nb 4]	Germany  Italy
Commanders an leaders
Hugh Dowding Keith Park T. Leigh-Mallory Quintin Brand Richard Saul L. Samuel Breadner Zdzisław Krasnodębski	Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Hugo Sperrle Hans-Jürgen Stumpff R. C. Fougier[5]
Units involved
Royal Air Force Ryal Canadian Air Force Foreign pilots frae  Poland  New Zealand  Czechoslovakie Belgium  Australie  Sooth Africae Fraunce  Ireland  Unitit States  Soothren Rhodesie  Jamaica Barbados Newfoundland  Northren Rhodesie	Luftwaffe Corpo Aereo Italiano
Strenth
1,963 serviceable aircraft [nb 5]	2,550 serviceable aircraft. [nb 6][nb 7]
Casualties an losses
1,542 aircrew killt[11] 422 aircrew woundit[12] 1,744 aircraft destroyed[nb 8]	2,585 aircrew killt an missin, 925 capturt, 735 woundit[14] 1,977 aircraft destroyed, 1,634 in combat an 343 non-combat[15]
Aroond 90,000 ceevilian casualties, 40,000 o them fatal.[16]

Notes

1. The Breetish date the battle frae 10 Julie tae 31 October 1940, that representit the maist intense period o daylicht bombin.^[1] German historians uosually place the beginnin o the battle in Mey 1940 an end it mid-August 1941, wi the widrawal o the bomber units in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the campaign against the Soviet Union, that begoud on 22 Juin 1941.^[1]
2. For ensaumple: Terraine states that the ootcome wis "decisive"; quotin Luftwaffe General Werner Kreipe, that descrived it as a "strategic (Luftwaffe) failyie" an "turnin pynt in the Seicont Warld War". It an aw states the "German Air Force wis bled awmaist tae daith, an suifered losses that coud niver be made guid ootthrou the coorse o the war". Quotin Dr (Karl) Klee "The invasion an subjugation o Breetain wis made tae depend on that battle, an its ootcome tharefore materially influenced the further coorse an fate o the war as a hale".^[3]
   Ither references that can be consultit include::Shulman 2004, p. 63.:Bungay 2000, p. 368.:Hough and Richards 2007, p. XV.:Overy 2001, p. 267.:Deighton 1980, p. 213.:Keegan 1997, p. 81.:Buell 2002, p. 83.:Terraine 1985, p. 181.
3. Stacey, p.256: "Even as Britain braced itself to meet the attack of the Luftwaffe, the nice legalities of Commonwealth cooperation had to be observed. But the R.C.A.F., like the Canadian Army, was determined that there should be no possibility of these formalities conferring any advantage on the enemy. To avoid misunderstanding, delay and perhaps embarrassment, and doubtless to emphasize the point that No. 1 Squadron was, after all, a Canadian unit, Air Commodore Walsh early brought the necessity of conforming to the Visiting Forces Acts to the attention of the Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group R.A.F., under whom the squadron would fight..."
4. The Pols, Czech an maist ither naitional contingents war, at this time, incorporatit intae the RAF itsel: the Pols Air Force, for ensaumple, wis nae gien sovereignty till Juin 1944.^[4] Awtho unner RAF operational control, RCAF pilots in the BoB war technically fleein for the RCAF
5. 754 single-seat fechters, 149 twa-seat fechters, 560 bombers an 500 coastal aircraft. The RAF fechter strenth gien is for 0900 1 Julie 1940, while bomber strength is for 11 July 1940.^[6]
6. Feegurs taken frae Quartermaster General 6t Battalion returns on 10 August 1940. Accordin tae thir, the Luftwaffe deployed 3,358 aircraft against Breetain, o that 2,550 war serviceable. The force wis made up bi 934 single-seat fechters, 289 twa-seat fechters, 1,482 medium bombers, 327 dive-bombers, 195 reconnaissance an 93 coastal aircraft, includin unserviceable aircraft. The nummer o serviceable aircraft amoontit tae 805 single-seat fechters, 224 twa-seat fechters, 998 medium bombers, 261 dive-bombers, 151 reconnaissance an 80 coastal aircraft.^[7]
7. The Luftwaffe possessed 4,074 aircraft, but nae aw o thir war deployed against Breetain. The force wis made up o 1,107 single-seat fechters, 357 twa-seat fechters, 1,380 medium bombers, 428 dive-bombers, 569 reconnaissance an 233 coastal aircraft, includin unserviceable aircraft. The Luftwaffe air strenth gien is frae the Quartermaster General 6t Battalion nummers for 29 Juin 1940.^[6]
8. 1,220 fechters (per teep: 753 Hurricane, 467 Spitfire)^[13] 376 bombers, 148 aircraft (RAF Coastal Command)^[8]