Statistical summary, Week 5:

  • Total Fighter Command Establishment: 1558 planes
  • Strength: 1396 planes
  • Balance: understrength 162 planes
  • Losses: 33 Hurricanes (+ 3 damaged), 12 Spitfires (+10 damaged), 3 Blenheims
  • Aircraft Production: 5 Beaufighters, 10 Defiants, 64 Hurricanes, 37 Spitfires

By early August, the German attitude to Britain had hardened. After the fall of France, most of the world had expected Britain one way or the other to fall out of the war, either because it was pushed out or it opted out. This is certainly what Hitler had hoped for. But when that didn’t happen, Hitler had to think again. On July 19th, in a speech to his assembled top brass, who were there to receive their decorations and promotions, following the French campaign, Hitler made what was to be called his ‘last appeal to reason’. What he said was that he’d never wanted to make war on the British Empire. He urged London to reconsider its attitude.

A few days later, when Halifax made it quite clear that Britain wasn’t in the least interested in falling into line with Hitler’s policies, Hitler set in motion a new strategy. He decided to unleash attack from the air.

Britain was surrounded by sea. This meant that the only way to force Britain to accept a German settlement was by attacking it from the air. The RAF had to be neutralised. This is where Goering came in. He was delighted that “his” Luftwaffe had been chosen as the instrument to bring Britain to terms. So the orders were given. Adler Tag, Eagle Day, was to be fixed very shortly with the exact day to be decided according to the weather. After a postponement from the original date, August 8th, it was finally launched on August 13th – though not without some confusion, as our previous post examines.

The following weeks were to see an intense and concentrated effort to smash the RAF.