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Author : History Unleashed
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Summary : Free history bonus inside! August 18th, 1940 was a day of ferocious fighting in the Battle of Britain, and it helped define the course of World War II. More commonly known as The Hardest Day, this was a day when the German Luftwaffe made an all-out attempt to destroy the RAF. Over the course of the day, the Nazis attacked Kenley, Biggin Hill, Hornchurch, North Weald, Tangmere, and other locations. All these sites varied in importance. In the majority of cases, little critical damage was done to these sites, and they continued to be operational after the attacks. A combination of bad weather and stiff RAF resistance ensured that the Luftwaffe failed in these bombing raids. In fact, the last attacks in the evening of the 18th were aborted because of bad weather, and German planes turned back for home before any bomb was dropped. The Hardest Day was a success for the RAF High Command, but victory took a heavy toll. After numerous costly air battles, both sides lost more aircraft combined on this day than at any other point during the Battle of Britain. In the air, the British downed twice as many German planes as they lost, but many British planes were also destroyed on the ground. German failure can also be attributed to hubris and poor intelligence. Their reconnaissance planes brought photographs that rarely revealed much about key targets, and the Nazis greatly overestimated the power of the Luftwaffe, which was due in no small part to Nazi propaganda from before the war even started. The British, on the other hand, had been preparing for an air battle for a number of years, and they utilized a sophisticated network of radar stations, which helped give their pilots an advantage. This was Hugh Dowding's famous Chain Home system, and the Germans never fully grasped its importance. In addition, the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the British were manned by pilots from all over the world, and their skill and courage was another important factor. Overall, failure was significant for Hitler. It was his first reversal in World War II, and the failure of his attacks on The Hardest Day meant he had to cancel Operation Sea Lion, which was his poorly devised plan for the invasion of Britain. Hitler had hoped to quickly neutralize the British threat so he could focus on invading Russia. Britain's success, though, was a sign that the Nazis could be defeated, and it helped convince the Americans to enter the war. Thus, The Hardest Day was a steppingstone toward ultimate Allied victory and the defeat of Hitler's evil Third Reich.
