Operation Sea Lion: Why Hitler's Invasion Of Britain Failed

The self-styled master race was riding high. to the one fighting obstacle that stood between him and world domination. The chopped clips of Britain rose sheer and white out of the choppy waters and beyond a little island smaller than the state of Wyoming. Crush that little island and its stubborn people and the way was open for world conquest. The fall of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, France had given him more than 100 million slaves to work for him or starve. The preliminaries were over. It was time for the main event, the Battle of Britain. Hitler and his generals feverishly drafted their plans for the conquest of Britain. Every detail must be anticipated. A slip now might wreck the whole timetable of world conquest. Six weeks of final preparation went into those plans. Six weeks to determine the history of a thousand years. The thing was foolproof. See for yourselves how simple the whole operation was to be. Look. German plan for invasion of England. Phase one. Knock out the Royal Air Force and its bases. Get control of the air and the sea lanes across the Channel. Follow the Blitz plan that had wiped out Poland, the Low Countries, and France. Destroy communication and transport lines. Above all, get command of the air. Phase two. Pulverize the coastline with dive bombers. Drop parachute troops to take over the airfields and establish beachheads. Actual invasion. Pour the German panzer divisions across in high-speed barges. Under an umbrella of protecting fighter planes. Then send spearheads of armed might to divide, surround, destroy all opposition. That's all there was to it. Force the surrender of the British fleet. Then, with the combined sea power of Germany, Britain, Italy, France, and Japan, he could control the seas and tell us where to head in. The torch of freedom flickered low. On the Channel invasion coasts, more than a hundred fully equipped German divisions were singing the Nazi theme song, We are sailing against England, as they waited the word from Hitler. Here, for weeks, all the supplies and weapons of the Nazi war machine had been turned toward Britain. Jaws of the Nazi whale were set to swallow Jonah. And what about Jonah? How was he doing? Well, Britain also had an army, but it was an army dragged from the sea at Dunkirk. These had been left behind on the roads of France. Tanks, guns, motorized equipment, all abandoned to save the one priceless item, men. Tank for every thousand square miles of territory. Only one machine gun for every 1,500 yards of beach. Britain had a navy too, but it was scattered all over the globe, guarding vital food and supply lines. And the British knew it would be suicide to use their fleet in the narrow waters of the English Channel with the German air force in control of the air. Britain also had an air force. An air force outnumbered ten to one by the enemy, both in men and machines. And then there was Britain herself, the people of Britain. The people who were to be terrorized and forced to surrender. They knew that every man, woman, and child in uniform or out would be Hitler's target in the onslaught that might come at any moment. They knew they had a job to do and not much time to do it in. The young, the not so young, and the old. The butcher, the farmer, they formed the civilian army, Britain's home guard. They started from scratch. Experience, equipment, supplies, all were scarce. Only one shell to fire at each practice. The women of Britain refused to be left out. We'll enlist too. We'll put up the barrage balloons. We'll run the railroads and get the trains through on time. Ferry the planes. Carry the dispatches. Drive the ambulances and run the buses. And we'll see that our men are fed and don't go hungry. Others work. Men and women alike. They work full time. Overtime. Double time. 40 hours a week. 50, 60, 70. Hours meant nothing. Fatigue meant nothing. Until the government forced them to cut down hours because over fatigue was hurting production. And when they weren't working, the men patrolled the moors for parachutes, blocked the roads, rehearsed invasion defenses. For something had happened here the Germans could never understand. In a democracy, it is not the government that makes war. It is the people. I minister. And he spoke the words in every British heart when he said, We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on beaches, landing ground, in views, in streets, and on the hills. We shall never surrender. This was Britain in its darkest hour. The people knew they were in for the worst the Nazi mind could invent. Yet they didn't panic or run away. They patrolled and waited. They drilled and waited. They worked and waited. Waited for the terror they knew was coming. Then it came. 1940 and the battle for Britain is on. In dozens of flights, hundreds of planes, bombers, fighters, dive bombers, across that 21 miles of track, that eight short minutes of water, their first tactics were to bomb convoys in the channel. Convoys loaded with food and munitions bound for the great port of London. For the defending planes of the Royal Air Force, the RAF to appear. They didn't have long to wait. Facing odds of six, eight, ten to one, and dove in, shouting the old hunting cry, Tally-ho! But the men of the RAF hadn't read the Nazi plan. The RAF knocked 182 German planes out of the sky. The next week, the Germans attacked the coast cities from the Thames River to Weymouth. More planes. And the Luftwaffe battered the great port towns of Southampton. Overseas became more than a trickle. But they couldn't be knocked out. Cargoes went on being unloaded with the protection of the RAF overhead. Battling the spitfires and hurricanes in the air wasn't panning out. So Goering switched his main attacks to the fighter airfields, Dover, Deel, Hawking. Maybe he could destroy the planes on the ground. And the fields were hit. But the planes were saved. For Britain, unlike Poland and the Low Countries, didn't make the mistake of bunching its planes on the runways. The planes of the RAF were scattered and hidden. Only a few on any one field, and those in the far corners. The spitfires still went up to meet the enemy. Goering launched 26 major attacks to get command of the air. And lost 697 aircraft. The British lost 153. And 60 British pilots bailed out. Trained men were saved and ready to fight again. But the crews of Goering's planes were lost to him forever. The pace was too hot. Something was going haywire. The Nazis had to call time out. On a 2,000 mile front from Norway to France, the whole Nazi blitz program was being stalled because the RAF was still in the air. The shock troops were getting hoarse from singing, we are sailing against England. Strange German guns were getting hot. From throwing shells across the channel. In public, Hitler assured the Germans, Mr. Churchill tells his people that England will win. But I tell you that victory will belong to Germany. But in private, he sent for Goering, the boss of the Luftwaffe, and put him on the hot seat. Goering was told to do something and do it quick. So on August 30th, he ordered all out attacks on inland airdromes and industrial centers. Maybe he could knock out the RAF on the assembly line. And he adopted new tactics too. More fighters and fewer bombers. Or maybe he just had fewer bombers to send. Anyway, those he did send were well protected. Fighters above at high altitudes. Fighters on both sides. Fighters in the front and in the rear. Fighters weaving in and out of the bomber formations. The winner of the first round was ready. With higher morale and sharper defense. Improved listening posts were set up all along the coast and warned of the enemy's approach before he left the continent. A quick flash from the control station to the fighter station. And pilots were on their way to meet the enemy while he was still over the channel. Day after day, out of sight and almost out of sound of the watchers on the cliffs. Four, five, and six miles above. The battles raged over the Dover area. The area became known as Hell's Corner. By sheer weight of numbers, the enemy again and again broke through the coastal defenses. Munition factories and machine shops. Find the southeast. Right. The workers kept on working. And the RAF kept on flying. These few men with wings alone in the sky, behind their motors and machine guns, were shooting down more than the loot truck. They were smashing the whole Nazi plan of world conquest. Flames, Johnny. Uh, 109 destroyed, buddy, yes. Oh, good show. How'd you get on, sir? Oh, I had a wonderful party, thanks. Are you all right? Did you get any of the batters? Yes, I got a measurement 109 in Edonia. Between August 24th and September 5th, 35 major attacks were launched. They cost the Germans 562 planes, while the British lost only 219 planes and saved 132 pilots. Invasion plans were going completely haywire. The Nazis were blind with rage. The German mind has never understood why free people fight on against overwhelming odds. Hitler now knew he was superior in every weapon, except the weapon of spirit. So he told Goering, break that spirit, crush the people, crush the spirit of democratic life itself. Invasion now would have to wait. The Nazis would avoid the RAF and smash the great city of London into the rubble heap they had made of Warsaw and Rotterdam. Could London take it? Even the people themselves didn't know the answer. The defenses they trusted in were London's hastily assembled anti-aircraft, the Ack Ack gun, the balloon barrage which kept the raiders at high altitudes, the Royal Air Force, now down to its last reserves, and the plain downright guts of the people. They sent more children out of the city. Tightened air raid precautions. Stationed more aeroplane spotters. Rehearsed firefighters. Moved into bomb shelters. They blacked out their city and carried on. The first blow aimed to crush the British spirit came on September 7th. The plane's coming in. Control room speaking. Customers and staff will now take cover in the basement. Please do not run, but keep moving. Third floor clear. Second floor clear. First floor clear. That day when 375 German planes came roaring up the Thames River, the Battle of Britain became the Battle of London. Germans broke through the charge of hurricanes and spitfires that went out to meet them. There was any pretense of aiming at military objectives. This was just savage destruction. The Mayfair Ridge. On shops. Hospitals. Churches. For 28 days, the Nazis were to drop everything in the book on the city of London. Tons upon tons of high explosives. Delayed action bombs that exploded days later. Torpedoes that sheared away whole buildings. And underneath the war in the air, the war of the man in the street went on. He learned to exist with very little food. He forgot what it meant to have a night's sleep, spending most of his time underground in the damp and dark and cold. You're here early tonight. Well, I'm on the same side, aren't I? I think that'll be all right now. Yes, it's grand. Anyway, I'll be back in a few minutes if you want. Now, how are we going to get you up there? Get a young man to lift you up. Barney? Hello. Come here, young lady, and lift up. The air raid wardens stayed at their posts. Doctors and nurses worked on steadily as the bombs crashed all around. Rescue squads labored night and day. Is she dead? Fight her. The airmen said, Nuts to the bombs and battle to put out fires. This was life in the blitz. Against all the rules of Nazi warfare, Britain was refusing to crumple up. Across the channel, the enraged Goering took personal command of the operations. 15th, he sent the Luftwaffe into one of its greatest attacks. But over the English coast. Slow mouth Goering, planes heard three miles southwest. Watch out for hostile planes approaching from southwest. The British met the challenge by throwing in everything they had. An historic three-dimensional battle took place inside an area 60 miles long, 38 broad, and from five to six miles high. 100 individual dogfights took place within the first 30 minutes of the raid. We'll keep a lookout for them. Hostile formation to the south. Some of the German bombers broke through London's defenses. I thought I got you. Who, me? Nah, I had me fingers crossed. The biggest bag yet. 185 enemy aircraft shot down. End of message. Of the 500 German planes that came over that day, more than one-third were shot down. In the 28 days of terror from September 7th to October 5th, the Nazis dropped 50 million pounds of bombs on the city, killed 7,000 helpless civilians, and wounded 10,000 more. Fleet Street, the center of the news. St. Paul's Cathedral. Bombs blasting the historic past out of the line. But in these 28 days, the Nazis lost 900 planes and their crews. The more they sent over, the more were shot down. The British Spitfire had proved to be one of the deadliest weapons ever put in the hands of man. Yet this kept up. Pretty soon, no more Luftwaffe. The frantic Nazis had to pull a new one. They did. On October 6th, they changed to night attacks. Maybe that way they could avoid those deadly Spitfires and Hurricanes. Maybe that way they could crush the stubborn British spirit. Never mind control of the air. Never mind Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3. Now to concentrate on bombing the people themselves into submission, and make them cry for mercy. Hostile raid, sir. This was just German bombs against British guts. Sound happy enough for our men tonight, don't they? Yes, they're all right. Were left roaring infernos. Still the people of London took it. Night after night, they burrowed underground. Themselves out of the wreckage. Good morning, Mr. Bowe. Good morning, Mr. Ott. Come on, Betty. Morning, Miss John. Sleep well? Fine, thanks. What's with the quiet night? What about the one that came down about 2? I didn't hear it, did you? No. Oh, we're getting used to it around here. Of course not. Did it take more than this to get me out of my home? Now go on, you've got to get to work. Okay. The Battle of London was the battle of the people of the city. In spite of bombs and fire and death, they got to their desks and workbenches to spend another 10 or 12 hours working, working, working. The British spirit was stronger than ever. And the RAF was flying higher than ever. Not only higher, but farther. SIO, operation for the night. GP 1562, EP 781. 10 aircraft. Good one taken the other night, Monty. So good. A bit further along to the submarine yard. There. Yes. So chaps, this is your target for tonight. The submarine and shipbuilding yard is a vitally important target, and it's got to be hit hard. In the midst of this life and death struggle, the British found strength not only to defend, but to counterattack with what few bombers they could get together. On, sir. Okay, skipper. Hello, operator. Well, it seems to be all here, sir. Gangsters. For this crime, I will exact a thousandfold revenge. Available German night bombers were put into the air. Was Coventry. On the night of November 14th, a million pounds of bombs were dropped on the city. Coventry was smashed to splatters Warsaw and Rotterdam. The people of Coventry dug their loved ones out of the blasted ruins, saw them to their last resting place in a common grave. Hitler could kill them, but damned if he could lick them. They went back to their lathes and machines, for they knew the machine bench was as deadly a weapon as the rifle, and in their hearts was a grim determination that this enemy must be destroyed. That the day was coming when they would strike back, and how they would strike back. Christmas 1940. Christmas, season of peace on earth, goodwill toward men, was the ironic quiet before Hitler's great burst of rage against a people who couldn't be licked. Vital water mains were shattered. Water pressure was almost entirely cut off. Heroes of the night were men of the London Fire Brigade, who stretched temporary hose lines out to the center of the Thames River, struggling through mud and slide. For the Nazis had carefully picked the night on which the Thames River had one of the lowest ebb tides on record. The people of the city held on, chin up and thumbs up. They knew this was the people's war, and they were the people, and a people that couldn't be panicked, couldn't be beaten. But a nation that calls on cold courage when hot courage runs thin may die, but it can't be defeated. By Hitler. Hitler had lost the battle. He had lost 2,375 German planes and their crews. For the first time, it was the Germans who ate the bitter dirt of defeat. Gone was the legend of their invincibility. For a solid year, the Nazis struck Britain with all their might. They leveled thousands upon thousands of homes, and damaged millions of others. They killed more than 40,000 men, women, and children, and seriously wounded 50,000 more. But not one single Nazi soldier set foot on British soil. But Hitler couldn't stop, and in our next film we will show how he had to turn to the east again. Why did the Nazis lose the Battle of Britain? First, because a regimented people met an equally determined free people, and the free people made them quit cold. We've been bombed, machine-gunned, been through two invasion scares, and the last lot we had, we had the house down about our ears. But we're still sticking it, and we're going to stick it. Second, because this was a new kind of war, and the RAF were the men who could fight it. These were the men who belonged to what Hitler called those weak, soft democracies. The British did more than save their country. They won for the world a year of precious time. It was not only for the people of Britain, but for the people of the world that Winston Churchill spoke when he said, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.