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: The End of the Battle of Britain



War Thunder presents special event from October 30th 6:00 GMT to October 31st 6:00 GMT (from October 29th 23:00 PDT to October 30th 23:00 PDT): x5 experience bonus for the first victory for all nations

30% special discount for purchasing the following planes: Spitfire Mk.I, Spitfire Mk.IIa, Spitfire Mk.IIb

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, 30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965

By the 31st of October, the British had confidence that there would be no invasion in 1940 by the German forces. The Blitz, however, continued unabated and would eventually result in nearly 40,000 British civilian deaths. Nevertheless the battle for control of the air over Britain had been decisively and bravely won by the RAF, in the form of volunteers from the many allied Countries including Poland, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia and the United States, a fact that will remain unforgotten by many.



Victory in the Battle of Britain not only saved the United Kingdom from invasion, but also in the long-term saved Europe too. For the first time, Nazi Germany had been unable to impose its will on the rest of Europe through threat or military might, and it’s feared Luftwaffe had tasted defeated in battle. Britain would remain as a bastion of freedom and hope off the coast of occupied Europe.



On the 29th of October 1940, the last great effort of the German bombers: five raids were planned. One heading for London was engaged at 11am; a second was intercepted and 12 fighter bombers shot down. Three raids totalling 112 fighter-bombers attacked Portsmouth.



The 31st of October 1940 saw raids petering out as the weather worsened. Bombing of London had continued, and would continue, from September for several years. However this day is generally regarded as the final day of the Battle of Britain, and October the month in which regular bombing of Britain ceased.



Too large an area of the British Isles were simply out of reach to the short and medium range aircraft used by the Luftwaffe, where RAF squadrons could be rotated north and west, out of harm's way, whenever they were too worn out from combat to function efficiently. British aircraft production factories were mostly out of reach of the German bombings but, worst of all, every German pilot who survived being shot down over England went straight to a prison camp - British pilots in the same situation were usually back at their air base in a matter of hours.



One of the largest factors in the German defeat was the British level of preparedness: The coastal radar stations, centralized air defence command, networks of observers on the ground, the RAF pilot training programs - the British Isles, at the time of the Battle of Britain, had the most advanced air defence system in the world. Much of the eventual outcome to this event in history though, can be attributed to determination, loyalty, bravery and sheer cussedness which won through.

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