When France fell in June 1940, Britain stood alone against Germany's growing power. Although most of the British Expeditionary Force was successfully evacuated from Dunkirk, much of its heavy equipment had been left behind.

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Germany did not relish the idea of being forced to invade Britain. Initially, they hoped that Britain would negotiate peace with them.

The hope quickly faded when Winston Churchill reaffirmed Britain's determination to fight to the end. In response, Germany ordered on July 16 that preparations be made for the invasion.

Known as Operation Sea Lion, this plan called for an invasion in August.

Because the German Navy had been severely reduced in previous campaigns, eliminating the Royal Air Force was a key requirement for the invasion, which ensured that the Luftwaffe had air superiority over the English Channel.

In the event that German troops landed in southern England, the Luftwaffe would be able to hold back the Royal Navy.

Because the Luftwaffe was designed primarily to support the German Army's blitzkrieg style of attack, it was not well-suited to carry out the type of strategic bombing that would be required in the coming campaign.

The aerial defence of Britain was under the command of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, head of the Fighter Command.

Under his direction, the RAF's two frontline fighters, the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire had been developed. Even though Dowding understood the need for new fighters, he also realized that they could only be effectively employed if they were controlled from the ground.

He promoted the development of Radio Direction Finding (known to us as radar) and the Chain Home radar network.

As the bulk of Fighter Command's strength had been kept in Britain, the Luftwaffe had an inaccurate estimate of its power. Germany believed that the British had between 300 and 400 planes at the beginning of the battle, but Britain actually had over 700.

In light of this, the German commander believed the Royal Air Force could be swept from the skies in four days..... however that never happened.