The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, began to attack Britain from the air during the final months of 1940. This was the Battle of Britain. Then, on September 7th, Hitler ordered an end to daylight attacks on RAF airfields and sent the Luftwaffe on nighttime air raids on London and some of Britain's other major cities. This was known as the Blitz. The Blitz lasted from September 7th until the summer of 1941, in which time 43,000 civilians were killed.

By 1940, Germany was militarily capable to invade Britain. After the disaster at Dunkirk and the fall of France on 22nd June 1940, Germany thought that Great Britain would surrender. The German armed forces had been keen to invade Great Britain and at this point Britain seemed vulnerable. The German aim was simple: to destroy the RAF in order to begin the invasion of Britain in `Operation Sealion'. From the middle of August...