After the defeat of the Allied forces in Europe and the evacuation from Dunkirk, Britain stood alone. It was widely believed that Hitler would now seek to invade and thus complete his conquest of Western Europe.
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On 2nd August 1940 Hermann Goering called for the destruction of the RAF and the emphasis of the attack was now changed from attacks on coastal shipping to bombing the ports of Southern England. Massed formations of bombers (1,260 twin-engine medium bombers and 320 dive bombers) were escorted by large fighter formations (280 twin-engine fighters and 800 single-engine bf-109) flying above them. The RAF responded with 900 Spitfires and Hurricanes, which were heavily outnumbered by the Luftwaffe. Many people watched as battles were fought out daily in the skies above them. The Luftwaffe outnumbered the RAF by 3:1, but the RAF were fighting 'at home' and the Luftwaffe BF 109's had only 30 minutes over the land before their fuel was exhausted.
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At first Goering hoped that the RAF would be drawn into attacking the fighters guarding the Bombers. In this way he hoped that Britain's fighter strength would be so weakened that victory would be assured. However, the British Commanders Dowding and Park held off and concentrated on attacking the bombers. Thus the myth of the Battle of Britain mainly consisting of heroic dogfights is not the case. In fact Britain's problems were less the loss of aircraft than the loss of pilots, and many raw recruits were pitted against the more experienced German pilots, many of whom had gained their battle experience in the Spanish Civil War.
By mid August Goering realised that his tactics must be changed. More fighter cover was provided for the heavy bombers, and later faster bombers were substituted.
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Radar played a decisive part in Britain's defences, and when there were breached the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) tracked the planes with binoculars from various outlooks. On the ground the army, the anti-aircraft guns, the barrage balloons and the large number of volunteers all played their part.
On the night of 24th August several German pilots lost their way and, unable to find the aircraft factories and oil refineries, bombed Central London by mistake. Churchill ordered a reprisal raid, and Berlin was bombed four days later. Again there was an error and civilian areas were bombed as well as military ones. The German public was shocked, as Hitler had promised that this would never happen. The Germans retaliation was sharp - at the end of August Liverpool was bombed and some 160 fires lit up the skyline. Hitler was still not satisfied and on Sunday 7th September 100 bombers broke through British defences, reaching the London Docks at 5pm. Incendiaries were dropped, which guided in the bombers. The raid continued until 4:30am the next morning. In spite of the loss of life and casualties, Britain held firm. Operation Sea Lion could not be put into effect, as the Luftwaffe had not gained control of the skies. In this sense Britain had won the Battle of Britain.
After 7th September, German losses climbed significantly, the Luftwaffe losing 175 aircraft by 15th September. With aircraft crews not being replaced at the rate they were being lost, the Luftwaffe was being significantly worn down.
On 17th September the German invasion plan was postponed indefinitely and Hitler began his preparations for the invasion of Russia. Meanwhile the British public became more united against Germany. Between 10th July and 31st October 1940 the RAF had lost around 788 aircraft, while the Luftwaffe had lost 1,294. Britain had entered the next phase of the war - the Blitz - which was to last until May 1941.