Mediterranean and Middle East. The Netherlands. It was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. The primary objective of the German forces was to compel Britain to agree to a negotiated peace settlement. In July , the air and sea blockade began, with the Luftwaffe mainly targeting coastal-shipping convoys, as well as ports and shipping centres such as Portsmouth. As the battle progressed, the Luftwaffe also targeted factories involved in aircraft production and strategic infrastructure.
Eventually, it employed terror bombing on areas of political significance and on civilians. The Germans had rapidly overwhelmed France and the Low Countries in the Battle of France , leaving Britain to face the threat of invasion by sea. The German high command recognised the difficulties of a seaborne attack while the Royal Navy controlled the English Channel and the North Sea. On 16 July, Hitler ordered the preparation of Operation Sea Lion as a potential amphibious and airborne assault on Britain, to follow once the Luftwaffe had air superiority over the Channel.
The Luftwaffe proved unable to sustain daylight raids, but their continued night-bombing operations on Britain became known as the Blitz. Germany's failure to destroy Britain's air defences and force it out of the war was the first major German defeat in the Second World War. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Strategic bombing during World War I introduced air attacks intended to panic civilian targets and led in to the merger of the British army and navy air services into the Royal Air Force RAF.
Interception was expected to be nearly impossible, with fighter planes no faster than bombers. Their slogan was that the bomber will always get through , and that the only defence was a deterrent bomber force capable of matching retaliation. Predictions were made that a bomber offensive would quickly cause thousands of deaths and civilian hysteria leading to capitulation.
However, widespread pacifism following the horrors of the First World War contributed to a reluctance to provide resources. Germany was forbidden a military air force by the Treaty of Versailles , and therefore air crew were trained by means of civilian and sport flying. Following a memorandum, the Deutsche Luft Hansa airline developed designs for aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 52 , which could carry passengers and freight, but also be readily adapted into a bomber.
