September 15th is the Battle of Britain Memorial Day. What is its special significance?

On September 15, 1940, London had been bombing wildly for a week. Goering, who saw the aerial photos, was very satisfied with the bombing effect. In his view, the greater the casualties suffered by the people in London, the stronger the desire for the government to make peace. He even repeatedly assured that the Air Force could subdue Britain without executing the "Sea Lion Plan".

But the losses of the troops and the constant complaints from his subordinates still made him worried. The bombers were not adequately protected; the fighters could only control the air for 20 minutes before they had to return because they ran out of fuel. What is even more frustrating is that the British fighter jets seem to be fighting more and more, and their tactics are becoming more powerful, making the air force full of doubts about whether it can achieve victory in the future.

As the Reich Marshal, Goering comforted his disgruntled subordinates while organizing the last large-scale bombing. In other words, the German Air Force is ready to "come out in full force" to defeat the opponent's fighting spirit in one fell swoop and completely solve the British problem. In other words, he had already planned to give up on the last test of the British army's strength.

At this time, the German Air Force no longer had the "high spirits" it had at the beginning of the war. More than half of the bombers were lost, fighter planes also suffered heavy losses, and they were also faced with a shortage of pilots. To put it bluntly, the last major bombing organized by G?ring was a decisive "air duel" in which one would either win the battle or give up completely.

The British army is also actively responding. Dowding transferred anti-aircraft artillery units from various places to London to strengthen air defense; at the same time, he deployed fighter squadrons on the front line of the Dover Strait and changed the "small and scattered" approach. "In the blocking mode, hundreds of "Hurricane" and "Spitfire" fighter jets were formed into a large formation to carry out a "decisive" blocking of the German fleet.

On this day, 200 German bombers, covered by more than 600 fighter jets, rushed towards London with murderous intent. Dowding ordered more than 300 fighter planes to take off to meet the enemy. Two huge fleets of aircraft encountered each other in the sky south of London. Before they could gain a favorable position, the British pilots rushed into the opponent's fleet and fired fiercely at the German bombers.

The two sides can be said to be furious. Two or three planes fell over London one after another, emitting black smoke. In the British Air Defense Command, Churchill, Dowding and others were nervous, because the last fighter jet of the British Army was also sent out. In other words, Britain has also reached a critical moment of "life and death" and must go all out.

Who will win the initiative in war?

September 15th is a memorable day for the British. Because on this day, the most eye-catching position in the London newspaper read "185 German planes shot down". People rushed to tell each other and rejoiced, and every household hung the national flag to celebrate the victory. The British Air Force designated this day as the "Battle of Britain Memorial Day". Why is this?

First, since the war began, Britain has been in a defensive position. Although it bombed Berlin, it also destroyed the German landing facilities on the coast of France and destroyed its "Sea Lion Plan"; but it really made Germany give up its offensive. Yes, the number of German planes shot down by the British army on this day was the most since the war began, showing that the British army was "still not defeated."

Second, this is a day that determines Britain's "life or death." Facing the powerful German offensive, the British army devoted all its resources, and all fighter planes (including reserves) were sent into the air for a decisive battle. In other words, Britain has put forward its "old capital", and life and death depend on this battle. Once the German army gains the upper hand, it will completely lose its ability to resist, and Britain will perish.

More importantly, this day is a key point in the battle between Britain and Germany for air supremacy, or it is a key day when the initiative changes hands between the two sides. Because from one day on, the large-scale German air raids disappeared, which also heralded Germany's complete abandonment or postponement of the "Sea Lion Project", and the British defeated the German offensive momentum for the first time in Europe, which was a turning point in the war.

Goering's last bombing allowed the Germans to finally recognize their own strength, and suffered a catastrophic blow before they even reached the skies above London. Everyone in Germany believes that Britain not only has a powerful Royal Navy, but also a powerful Royal Air Force.

Implementing the "Sea Lion Project" is, to put it harshly, "seeking death."

What made them give up even more was that the next day, the Royal Air Force once again dispatched a large number of bombers to conduct more intense bombings on German military facilities, landing equipment and barges along the French coast. The German head of state had to decide on this day that the invasion would not be carried out for the time being, and "Project Sea Lion" would be postponed indefinitely. He would devote himself to attacking the Soviet Union.

After this battle, Goering's arrogance and incompetence were fully exposed. Not only did other military generals resent and criticize him, but he also fell out of favor in front of the German head of state. The humiliated Goering was no longer interested in air raids on London. He handed over command to his subordinates and began to collect famous people's calligraphy, paintings and artworks. He was known as: "The Bandit from Berlin".

Although Germany still bombed London, Coventry, Southampton and other places, they did not reach the scale of September 15. Churchill once said excitedly: "This day is the most intense and unprecedented day in the history of world air combat." This day is the day when the Royal Air Force laid the foundation for victory in the Battle of Britain. It is worth remembering.

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References: "World War II", "Air Battle over Great Britain"

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