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by nik61 3920 days ago
For truly 'extensive bombing' the Germans would have required heavy bombers, which they did not possess. The Luftwaffe had been largely conceived of as a support to ground troops with no strategic role or capability. Also they wasted their efforts on civilian centres such as London before they had achieved air superiority by destroying the RAF, which they came very close to doing in the late summer of 1940.
1 comments
nickik 3920 days ago
They never came close to getting air superiority, or pushing the RAF away from the South England Airfields.

This is a persistent claim that has no support with experts of WW2, but somehow the story is just to good not to be retold by every tv movie and school book. Its a popularised myth with no truth.

Neither is it true that Churchill deliberately attacked German cities to stop the Luftwaffe from attacking the RAF Airfields.

Churchill speeches and dramatisation is not the same as actual history, no matter how often people repeat the same tale.

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hga 3919 days ago
Do you know of any detailed source on all that, ideally something like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813338697 ?

The only thing I can add to this debate with my current knowledge is that the British foiled the start of a campaign against the Chain Home radars after the Luftwaffe's first Maximum Effort against one station. Devastation was wreaked, but one or more boffins who showed up to see what could be done observed that there was one functioning transmitter, and jury rigged an antenna for it.

When the Luftwaffe did ECM reconnaissance they couldn't distinguish between it and a functioning station, and concluded that approach wasn't going to work.

Can't remember my source for it, a quick check of the index indicates it wasn't R.V. Jones' superb Most Secret War.

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nickik 3912 days ago
Usually I would not recommend a podcast, however this podcast goes threw the Battle of Britan in extrem detail comparing gains and loses for every single day (!).

http://worldwariipodcast.net/

If you want a book, this is a good start: http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Britain-Roy-Conyers-Nesbit/dp/0...

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