NSDAP Rise to
Power
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| German 1923
Inflation |
| German Elections |
| Winterhilfswerk |
| Greater German
Reich |
| Berlin Olympics
1936 |
| Munich Conference |
| Fall of France |
| Battle of Britain |
| Battle for the North
Atlantic |
| Occupation of
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| War in North
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| Russian Front |
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| America at War |
| German Home Front |
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| Fall of Berlin |
| Holocaust |
| Nuremberg War
Trials |
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Museum Building Fund
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Selected Exhibits > Battle of Britain
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As the peace negotiations with Great Britain came to an impasse after the Fall of France, the Germans prepared for an invasion of Britain. The first step was for the German Luftwaffe to destroy the Royal Air Force airfields and radar stations. Beginning in August 1940, the Luftwaffe began to attack strategic British targets. Initially, the targets were along the coast but the bombing campaign began to slowly move inland.
In an attempt to force Great Britain to sue for peace, Hitler made a tactical change in the air war and ordered the large scale bombing of British cities. On September 7, 1940, waves of German bombers appeared for the first time over the skies of London. This was the beginning of the Blitz with the intense bombing of London and other cities that continued until the following May. London was bombed either during the day or night for the next consecutive 57 days. Fires consumed large portions of the city.
Hilter
ordered an end to air war against Britain on May 11,
1941 as German forces began to prepare for the planned
invasion of Russia. Luftwaffe units were transferred to
the upcoming attack on the eastern front.
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ROYAL AIR FORCE (RAF) READY ROOM POSTER "CLOUDS CAN HELP". These posters were produced by Great Britain’s Minstry of Defence
in the early 1940's to remind young fighter and bomber
pilots of certain dangers as they provided air
protection of their island nation against the German
Luftwaffe. These posters were usually displayed in
squadron ready rooms and other RAF facilities. This poster, “Clouds Can Help,” shows
Messerschmitt Bf-110 fighters attacking a British ship
while RAF fighters are in the clouds, preparing a
surprise counter-attack.
The Historical Trust has four of these unique posters in it's collection which include:
- Safety Height for Bombing
- Remember Your Undercarriage
- Taxying
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"BRITAIN SHALL NOT BURN". British poster rallying public support as the Luftwaffe destroyed London with incendiary bombs. Much of London's city center and docks along the Thames River were destroyed by fire.
"Beat Firebomb Fritz"
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"SHE'S IN THE RANKS TOO CARING FOR EVACUEES IS A NATIONAL SERVICE" BRITISH POSTER. Issued by the Ministry of Health, Printed for the H.M. Stationary Office by J.W. Werner Ltd.
In September 1939, in preparation for the German attacks almost 3,000,000 people - primarily children - were moved to places of safety in the countryside.
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PHOTOGRAPHS OF DEUTCHE ARBEITSFRONT THEATER
GROUP ENTERTAINING LUFTWAFFE OFFICERS IN EPINOY, FRANCE
1940. These are bomber crews stationed near Calais
waging the air war against Britain. The sign on the
truck, "German Labor Front - Strength Through Joy -
Reich Theater Entertainment". The German Labor Front
(Arbeitsfront, DAF) was the official state labor service
formed after independent labor unions were banned in
1933. Kraft Durch Freude (KdF, "Strength Through Joy" )
was a large state-controlled organization that provided
workers affordable leisure activities such as concerts,
day-trips, cruises, and holidays. The KdF is credited
with bridging the class divide by making middle-class
leisure activities available to the masses.
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GERMAN POSTCARD "BOMBEM AUF ENGLAND". German song postcard with the words to "Bombing England" from the film about the Luftwaffe, "Baptism by Fire". Picture of a Heinkel He 111.
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BRITISH "AIR-RAID DISTRESS FUNDS" DONATION POSTER. This poster shows the Queen Mother visiting bombing victims and the bombed out ruins in London. Soliciting donations for the National Air-Raid Distress Funds.
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GERMAN SOLIDER'S SOUVENIRS FROM PARIS.
- Bronzed Eiffel tower, pen rest
and ink well lid with Adolf Hilter's photograph
attached with glass cover
- Wehrmacht unit photograph September 14, 1941
- 20 souvenir photos of Paris with German and French caption sheets
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Winston Churchill summed up the RAF's contribution during the Battle of Britain in the immortal words: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"
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