With the issuance of this vague, yet unmistakable order, Britain found itself alone and fighting for its very existence against the most powerful military power on earth: Germany. Although the Battle of Britain, as it would come to be known, is remembered as an air battle between Britain's RAF and Germany's Luftwaffe, its real importance lies in the message that it sent to the rest of the world. At the conclusion of the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe's illusion of military invulnerability would be shattered and the world would finally see a fallible German military machine.

In the summer of 1940, it was easy to view the German armed forces as an unstoppable force. The Germans won a quick victory in Poland and went on to occupy Norway and Denmark. In May they overran the Low Countries, broke into France, and swept to the English Channel. On 22 June, France surrendered (although a Free French force continued to fight). Britain, under Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was left to fight alone. The only question that remained was: Would

The British had acquired a machine, called Ultra, which enabled them to break the complex German code. With this tool, the British could estimate the Luftwaffe's intended targets and the numbers of aircraft that were involved even before the planes left the ground. Transcripts of the Germans' radio traffic were available to the British whenever German planes went aloft. An efficient radar system and the deciphering of German plans gave the British a decisive advantage in being able to allocate their outnumbered forces effectively. Many German pilots felt that the British must have been psychic due to the fact that whenever the Germans attempted a surprise raid on England, there was always a squadron of Spitfires and Hurricanes to meet them. However, despite this British advantage, the Germans would not be deterred from their goals of conquest.

Churchill expressed it best when he said: "The British people held the fort ALONE till those who hitherto had been half blind were half ready."

Even though the intelligence that led the Germans into phase two of their plan was woefully inadequate, it was the second phase that almost destroyed the RAF. If not for a fortuitous German mistake the RAF might well have been lost…and with them the battle.

In round-the-clock raids over the next seven days, 2000 Londoners died and more than 10000 were wounded. Although these casualty figures were all the more horrific because the wounded were civilians, there were those who rejoiced at the bombings. The German concentration on the capital had the immediate effect of taking the pressure off Fighter Command's airfields and supply factories. It also enabled the RAF to hit back at the enemy hard enough to hurt, because now the British knew where the Luftwaffe was focusing its attacks and could be ready and waiting.

• Attacks on naval shipping when the opportunity presented itself.

England continue to fight, or would they concede and pursue peace with Germany?

Some topics in this essay:
Battle Britain, Marshall Dowding, October Goering, August Hitler, Radar British, Royal Navy, Britain Luftwaffe, Transcripts Germans', War Directive, Unfortunately German, battle britain, german bombers, directive 17, british radar, german pilots, raf lost, english channel, fighter command, 24 august, operation sea lion, radar system, day battle britain, royal navy ships,