Battle of Britain

A second network, "Chain Home Low," was created to detect these low flying craft and provided complete radar coverage for the entire southern and eastern coast of England. Radar gave the British an enormous advantage; there was no need to keep aircraft on endless patrols on the off-chance that something might happen; they were scrambled only for a definite threat and then, while in the air, directed onto the enemy craft by the ground controller on the basis of radar reports depicted in front of him on a plotting table. In deciding how to allocate these dispositions, the British had another invaluable tool besides radar - a tool so secret that only the highest officials of the British government knew about it.
             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.
             Officially, Eagle Day began on 13 August 1940. However, the actual start of the Battle of Britain was 10 July 1940. On that day, the German Luftwaffe began phase one of their operations against the British. This involved the sinking of all Royal Navy ships and merchant vessels in the English Channel. The Germans flew daily raids against British merchant ships to not only knock out Britain's naval lifeline, but also to entice the RAF into the skies so that it could be destroyed.