The Battle of Britain was a crucial air campaign fought between the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the German Luftwaffe during World War II. It began on July 10, 1940, when the Luftwaffe launched a series of bombing raids on British coastal targets, primarily shipping convoys and harbors. The intent was to weaken the RAF and establish air superiority over the English Channel and southern England, a prerequisite for a planned German invasion of Britain (Operation Sea Lion). The Battle of Britain marked the first sustained attempt to win air superiority by one side in history, and its outcome was a major turning point in the war.
