War has played a key role in the history of the United States, from the nation's founding

right down to the present. War made the U.S. independent, kept it together, increased its

size, and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America's wars is essential for understanding American history.

Welcome to Key Battles of American History,

a podcast in which we discuss American history through the lens of the most important battles of America's wars.

Here is your host, James Early.

Thank you. your host, James Early. Hello and welcome to Key Battles of World War II in Europe, our 10,000-foot survey of the

Second World War in Europe and the areas around it. I'm your host, James Early, as always,

and my co-host, as always, is Sean McIber.

In our last episode, we saw how the German forces very quickly

invaded and took over, invaded, and took over Belgium, Holland, and France.

This time, we're going to go into the air. And this episode will be called Their

Finest Hour, the Battle of Britain. On June 18,

1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told Parliament, the Battle of France is over. I expect

that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. After France surrendered to Nazi Germany, Great Britain and

its empire found itself facing the victorious Ax axis forces all alone. A battle for the

future of Britain was about to be waged in the skies above. Now the summer of 1940, he'd seen

everyone shocked by the rapidity of the German victory. However, German intelligence had warned,

of all Germany's possible enemies, Britain is the most dangerous.

Seeing that his contemptuous July peace offer to the British would not be taken, Hitler decided to invade Britain.

But invasion would only be possible if the Luftwaffe gained air superiority,

and that, of course, meant destroying the Royal Air Force.

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