October 31 in History

Battle of Britain Is Won (1940)
The Battle of Britain was the first major failure of the Germans in WWII. The Royal Air Force (RAF), outgunned and outmanned, defeated the German Luftwaffe and thwarted Hitler's plan for an amphibious invasion, which he had hoped would put a quick end to the war. The event was not only a testament to the courage of British pilots, but it also marked the first time a major battle was fought entirely in the air.

Battle of Britain
Part of World War II
Heinkel He 111 over London, 7 September 1940
Date:
July, 1940 – May, 1941
Location:
United Kingdom airspace, mostly over southern England
Result:
British victory
Combatants
United Kingdom
Germany
Commanders
Hugh Dowding
Hermann GöringAlbert Kesselring
Strength
700 fighters
1,260 bombers, 316 dive-bombers, 1,089 fighters
Casualties
1,547 aircraft, 27,450 civilian dead, 32,138 wounded
2,698 aircraft
Western Front (World War II)
France - The Netherlands - Dunkirk - Britain - Dieppe - Normandy - Dragoon - Arnhem - Scheldt - Hurtgen Forest - Aachen - Bulge - Plunder - Varsity