<Li> Battle of Atlantic </Li> <P> The Battle of Britain (German: Luftschlacht um England, literally "The Air Battle for England") was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large - scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe . It has been described as the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces . </P> <P> The British officially recognise the battle's duration as being from 10 July until 31 October 1940, which overlaps the period of large - scale night attacks known as the Blitz, that lasted from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941 . German historians do not accept this subdivision and regard the battle as a single campaign lasting from July 1940 to June 1941, including the Blitz . </P> <P> The primary objective of the German forces was to compel Britain to agree to a negotiated peace settlement . In July 1940 the air and sea blockade began, with the Luftwaffe mainly targeting coastal - shipping convoys, ports and shipping centres, such as Portsmouth . On 1 August, the Luftwaffe was directed to achieve air superiority over the RAF with the aim of incapacitating RAF Fighter Command; 12 days later, it shifted the attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure . As the battle progressed, the Luftwaffe also targeted factories involved in aircraft production and strategic infrastructure . Eventually it employed terror bombing on areas of political significance and on civilians . </P>

When did the battle of britain ww2 start