The Calm After Dunkirk

June 5, 1940 dawned quietly on the beaches of Dunkirk, where the remnants of war told a story of desperate escape. The sands bore witness to the chaotic British retreat – thousands of abandoned shoes, hundreds of bicycles, endless columns of trucks and artillery, piles of rifles, and mountains of canned food scattered across the shoreline like debris from a shattered army.

Two senior Luftwaffe officers walked through this landscape of defeat. General Waldau of the Air Staff and Field Marshal Milch, deputy to Hermann Göring, surveyed the wreckage with contrasting perspectives. While Waldau triumphantly declared this the “grave of British hopes,” Milch offered a sobering counterpoint: “Their hopes are not yet buried.”

Nearby stood Göring’s luxurious armored train, a symbol of the flamboyant Reichsmarschall’s peculiar character – equal parts warrior and dandy. The man who would soon command the assault on Britain embodied contradictions: a decorated fighter ace from World War I who loved fine art and jewelry, a ruthless political operator who helped create the Gestapo and concentration camps, now Hitler’s designated successor and commander of the world’s most powerful air force.

The Missed Opportunity

On June 21, as France signed its surrender in the same railway car where Germany had capitulated in 1918, Hitler basked in his greatest triumph. Touring Paris, he lingered at Napoleon’s tomb, telling his photographer: “This is the greatest and finest moment of my life.” Yet behind this victory lay a critical strategic miscalculation.

The German High Command had no comprehensive plan for invading Britain after the fall of France. When Grand Admiral Raeder raised the issue on May 21, Hitler delayed action for six weeks, believing Britain might seek peace. This hesitation allowed the British to recover from the Dunkirk disaster and begin preparing their defenses.

Göring and Milch recognized the danger immediately. At a crucial Luftwaffe conference in early June, Milch warned: “If you give the British three or four weeks to recover, it will be too late.” They developed an ambitious invasion plan involving airborne troops seizing airfields, followed by transport aircraft delivering five elite divisions. Göring envisioned this as primarily an air operation that would draw out both the RAF and Royal Navy for destruction.

When presented to Hitler on June 30, the Führer stunned his commanders by ordering: “Take no action.” Still convinced Britain would negotiate, he saw no need for invasion. Privately, Göring and Milch thought their leader mad – every hour lost gave Britain precious time to prepare.

Churchill’s Defiance

While Hitler hesitated, Winston Churchill mobilized British resistance. The new Prime Minister, who had warned “we shall fight on the beaches” just days after Dunkirk, rejected all peace overtures through Swedish and Vatican intermediaries. His July 3 response was unequivocal: Germany must first restore freedom to all conquered nations before any talks could begin.

Behind the scenes, Churchill worked tirelessly to strengthen Britain’s defenses. Farmers, veterans, and volunteers armed with hunting rifles and even golf clubs patrolled coasts and roads. Factories accelerated production of aircraft and weapons. The RAF trained new pilots while radar stations scanned the skies. Every day bought through diplomacy meant stronger defenses.

Churchill’s resolve was personal. The 65-year-old warrior-statesman, whose life had prepared him for this moment, told his War Cabinet: “I will direct the war from this room. If we are invaded, I will sit there until the Germans are driven back or they carry me out dead.” This uncompromising stance shaped Britain’s response when Hitler finally made his public peace offer.

The Reichstag Speech and British Response

On July 19, Hitler addressed the Reichstag in unusually conciliatory tones, appealing to British “reason” while threatening destruction of their empire. German aircraft dropped leaflets with the speech across Britain, but the response was swift and defiant.

BBC journalist Sefton Delmer famously ad-libbed in German: “Let me tell you what we British think of your appeal to reason. Herr Führer, we hurl it right back at you, right in your evil-smelling teeth!” More formally, Lord Halifax broadcast Britain’s rejection on July 22: “We shall not stop fighting until freedom is secure.”

Hitler still hoped behind-the-scenes diplomacy might succeed, but by early August, with Sweden’s mediation attempts rebuffed, he accepted war would continue. On July 16, he had already issued Directive No. 16 for Operation Sea Lion – the invasion of Britain. The plan called for landing 250,000 men on a 200-mile front, with the Luftwaffe first establishing air superiority.

The Gathering Storm

As preparations accelerated, tensions emerged between German services. While the army enthusiastically planned landings, Navy chief Raeder expressed deep concerns about channel crossings. The compromise – a narrower invasion front – still depended entirely on Luftwaffe success against the RAF.

On August 6, Göring assembled his commanders at Carinhall, his lavish country estate. Confident of quick victory, he set August 10 as Adlerangriff (Eagle Day), the start of all-out attacks on British air defenses. “I have assured the Führer,” he declared, “that the RAF will be eliminated in time for invasion by September 15.”

Göring’s arrogance blinded him to reality. He dismissed British capabilities, boasting of German numerical superiority (which didn’t exist when accounting for production rates and pilot training). His casual assurance that the Luftwaffe could finish the job in five weeks set the stage for one of history’s most decisive air battles – and Hitler’s first major defeat.

The summer of 1940 became a turning point not because of what Germany did, but because of what it failed to do. Hitler’s hesitation after Dunkirk, his misplaced belief in British capitulation, and Göring’s overconfidence gave Britain the breathing space it desperately needed. When the Battle of Britain commenced in earnest, the RAF – though outnumbered – was far from defeated. The “few” to whom Churchill would later refer were already preparing to defy the Luftwaffe’s many, setting the stage for a conflict that would determine the fate of Europe.