BRITAIN’S IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO OPERATION ‘BARBAROSSA’ WAS TO INCREASE FIGHTER COMMAND’S OFFENSIVE OVER FRANCE. ANDREW THOMAS OUTLINES A COSTLY CAMPAIGN
Winston Churchill broadcast 1941. It had not been lost on the great statesman and historian that 129 years before, to the very day, Napoleon had launched his ill-fated invasion of Russia.
Now history was repeating itself, Hitler had unleashed Operation ‘Barbarossa’, a massive offensive across a vast front against his former ally, the Soviet Union.
Despite being passionately anti-Communist Churchill told his people: “Any man or State who fights against Nazism will have our aid… That is our policy and that is our declaration… It is noteworthy that only yesterday the Royal Air Force, striking inland over France, cut down with very small loss to themselves twenty-eight of the ‘Hun’ fighting machines in the air above the French soil they have invaded, defiled and profess to hold. But this is only a beginning. From now henceforward the main expansion of our air force proceeds with gathering speed.”
Churchill issued a directive that round-the-clock offensive air action should start immediately. So began the ‘Non-Stop Offensive’ on the Channel Front and it was…
