The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

either of their doctrines. For most, Nazism, with all its associated
limitations on human rights, its warped ideologies and secret police, was
abhorrent. What Hitler failed to grasp was that most British people felt
strongly about this. It had taken just a couple of weeks after the armistice
for France, apparently voluntarily, to discard democracy and become a
puppet totalitarian state. Britain did not want to go the same way.
What was gnawing away at Hitler, however, at this moment of deep
prevarication, was the possibility – however remote – that swift and
decisive victory might not be possible. That was unthinkable, and yet he
had to think of it, to prepare, to deal with the catastrophic consequences.
How quickly the ecstasy of victory must have begun to fade.
The next day, 16 July, Hitler issued his War Directive No. 16, ‘On
Preparations for a Landing Operation against England’. ‘Since England, in
spite of her hopeless military situation, shows no sign of being ready to
come to an understanding, I have decided to prepare a landing operation
against England, and, if necessary, to carry it out,’ he announced. ‘The aim
of this operation will be to eliminate the English homeland as a base for the
prosecution of the war against Germany and, if necessary, to occupy it
completely.’ It would no longer be called Operation LION but, rather,
Operation SEALION.
Next, he finally announced he would make his speech to the Reichstag
at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin on the evening of 19 July. Within this
speech would be his final offer of peace to Britain.
Two of the few German commanders to have visited Britain were Generals
Milch and Udet. It had been in October 1937, during the time of the Anglo-
German Naval Treaty and when showing a conciliatory approach to
Germany had been the British policy. Milch had headed a German
delegation and they had been shown around shadow aircraft factories that
had just been established, had met Dowding, Churchill and the King,
amongst others, and had even had a formal luncheon held in their honour at
Bentley Priory. Milch had always been against war and particularly with
Britain, not least because he was convinced the Luftwaffe was not yet ready
in 1939; like many, he expected to have several more years’ preparation.
However, with the storm clouds building, he had, in July 1939, helped put
together an intelligence appreciation on Britain, called Studie Blau (Study