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The ''Kanalkampf'' ("Canal Struggle") was the German name given to a series of air battles between the German ''Luftwaffe'' and British Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel which marked the beginning of the Battle of Britain in July 1940, during the early phases of the Second World War. By 22 June 1940 the Allies had been defeated in Western Europe and Scandinavia. Rather than come to terms with Germany, Britain rejected all overtures for a negotiated peace, and ''Luftwaffe'' attacks on shipping and ports began in accordance with instructions which Adolf Hitler had issued to the German armed forces (''Wehrmacht'') in Directives Nos. 9 and 13 ordering an air and sea blockade of the United Kingdom. During the ''Kanalkampf '', Hitler issued Directive No. 16 ordering the invasion of southern Britain.〔Trevor-Roper 2004, pp. 74–79.〕 The invasion of the United Kingdom was codenamed Operation Sea Lion (''Unternehmen Seelöwe''). Before it could be carried out, German air superiority or air supremacy was required over southern England. The ''Luftwaffe'' was to destroy the RAF if possible and assume command of the skies in order to prevent the Royal Navy's Home Fleet from intercepting a landing by sea. In June and July 1940 the Germans were engaged in an enormous logistical effort, moving two entire ''Luftflotten'' (Air Fleets) into airfields in France and Belgium along with all their administrative, manpower and material resources. Unable to begin operations against the island of Great Britain immediately, the ''Luftwaffe'' began a series of military operations against British merchant convoys and shipping passing through the English Channel from the Atlantic on their way to ports in eastern England. German operations were designed to help cut off British shipping communications in the south, to force the Royal Navy out of the Channel, and to encourage the RAF to battle as a prelude to the main effort in August. The attacks against the Channel convoys are considered to be the start of the Battle of Britain. There is some dispute in the historiography among historians concerning the dates for the beginning and end of the Battle of Britain. The British histories of the battle generally hold 10 July as the official start date. However, writers and historians in Germany and Britain acknowledge that large-scale air battles were fought over the Channel in between the Battle of France and Britain. Deliberate attacks against British coastal targets and convoys began on 4 July. Throughout the ''Kanalkampf'' operations, the ''Luftwaffe'' was supported, albeit minimally, by the E-Boats of the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German navy). Fighter Command could not protect the convoys adequately and German attacks inflicted heavy casualties on British shipping at considerable cost to the RAF. Vessels from other neutral countries were also caught in the crossfire and sunk or damaged. The Royal Navy was forced to order a cessation of large convoys in Channel waters and the abandonment of those sea lanes to all major sea-going vessels until late summer 1940, when the core emphasis of German strategy switched to the British mainland and RAF-related targets. The battles did draw out Fighter Command as planned, but the Germans failed to cripple the service. British air defences remained a formidable obstacle for the ''Luftwaffe'' in the coming campaign. During the course of the ''Kanalkampf'', both sides suffered heavy casualties. ==Background== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kanalkampf」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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