By 18 June, all British forces had withdrawn from France. Both the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) and the RAF had lost
many aircraft and trained crews during this campaign. Several weeks passed while the Luftwaffe replaced their
losses and took over airfields in the countries they had captured.
In Britain the time was spent putting as many new fighters and trained pilots into service as possible, to guard against the attack everyone knew was coming. The lull as the German forces consolidated their position was vital to the British armed forces, as it allowed them to prepare. By the beginning of July 1940, the RAF had built up its strength to 640 fighters, but the Luftwaffe had 2600 bombers and fighters. The stage was set. In the skies above South East England, the future of Britain was about to be decided. As the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill put it; "What General Weygrand called the Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin
German losses began to increase. The weather also began to worsen and the raids stopped in late October.
During the day, German fighters, mostly Me 109s but occasionally Me 110s, were sent over carrying bombs in small
and large scale. Largely these nuisance raiders were aimed at engaging the RAF fighters and disrupting defensive
operations over the South-East.
The Germans then realised that the RAF could not be defeated in 1940. Germany was also preparing to attack Russia,
so Operation Sea-Lion (the plan for invasion of Britain) was cancelled indeffinitely and eventually abandoned
altogether. The Battle of Britain was over.