Phase 3: The Air Deficit and the Turn East (July 1940 to June 1941)
Following the fall of France, the inability to cross the English Channel (Operation Sealion) revealed a critical strategic flaw: the lack of a surface navy and long-range air superiority. The Battle of Britain demonstrated that the Luftwaffe, designed for tactical army support, lacked the strategic bombing capabilities to break a major industrial power.
When the air campaign failed, Hitler pivoted to his ultimate strategic goa