The Battle of Britain stands out as a profound chronological paradox: it is the only major military conflict in history to be formally named before it actually began. On June 18, 1940, weeks before a single major wave of German bombers crossed the English Channel, Prime Minister Winston Churchill stood before the House of Commons and famously declared, "the Battle of Britain is about to begin." Following the shockingly rapid fall of France, the British found themselves entirely isolated against a triumphant Nazi war machine. German High Command was so absurdly confident of an impending British surrender that they were already decorating streets in Germany for homecoming parades. Because Britain stubbornly refused to capitulate, Adolf Hitler was forced to draft Operation Sea Lion—a massive amphibious and airborne invasion that the German Navy flat ...