Lest we forget, Goering came disturbingly close to winning the Battle of Britain as it was. The Luftwaffe was slowly wearing down the RAF by simple attrition. Every source I have read indicates the RAF was literally operating as the old song says "on a wing and a prayer." By the time of the Blitz phase of the Battle there were no reserves left. You had exhausted RAF pilots who were asked to sortie as much as 30 times or more per day, exhausted ground crews, and an air defense system pushed to the limit. All Goering had to do was to continue hammering the air fields and radar stations and he would have been able to temporarily drive the British from the skies of southern England. Of course, this would have ultimately accomplished nothing given the disaster in the making that was Sealion.
However...it occurs to me that if it was Lord Halifax and not Churchill in the Prime Minister's seat there is a reasonable chance that if the Battle of Britain had succeeded in temporarily giving the Luftwaffe air superiority then at this point Halifax might have decided to talk peace terms with Hitler. His reasoning would likely have been - better to deal with Hitler and save what can be saved now then be invaded and forced like the French into whatever settlement the Germans decide on. Remember, we in the present have the blessing of hindsight so that we know how Sealion was doomed to failure. The British did not know this. They only knew they had an army that was still recovering from Dunkirk and that a large force was massing for an invasion in France and Holland. Given Halifax' mindset at the time I could see him capitulate thinking he could "save Britain" by doing so.
One other thing, Monday is Memorial Day for us in the USA. But at this time I want to say a very big
THANK YOU!!!
to those who served in the RAF - the few to whom Britain and the whole world owes so much. Thank you for your courage and your determination. May you always be remembered with honor.