Sorry about the Q's, but I am a recovering professor....

My vote is -- Brits hold on to your spats -- the Battle of Britain.

Aside from the valor displayed by both sides, what was the point?

Germany launches an air assault on an island nation that ends up decimating their experienced air crews PRIOR to what Hitler had always intended -- an invasion of Russia.

The Germans were quite aware that "Sea Lion" was impossible. Even with air SUPREMACY, the weapons of the era would not have inflicted enough damage on the British battleships etc. to keep them from sinking any invasion barges. The Royal Navy would, quite literally, have paid any price necessary to stop it. Moreover, the Germans had specifically chosen NOT to develop a strategic role for their luftwaffe, and -- despite some stupid orders from der Fuhrer -- were aware that no bombing campaign they could launch would make the British quit.

So why in heavens did they bother? Some scrapping over the channel, mining harbors etc., making the Brits (and the Russkis) THINK they were building an invasion fleet -- sure. But they sent the most experienced fliers in their luftwaffe on high casualty sorties pursuing inconsequential missions in support of a strategic operation that was impossible. Lunacy. Even The Somme -- for all its limitations and cock-ups -- had a better chance of strategic success.

On the British side, things were more understandable -- its pretty hard not to fight back when someone is bombing your homeland -- but what was the strategic value of risking their entire fighter force on forward bases PRIOR to a direct invasion effort by the Germans (they certainly hadn't pulle out all the stops to defend France). Defend those areas out of range of the BF 109s and hammer any unescorted bombers sure, but the portion of Britain being threatened by single-engine fighters and bombers operating together was relatively small and held limited strategic value compared to the indutrialized North and West. Moreover, without the Navy, the RAF had little chance of stopping an invasion anyway (as their performance against the Eugen Scharnhorst & Gneisnau suggests). Why didn't they do the rational thing and hang back, buld experience hunting the weaker targets, and preserve their force to smash any German ground effort that did reach Blighty?

Since 1585, the answer to beating England was always the same. Develop a force capable of exterminating the Royal Navy as they defend the Channel. If you can't or don't, then any other plan for conquest is moot. The only value the Battle of Britain held was the propaganda value Winnie milked it for.