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Battle of Britain RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft of the battle

ISSUE 21

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CONTENTS

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Battle of Britain Aircraft 4 Introduction 6

Boulton Paul Defiant

Built as a bomber-destroyer, the turret-equipped Defiant was badly mauled by Bf109s in the handful of missions flown by the aeroplane during the early stages of the Battle of Britain

12 Bristol Blenheim Although the Blenheim was built as a light bomber, Coastal Command used the MkIVF heavy fighter to intercept enemy formations over the Channel in the summer of 1940

21 Dornier Do17 The least numerous of the Luftwaffe bombers involved in the Battle of Britain, the Do17 was possibly the most effective thanks to the low-level tactics employed by its units

28 Hawker Hurricane The workhorse fighter of the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane equipped twice as many squadrons in Fighter Command than the Spitfire in the summer of 1940

41 Junkers Ju87 The ‘flying artillery’ of the Blitzkrieg in Europe in 1939-40, the Ju87 initially performed well during the campaigns leading up to the start of the Battle of Britain

46 Junkers Ju88 Built as a dedicated fast day bomber, the Ju88A was the most modern aircraft of its type in Luftwaffe service in the summer of 1940

52 Heinkel He111 The best-known German bomber of the Battle of Britain, the He111 carried the heaviest load of any Luftwaffe aircraft involved in the ill-fated campaign

61 Messerschmitt Bf109 The Luftwaffe’s only single-seat fighter in 1940, the Bf109 bore the brunt of the Luftwaffe’s aerial campaign against RAF Fighter Command. It proved to be a deadly opponent

72 Messerschmitt Bf110 The supposedly ‘invincible’ Zerstörer (Destroyer) proved to be anything but this in the summer of 1940, with losses of Bf110s being so high that the type had to be withdrawn

81 Supermarine Spitfire The RAF’s best fighter in 1940, the graceful Spitfire proved to be a deadly adversary for German fighters and bombers alike during the Battle of Britain

94 Roll Call Other aircraft that participated in the Battle of Britain

96 The Blitz Images from the bombing campaign carried out by the Luftwaffe on British cities in 1940 Aviation Archive Series

Battle of Britain Aircraft • Editor: Allan Burney • Author: Tony Holmes • Design: Key Studio • Publisher and Managing Director: Adrian Cox • Executive Chairman: Richard Cox • Commercial Director: Ann Saundry • Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000 • Printing: Warners (Midlands) PLC, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH. All rights reserved. The entire content of Aviation Archive is © Key Publishing 2015. Reproduction in whole or in part and in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Publisher. We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website: www.keypublishing.com ISBN: 9781910415214

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BATTLE OF BRITAIN AIRCRAFT

Battle of Britain

A background to the events of 1940

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n the summer and autumn of 1940, a battle for national survival was waged in the skies over Britain. Not only would this struggle, the first to be fought primarily in the air, decide the fate of the United Kingdom, but on it also rested the freedom of Europe and the outcome of World War 2. By the end of June 1940, the United Kingdom stood alone. The forces of Nazi Germany and her allies had conquered or dominated the rest of Europe. In early July the German leader, Adolf Hitler, turned his attention to the British Isles. His intention was to force the surrender of

Britain through blockade, bombing, or, as a last resort, invasion. To achieve this end, Hitler knew that the Germans would need superiority in the air. Only if they controlled the skies could a heavy enough bombing campaign be mounted, or an invasion force cross the English Channel. The Luftwaffe consisted of three Luftflotten (Air Fleets), spread in an arc from the Normandy peninsula to the South of Britain, through northern France, Belgium and Holland, to Denmark and Norway in the North. Between them they could muster some 2,800

aircraft, two-thirds of them bombers. The Luftwaffe had already defeated the air forces of Poland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the RAF contingent in France. They were experienced and confident. Their commander, Reichsmarshal Herman Göring, was as optimistic as his men and predicted that victory would take a few days. Britain’s air defence rested principally on the RAF. While Bomber Command and Coastal Command would both make a significant contribution to the Battle by attacking the German invasion preparations and airfields across the Channel, and the Army’s anti-aircraft guns would inflict losses on any raiders, only the pilots of Fighter Command, under ACM Sir Hugh Dowding, could meet the Luftwaffe head on.

Split geographically into four ‘Groups’, 11 Group, under New Zealander AVM Keith Park, in the South-East would bear the brunt of the Battle. Many RAF squadrons had taken heavy losses in the fighting on the continent, and Fighter Command now stood at around 650 aircraft, and 1,300 pilots. To compensate for the lack of numbers, the RAF had the advantage of a highly efficient command and control system. At various levels in the command structure, Operations Rooms gathered and collated information gleaned from the radar sites that looked out from

INTRODUCTION Britain’s coastline, from the volunteers who staffed Observer Corps posts further inland, from aircraft in the air, and other sources to build a remarkably accurate and near ‘real-time’ picture of the situation in the skies above. The Battle of Britain began in early July 1940 and can be roughly divided into four phases. By the start of the first phase, on 10 July, the Luftwaffe had been attacking shipping in the English Channel for some weeks. This campaign was now stepped up, with the intention of cutting Britain’s coastal supply lines and drawing the RAF’s fighters into battle over the Channel where they could be destroyed. On 16 July, Adolf Hitler called for preparations to be made for Operation ‘Sealion’, the invasion of Britain. As a pre-requisite, he demanded that ‘the British Air Force must be eliminated to such an extent that it will be incapable of putting up any sustained opposition to the invading troops’. German attacks now hit the British mainland, with scattered attacks on airfields and attempts to knock out the string of coastal radar stations. By 1 August, little progress was being made by the Luftwaffe and so Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to ‘overpower the English Air Force with all the forces at its command, in the shortest possible time’. This, along with the other invasion preparations, was to be achieved by 15 September. The second phase of the Battle began on 13 August, a day that Göring lauded to his men in typical bombastic style as ‘Eagle Day’. The principle targets were now the radar sites, to blind the RAF, and the airfields of southern England, with the intention of driving the RAF from the skies. These airfields, particularly those in the South-East, suffered particularly badly. The raids not only destroyed valuable aircraft, but the damaged airfields made it difficult for aircraft to operate. By 6 September, Fighter Command was on the back foot. Although squadrons were being

rotated around the country, with battered units being withdrawn to the North to rest and the fresher squadrons moving from north to south, the pilots were becoming increasingly worn out. The losses in aircraft and pilots, and damage to the airfields, were making the situation appear increasingly grim. However, the Germans were also suffering and their early optimism was now severely strained. Hitler and Göring were both growing impatient and now turned their attention away from the airfields, and on to London.

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Command had been able to rotate many of the units in the South-East, and had recovered its balance and nerve. The day would see a series of heavy Luftwaffe raids across southern England and London throughout the day, and each was met with renewed ferocity by the pilots of Fighter Command. The experience of such a response from defence forces which, they had been told, had been almost completely destroyed, severely hit German morale. Although the fighting that day was far from the heaviest or most desperate

‘THE BATTLE OF FRANCE IS OVER. I EXPECT THAT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN IS ABOUT TO BEGIN’ Winston Churchill Although day and night raids had been mounted against various British towns and cities throughout the campaign, London had been left alone on Hitler’s express orders. However, on the night of 24/25 August, a lost bomber formation had dropped bombs on the capital by mistake. Churchill reacted and the following night, in retaliation, Bomber Command aircraft were sent to attack Berlin. Hitler was incensed and lifted his prohibition on the bombing of London. On 7 September 1940, the third phase of the Battle opened as the Luftwaffe began what would become a nine-month long campaign against London. The mass daylight raids that afternoon caused widespread damage and continued through the night. On the other hand, they also took the pressure off Fighter Command and allowed them vital time to rebuild their strength. By 15 September, Hitler’s deadline for the invasion preparations to be finished, Fighter

of the Battle, it was still a turning point. The Luftwaffe now realised that it had miscalculated and it became increasingly clear that they could not win the air superiority that they needed. Two days later, Hitler suspended Operation ‘Sealion’ indefinitely. From 1 October the fourth phase of the Battle began: the Germans resorted to fighter bomber attacks by day and a ferocious Blitz on British cities by its bomber forces at night. The night area bombing of London and other towns and cities by the Luftwaffe would continue until May 1941. Both sides took heavy casualties during the Battle of Britain. The Luftwaffe lost nearly 1,900 aircraft and more than 2,500 aircrew killed. Fighter Command had lost 544 pilots killed, about one in six of those who fought. Bomber and Coastal Commands had also taken heavy losses. Nevertheless, the battle had been won and the tide of war had changed. Words courtesy the RAF

Battle of Britain Aircraft This issue of Aviation Archive is a pictorial tribute to the aircraft and pilots that fought during the Battle of Britain. The types are listed in alphabetical order under manufacturer. As ever, the photographs have been carefully selected out of the extensive ‘Aeroplane Archive’ for their historic and rarity value, supplemented by other sources. We are also indebted to John Dibbs for providing access to his extensive collection of World War 2 imagery. Many of the photographs you will see are previously unpublished and provide a rare insight into the men and machines that fought so bravely from both sides of the battle. The images are complemented by ‘period’ cutaways from the talented pens of the ‘Flight’ and ‘Aeroplane’ artists of the era and by contemporary profiles by Chris Davey, Andy Hay, Rolando Ugolini and Zaur Eylanbekov. In order to portray scenes from the air battle, we are also greatly indebted to the artists Michael Turner (prints available at www.studio88.co.uk), Alex Hamilton (prints available at www.alexhamilton.net), and Simon Smith (prints available at www.sasmithart.co.uk).

Boulton Paul Defiant I T he final result of the turret fighter concept evolved by the RAF in the early 1930s, the Defiant enjoyed a less than successful career as a frontline fighter in the dangerous skies over southern England during the summer of 1940. Built to combine the strengths of new monoplane fighter design with the latest in turret weaponry, the Defiant struggled against single-seat opposition both in terms of speed and agility due to the weight of its two-man crew and its primary armament. Impressed by the rate of fire achieved by the four-gun power-operated turrets entering service with its new bombers in the early 1930s, the RAF decided to try them out in small, fast single-engined aircraft that were designed to replace the now obsolescent Hawker Demon biplane fighter. The Hawker Hotspur and Boulton Paul Defiant were created to meet Specification F9/35, which had been issued in 1933 and revised two years later. Although the Hotspur was the preferred type (based on the Henley light bomber, which was in effect a two-seat

Hurricane), Boulton Paul’s P82 – which was later christened the Defiant – came a close second. Two prototypes of each type were duly ordered. The Defiant, which looked superficially like a Hurricane, was fitted with a licence-built French SAMM turret behind the cockpit. This contained four 0.303in Colt-Browning machine guns, with 600 rounds per gun. Introducing a new tactical concept in two-seat fighters, the Defiant had no fixed forward-firing armament. Like the Defiant, the Hotspur was to feature a Boulton Paul (SAMM) turret with four Colt-Browning machine guns, as well as a single fixed forwardfiring Vickers machine gun on the starboard side of the fuselage. Both aircraft were powered by the 1,030hp Merlin II engine, although the Hotspur had a top speed of 316mph. This made it 12 mph faster than the Defiant. However, with Hawker struggling to cope with Hurricane production the Defiant was chosen as the only viable contender to fill the two-seat fighter role. The prototype made its maiden flight on 11 August 1937, by which time Boulton Paul had already received a contract for

the construction of 87 Defiant Is. Delays in production, to some extent caused by the enormous demand for the Merlin engine in other fighters, meant that only three Defiants had reached the RAF by the outbreak of war. Entering squadron service in December 1939, the Defiant initially enjoyed some success against German opposition surprised by its turret armament. However, once these same pilots learned that the aircraft had no forward-firing guns, they tailored their tactics accordingly and inflicted such heavy losses on the Defiant units that they had been removed from Fighter Command’s frontline strength by the end of August 1940.

Into Combat The first unit to receive the Defiant was No 264 Squadron, which was forced to fly Battle bombers and Magister basic trainers for the first six weeks of its existence until Boulton Paul fighters began to trickle in from mid-December 1939. Engine and hydraulic malfunctions caused the unit to ground its

BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT

Boulton Paul Defiant Type: Single-engined monoplane fighter Crew: Pilot and turret gunner Dimensions: 35ft 4in (10.77m) Length: Wingspan: 39ft 4in (12.00m) Height: 12ft 2in (3.70m) Weights: 6,078lb (2,757kg) Empty: Max T/O: 8,318lb (3,773kg) Max Speed: 304mph (489km/h) Range: 465 miles (748km) Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin III of 1,030hp (768kW) Armament: 4 x 0.303in machine guns in dorsal turret First Flight: 11 August 1937 Operator: UK Production: 1,075 Defiants temporarily in late January 1940, although these problems were soon rectified and the unit was finally declared operational on 20 March. No 264 Squadron immediately commenced flying convoy patrols over the North Sea from its fighter station at Martlesham

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Defiants of No 264 Squadron hold tight formation. The Luftwaffe soon realised that the Defiant was vulnerable to frontal attack and the squadron suffered heavy losses of aircraft and crew. At the end of May 1940 it was withdrawn from operations as a day-fighter squadron and began to train in the night-fighter role. During the Battle of Britain it returned to its day-fighter duties, but with the same tragic consequences as before.

Heath, in Suffolk, the unit graduating to patrolling the coast of France. The Defiant initially proved to be very successful in its designated role of bomber destroyer, especially when deployed in mixed formations with single-seat fighters in support. The aeroplane was less effective against enemy fighters, except when mistaken for a Spitfire or Hurricane in the heat of battle and attacked from above and behind. Otherwise, the Defiant proved to be an easy target for the Bf109E, with 14 having been lost by the end of the Dunkirk evacuation. No 264 Squadron had, rather optimistically, claimed 65 aircraft destroyed in return – 37 of them in one day! Over-claiming aside, the Defiant had proven itself in combat during the Dunkirk evacuation. After Dunkirk, No 141 Squadron had also been formed with the Defiant. Flying from West Malling, in Kent, it served with No 11 Group from 3 June until 21 July, when it was withdrawn to Prestwick, in Scotland, after suffering heavy losses to Bf109s in its first action on 15 July. Forward deployed to Hawkinge,

on the Kent coast, nine Defiants were ordered aloft and then attacked without warning by Bf109s from II./JG 2. The German pilots, who had correctly identified their opponents on this occasion, immediately carried out co-ordinated attacks from below and astern. Four Defiants went down in less than 60 seconds, with two more being lost shortly thereafter and another fighter returning to base minus its gunner, who had bailed out and drowned. All nine would have been lost had Hurricanes not intervened. Having made good its ‘Dunkirk’ losses, No 264 Squadron was posted to Hornchurch, in Essex, on 22 August. The unit only lasted six days in the frontline, during which time it had 11 aircraft destroyed and five pilots and nine air gunners killed. On a more positive note, No 264 Squadron had been credited with 15.5 victories (including three Bf109s), eight of these can be positively verified. Although the Defiant went on to enjoy some success as a nightfighter, it was never committed to daylight operations within range of enemy fighters again.

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Top: Boulton Paul Defiant I, N1706 TW-M, as flown by Flt Lt Robin Lucas, No 141 Squadron RAF. Chris Davey Above: Defiants under construction in Boulton Paul’s factory at Pendeford, Wolverhampton. Centre right: The turret of the Defiant under construction. The four Brownings were electrically fired and insulated cut-off points in the turret ring prevented the guns firing when they were pointing at the tailplane. The gunner could rotate the turret directly forward and transfer firing control of the guns to the pilot, with the guns firing along each side of the cockpit canopy. However, in practice this was rarely done as the pilot did not have a gunsight. Top right: Against bombers, the Defiant’s extremely heavy turret armament was very effective and by operating mixed formations of Defiants and Hurricanes the RAF could make use of the superficial resemblance between the two types to confuse and trap German fighters. However, when the Messerschmitts caught Defiants operating on their own and recognised them for what they were, they inflicted appalling casualties. Right: The prototype of the Boulton Paul Defiant beared an uncanny resemblance to the Hurricane, save for one very obvious feature, its heavily-armed turret. The fuselage was fitted with aerodynamic fairings that helped mitigate the drag of the turret; they were pneumatically powered and could be lowered into the fuselage so that the turret could rotate freely.

BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT

Famous Aces Sgt Ted Thorn and Sgt Fred Barker Sgt Ted Thorn and his gunner Sgt Fred Barker were the most successful Defiant crew in terms of aerial victories, claiming 11.5 kills and two damaged during 1940. Indeed, Barker was the RAF’s Flight Sergeants most successful air gunner of World War 2. A prewar pilot with E. R. Thorn (pilot) and F. J. Barker (gunner) pose considerable experience, Thorn had joined No 264 Squadron with their Defiant after upon its formation and quickly teamed up with East Londoner destroying their 13th Axis Fred Barker. They had claimed 7.5 victories over Dunkirk between aircraft; Thorn and Barker 28 and 31 May, earning them both DFMs. Having downed a Ju88 were the most successful on 24 August, they had claimed two Do17s on the 26th and Defiant crew of the war. were in the process of going after a third Dornier when their Defiant was attacked by a Bf109. Thorn spun down in an attempt to shake the fighter off, and as he prepared to make a crash-landing the Bf109 attacked again at an altitude of just 500ft. Although the Defiant was set on fire, Barker managed to shoot the enemy aircraft down moments before Thorn belly-landed their fighter. Only slightly injured in the action, both men duly received Bars to their DFMs. They subsequently destroyed a He111 at night on 8/9 April 1941, after which their partnership was broken up when Thorn was commissioned and posted to Hurricane-equipped No 32 Squadron.

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KEY 1 Three-blade Rotol propeller 2 Coolant header tank 3 Rolls-Royce Merlin III 1,030hp 12 cylinder Vee engine 4 Exhaust manifold 5 Handle for engine cranking 6 Oil cooler intake 7 Hydraulic reservoir 8 10 Imp gal oil tank 9 Engine bearer 10 Instrument panel 11 Compass 12 Pilot’s seat 13 Throttle quadrant 14 Pitot head 15 Main fuel tank, 52 Imp gal (both sides) 16 Auxiliary fuel tank (both sides) 27 Imp gal 17 Navigation light (both sides) 18 Undercarriage oleo leg 19 Mainplane front spar 20 Mainplane rear spar

Britain Battle of adrons Squ Defiant I

n

qn No 141 S

q No 264 S

21 Aileron 22 Split flaps, outboard (both sides) 23 Split flaps, inboard (both sides) 24 Aileron control rods 25 Flap control rods 26 Forward ventral aerial mast 27 Radiator fairing 28 Coolant pipes 29 Retractable forward fairing 30 Forward fairing actuation ram 31 Wireless transmitter/receiver 32 Power-operated turret 33 Four 0.303 Browning machine guns 34 Forward/aft fuselage construction join 35 Corrugated decking 36 Access hatch

37 Flare chutes 38 Retractable rear fairing 39 Ballast weight hatch 40 Dorsal navigation light 41 Rear ventral aerial in flight position (retracts upwards when undercarriage is lowered) 42 Tailwheel (non-retractable) 43 Elevator 44 Elevator mass balance 45 Elevator trim tab 46 Rudder 47 Rudder mass balance 48 Fin 49 Rudder trim tab 50 Rear navigation light

BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT Inset left: A gunner of No 264 Squadron about to enter the turret of his Defiant at Kirtonin-Lindsey, Lincolnshire, August 1940. The gunner’s hatch was in the rear of the turret, which had to be rotated to a side to enable entry and exit. There was not enough room in the turret for the gunner to wear a seat-type or back-pack parachute, so gunners were provided with a special all-in-one garment nicknamed the ‘rhino suit’. Left: Defiants of No 264 Squadron finished in their day-fighter scheme. The unit developed a counter against attack by single-seat aircraft such as the Bf109. By flying in an ever-descending Lufbery circle, Defiant crews sacrificed the advantage of height but eliminated the possibility of attack from underneath, while giving 360° of defensive fire. Right: The Defiant operating in its night-fighter role. Defiant night fighters typically attacked enemy bombers from below, more often from slightly ahead or to one side rather than from directly under the tail. During the winter Blitz on London of 1940–41, the Defiant equipped four squadrons, shooting down more enemy aircraft at night than any other type.

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Bristol Blenheim IF/IVF

Famous Ace Flg Off Reg Peacock The only pilot to achieve five victories flying the Blenheim fighter was Londoner Flg Off Reg Peacock, who gained his first successes during North Sea patrols in May and June 1940 with Coastal Command’s No 235 Squadron. By mid summer he had two and two shared victories to his name. With the Battle of Britain at its height, a detachment of No 235 Squadron’s Blenheim IVFs was moved to Thorney Island, in West Sussex, for local defence – Reg Peacock was one of the pilots to accompany the aircraft. On the afternoon of 18 August he scrambled in Blenheim IVF L9446, leading two other aircraft from the detachment into action against a raid by almost 30 Ju88s. Flying straight at the bombers, Peacock closed with the leader and opened fire. He had the satisfaction of seeing his target crash into the sea with its engine ablaze, thus giving him his fifth victory. A pre-war pilot, Reg Peacock survived the Battle of Britain and remained with No 235 Squadron after it became No 227 Squadron in Luqa, Malta, in August 1942. He was killed in a flying accident in Libya on 5 February 1943.

B

ristol’s venerable Blenheim was the result of a speculative private venture on the part of the manufacturer. Unencumbered by restrictions on the aircraft’s weight, powerplants, general layout or radius of action, the Bristol design team produced a sleek twin-engined machine known as the Type 142. First flown at Filton on 12 April 1935, the aircraft’s performance sent ripples of concern through the RAF when it was discovered that its top speed was 30mph faster than Fighter Command’s then new biplane fighter, the Gloster Gauntlet I. The Air Ministry ordered 150 airframes, which it christened the Blenheim, and the first of these entered service with the RAF in March 1937. With war clouds looming at the time of the Munich Crisis of September 1938, the replacement of the biplane Demon with

more modern equipment became urgent. Two months later, at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), a Blenheim I was fitted with a trial installation of an underfuselage gun pack containing four Browning machine guns. Test firings were subsequently completed at the RAE’s Martlesham Heath facility. Following the trials, the first of almost 150 surplus Blenheim Is (most UK-based Blenheim bomber squadrons had replaced their Mk Is with the improved Mk IV, the latter having grown out of an Air Ministry requirement for a reconnaissance type with greater crew accommodation and an increased range) were modified for the long-range fighter role at Nos 24 and 27 Maintenance Units. Thus equipped, the aircraft were re‑designated Blenheim IFs. The first of these new ‘fighters’ were delivered to No 25 Squadron at Hawkinge and

BRISTOL BLENHEIM Left: During the Battle of Britain, RAF Fighter Command fielded six Blenheim IF Squadrons in the night fighter role, although most of their limited success was gained by day rather than by night. One notable exception to this was the world’s first air victory using airborne radar, achieved by a Blenheim of the Fighter Interception Unit over a Dornier Do17 during the night of 2/3 July 1940. This particular Blenheim IF was used by 54 OTU for nightfighter training and was fitted with an A1 Mk III radar antenna in the nose. Below: Silver dream machine. The privatelybuilt prototype Blenheim on display in its unadulterated natural metal finish. Bottom: Sir Howard Kingsley Wood (third from left) inspects the cockpit of the Blenheim prototype. As Secretary of State for Air in the months before World War 2, Kingsley Wood oversaw a huge increase in the production of warplanes to bring Britain up to parity with Germany.

No 23 Squadron at Wittering in December 1938. They were soon followed by No 64 Squadron at Church Fenton, which was fully equipped by mid-January 1939, and Digby-based No 29 Squadron. In January 1939 the three Auxiliary Air Force Demon units based in the London area – Nos 600, 601 and 604 Sqns – also began receiving Blenheim IFs.

Into Combat On the outbreak of war the RAF had no specialised nightfighter units, so the Blenheim IF fighter squadrons were allocated this additional duty. A period of intense night training commenced. Amid great secrecy, trials had been proceeding on an airborne intercept (AI) radar, and No 25 Squadron received its first four AI-equipped Mk IFs in August 1939. A handful of radar-equipped aircraft were also issued to No 604 Squadron, the Fighter

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Bristol Blenheim IF/IVF Type: Twin-engined monoplane day/night fighter Crew: Pilot, navigator and turret gunner Dimensions: 39ft 9in (12.12m) Length: Wingspan: 56ft 4in (17.17m) Height: 9ft 10in (3.00m) Weights: 8,840lb (4,010kg) Empty: Max T/O: 12,500lb (5,670kg) Max Speed: 278mph (447km/h) Range: 1,050 miles (1,690km) Powerplants: 2 x Bristol Mercury VIIIs of 840hp (626kW) per engine Armament: 1 x 0.303in machine gun in port engine nacelle, 1 x 0.303in in dorsal turret and 4x 0.303in in underfuselage tray First Flight: 12 April 1935 (Type 142) Operators: UK, Canada, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia Production: 1,427 Blenheim Is and 3,296 Blenheim IVs

Interception Unit at Tangmere and the Special Duties Flight (SDF) at Martlesham Heath, allowing technical and tactical trials to continue through the winter of 1939-40. A few days before the outbreak of war, No 25 Squadron had also received a few of the longer range Blenheim IVFs. This unit, along with No 601 Squadron, had the distinction of being the first RAF fighter squadrons to undertake an offensive sortie over Germany when, on 28 November, the seaplane base at Borkum, in the Frisian Islands, was attacked. By the beginning of 1940 further units had been formed with Blenheim fighters, one being No 235 Squadron to which the only Blenheim ace, Plt Off Reg Peacock, was posted in late January. On 10 May 1940, the Germans opened three simultaneous thrusts into France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Both fighter and bomber versions suffered heavy losses during the Blitzkrieg, underlining the type’s vulnerability – especially to Bf109s. Increasingly, Fighter Command Blenheim IFs were tasked with performing nightfighter duties, with No 600 Squadron leading the way with AI radar-equipped aircraft in June/July 1940. A handful of German bombers (and He59 and He115 seaplanes) were claimed during

Top: Close-up details of the Blenheim I’s Bristol Mercury VIII air-cooled radial engine. Right: Blenheims on parade. The early Mk Is entered RAF service in March 1937 but by then the type had already lost its speed advantage over the rapidly advancing fighters of the era, making it vulnerable to enemy attack from the opening days of the conflict. Below left: Bristol Mercury engines being winched into position during the final assembly of Blenheim Is. It was one of the first British aircraft to have all-metal stressed-skin construction, retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable-pitch propellers. Below right: Blenheim Is in final assembly at Bristol’s Filton factory. Well shown is the construction of the type’s distinctive nose profile. To achieve its relatively high speed, the Blenheim had a very small fuselage cross-section, with its upper front glazing all at one angle in the form of a ‘stepless cockpit’.

BRISTOL BLENHEIM both day and night patrols along the Channel coast during the lead up to the Battle of Britain. Coastal Command’s trio of Blenheim IVF units (Nos 235, 236 and 248 Squadrons) also saw considerable action, crews bravely flying local defence patrols when incoming air raids were detected. The highlight of their bloody and largely unsung campaign came on 18 August when Reg Peacock claimed a Ju88 for his fifth victory, thus making him the only pilot to become a Blenheim ace. Despite being terribly slow, the Blenheim IF/IVF could outturn a Bf109 at certain altitudes. Rightly so, the RAF regarded Coastal Command’s trio of Blenheim IVF squadrons as ‘qualifying’ for the list of participants in the Battle of Britain. In

total, the 10 units equipped with the Blenheim claimed 30 victories during the summer and autumn of 1940. Although the air battles over southern England raged by day, there were also increasing incursions by Luftwaffe bombers at night, and these became largely the province of the Blenheim squadrons. Although the day assault would continue for several more months, it was in countering the

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increasing number of night raids that the Blenheim squadrons would concentrate on. Finding German bombers using unreliable radar equipment and inexperienced fighter controllers was often very hard, but a handful of night raiders were shot down. More importantly, future aces gained valuable experience in this demanding role that would be put to good use flying Beaufighter and Mosquito nightfighters later in the war.

Battle of Britain Blenheim IF/IVF Squadrons No 23 Sqn No 25 Sqn No 29 Sqn No 219 Sqn No 235 Sqn No 236 Sqn No 248 Sqn No 600 Sqn No 604 Sqn Fighter Interception Unit Special Duties Flight

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Inset top: Three Blenheim Is head out on a training mission as the RAF prepares for the inevitable conflict in Europe. Top: Contrasting against the clouds, the classic lines of the Blenheim I are shown to advantage in this view of L1295. This aircraft entered service in August 1938 with No 107 Squadron. Left: When war broke out in September 1939, seven home-based fighter squadrons had re-equipped or were re-equipping with the Blenheim IF, a fighter version with four extra 0.303in Brownings in a belly pack. Other armament of the Mk IF was a single wing mounted Browning machine gun and a Vickers ‘K’ gun in the semi-retractable hydraulically operated dorsal turret. Right: Looking forward towards the cockpit of the Blenheim. The pilot’s quarters on the left side of the nose were so cramped that the control yoke obscured all flight instruments while engine instruments eliminated the forward view on landings.

BRISTOL BLENHEIM

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Immediately distinguished by its extended nose, the Blenheim IV introduced many improvements including increased armour and uprated Bristol Mercury XV engines. The long-range fighter version was armed with four 0.303in machine guns in a special gun pack under the fuselage. This particular Mk IV was first flown in May 1939 and went on to serve with No 53 Squadron. It was lost in action on 29 May 1940 as the result of friendly fire.

Blenheim IF, L8687, of No 23 Squadron in 1940. As a day fighter the Blenheim IF was easy meat for single-engine interceptors, however it served as a useful night fighter and was involved in the first major night intercept of the war on 18-19 June 1940. Raiding Heinkel He111s were attacking bomber bases in East Anglia when they were intercepted by Blenheims of No 23 Squadron, including L8687 being flown by Sgt A. C. Close. L8687 scored hits on a Heinkel but was then hit by return fire and the crew were forced to bail out. Tragically Close was killed, but his gunner LAC J. Angus survived. Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk

Bristol Blenheim IVs entered service with Coastal Command in late 1939 and by 1940 was the most important version having replaced the Blenheim I in the majority of front-line duties. The Blenheim was used in a variety of roles including shipping protection, coastal patrols, reconnaissance, and as an attack aircraft, but losses were high due mainly to the type’s vulnerability against enemy fighters. Coastal Command Blenheims were also used in the long-range fighter role and a number of aircraft were fitted with a four gun pack mounted beneath the fuselage. Designated as Blenheim IVF, this variant offered other improvements, most notably the fitting of an additional machine gun in the mid-upper turret and operating with a dedicated three man crew. Representative of the version is V5735 of No 254 Squadron that was based at Aldergrove, Northern Ireland from May to December 1941. Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk

DORNIER Do17

Dornier Do17P/Z T he Dornier Do17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift (‘flying pencil’), was designed as a Schnellbomber (‘fast bomber’), which, in theory, would be so fast that it could outrun defending fighter aircraft. The type was popular among its crews due to its handling, especially at low altitude, which made the Do17 harder to hit than other German bombers. The least numerous of the trio of medium bombers employed by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, the Do17, like the He111, was derived from a high-speed mailplane/airliner built to meet a Deutsche Lufthansa requirement from the early 1930s. The first examples to enter series production, in early 1936, were the E-1 bomber and F-1 reconnaissance variants, both of which were easily capable of 240mph in level flight. The Do17E also carried a worthwhile internal bombload, and the aeroplane’s crew of three were clustered together in the nose, easing communication issues. Issued to frontline units

in early 1937, Do17E/Fs were also combattested in Spain from the spring of that year. By late 1937 production had switched to the Do17M and Do17P, these variants being broadly similar to the earlier types bar a change in powerplant from the 750hp BMW V1 inline engine to the 1,000hp BMW-Bramo 323A-1 Fafnir radial for the bomber and 865hp BMW 132N for the photo-reconnaissance aircraft. In September 1938 the Luftwaffe had 479 Do17s (spread over four variants) on strength from a total of 580 delivered by Dornier. By then the company was on the verge of producing the definitive Do17 variant, the Z-model. Driven by the need to provide the bomber with better underside protection and more crew space for maximum operational efficiency, the Do17Z had an entirely redesigned forward fuselage. The cockpit roof was raised and fully glazed, the nose containing the bombardier’s station was also fully glazed with a series of small flat panels and the lower section was bulged and extended aft in the form of a large underslung ventral gondola to a point just forward of the

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wing leading edge. With more room forward, the Z-model could now accommodate a crew of up to five. Defensive armament was increased to six 7.9 mm machine guns – one fixed and one free-mounted firing forward, one firing aft in each of the dorsal and ventral positions and two in the side windows. The weapons were mounted singly, however, and had limited arcs of fire. The Do17Z’s bomb load remained a modest 2,200lb. The new forward fuselage had initially been fitted to the Daimler-Benz DB 600-powered Do17S high-speed reconnaissance aircraft, although this version did not progress beyond the evaluation phase. The similarly configured Do17U pathfinder followed, and just 12 of these were built prior to production shifting to the Do17Z. This variant was fitted with BMW-Bramo 323A-1 Fafnir radials, as there was uncertainty over availability of the DB 600 due to it being in great demand for the burgeoning Dornier Do17s drone their way towards a target over England during 1940.

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fighter programme. The Z-1 retained the good handling qualities and manoeuvrability of its predecessors, but with the additional crew members and increased equipment and armament, it was decidedly underpowered. Its bombload was duly halved, but this was restored in early 1939 through the introduction of the Z-2 fitted with BMW-Bramo 323P Fafnir engines with two-speed superchargers. The restoration of the full bomb load necessitated a reduction in fuel capacity, which in turn meant the bomber’s range was reduced to just 205 miles. The Do17Z was popular with flying and groundcrews alike, and it was the most reliable of the Luftwaffe’s bombers. However, it lacked the load-carrying capability of the He111 and the speed of the Ju88, and by the end of 1939 Battle of Britain Do17P/Z Units production was Kampfgeschwader 2, 3, 76, 77 already tapering Aufklärungstaffeln 10, 11, 14, 22, 31, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124 off. The last of 500 Do17Z-1/2s and 22 Do17Z-3s reconnaissance-bombers had been delivered by the early summer of 1940.

Into Combat At the start of the Polish campaign, the Do17 and He111 formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s bomber force, with four Kampfgeschwader (KGs 2, 3, 76 and 77) being equipped with 533 Dorniers. KGs 76 and 77 were still flying Do17Es, while KGs 2 and 3 had Do17Zs. A large number of reconnaissance M-1s and P-1s were also on strength with various Aufklärungstaffeln among the four Luftflotten. Do17Zs of III./KG 3 bombed the approaches to an important railway bridge at Dirschau just 45 minutes after the official outbreak of World War 2. All four units subsequently attacked Polish airfields, ammunition dumps, troop concentrations (with incendiaries during the Battle of Bzura, causing a huge number of casualties) and targets of opportunity until the campaign ended with German victory. Only a small number of Do17s had been lost, primarily to ground fire, as crews found that they could usually outrun Polish fighters. Although only reconnaissance Do17Ps were used in Norway in April 1940, by the time the Blitzkrieg was launched on 10 May KGs 2, 3 and 4 were under the command of Fliegerkorps II and KGs 76 and 77 were assigned to Fliegerkorps I and VIII, respectively. The Do17’s limited bomb load and range meant that the aeroplane’s usefulness diminished during the Battle of France, despite its continued

Top: A Dornier Do17Z releases its deadly cargo during the Battle of Britain. The 2,205lb (1,000kg) bomb load was contained within a lower fuselage bomb bay. A typical weapons load included four 250kg SD 250 bombs. Above: Bombers amass over France before setting their sights on targets over Southern England. Right: Two German Dornier Do17 bombers over the West Ham docklands area of south-east London.

popularity with its crews. More manoeuvrable than the He111 or Ju88, and capable of performing low-level strikes with great effectiveness, the Do17s soldiered on in the frontline. In one particularly devastating raid on 10 May, KG 2 targeted the RAF-controlled

airfield at Vraux, destroying six Blenheim IVs and two Battles and damaging many others. However, such success was tempered by the loss of 19 Do17s from KGs 2 and 3 to Allied fighters that same day. As the conflict progressed, and French and British fighter

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Dornier Do17Z All dimensions, speed and range data is for the Do17Z-2

Type:

Twin-engined monoplane bomber Crew: Pilot, navigator, bomb aimer/gunner and flight engineer/gunner Dimensions: Length: 51ft 10in (15.8m) Wingspan: 59ft 1in (18m) Height: 15ft (4.56m) Weights: 11,486lb (5,210kg) Empty: Max T/O: 19,482lb (8,837 kg) Max Speed: 255 mph (410km/h) Range: 628 miles (1,010km) Powerplant: 2 x BMW-Bramo 323P Fafnirs of 1,972hp (1,472kW) Armament: Up to eight MG 15 7.92mm machine guns in nose, rear upper cockpit, cockpit sides and ventral gondola; maximum bomb load of 2,205lb (1,000kg) in bomb-bay First Flight: Autumn 1934 Operators: Croatia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Yugoslavia, Romania Production: 522 Do17Zs were built

strengths began to wane, the Dornier bombers again came into their own. KGs 2 and 3 were particularly active over the Dunkirk evacuation beaches, and on 2 June a renewed effort by RAF Fighter Command saw 16 Do17s destroyed. By the time France finally fell, the Dornier Kampfgeschwader had dropped 350 tons of bombs during the campaign Losses suffered in the Battle of France were not made good by the start of the Battle of Britain, by which point a number of the former Do17 Kampfgeschwader had commenced their conversion onto the Ju88. KG 2 was still fully equipped with Dorniers, however the unit being tasked with playing a leading role in the Kanalkampf against British convoys in the Channel in July. On Adlertag (13 August), III./KG 2 targetted Eastchurch and lost five

Do17Zs. Two days later, 88 Dorniers – the entire serviceable strength of KG 3 – bombed Eastchurch again and Rochester, and on the 16th I./KG 2 and III./KG 76 bombed West Malling. Finally, I. and III./KG 76 performed daring low-level raids on Biggin Hill and Kenley on 18 August – 19 Do17Zs were lost on this date, most of them in the attack on Biggin Hill. Do17 units specialised in terrain-following raids because the aircraft’s robust radial engines performed best at low altitude. Such attacks were made in an attempt to evade fighter opposition, crews relying on the bomber’s exceptional manoeuvrability to get them out of trouble. Capable of speeds up to 370mph in a shallow dive, the Do17 easily coped with stresses and strains of low-level operations thanks to its high structural strength.

DORNIER Do17

Above: Southern England was littered with Luftwaffe wrecks during the summer of 1940. Above right: Although the Dornier Do17 was successful throughout the early stages of World War 2, during the Battle of Britain it was easy prey for the fighters of the RAF, as illustrated here. Left: This Dornier Do17 of 9./KG76 was shot down on 18 August by Hurricanes of No 111 Squadron and crashed at Leaves Green near Biggin Hill in Kent.

Nevertheless, crews quickly discovered that the bomber’s defensive armament was woefully inadequate, resulting in forward maintenance units adding two more 7.9mm MG 15 weapons that were fired laterally from the radio operator’s position. The Do17’s performance advantage at low altitude was negated from 7 September 1940 when the Luftwaffe switched to the

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bombing of London in large formation attacks at medium altitude. Losses mounted and on 15 September the three remaining Dornierequipped Kampfgruppen suffered heavily, losing 20 aircraft shot down and 13 damaged. The previous month had also been a hard one for the Do17, with 54 being lost and 20 written off due to technical problems and accidents. By the end of September another 50 had been lost followed by 36 in October. Although the battle continued into October, with the Luftwaffe now concentrating on night attacks, Do17 numbers had been reduced to such an extent that the bulk of the night Blitz would be carried out by units primarily equipped with He111s and Ju88s. Dornier Do17’s losses in the Battle of Britain have been officially given as 132, the lowest for all three German bomber types involved in the campaign.

Famous Pilot Johannes Fink A veteran of World War 1, where he saw combat with 9. Württembergische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 127, Johannes Fink was wounded as early as September 1914. He remained in action for the next four years, rising to the rank of leutnant and serving as regimental adjutant at war’s end. Joining the Reichswehr and eventually becoming the intelligence officer for Infanterieregiment 13, Fink learned to fly in the late 1920s and transferred to the Luftwaffe upon its creation in 1935. By the outbreak of war he had attained the rank of oberst and been made Kommodore of Do17-equipped KG 2. Leading his unit in combat over Poland and France, Fink was made Kanalkampfführer (Channel Battle Leader) in July 1940 and entrusted with the task of clearing the Channel of British shipping. Aside from KG 2, he also had control of two Stuka gruppen and one Zestörergeschwader. Fink’s bomber was shot up during a mission to London on 7 September, but he managed to nurse the aeroplane back to France. After the battle he was promoted out of the cockpit and served in various staff command roles through to war’s end.

Dornier Do17P/Z

Above: A pilot’s eye view of flying the Dornier Do17, with a colleague hanging off his wingtip, providing protective firepower for one another. Left: The Dornier Do17Z/215/217 family shared the same compact crew compartment. The forward fuselage was redesigned from earlier models, with the cockpit area being ‘dropped’, or extended further to enable a rear firing gunner position to be installed, and the canopy extended aft. Although conditions were cramped, communication between the crew was excellent. Below: The Dornier Do17Z-1 variant was born out of combat experience in Spain and became the definitive version of the type.

Dornier Do17P/Z

Above: A pilot’s eye view of flying the Dornier Do17, with a colleague hanging off his wingtip, providing protective firepower for one another. Left: The Dornier Do17Z/215/217 family shared the same compact crew compartment. The forward fuselage was redesigned from earlier models, with the cockpit area being ‘dropped’, or extended further to enable a rear firing gunner position to be installed, and the canopy extended aft. Although conditions were cramped, communication between the crew was excellent. Below: The Dornier Do17Z-1 variant was born out of combat experience in Spain and became the definitive version of the type.

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Hawker Hurricane T he Hurricane’s arrival in the frontline in December 1937 saw the RAF finally make the jump from biplane to monoplane fighters. The aircraft owed much to Hawker’s ultimate biplane design, the Fury, both types being built around an internal ‘skeleton’ of four wire-braced alloy and steel tube longerons – this structure was renowned for both its simplicity of construction and durability. The Hurricane also benefited from Hawker’s long-standing partnership with Rolls-Royce, whose newly developed Merlin I engine proved to be the ideal powerplant. Toting eight 0.303-in machine guns, and capable of speeds in excess of 300mph, the Hurricane I was the world’s most advanced fighter when issued to the RAF. The first 600 Hurricane Is to enter service differed very little from the solitary prototype, K5083. Although the latter had initially been flown without armament, eight-gun wings were fitted to the aeroplane in the summer of 1936 and the prototype made its first flight in this configuration on 17 August that same year. The first production standard Hurricane I, L1547, was fitted with the more powerful, and reliable,

1,030hp Merlin II engine in place of K5083’s 1,025hp Merlin ‘C’. Aside from the change in powerplant, the production aeroplane also had a revised canopy with internal strengthening, a bulletproof windscreen (added in early 1939), simplified undercarriage doors, an aerial mast, enlarged rudder which included a trim tab and formation light on the trailing edge, landing lights in the wing leading edge and ‘kidney’ exhaust stubs. These were in turn replaced from mid-1938 by ‘ejector’ exhaust stubs. The first 60 Hurricane Is also lacked the small ventral strake beneath the rear fuselage that subsequently became standard for all Hurricanes built from February 1938 – none of the first three units to re-equip with the Hawker fighter initially received modified Hurricane Is. The addition of the strake was found to aid high-speed spin recovery. The entire forward quarter of the aeroplane’s fuselage was taken up with the Merlin II-filled

engine compartment. Immediately behind this was an armour-plated firewall, then the reserve fuel tank (of 28 gallons) and the cockpit, with its bulletproof windscreen and sliding canopy – the latter was subsequently made jettisonable. Two 33-gallon self-sealing fuel tanks were installed in the wing roots on either side of the fuselage centre section, while the fighter’s eight 0.303in machine guns were housed in the wings in two closely grouped banks of four outboard of the undercarriage so as to allow them to fire outside of the propeller arc. With most equipment and systems grouped around the aeroplane’s central fuselage and forward quarter, the Hurricane I’s fabric-covered steel-tube and longeron rear fuselage was left virtually empty. Indeed, its sole purpose was to carry the tail section. Production of the first batch of Hurricane Is, totalling 600 aircraft, ran from October 1937

Right: A fine formation of Hurricane Is, still featuring the type’s early two-bladed fixed-pitch wooden airscrew. Below: The classic sturdy lines of the first production Hawker Hurricane L1547 which first took to the air on 12 October 1937 at Brooklands.

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to October 1939. By the end of September 1939, the first examples from a follow-on order for 300 Hurricane Is had started to roll off the Hawker production line at Kingston. From July 1940, Fighter Command units began receiving definitive late-build Hurricane Is as attrition replacements for aeroplanes written off in combat or flying accidents. Many of the upgrades seen on these machines were also fitted to early-build Hurricane Is at RAF Maintenance Units (MUs) and civilian-run repair depots when aeroplanes required overhaul or battle damage rectification. One of the first, and most obvious, changes to be made was the replacement of the Watts wooden two-blade, fixed-pitch propeller with a three-blade metal, or composite, unit supplied by Rotol or de Havilland. Hawker commenced trials with the Merlin III and the Rotol propeller in late January 1939, and either this combination or the de Havilland twopitch propeller was fitted as standard from the second batch of Hurricane Is onward. Earlier aeroplanes were also modified from late 1939,

although Watts-equipped machines remained in the frontline into the early summer of 1940. The other major structural change for the Hurricane I during this period was the introduction of stressed metal wings. Their use had been considered right from the start by Hawker, but the Air Ministry was keen to get the aeroplane into service as quickly as possible. This in turn meant that virtually all of the 600 aircraft built in the first production run and the first 80 of the second batch of 300 were completed with fabric-covered wings. Having reviewed the flight performance data of the metal-winged Hurricane I, the Air Ministry agreed that the company should commence production straight away. However, these wings were initially to be fitted to damaged aeroplanes returned to Hawker for repair. Stocks of new wings were then supplied to MUs so that fighters in storage awaiting delivery to operational squadrons could also be modified. Additional armour plating was also fitted to late-build Hurricane Is. Initially the aeroplane boasted just a single piece of armour plating forward of the cockpit, but with the advent

of the cannon-armed Bf109D, a bulletproof windscreen was installed (despite objections by cost-conscious Air Ministry officials). Following No 1 Squadron’s early experiences in combat during the ‘Phoney War’, which led to the unit fitting steel plating from a wrecked Battle to one of its Hurricane Is in the field, additional armour plating was inserted aft of the pilot’s seat as standard equipment to all RAF fighters. Both of these vital modifications had been added to all production aeroplanes by the spring of 1940. Finally, the original TR9B radio was replaced with the improved TR9D in 1939, the former having been found lacking both in range and audible clarity. This installation resulted in the introduction of a new aerial mast and lead in place of the original ‘pole’ type. Most of these changes began to appear on new-production Hurricane Is constructed by both Hawker and Gloster from late October 1939. By then the combined output from Hawker’s Kingston and Brooklands plants, as well as the Gloster site at Brockworth, was five new late-build Hurricane Is per day.

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Hawker Hurricane II Type: Single-engined monoplane fighter Crew: One pilot Dimensions: 31ft 5in (9.58m) Length: Wingspan: 40ft 0in (12.19m) Height: 13ft 0in (3.96m) Weights: 4,982lb (2,260kg) Empty: Max T/O: 7,490lb (3,397kg) Max Speed: 324mph (521km/h) Range: 600 miles (965km) Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin II/III of 1,030hp (768 kW) Armament: 8 x 0.303in machine guns in wings First Flight: 6 November 1935 Operators: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Eire, Finland, France, India, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USSR, Yugoslavia Production: 3,857 Mk Is Above: The Hurricane prototype, K5083, clearly indicating the demarcation between the metalclad and fabric covering of the fuselage and wings. Left: A period cutaway of the ‘new’ Hawker Hurricane, very much in the style of the era. When first delivered to the RAF, the type was hailed as the most advanced fighter aircraft of its time. Right: The early production line of the Hawker Hurricane at Brooklands, complete with crated Merlin engine and lucky black cat! Below right: The first RAF unit to receive the Hawker Hurricane was No 111 Squadron at Northolt, which took delivery of its complement of 16 aircraft from December 1937. Bottom right: A dramatic shot of a Hawker Hurricane testing its eight 0.303 Browning machine guns, embedded in the wings and firing outside the propeller arc.

Into Combat On the outbreak of war, Hurricanes were chosen to accompany the RAF bomber units sent to France, equipping Nos 1 and 73 Squadrons of the Advanced Air Striking Force and Nos 85 and 87 Squadrons of the Air Component. The first enemy aircraft shot down by RAF fighters on the Western Front was by a Hurricane of No 1 Squadron on 30 October 1939, while No 73 Squadron’s Flg Off E. J. ‘Cobber’ Kain became the RAF’s first ace of the war. From 10 May to 3 June 1940 Hurricane units fought valiantly to stem the Luftwaffe onslaught in

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Below: Rearming of a No 601 Squadron Hawker Hurricane at RAF Tangmere in 1940. The first Hurricane IIs that were delivered to the RAF from September 1940 retained an armament of eight 0.303in Browning machine guns.

Battle of Britain Hurricane I Squadrons No 1 Sqn No 1 Sqn (RCAF) No 3 Sqn No 17 Sqn No 32 Sqn No 43 Sqn No 46 Sqn No 56 Sqn No 73 Sqn No 79 Sqn No 85 Sqn No 87 Sqn No 111 Sqn No 145 Sqn No 151 Sqn No 213 Sqn No 229 Sqn No 232 Sqn No 238 Sqn No 242 Sqn No 245 Sqn No 249 Sqn No 253 Sqn No 257 Sqn No 263 Sqn No 302 Sqn No 303 Sqn No 310 Sqn No 312 Sqn No 501 Sqn No 504 Sqn No 601 Sqn No 605 Sqn No 607 Sqn No 615 Sqn No 421 Flt No 422 Flt support of the Blitzkrieg in the West, suffering terrible losses in the process – between 19 May and 1 June 119 Hurricanes were destroyed. Fortunately, production soon made good these losses and no fewer than 1,715 examples equipped 36 units within Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. Having entered service a year before the Spitfire, the Hurricane was ‘half a generation’ older, which in turn meant it was slower both in terms of top speed and rate of climb. However, it was as manoeuvrable as the Spitfire and a much steadier gun platform – a factor that was exploited to the full by pilots during the summer of 1940. The Hurricane proved to be an extremely robust aeroplane once in combat, being capable of sustaining considerable battle damage before having to be written off. It was more susceptible to catching fire than the Spitfire, however, pilots expressing alarm at how quickly the Hurricane became engulfed in flames when struck in one of its fuel tanks.

Being of long-established construction, the fighter could be serviced and repaired at almost any RAF station in Britain in 1940 – unlike the more complex Spitfire. It is estimated that Hurricane pilots were credited with four-fifths of all enemy aircraft destroyed in the period July to October 1940, with squadrons claiming 1,593 victories. This averaged out to 44.25 per unit, compared with more than 60 for squadrons equipped with Spitfires. Having taken over-claiming into account, the leading unit with substantiated kills was No 303 ‘Polish’ Squadron, with 51.5 victories (it claimed 121), followed by No 501 Squadron with 40.25 victories (it claimed 101). The latter unit also holds the record for the highest number of days engaged (35), of any Fighter Command unit during the Battle of Britain. Conversely, No 501 Squadron also suffered more losses than any of its contemporaries, with an astonishing 41 Hurricanes being destroyed.

Above: A joke breaks the tension of battle as the pilots of No 32 Squadron enjoy a rare moment of peace in the sunshine at Hawkinge in the summer of 1940. Above right: Scramble! Scramble! Hurricane pilots of No 71 (Eagle) Squadron race to their charges. The first Eagle squadron comprising of US pilots formed on 19 September at the height of the Battle of Britain. Right: Hurricane Is of No 257 Burma Squadron take off from snow-bound Coltishall, Norfolk, led by Sqn Ldr R. R. Stanford Tuck, in V6864 DT-A. The squadron was based in south-east England throughout the Battle of Britain. Below: Hurricanes of No 56 Squadron on patrol. As part of No 11 Group RAF, it was based at North Weald when the Battle of Britain began and was heavily involved in the fighting in the south of England during August, although the squadron moved to RAF Boscombe Down at the beginning of September. It was one of the few fighter squadrons to remain based in the south of England continuously through the battle.

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Flt Lt James Nicolson was 23 years old and a flight lieutenant in No 249 Squadron when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 16 August 1940 near Southampton, Nicolson’s Hawker Hurricane P3576 was fired on by a Messerschmitt Bf110, injuring the pilot in one eye and one foot. His engine was also damaged and the petrol tank set alight. As he struggled to leave the blazing machine he saw another Messerschmitt and managing to get back into the bucket seat, pressed the firing button and continued firing until the enemy plane dived away to destruction. Not until then did he bail out and he was able to open his parachute in time to land safely in a field. Painting by Simon Smith/www.sasmithart.co.uk

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Above: Pilots of No 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF, in front of a Hurricane I at Duxford on 7 September 1940. No 310 Squadron was formed at Duxford on 10 July 1940 with Czechoslovak personnel as a fighter unit. Equipped with Hurricanes, it became operational on 18 August and took part in the Battle of Britain. Right: Tally Ho! Hurricanes of No 1 Squadron break formation to launch an attack on enemy aircraft. Centre right: Hawker Hurricane I P3931/V-WX of No 302 (Polish) Squadron , RAF, 1940. No 302 Squadron was formed on 13 July 1940 with Polish personnel who had escaped from France after the German invasion. It began training with Hurricanes at Leconfield and in mid-October moved to Northolt to take part in the final stages of the Battle of Britain. Zaur Eylanbekov/FoxbatFiles.com Below: A Hurricane of No 615 Squadron badly damaged at Kenley on 18 August 1940 during the Luftwaffe campaign against Fighter Command airfields in southern Britain. Below right: P/O Keith R Gillman of No 32 Squadron RAF was the subject of a ‘Picture Post’ magazine cover published a week after his loss over the Channel on 25 August 1940. Photographed at RAF Hawkinge in late July, Gillman had joined the squadron on 10 May and had flown his first operational sortie on 7 June. With an Me109 claimed on 19 July, the 19-year-old pilot failed to return from combat off Dover. He was the unit’s first airman lost in the Battle of Britain.

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Hawker Hurricane

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Hawker Hurricane

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Famous Ace Douglas Bader Already a legendary figure within Fighter Command by the summer of 1940, Bader had returned to the cockpit in October 1939, eight years after he had lost both legs in a flying accident whilst at the controls of a Bristol Bulldog. Posted initially to No 19 Squadron and then on to No 222 Squadron (both flying Spitfire Is from Duxford) as a flight commander, Bader claimed his first victory on 1 June 1940 with the unit when he downed a Bf109 near Dunkirk. Promoted to Acting Squadron Leader shortly thereafter, he was given command of Hurricane I-equipped No 242 Squadronn at Coltishall. Bader’s unit subsequently saw considerable action flying as part of No 12 Group, and he was credited with nine victories (No 242 claimed 71 in total) during the Battle of Britain. Having helped to champion ‘Big Wing’ tactics during the late summer of 1940, Bader was posted to Tangmere as its first Wing Commander Flying in March 1941. Flying Spitfire IIs and Vs, he had claimed 10.5 victories and one probable by the time he was brought down in a midair collision over France on 9 August 1941. Bader spent the rest of the war as a PoW. Right: Hurricane I V7467/LE-D, as flown by Sqn Ldr Douglas Bader, No 242 Squadron RAF, 1940. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart Below: Pilots of No 242 Squadron with their ‘boss’ Douglas Bader during the summer of 1940.

‘The advantage of the Hurricane and the Spitfire in individual combat with the Bf109 was that both British aeroplanes could out-turn the German one which was why, when surprised from behind, the enemy’s defensive manoeuvre was to push the stick forward into a dive, which, in 1940, we could not follow. If we were surprised, our defence was to turn quickly and keep turning because the Bf109’s radius of turn was bigger than that of the Spitfire or Hurricane and thus he could not keep you in his sights. If he was inexperienced enough to try, he would find the British fighter behind him after a couple of circuits.’ Group Captain Douglas Bader, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar

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Junkers Ju87B/R

O Above: The sight and sound of a dive-bombing Ju87 will never be forgotten by those that witnessed it. Upon the leading edges of the Ju87’s faired main gear legs were mounted the ‘Jericho trumpet’ wailing sirens, becoming the propaganda symbol of German air power and the blitzkrieg victories. Top left: Junkers Ju87B-2 of 2./StG 2 ‘Immelmann’ flew attack missions over Britain during the summer of 1940. Chris Davey Left: A menacing formation of Ju87Bs wings its way over Europe in May 1940.

ne of the most feared weapons of the early war years, the Junker Ju87 struck terror into the hearts of those unfortunate enough to be on the ground beneath it. Dubbed the Stuka (an abbreviation of Stürzkampfflugzeug – dive-bomber aircraft), design work on the aeroplane was commenced by Dipl.‑Ing. Hermann Pohlmann in 1933. His brief was to create an aeroplane with dive brakes, accommodating two crewmen and possessing a performance more closely comparable with those of contemporary fighters of the period. The official requirement for a dive-bomber was not issued by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium until January 1935. Although the desired specification was delivered to Arado, Heinkel

and Junkers simultaneously, with the intention being to select the aeroplane from the designs submitted by the three manufacturers on a competitive basis, it had been drawn up around the Ju87! Work on the first of three prototypes had commenced in the summer of 1934, the aircraft featuring all-metal stressed-skin construction. The Ju87 had an oval-section fuselage built in two halves and joined along the centreline. The wing was basically a two-spar structure, the centre section being built integral with the fuselage and set at a coarse anhedral angle which, with sharp dihedral angle adopted for the outer wing panels, resulted in a characteristic inverted gull configuration. The entire wing trailing edge was hinged on the Junkers ‘double-wing’ principle, the outer portions

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With bomb-racks empty, a trio of Stukas return from a mission over Britain. The inverted gull-wing of the Ju87 and its fixed spatted undercarriage are well shown.

acting as ailerons and the inner portions as flaps. These features would be carried over into series production aircraft. The prototype had first flown in late 1935 powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine and with twin fins. The next two prototypes were fitted with 680hp Junkers Jumo 210 engines, as were subsequent pre-production and initial production Ju87As. These aircraft also had a single fin and very large and distinctive trousered undercarriage fairings. The Ju87A first flew in November 1936. It was every inch a dive-bomber, featuring a heavy bomb crutch that swung the weapon clear of the fuselage before it was released. Capable of diving at angles of up to 80 degrees, the aircraft could deliver over 1,500lb of ordnance with great accuracy. First blooded in Spain by the Condor Legion in 1937, the A-model was quickly superceded by the Ju87B. By comparison with the Ju87A, only the wings and horizontal tail surfaces of the B-model remained unchanged, the remainder of the

Junkers Ju87B/R All dimensions, speed and range data is for the Ju87B

Type: Twin-engined monoplane day/night fighter Crew: Pilot and rear gunner Dimensions: Length: 36ft 5in (11.10m) Wingspan: 45ft 3.25in (13.80m) Height: 13ft 2in (4.01m) Weights: 5,980lb (2,713 kg) Empty: Max T/O: 9,369lb (4,250kg) Max Speed: 211mph (33km/h) Range: 490 miles (788km) Powerplant: Junkers Jumo 211Da of 1,100hp (820kW) Armament: 2 x fixed MG 17 7.92 mm machine guns in wings and one MG 15 7.92 mm machine gun on flexible mounting in rear cockpit; maximum bomb load of 1,102lb (500kg) on centreline and four 110lb (50kg) bombs under wings First Flight: Late 1935 Operators: Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania Production: 922 B-models and 972 R-models

dive-bomber incorporating both aerodynamic and structural improvements. The entire fuselage was recontoured; the cockpit canopy was redesigned, with sliding sections replacing the folding hatches; the vertical surfaces were further enlarged and the trousered mainwheel housings braced to the fuselage were replaced with cantilevered units with streamlined ‘spats’. A substantial increase in power was provided by the fitment of a Jumo 211Da engine rated at 1,200hp, which enabled a 500kg bomb to be lifted by the ventral crutch. Five early-production Ju87B-1s were sent to Spain in October 1938, where they proved to be even more successful than the trio of Ju87As that had given the aeroplane its combat debut the previous year. By mid-1939 Junkers was delivering more than 60 Ju87Bs to the Luftwaffe per month from its Berlin-Tempelhof factory – total production for the year totalled 557 aircraft. All nine Stukagruppen in the Luftwaffe’s order of battle on 1 September 1939 had re-equipped with the Ju87B-1, these units possessing 336 aircraft.

Into Combat In Poland and the West, the Ju87 soon became the symbol of Blitzkrieg. Under conditions of almost complete air supremacy, the Stukageschwader roamed ahead of

the panzer columns as long-range artillery. Once a target had been found, they would drop one after another in near-vertical dives over roads, railways, strongpoints and troop concentrations. Flown by handpicked crews, the Ju87 was an exceptionally clinical weapon of war. Indeed, it was twice as accurate as medium bombers like the Do17 and He111. The divebomber also had a devastating psychological effect on troops that were already in headlong retreat. Finally, it had shown that it had the ability to respond rapidly to demands for close air support from troops on the ground. Only 31 Ju87Bs had been lost in Poland and a further 14 in the first four days of the Blitzkrieg in the West, thus establishing a legendary reputation for the Ju87. The Stuka finally began to suffer more serious losses over Dunkirk as the Stukageschwader targeted the evacuation beaches and ships offshore. Despite sinking a fair number of the 89 merchantmen and 29 destroyers that were sunk, the Ju87 units had 120 aircraft destroyed or damaged to all causes. Although most of the Ju87s fell to ground fire, the dive-bomber had shown itself to be effectively helpless once separated from its Messerschmitt escort by a determined and modern fighter defence. However, the Luftwaffe chose to overlook these losses, committing more than 300 Stukas to the

JUNKERS Ju87

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Battle of Britain Ju87 Units Stukageschwader 1, 2, 3, 76, 77 Trägergruppe 186 Lehrgeschwader 1

Famous Pilot Theodor Nordmann

onslaught against Britain. Amongst their ranks were a fair number of improved Ju87B-2s and long-range Ju87Rs. The Stukageschwader were initially involved in the Kanalkampf offensive against Channel convoys and coastal ports that lasted for much of July. As with Dunkirk, they enjoyed some success during these attacks, sinking six warships and 14 merchantmen. Relying on a heavy fighter escort, the 280 Ju87s still in frontline service come August turned their attention to Fighter Command’s airfields and radar sites along the south coast. Although the Ju87s badly damaged seven airfields and three Chain Home radar stations and destroyed 49 aircraft, more often than not formations of Stukas would lose up to half their number or be forced to turn back before

Nordmann joined the Luftwaffe in 1937, and after training he served as a reconnaissance pilot until March 1940 when he transferred to 1./StG 186. Equipped with the Ju87, this unit was originally intended to serve onboard the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. However, when construction of the vessel was put on hold the unit became III./StG 1 in July 1940. Nordmann survived the carnage of the Battle of Britain, emerging from the campaign with the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd classes. In early 1941 his unit was relocated to the Mediterranean, where he saw action attacking Allied shipping bound for the besieged island of Malta – he claimed a 5,000 ton merchantman sunk during this period. StG 1 then took part in the invasion of the USSR in June 1941, three months later, having completed 200 mission and destroyed 20 tanks, Nordmann was awarded the Knight’s Cross. Promoted to Staffelkapitän of 8./StG 1 in 1942, he made his 600th operational mission in the summer of that same year during the fighting over Orel. Nordmann was the first Stuka pilot to achieve this total. In January 1945 Nordmann was killed when his Fw190F-8 collided with his wingman’s aircraft in bad weather north of Insterburg. Nordmann was Gruppenkomandeur of II./Schlachtgeschwader 3 at the time of his death. He had claimed 80 Soviet tanks destroyed and 43,000 tons of merchant shipping prior to being killed. A recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, 26-yearold Nordmann had flown almost 1,300 combat missions, mainly in the Ju87. reaching their target. On 18 August – known as ‘The Hardest Day’ because of the high losses suffered by both sides – StG 77 had 17 Stukas shot down attacking Ford and Thorney Island, StG 1 and StG 2 having lost nine between them

in a raid on Tangmere 48 hours earlier. In just six days of combat from 12 to 18 August, 41 Ju87s had been destroyed. The type was effectively withdrawn from active operations in the wake of these losses. Top: Bomb-laden Ju87s prepare to begin another diving attack. The Stuka’s design included several innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces. Left: This Ju87 from II./StG 77 made a forced landing at Ham Manor Golf Course, near Angmering. That evening the Home Guard men left the crash site and by next morning souvenir hunters had stripped the aircraft bare.

Junkers Ju87B/R

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Junkers Ju87B/R

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Junkers Ju88A O ne of the Luftwaffe’s most important and versatile combat aircraft types, the Ju88 was developed to answer a requirement for a high-speed medium bomber with a dive-bombing capability. First flown in prototype form in December 1936, production A-1s entered service in September 1939. Boasting a formidable bomb load and good performance, the only down side of the early Ju88 was its poor defensive armament of just three or four 7.92mm machine guns. Thanks to its more modern design and better engines, subsequent versions of the aircraft, such as the A-4 that boasted twice as many guns, still had sufficient performance available to avoid it being as vulnerable to enemy fighters as the He111 and Do17.

The Ju88 was the brainchild of W. H. Evers and American designer Al Gassner, who worked in Europe in 1935-36. They had created the aeroplane in response to a 1935 Reichsluftfahrtministerium requirement for an unarmed three-seat high-speed bomber with a payload of up to 1,000kg. The first of five prototypes made its maiden flight on 21 December 1936, powered by Daimler-Benz DB 600 inline engines. Ju88s V3 to V5 were fitted with Junkers Jumo 211 Vee 12 engines, which subsequently became the powerplants of choice for production examples. By now the aircraft was equipped with three defensive armament positions to the rear of the cockpit. Ultimately, production Ju 88A‑1s would have a fixed forward-firing 7.9mm weapon operated by the pilot, with two similar

weapons firing aft through limited arcs of fire, one in the cockpit roof and one in a Bola undernose ventral gondola. A second gun was quickly added to the cockpit roof, as were two more lateral-firing weapons and additional armour protection. Despite ‘up-gunning’ the Ju88 in the field, it still proved vulnerable to attack from the rear because the overworked flight engineer was responsible for firing all four weapons!

By August 1940 Ju88A-1s and A-5s were reaching operational units, just as the battle was intensifying. The Battle of Britain proved very costly. Its higher speed did not prevent Ju88 losses exceeding those of its Dornier Do17 and Heinkel He111 stablemates, despite being deployed in smaller numbers than either.

JUNKERS Ju88

Junkers Ju88A All dimensions, speed and range data is for the Ju88A-1

Type: Crew:

Twin-engined monoplane bomber Pilot, navigator, bomb aimer/gunner and flight engineer/gunner

Dimensions: Length: 47ft 2in (8.43m) Wingspan: 65ft 10.50in (20.08m) Height: 15ft 11in (4.85m) Weights: Empty: 16,975lb (7,699kg) Max T/O: 22,840lb (10,360kg) Max Speed: 292mph (470km/h) Range: 1,696 miles (2,730km) Powerplant: Two Junkers Jumo 211Bs of 2,400hp (1790 kW) Armament: Five or six MG 15 7.92mm machine guns in nose, rear cockpit and ventral gondola; maximum bomb load of 4,409lb (2,000kg) in bombbay and on underwing racks First Flight: 21 December 1936 Operators: Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania Production: More than 7,000 Ju88As (all variants) were built

Above: Outward appearances suggested that the Ju88 was powered by radial engines, but in fact it was fitted with Junkers Jumo 211 Vee 12s, as shown here. The round engine cowling resulted from annular radiators placed immediately forward of each engine and directly behind each propeller.

Junkers Ju88A-1 9K+HL of 3./KG 51. This aircraft was shot down over Sussex on 28 July 1940.

By 1938 the Schnellbomber had evolved from being a light unarmed aircraft that relied on speed to keep it safe, to a reasonably wellarmed medium bomber that could also be used as a precision dive-bomber following the addition of dive brakes beneath each wing. Combat in Spain had shown that dive-bombing was the most accurate way to knock out targets on the ground and the Ju88 was duly shown to be capable of pinpoint deliveries of heavy loads. However, despite numerous modifications and rectification work on the aeroplane, dive-bombing ultimately proved too stressful for the airframe. Dr Heinrich Koppenberg (managing director of Jumo) assured Hermann Göring in the autumn of 1938 he could supply sufficient engines to power 300 Ju88s per month. However, production of the A-1 was beset with

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delays due to ongoing developmental problems with both the Jumo 211 engine and systems within the aircraft. Although planned for a service introduction in 1938, the Ju88 finally entered squadron service (with only 12 aircraft) on 1 September 1939. Production was painfully slow, with only one Ju88 being manufactured per week due to additional problems with the aircraft. Some of these were minor, but others were serious enough to force the Luftwaffe to impose a series of restrictions on the A-1 in respect to speed and manoeuvring. Most of these issues were resolved with the introduction of an interim ‘improved Ju 88’ in August 1940, designated the A-5. It featured a longer-span, strengthened wing with inset metal-skinned ailerons and a much-increased The somewhat unconventional cockpit layout of the Ju88 is revealed by this captured example that crash-landed on English soil during the Battle of Britain. The good visibility afforded to its crew by the ‘beetle-eye’ glazing is apparent.

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The Ju88 assembly line ran constantly from 1936 to 1945 and more than 16,000 were built in dozens of variants, more than any other twin-engined German aircraft of the period. Throughout the production, the basic structure of the aircraft remained unchanged.

bombload. Free of performance restrictions that had hamstrung the A-1, the new aircraft performed admirably in the summer and autumn of 1940 with the handful of gruppen that received it.

Into Combat Entering frontline service on the eve of World War 2 commencing, the Ju88 was present in only small numbers during the first nine

months of the conflict. Just 12 A-1s saw action in Poland with Erprobungskommando 88, which was responsible for testing new bomber designs and their crews under hostile conditions. Attached to 1./KG 25, the unit had no impact on the campaign. Ju88s from II./KG 30 dive-bombed Allied shipping on 9 April 1940 during the Battle of Norway, sinking the destroyer HMS Gurkha and damaging the battleship HMS Rodney, although it lost four aeroplanes in the process. By the time the Blitzkrieg commenced in the west on 10 May 1940, the Ju88A-1 equipped one three-gruppe geschwader (KG 30) and four gruppen within three other geschwaders (KGs 4 and 51 and LG 1).

This meant that just 133 Ju88s were available for service in the campaign, leaving the brunt of the bombing to be done by He111-equipped units. Nevertheless, the various Kampfgeschwader and Lehrgeschwader 1 helped the Luftwaffe destroy almost 250 Allied aircraft on the ground in the first 72 hours of the offensive. Proving the aeroplane’s worth as a dive-bomber, KG 51 conducted precision attacks on the French railway network and targeted Allied shipping during the Dunkirk evacuation. Despite its relative paucity in number, the Ju88 suffered high combat and operational losses during the Battle of France. No fewer than 80 aircraft were destroyed between 10 May and 18 June, with a fair number of these machines being written off in operational accidents as crews used to flying the relatively docile He111 struggled to come to terms with the more demanding Schnellbomber. Mechanical and structural failures (the latter usually occurred when the aeroplane was being used as a dive-bomber) also worried the kampfflieger, some of whom were reportedly more scared of the Ju88 than the enemy. Some crews even requested transfers to units still equipped with the He111. As previously noted, a number of these issues were rectified with the introduction of the Ju88A-5 during the early summer of 1940. Nevertheless, the majority of the five kampfgeschwader fully converted to the An armed guard is posted around a Ju88 that crash landed relatively intact on English soil during the Battle of Britain. Judging from the propeller angles, the aircraft spun round very quickly after impact.

JUNKERS Ju88 aircraft and the three that were still switching from the He111 would fly the short-wingspan, performance restricted Ju88A-1 during the Battle of Britain. Despite having a greater top speed than either the Do17 or He111, and being deployed in smaller numbers, the Ju88 suffered higher losses than either the Dornier or the Heinkel – 303 were destroyed over Britain between 1 July and 31 October 1940. Yet the Ju88 still proved to be the toughest of the German bombers to crack, with many combat reports submitted by Fighter Command pilots stating that the aeroplane was able to escape by diving away at very high speed. Ju88s were used in formation attacks and in precision strikes during the campaign, one of the more notable missions occurring on 12 August when 63 aircraft from KG 51 targeted Portsmouth. Fifteen aeroplanes detached from the main formation to attack radar installations at Ventnor, on the Isle of Wight. Both raids were very successful. Three days later, an unescorted raid by 50 Ju88s from KG 30 in Denmark badly damaged the Bomber Command airfield at Driffield, in East Yorkshire, although seven bombers were shot down by RAF fighters. That same day LG 1 sent 27 Ju88s to attack Middle Wallop and Worthy Down airfields in Hampshire. Again, widespread damage was caused, for the loss of five bombers. The large-scale daylight formation attacks on London in September were exclusively performed by units from Luftflotte 2, based in northeastern France and the Low Countries, the night blitz being mounted by Luftflotte 3, based further to the west. Bolstering the

The underwing bomb racks of the Ju88 armed with a load of four SC250 bombs. Also well shown is the prominent Bola undernose ventral defensive machine gun emplacement.

dwindling ranks of day raiders were KG 30, which had been transferred south from Luftflotte 5 in Denmark, and KG 77 – the latter unit had just converted from the Do17 to the Ju88. The first significant losses of what would proved to be a bloodbath for Ju88s occurred on 9 September when five bombers from KG 30 were lost on a raid on London’s docks and three more were destroyed in operational accidents with LG 1. Twelve more were lost on 18 September, nine of these from KG 77 during a raid on TIlbury docks.

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Ju88 attrition reached its high point on 27 September when 55 bombers from II./KG 77 missed their fighter escort over the Channel and carried on to south London in perfect formation. No fewer than 120 Spitfires and Hurricanes engaged the gruppe, which lost 12 bombers as they fled south for the safety of the Channel. LG 1 also lost two aeroplanes that same day, while a reconnaissance Ju88 was brought down over north Devon. The losses on this date effectively signalled the end of the Ju88’s part in the Battle of Britain, with the Luftwaffe rapidly winding down its day offensive in favour of the night blitz – in which Ju88 units would play a key role.

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Battle of Britain Ju88A Units Kampfgeschwader 1, 4, 30, 40, 51, 54, 76, 77 Lehrgeschwader 1 Kampfgruppe 806 Aufklärungsgruppe 120, 121, 122, 123

JUNKERS Ju88

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Above: A Junkers Ju-88A drops its deadly load of SC250 bombs over Britain in 1940. Left: Eyes to the sky. A Ju88 crew scans the heavens for enemy fighters. Below: Ju88 crews from KG 1 prepare for another mission over enemy territory.

Famous Pilot August Franz Walter Storp The son of an East Prussian forester, Walter Storp initially served in the Reichsmarine from April 1928 until he transferred to the Luftwaffe in October 1934. Storp had learned to fly with the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (German Air Transport School) while still in the navy. Indeed, he was the pilot embarked in the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer from May to September 1936. Reassigned to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium in October 1938, Storp finally made it to the frontline in early 1940 when he was posted to Ju88-equipped KG 30. Assigned to III./KG 4 as Gruppenkommandeur in May of that year, he saw action in the Battles of France and Britain with this unit and with II./KG 76, which he took over on 12 September 1940. Storp and his crew performed a successful low altitude attack on the Midlands 15 days later and he was mentioned by name for this daring raid in Wehrmacht’s official information bulletin, the Wehrmachtbericht. A highly decorated aviator who received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Storp saw further combat on the Eastern Front. He survived the war.

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Heinkel He111P/H

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he He111 is the best known of the trio of German medium bombers involved in the Battle of Britain, despite it being outnumbered and out-performed by the newer Ju88 and almost certainly less effective than the Do17. Designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter ostensibly as the world’s fastest mail and passenger aeroplane for Deutsche Lufthansa, the first prototype had three gun positions and provision for 2,200lb bombload. The key features of the He111 were its elliptical inverted gull wing and streamlined fuselage. First flown in February 1935, the He111 was quickly ushered into Luftwaffe service in a series of variants (B, D, E and F). However, these early aircraft, featuring a conventional stepped cockpit, were built in only modest quantities due to the German aviation industry lacking access to powerplants that could produce more than 600hp. This all changed with the availability of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 liquidcooled engine, which produced 1,175hp. Production of the new engine coincided with a major revision of the He111 that resulted in the P-model being built from 1938. All subsequent variants would be fitted with a Top: He111Hs of 7./KG 1 in formation, with V4+IR in the foreground. Note that the original radio call sign beneath the wings has been painted out. Right: Heinkel production, with He111s sharing the final assembly line with He115s.

fully glazed ‘bullet’ or ‘fishbowl’-like nose, the ‘stepless cockpit’ no longer having separate windscreen panels for the pilot. He now had to view his exterior flight environment through the same bullet-like glazing that was used by both the bombardier and navigator. Within the cockpit the pilot was sat on the left and the navigator/bomb aimer on the right. The navigator went forward to the prone bombaiming position or could tilt his seat to one side so that he could move into the rear of the aircraft. There was no cockpit floor below the

pilot’s feet – the rudder pedals were attached to arms – giving very good visibility below. The pilot was sat six feet from the nose of the aeroplane, and at night or in some direct light conditions his vision could be adversely affected by reflections and glare in the heavily glazed cockpit. When faced with such conditions, and keen to get a better forward view for take-off or landing, the pilot could slide back a roof panel and elevate his seat so that his eyes were above the level of the

HEINKEL He111 upper glazing. His head, projecting above the top of the ‘glass tunnel’, was protected from the slipstream by a small retractable windscreen pane. The fuselage consisted of two major bulkheads, with the cockpit being at the front of the first bulkhead. The nose was fitted with a rotating machine gun mount that was offset

Heinkel He111P/H All dimensions, speed and range data is for the He111P-4

Type: Twin-engined monoplane bomber Crew: Pilot, navigator, bomb aimer, ventral and dorsal gunners Dimensions: Length: 53ft 9.5in (16.40m) Wingspan: 74ft 1.75in (22.60m) Height: 13ft 1.5in (4.00m) Weights: 17,760lb (8,015kg) Empty: Max T/O: 29,762lb (13,50kg) Max Speed: 200mph (322km/h) Range: 1,224 miles (1,970 km) Powerplant: 2 x Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1s of 2,200hp (1,640kW) Armament: Six or seven MG 15 7.92 mm machine guns in nose, beam, dorsal, ventral and (optional) tail positions; maximum bomb load of 4,410lb (2,000kg) in bomb-bay First Flight: 24 February 1935 Operators: Germany, Hungary Production: 400 He111Ps and 6,200 He111Hs

to starboard to give the pilot a better field of forward vision. The cockpit was fully glazed, with the exception of the lower right section, where a platform for the bombardier-gunner was positioned. The bombsight extended through the cockpit floor into a protective housing on the external side of the cockpit area. The bomb-bay was situated between the forward and rear bulkheads, and it was constructed with a strengthening doubleframe to allow it to carry the bomb load. The bombs were accommodated in eight vertical cells, four on either side of a central gangway. Each cell was capable of carrying a single 250kg bomb. The space between the bomb-bay and rear bulkhead contained radio equipment and the dorsal and flexible casemate ventral gunner positions. The rear-facing dorsal gun position was enclosed by a sliding, near-clear view canopy, while the ventral Bodenlafette rear-facing gun position, immediately aft of the bomb-bay, was another innovation introduced with the He111P. It replaced the draggy ‘dustbin’ retractable emplacement that had been a feature of most German bomber designs of the early 1930s. The P-model defensive armament was generally improved over previous versions in the wake of combat experience with the He111B/E in Spain with the Condor Legion – 94 Heinkel bombers saw action in the conflict from February 1937, with 21 being lost to enemy action. The He111P had an additional forward-firing gun, weapons in the beam positions and a remotely operated ‘scare gun’ in the tailcone. A fifth crewman (a gunner) was also introduced, increased armour

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fitted and the bombload reduced so as to accommodate more fuel and oil tanks. The first production examples of the He111P reached the Luftwaffe in the autumn of 1938, with the near-identical H-model making its service debut shortly thereafter. The He111H was fitted with 1,100hp Junkers Jumo 211 inline engines, Heinkel making the switch after it feared that there would be a shortage in supply of DB 601 engines – the favoured powerplant for Messerschmitt’s family of single- and twin-engined fighters. As early as September 1939, 749 of the 808 He111s in service with the Luftwaffe were He111P/Hs.

Into Combat When Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, the Luftwaffe had 21 gruppen and one staffel equipped with the He111 – a total of 789 aircraft. The bomber was therefore in the vanguard of operations during this campaign, as well as during the Phoney War in the West and the occupation of Norway in the spring of 1940. For the onslaught on the Low Countries, launched on 10 May 1940, Luftflotten 2 and 3 had a total of 1,120 twin-engined bombers, of which approximately half were He111s. Carrying a heavier bomb load than any of its contemporaries then in frontline service, the Heinkels (of KG 54) undertook the Rotterdam Blitz that saw 91 tonnes of bombs dropped on the Dutch city. He111s worked closely with mechanised units on the ground racing for the Channel, helping to defeat French forces at Sedan and the Allied counter-offensive at Arras. He111s also played a key role in knocking out the French rail network in Reims and Amiens,

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Above: The distinctive cockpit of the He111 with its extensive ‘greenhouse’ glazing. This was not ideal regarding visibility for the pilot, especially when flying at night with light reflecting off the canopy. Above right: Looking aft down the fuselage from the bomb bay towards the dorsal and ventral gun positions.

targeting the Dunkirk evacuation beaches and shipping offshore and neutralising French air power defending Paris. Losses during the Battle of France had been light, considering the bomber’s widespread use. Indeed, the He111 had proven to be both remarkably robust and easy to keep serviceable. Crews appreciated its load-carrying capability thanks to its vast wing area, and the Heinkel had shown itself to be an accurate bomber. All of these attributes would be put to the test during the Battle of Britain, by which point only four Kampfgeschwader were totally equipped with the He111 (KGs 26, 27, 53 and 55). Luftlotten 2 and 3 committed 34 gruppen to the campaign over Britain, 15 of which flew

He111P/Hs. The remaining units were equipped with a mix of Ju88s and Do17s. The He111 and the Ju88 were broadly similar in performance, although the Heinkel carried more ordnance and the Junkers bomber was faster. The Do17 was also faster than the He111, but it lacked the bomb-carrying capacity of its contemporaries. The He111’s ability to soak up heavy battle damage meant that the Ju88 suffered greater losses during the Battle of Britain – 242 Heinkels were destroyed compared with 303 Ju88s. Fewer in number, Do17 losses tallied 132. After initially targeting convoys, ports, coastal airfields and radar sites, the first large-scale raid mounted by the He111 force took place on 15 August when 72 examples hit targets in northern England from airfields in Norway. Pinpoint attacks on tactical targets continued for the next three weeks, with rising attrition taking its toll on the Kampfgeschwader. Fighter Command, which was well organised and well equipped, quickly showed up the He111 for what it was – an ageing medium bomber with too small a bomb load that was vulnerable to monoplane fighters conducting co-ordinated

attacks in large numbers. An effective weapon of war in its day, the Heinkel should have been replaced by faster, heavier, four-engined bombers by mid-1940. The advantages won by the Luftwaffe in July and August, when its campaign against Fighter Command saw the RAF lose significant numbers of aircraft and pilots defending airfields that were routinely bombed, were lost by the switch of strategy to targeting British cities and industrial centres from 7 September 1940. The He111 was now tasked with performing in the role of strategic bomber, despite the fact that it lacked the load-carrying capacity to perform this mission effectively. Nevertheless, the He111 carried enough destructive power to cause severe damage to strategic targets. Such had been the losses suffered by the Kampfgeschwader during daylight attacks, the Luftwaffe was forced to restricting surviving He111s to nocturnal sorties from 16 September. Far less vulnerable operating under the cloak of darkness, Heinkel units would roam all over Britain during the night Blitz that lasted well into the spring of 1941.

HEINKEL He111

Famous Pilot Hans-Joachim ‘Hajo’ Hermann One of Germany’s most innovative and influential air tacticians, ‘Hajo’ Hermann had joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and served as a bomber pilot in Spain in 1936-37. Serving with He111P-4-equipped KG 4, he saw action in Poland and Norway before leading the unit’s 7. Staffel from its base in Eindhoven, Holland, throughout the Battle of Britain. Hermann was awarded the Knight’s Cross in October 1940 for his service during the first year of the war. He saw further action in the Mediterranean in 1941, flying from Sicily against targets on Malta and in Greece. By early 1942 he was commanding III./KG 30, attacking Arctic convoys from Norway. In July of that year Hermann was assigned to general staff in Berlin, where he became close to Hermann Göring. By then he had flown 320 mission and sunk 12 ships totalling 70,000 tons. Hermann spent the rest of the war working on ways to defend Germany from aerial attack, devising the Wilde Sau method of freelance nightfighting and creating the Rammkommando Elbe, charged with bringing down enemy bombers by ramming them.

Top right: The characteristic ‘bullet-nose’ of the He111. With the roar of Daimler-Benz engines in their ears, the crew of this Heinkel prepare for battle as they cross into enemy territory in November 1940. Above: A low-level formation of Heinkels drones across the English Channel towards its target during the summer of 1940. Right: Heinkel crews prepare for another mission over enemy territory. Below: The ominous shape of a Heinkel He111 seen over London’s East End during the Luftwaffe’s evening raids of 7 September 1940.

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Top: Heinkel He111H V4+BD as flown by Gerhard Baeker of KG1 during the Battle of Britain. Chris Davey Above: A fellow Heinkel He111 fills the front gunner’s ‘sights’ during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Inset right: Heinkel kill. Gun camera footage from a Spitfire MkI flown by Pilot Officer R. F. G. Miller, showing a Heinkel He111 taking hits to its port engine. The aircraft was one of a force that bombed the Bristol Aeroplane Company’s factory at Filton, Bristol. Sadly Miller was killed two days later when he collided head on with a Messerschmitt Bf110. Above left: A German propaganda photo from the time of the Battle of Britain, allegedly showing a close encounter between the Heinkel He111 bomber and a Spitfire over England. In fact, it is one of a series of staged air-to-air photos for which the Germans used at least one captured Spitfire I. Left: Bombs away! A Heinkel He111 drops its lethal bomb load on London in 1940. Right: This He111H-1 coded IH+EN of II./KG 26 force-landed near Dalkeith in Midlothian, after combat with a Spitfire I of No 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron.

HEINKEL He111

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Battle of Britain He111P/H Units Kampfgeschwader 1, 3, 4, 26, 27, 53, 55 Kampfgruppe 100, 126 Aufklärungsgruppe 120, 121, 122

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Above: The captured He111H-1 coded IH+EN of II./KG 26 was repaired, given RAF roundels and the serial AW177, and used for testing purposes. Right: Forming the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s bomber arm during World War 2, the Heinkel He111 played a leading role in the Blitz on London, as captured here in this dramatic painting by Michael Turner.

MESSERSCHMITT Bf109

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owerful and built for the kill, the Bf109 characterised the eagle figurehead of the Third Reich. Spitting lead and explosive shells, the Bf109 was to be the Luftwaffe’s mainstay fighter. Although it possessed awesome killing power, it was not without its faults. It had a short range, could not take punishment or dive at high speeds, suffered from a claustrophobic cockpit and failed to compete with the Spitfire and Hurricane and the turning circle they enjoyed. But the Bf109 left a lasting legacy. It was credited with shooting down more enemy aircraft and producing more aces than any single fighter in the annals of aerial warfare.

On 6 July 1933 the Reichluftfahrtministerium (the civil ministry created to oversee the running of the Luftwaffe) issued Tactical Requirements for Fighter Aircraft (Land). This document stated that the Luftwaffe needed a single-seat daytime fighter armed with two fixed machine guns (1,000 rounds) or one fixed cannon (100 rounds). It had to have a radio for air-to-air and air-to-ground communication, as well as a safety harness, oxygen system, parachute and heating for the pilot. The fighter had to be able to maintain a speed of 400km/h for up to 20 minutes at 6,000m, possess at least an hour’s flight duration and take no longer than 17 minutes to reach this height. Its ultimate ceiling was to be 10,000m. From a handling perspective, the aircraft had to be capable of diving and turning without losing altitude and be easily recoverable from a spin. The fighter also had to be operable from the average German airfield, which was 400m x 400m in size, by an average frontline pilot. It would also be required to fly in cloud and fog and to perform group (up to nine aircraft) take-offs and landings. Finally, the design must be small enough to enable it to be transported by rail. Having already built fighters for the Luftwaffe, Arado, Heinkel and Focke-Wulf were seen as frontrunners to win this

lucrative contract, and Messerschmitt, which had no experience in designing fighters, was seen as the rank outsider. However, the latter company’s series of fast sports aircraft from the late 1920s and early 1930s culminated in the sleek little Bf108 touring aircraft. Many features embodied in this advanced machine would soon find their way into the Bf109 prototype, including flush-riveted stressed-skin construction, cantilevered monoplane wings and a narrow track undercarriage, attached to the fuselage and retracting outwards into wells forward of the main spar. The fuselage itself was made of light metal as a monocoque structure of roughly oval section, constructed in two halves and joined along the centerline. Right from the start Messerschmitt had planned that the lightweight Bf109 would be powered by one of the new generation inverted-Vee 12-cylinder engines under development by Junkers and Daimler-Benz. The former’s 680hp Jumo 210 was ultimately selected because it was at a more advanced stage in its development than the 960hp DB 600Aa. As it transpired, delivery of the Junkers powerplant was delayed to the point where the first prototype Bf109 V1 had to be fitted with a 695hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI engine. Construction of the V1 was completed by early May 1935 and following a series

Previous page: The business end of a Bf109, all engine and guns. Two synchronized machine guns were mounted in the cowling, firing over the top of the engine and through the propeller arc. Left: The claustrophobic cockpit was narrow and a tight squeeze, especially for those with broad shoulders. The visibility forward was not good with the heavy frame canopy marring the view. Right: An extremely rare colour photograph captures a young pilot from the crack Luftwaffe unit JG 26 standing in front of his Bf109E, which is receiving attention from the groundcrew. Below: An early Bf109 photographed in July 1937. Because of the high angle caused by the long legs, forward visibility while on the ground was very poor, a problem exacerbated by the sideways-opening canopy. This meant that pilots had to taxi in a sinuous fashion, which also imposed stresses on the splayed undercarriage legs. Ground accidents were a problem with rookie pilots.

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BATTLE OF BRITAIN AIRCRAFT Left: Mechanics work on the Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine of Bf109E-3 ‘Yellow 9’ of 9./JG 26. This aircraft was based at Caffiers, France, during August 1940. On 15 November 1940 ‘Yellow 9’ was being flown by Otto Jaros when he was shot down over Essex by a Hurricane piloted by Sgt E. W. Wright. Jaros baled out and became a POW. Right: Powerful and built for the kill, the angular Bf109 presented a menacing sight. Bottom right: With the engine of his machine already running, a pilot of JG 20 clambers aboard his Bf109E. JG 20 was founded on 15 July 1939 in Döberitz and was redesignated as 3rd Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 (III./JG 51) on 4 July 1940. Below: Luftwaffe Bf109s of JG 77operating from their forward bases in France, waiting for the call to action during August of 1940.

of taxiing trials, on the 28th of that month Messerschmitt’s senior test pilot, Hans-Dietrich ‘Bubi’ Knoetzsch, made the fighter’s first flight from Augsburg-Haunstetten airfield. After initial factory trials, the aircraft was sent to the Rechlin-based Erprobungsstelle (testing centre) for service trials. The latter soon proved that the Bf109 was considerably faster and more manoeuvrable than its primary rival for the fighter contract, Heinkel’s He112V1. The Jumo 210A-powered Bf109 V2 took to the skies in October 1935 and joined the trials programme three months later. This aircraft also boasted two 7.9 mm MG 17 machine guns in the fuselage upper decking. The V3, which had provision for an engine-mounted 20mm MG FF/M cannon firing through the propeller hub, flew for the first time in June 1936 and a short while later both Messerschmitt and Heinkel received contracts from the RLM to build 10 pre-production aircraft. In the autumn of that year, the official trials culminated in a series of tests at Travemünde, where the Bf109 proved its superiority in a memorable flight demonstration that included tailslides, flick rolls, 21-turn spins, tight turns and terminal dives. Being faster in level speed and in the climb than the He112, from rank outsider the Messerschmitt had become the obvious choice for the fighter contract, and the Bf109 was duly announced the competition winner.

Production-standard Bf109s (B-1 models) entered service with the Luftwaffe from February 1937 and the aeroplane proved its worth five months later in combat during the Spanish Civil War. While the Luftwaffe’s fighter pilots continued to gain valuable combat experience in Spain, at home the Jagdwaffe’s enlargement continued apace. By 19 September 1938, 583 Bf109B/C/Ds were on strength, but limited availability of the Daimler-Benz engine had stymied plans for the rapid fielding of the Bf109E. This was because bomber production had priority over fighter procurement in the late 1930s, and most of the DB 600s produced were duly allocated to the twin-engined He111.

Finally, in 1938 the focus shifted to fighter production and by then the much delayed DB 601A was at last reaching maturity, so Daimler-Benz switched its efforts to perfecting this powerplant. This new engine was very similar to the DB 600, but crucially it featured fuel injection rather than a float carburettor. This meant that the Bf109 could perform negative G flight and also increased the fighter’s range. With its DB 601A engine rated at 1,175hp for take-off, the Bf109E-1 entered series production in December 1938, the new aircraft boasting unmatched take-off and climb performance. The higher wing loading of the ‘Emil’ increased the fighter’s turning circle and stall speed making it very much a pilot’s aircraft.

Famous Ace Adolf Galland A veteran of combat in Spain, where he had seen plenty of action in the ground-support role rather than as a fighter pilot, Adolf Galland eventually succeeded in being posted to a Bf109E unit (JG 27) in April 1940. He claimed his first success on 12 May when he downed an RAF Hurricane, and by the end of the Battle of France Galland’s tally stood at 12. Transferred to JG 26 as Gruppenkomandeur of III. Gruppe shortly before the Battle of Britain, he claimed two victories on his first mission with the unit. Leading from the front, Galland received the Knight’s Cross on 1 August after claiming his 17th success and was promoted to Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26 three weeks later. He received Oak Leaves for his Knight’s Cross on 25 September, by which time his victory tally stood at 40, and he claimed his 50th kill on 1 November. Flying the Bf109E throughout the Battle of Britain, Adolf Galland ultimately survived the war with 104 victories to his name.

A pair of aces. The legendary Adolf Galland (left) and Werner Mölders discuss tactics. Mölders was the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial victories and pioneered the development of new fighter tactics that led to the finger-four formation.

Like the D-model before it, the E-1’s armament consisted of two MG 17s in the upper fuselage decking and two more machine guns in the wings. The latter had 500 rounds per gun, and the fuselage guns had 1,000 rounds each. The aircraft was fitted with a Revi C/12C gunsight and FuG 7 radio, the latter having a range of about 40 miles. In early 1939 the first Bf109E-3s began rolling off the production line, these aircraft having their wing MG 17s replaced with MG FF 20mm cannon as initially trialled in the Bf109C-3. Each weapon only had 60 rounds, but their destructive punch was unrivalled. Once in frontline service, the E-3 ‘Kanonenmaschine’ was rated as the best early generation Messerschmitt by those that flew it, with the aircraft enjoying a greater margin of superiority over its rivals than any other Bf109 variant. Between 1 January and 1 September 1939, 1,091 ‘Emils’ were delivered. Four engine plants had been established to allow production of the DB 601 to keep apace with airframe construction, with Bf109s being built by Messerschmitt at Regensburg, and by Erla and Fieseler, as well as by the WienerNeüstadt Flugzeugbau in Austria. By the time the Wehrmacht advanced east into Poland on 1 September 1939, no fewer than 12 gruppen were operating Bf109B/C/D/Es. The Messerschmitt fighter was now well placed to dominate the skies over Europe.

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Battle of Britain Bf109E Units Jagdgeschwader 2, 3, 26, 27, 51, 52, 53, 54, 77 Lehrgeschwader 2

Into Combat

Above: Thumbs Up. A soldier poses with Messerschmitt Bf109E-4 ‘Yellow 10’ of 6./JG 51 ‘Molders’, which was shot down by Lewis gun fire and crash landed at East Langdon in Kent on 24 August 1940. The pilot, Oberfeldwebel Beeck, was captured unhurt. Above right: A lethal combination. World War 2 fighter ace Maj Walter Oesau with his Bf109E. Below: Bf109E-4 ‘Yellow l’ flown by Oberleutnant Gerhard Schopfel, Staffelkapitan of 9./JG 26 ‘Schlageter’, August 1940. Schopfel was very successful during the Battle of Britain and on 18 August 1940 he shot down four Hawker Hurricanes from No 501 Squadron in one sortie over Canterbury.

Having enjoyed phenomenal success during the Blitzkrieg, the Bf109E-equipped gruppen (whose rank had swelled to 23 by August 1940) massed on the French Channel coast ready to take on Fighter Command. The principal variants to see action in the summer of 1940 were the E-1, E-3 and E-7, the latter usually being employed as a fighter-bomber with a 250kg weapon attached to a centrefuselage crutch. Once in combat, the strengths and weaknesses of the Bf109E, the Hurricane I and the Spitfire I/II largely cancelled each other out, as surprise, altitude advantage and formation tactics came to the fore. The Hurricane’s inferiority in acceleration compared to the fuel-injected Bf109 was offset by the Hawker fighter’s exceptional manoeuvrability and strength. The Bf109 and Spitfire were evenly matched between 12,000ft and 17,000ft. but above 20,000ft the ‘Emil’ held the advantage. The Messerschmitt was an extremely sturdy and stable gun platform,

MESSERSCHMITT Bf109 Left: Flying in a tight ‘finger four’ formation, these Bf109Es of JG 26 are heading out to cause mischief. Major Adolf Galland was given command of JG 26 on 22 August 1940. During the Battle of Britain, the Geschwader claimed 285 fighters shot down, for losses of 76 aircraft and 45 pilots killed, and 29 prisoners of war.

could be thrown into high-g turns and buntdived faster than either RAF fighter thanks to its fuel injection – the carburettor-fed Merlin stalled when subjected to such vigorous manoeuvring. The Bf109 also packed a heavier punch thanks to its 20mm cannon. The Luftwaffe’s involvement in Spain provided it with a cadre of combat-tested leaders who had developed extremely effective fighter tactics. The two-aircraft rotte and fouraircraft schwarm (finger-four) formations that had been tested in Spain proved extremely effective over Britain, with pilots being able to scan each other’s blind spots behind and below. Freie Jagd (free-hunting) fighter sweeps

also gave Bf109 pilots the initiative. Using their superor high-altitude performance, German pilots would dive on unsuspecting aircraft with devastating results. Yet despite these advantages, the Bf109E was hamstrung by its lack of range. This meant the fighter was unable to operate north of the Thames for any length of time, and when called on to provide close escort for bomber formations during the critical final phase of the Battle of Britain, there were countless occasions when Bf109 pilots had to turn back before reaching the bombers’ target. By the end of the campaign, the Luftwaffe had lost 1,792 aircraft on operations – 610 of these were Bf109s. Conversely, Fighter Command lost 1,023 Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain, of which around 770 were claimed by Jagdflieger flying the Bf109. One that did not make it all the way back. German officers inspecting Bf109 E-1 ‘Yellow 11’ of JG 26 flown by Artur Beese that crash landed in sand dunes near Calais on 24 August 1940.

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Messerschmitt Bf109E All dimensions, speed and range data is for the Bf109E-3

Type: Single-engined monoplane fighter Crew: One pilot Dimensions: Length: 28ft (8.55m) Wingspan: 32ft 4.5in (9.87m) Height: 8ft 2in (2.49m) Weights: 4,189lb (1,900kg) Empty: Max T/O: 5,875lb (2,665kg) Max Speed: 348mph (560km/h) Range: 410miles (660km) Powerplant: Daimler-Benz DB 601Aa of 1,175hp (876kW) Armament: 2 x 7.9mm machine guns in upper cowling, two 20mm cannon in wings; some E-3s additional 20mm cannon in propeller hub; fighterbomber variant provision for carriage of one 55lb (250kg) bomb under fuselage First Flight: June 1937 (Bf109 V10) Operators: Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Yugoslavia Production: Approximately 4,000 (E version)

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MESSERSCHMITT Bf109

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Another victim falls to the guns of Adolf Galland’s Bf109E during the Battle of Britain. The pilot of the Hurricane was Flying Officer Harold ‘Birdy’ Bird-Wilson of No 17 Squadron. He fought continuously through the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain, achieving six confirmed kills, sharing in the destruction of several others and being awarded a DFC. His luck ran out on 24 September 1940 when he became Adolf Galland’s 40th victim and had to bale out of a flaming YB-W over the channel, from where he was rescued. Painting by Simon Smith/www.sasmithart.co.uk

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Messerschmitt Bf110C/D D esigned in 1934-35 to fill the perceived need for a high-speed, long-range, heavily-armed twinengined fighter, Messerschmitt’s Bf110 Zerstörer (destroyer) fulfilled all these criterion. Indeed, it was to be a multi-role aeroplane whose primary mission was long-range fighter sweeping ahead of bomber formations. Many senior figures within the Luftwaffe opposed the concept on the grounds that the resulting aeroplane would be too large and heavy, and therefore slow and unwieldy, to perform any one task effectively. However, the Luftwaffe’s commanding officer, Hermann Göring, was convinced that Germany needed a long-range fighter and a directive was duly released stating that the development of the Kampfzerstörer should proceed with haste. The specification issued called for a twinengined all-metal three-seat monoplane that was armed with flexibly mounted cannon and featured an internal bomb-bay. Diplomingenieur (Diploma Engineer) Willy Messerschmitt and his Chief Engineer, Walter Rethel, felt that the Kampfzerstörer would be a failure if designed according to the official specification, so they chose to ignore many of the requirements and focused instead on ultimate performance. The proposals submitted

by Focke-Wulf and Henschel followed the specifications more closely, however, and they received three-prototype contracts from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium. Messerschmitt appeared to have missed out, but influential World War 1 ace Ernst Udet, who was a close friend of Messerschmitt, brought pressure to bear and the company also received a contract to build three examples of its aeroplane, now designated the Bf110. Concerns over the viability of the Kampfzerstörer finally resulted in the alteration of the requirement by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium in the spring of 1935 whereby a dedicated Schnellbomber (highspeed bomber) was specified. The demand for a zerstörer remained, however this aeroplane now being exclusively a ‘bomber destroyer’. The Bf 110 was well placed to fill the latter role, the aeroplane’s lean, sleek design giving the proposed fighter an impressive top speed. Following static tests and taxiing trials at Augsburg-Haunstetten, the prototype Bf110 V1 performed its first flight – with Rudolf Opitz at the controls – on 12 May 1936. Although the poor reliability of the aeroplane’s twin DaimlerBenz 600A engines hampered flight testing,

Messerschmitt pilots were able to report that the fighter had a marginal stability problem at low to medium speeds and essentially good handling at higher speeds. Also noted was the Bf110’s weak acceleration and poor manoeuvrability, although its top speed of 314mph in level flight offset these drawbacks somewhat. A tendency to swing violently during take-off and landing was also reported, and the aeroplane would suffer from poor ground handling throughout its long career. On-going engine problems meant that the second prototype (Bf110 V2) did not fly until 24 October 1936. This aeroplane was subsequently delivered to Rechlin Erprobungsstelle (service trials detachment) on 14 January 1937 for evaluation by Reichsluftfahrtministerium pilots. Unsurprisingly, the Bf110 outperformed both the Fw57 and Hs124 in the zerstörer role, as the latter machines had been built more as Kampfzerstörer rather than ‘bomber destroyers’. Upon hearing this news, Göring demanded that Messerschmitt commence production without delay, for the long-range heavy fighter had started to figure most prominently in the advanced war planning of the Luftwaffe.

One of 10 pre-production Bf 110C-0s before Luftwaffe acceptance, early 1939. These were the first of the line to have direct fuel injection.

MESSERSCHMITT Bf110

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Left: A German twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf110, nicknamed ‘Fliegender Haifisch’ (Flying Shark), over the English Channel, in August of 1940. Bottom: The first of the breed, the Bf 110 V1, with a pair of Daimler-Benz DB 600A liquid-cooled inverted-vee engines, made its maiden flight at Augsburg on 12 May 1936.

The first production model, the Bf110A, was to have been powered by the 986hp DB 600Aa. However, persistent problems with this powerplant led to its abandonment in favour of the uprated DB 601, and cancellation of the Bf110A. The new engine also suffered a troublesome gestation period, resulting in Messerschmitt being forced to switch to the interim 680hp Junkers Jumo 210Ga motor for its production series Bf110B. The first of 10 preproduction Bf110B-1s flew on 19 April 1938, and production standard machines began to slowly reach I.(Z)/LG 1 of the Luftwaffe’s Lehr-division (Instructional Division) in the autumn of that same year. This unit had

the responsibility of formulating tactics and techniques for the projected schweren (heavy) Jagdgruppen (re-designated Zerstörergruppen on 1 January 1939). Only 45 Bf110Bs were built, as the aeroplane possessed inadequate performance for combat tasks thanks to its Jumo 210Ga engines. These machines played an important role nevertheless, as they allowed crews to evaluate equipment and armament and develop operational techniques. By late 1938 the problems with the 1,100hp DB 601A-1 had at last been ironed out, allowing Messerschmitt to commence production of the definitive Bf110C-1 model. Aside from the new motors, this variant differed from the B-model through

the deletion of the deep radiator bath beneath each engine and the addition of a shallow glycol radiator outboard of the powerplant on the underside of each wing. Small oil coolers were also incorporated into the lower portion of the engine nacelles. Running way behind schedule, the Bf110 production programme was given the highest priority from late 1938. Ten pre-production Bf110C-0s were delivered to the Luftwaffe in January 1939 for service evaluation, and by month-end the first production Bf110C-1s had reached I.(Z)/LG 1. Deliveries to I./ZG 1 and I./ZG 76 also commenced during the spring and early summer. By 31 August 1939, 159 Bf110Cs had been accepted by the Luftwaffe, with production underway at Messerschmitt, FockeWulf, Gothaer Waggonfabrik and MIAG. These aeroplanes were flown by handpicked crews drawn in the main from Bf109-equipped units, and this gave the Zerstörergruppen elite unit status. Their aeroplane was shrouded in an aura of invincibility that had been generated by the German propaganda machine. Keen to prove the worth of his ‘Ironsides’, Göring reportedly ordered that the Luftwaffe throw its entire force of Zerstörer (totalling just 90 serviceable aircraft) into the assault on Poland.

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Famous Ace Hans-Joachim Jabs 6./ZG 76’s Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Jabs was credited with destroying five Hurricanes, as well as a handful of Spitfires, over France and southern England during the spring and summer of 1940. Originally trained to fly the Bf109, he was transferred to Bf110C-equipped II./ZG 76 at Cologne-Wahn in March 1940. Finding himself in the thick of the action from the very start of the Blitzkrieg, Jabs claimed a French Hawk 75 destroyed on 12 May. By the end of the Battle of France his tally stood at six victories, all of which were fighters. Jabs claimed a Spitfire and a Hurricane during the bloody clashes of 15 August, and by the time he was awarded the Knight’s Cross and promotion to oberleutnant on 1 October 1940, his tally stood at 20. Retraining in late 1941 as a nightfighter pilot, Jabs’ final successes came on the night of 21 February 1945 when he downed two Lancasters to take his tally to 50 victories – 22 day and 28 night kills. One of the highest-scoring Bf110 aces to survive the war, Jabs had completed 710 missions by VE Day.

MESSERSCHMITT Bf110

Above: A Bf110C-2 undergoes manufacturer’s trials before delivery. The angular but wellproportioned lines of this twin-engined fighter are well portrayed here. Top right: A section of cowling is raised to reveal the deadly battery of four 7.9mm MG17 machine-guns housed in the nose of earlier variants of the Messerschmitt Bf110. They were aimed using a Revi C.12/C reflector sight. Centre right: The cockpit of the Bf110 was extremely ergonomic and spacious compared to a single-seat fighter. Left: The view from the rear seat in a Messerschmitt Bf 110 showing the back of the pilot’s head. The visibility afforded by the large canopy was excellent. Right: Looking backwards from the pilot’s seat, towards the rear gunner’s position. The vast canopy is well highlighted, as is the lack of armour protection for the crew.

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Into Combat Early combat in Poland, during the defence of the Heligolnd Bight and Norway and France saw Bf 110 crews make the most of the aircraft’s forward-firing armament. However, this had proven to be hard to bring to bear in dogfighting combat with more agile opponents, forcing Zerstörer crews to adopt new tactics when single-seat fighters were encountered in strength. Typically, Bf110 units would form a defensive circle, protecting each other’s tail and enabling several guns to be brought to bear simultaneously against fighters attacking the periphery. Dubbed the ‘circle of death’ by Allied pilots, this sterile manoeuvre firmly confounded the Bf110’s stated role of ‘cutting a path’ through the enemy’s defence. By the end of the Battle of France, 35 per cent of the 355 Bf110Cs involved in the campaign had been lost. Such attrition was soon made good, however, and on 20 July 1940 Luftflotten 2, 3 and 5 (the key units involved in the Battle of Britain) could field 278 Bf110C/D fighters. According to the Luftwaffe strategy for the campaign against the RAF, Bf110s would use their superior endurance to entice British fighter squadrons into combat. German bomber squadrons would then follow at a

Battle of Britain Bf110 Units Erprobungsgruppe 210 Lehrgeschwader 1 Zerstörergeschwader 2, 26, 76 Aufklärungsgruppe 14, 22, 31, 121, 122

suitable distance, arriving at their targets when the defending fighters had exhausted their fuel and were therefore powerless to intervene. Additionally, RAF fighters sitting on the ground at their airfields being refuelled and rearmed would be easy targets for the bombers and strafing Bf110s. This tactic proved unachievable from the very start of the battle due to the Bf110’s vulnerability to the more agile Spitfire and Hurricane. Although the German fighter’s armament was undeniably lethal, pilots had trouble getting onto the tails of their more agile opponents. Furthermore, the solitary 7.9 mm machine gun wielded by the radio operator/ gunner in the rear cockpit offered the crew little protection against an attack from astern. Lacking speed and acceleration to flee from the RAF fighters, the Bf110 suffered terrible losses once Fighter Command had got their measure. During August alone, 120 Bf110s were lost. It was obvious to the Luftwaffe that the Zerstörer needed to be withdrawn from the aerial offensive, but a shortage of Bf109s, coupled with their inadequate range, meant the Bf110s struggled on into September. Despite flying fewer sorties and tightening up their defensive tactics, a further 83 Zerstörer had

Messerschmitt Bf110B-1 M8+HL of 3./ZG76, circa 1940. Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk

been lost by the end of the month. Attrition had been so high that several gruppen had to be disbanded owing to a paucity of aircraft and aircrew. During the final weeks of the Battle of Britain Bf110s were confined to long-range reconnaissance (the Bf110C-5 specialised reconnaissance variant fitted with a single Rb 50/30 camera in the cockpit floor began reaching the Aufklärungsgruppen in the early summer of 1940) and fighter-bomber roles. Ironically, perhaps the most effective exponents of the Zerstörer during the campaign were the crews of Erprobungsgruppe 210, which was an experimental unit that had been assigned the task of evolving the most effective Jagdbomber (fighter-bomber) tactics for the bomb-toting Bf109E-4/Bs and Bf110C-4/Bs. The latter was equipped with two ETC 250 racks on its centreline for two 250kg bombs. EGr 210 commenced operations against British shipping in the Channel in July 1940 with immediate success. Using its Bf110s singly or in small groups throughout the Battle of Britain, the unit made maximum use of the element of surprise by employing terrain-following techniques.

Below left: A pair of Bf110s on the prowl. The campaigns in Europe of early 1940 demonstrated that the Bf110 was vulnerable in hostile skies. It performed well against the Belgian, Dutch and French Air Forces, suffering relatively light losses, but was quickly outclassed by increasing numbers of British fighters. Below: Shark-mouthed Bf110s of ZG 76 wait for their next mission during May 1940.

MESSERSCHMITT Bf110

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Messerschmitt Bf110C/D All dimensions, speed and range data is for the Bf110C-4

Type: Twin-engined monoplane fighter/fighter-bomber Crew: Two-/three-man crew Dimensions: 39ft 8.5in (12.10m) Length: Wingspan: 53ft 4.75in (16.27m) Height: 11ft 6in (3.50m) Weights: 9,920lb (4500kg) Empty: Normal loaded: 15,300lb (6940kg) Max Speed: 349mph (561kmh) Range: 565 miles (909km) Powerplants: two Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1 engines of 2,200hp (1640kW) in total Armament: 2 x 20 mm cannon and 4 x 7.9mm machine guns in nose cowling, 7.9 mm machine gun in rear cockpit; C-4/B fighter-bomber variant, maximum load of 1,102lb (500kg) bombs carried externally; C-7, maximum load of 2,205lb (1,000kg) bombs First Flight Date: 12 May 1936 Operator: Germany Production: 860 C-models and 436 D-model Left: Mechanics loading gun magazines in front of a Bf110C with its nose cowling removed to reveal its deadly firepower. Below left and below: In time-honoured fashion, Maj Johann Schalk and Oblt Theodor Rossiwal discuss tactics prior to climbing into their Bf110s of ZG 26 in June 1940.

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Right: A common occurrence during the Battle of Britain, a gun camera sequence records the instant that a Bf110 erupts in a ball of fire as an RAF fighter hits its mark. The worst day of the battle for the Bf110 was 15 August 1940 when nearly 30 were shot down, the equivalent of an entire Gruppe. Between 16–17 August, 23 more were lost. Inset: A sequence of camera gun still frames showing the destruction of a Messerschmitt Bf110 by a British fighter. The Battle of Britain revealed the Bf110’s fatal weaknesses as a daylight fighter against singleengine aircraft. A relatively large aircraft, it lacked the agility of the Hurricane and Spitfire and was easily seen. Below: A Bf110C of ZG 26 being refuelled between sorties in October 1940. The Luftwaffe had embarked on the battle with 237 serviceable Bf110s. it is believed that 223 were lost in the course of it.

Supermarine Spitfire

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Supermarine Spitfire

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‘And not to yield’ A handful of No 610 Squadron Spitfires bore in to attack a large formation of Dornier Do17s. The Luftwaffe crews are already trying to deal with some Hurricanes snapping at their heels, while their Bf109 escorts hurry to cut off the Spitfire attack. Painting by Alex Hamilton/www.alexhamilton.net

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Supermarine Spitfire I/II T

here is no aircraft more iconic than the Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire. The only British fighter to remain in production throughout World War 2, the exploits of the Spitfire are legendary. More than 20,000 were produced in mark numbers ranging from I through to 24, this total also including 1,000+ built as dedicated Seafire fleet fighters for the Royal Navy. Designed by Reginald J. Mitchell following his experiences with the RAF’s Schneider Trophy winning Supermarine floatplanes of the 1920s and 30s, prototype Spitfire K5054 first took to the skies on 5 March 1936. Remarkably, this was the only prototype Spitfire to be built by Vickers-Supermarine, this aircraft conducting all the pre-production development work associated with the aircraft between 5 March 1936 and the first flight of the premier production Spitfire I (K9787) on 15 May 1938. Thoroughly tested by both the manufacturer and the RAF, the hand-built K5054 was progressively altered during this period to more closely represent the 310 Spitfire Is ordered by the Air Ministry in mid-1936. Guns were

installed and fired in flight, a modified propeller fitted to improve its top speed and the external skin finishing changed to help reduce the time and cost involved in building production Spitfires. Improved versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine were also progressively installed, including the Merlin ‘C’ (later designated the Merlin II) of 990hp, the Merlin ‘F’ of 1,035hp and, finally, the Merlin III of 1,030hp. Badly damaged twice in landing accidents during its brief lifetime, K5054 soldiered on in its testing role until late October 1938, by which time some of the 20 production Spitfire Is that had flown by then were also conducting trials work. Sent to Farnborough to serve as a ‘highspeed’ hack, the aircraft was finally written off on 4 September 1939 in a fatal landing accident. The jig-built Spitfire Is that were by then entering squadron service differed significantly from the hand-built K5054 in a number of key areas, primarily internally. The fighter’s distinctive elliptical wing had been appreciably strengthened so as to raise its never-to-beexceeded maximum speed from 380mph to 470mph. Flap travel was also increased from

57 degrees to 90 degrees, and fuel tankage boosted from 75 to 84 Imp gal. Other minor changes were also introduced, and equipment fitted, that ultimately saw the first production Spitfire I weigh in at 5,819lb fully loaded – 460lb heavier than K5054. The first 64 airframes were fitted with the Merlin II engine, whilst the remaining Spitfire I/IAs were powered by the 1,030hp Merlin III. From the 78th airframe onwards, the Rolls-Royce engine would drive a three-bladed de Havilland or Rotol two-pitch or constant speed propeller, rather than the Watts two-bladed fixed-pitch wooden airscrew. The new propeller shortened the Spitfire’s take-off run from 420 yards to 225 yards (with the constant-speed airscrew), increased its rate of climb, boosted the top speed from 361mph to 365mph and made the Spitfire much easier to handle in combat. The first Spitfire Is reached No 19 Squadron in August 1938, and further modifications were brought in following early months of service flying. Engine start problems were cured with a more powerful starter motor, an enginedriven hydraulic system to raise and lower the

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Destined for greatness. The Spitfire prototype K5054 introduced the World to arguably the most iconic shape in aviation.

undercarriage replaced the hand pump that was originally fitted and a bulged canopy was introduced to provide the extra headroom that was needed to allow taller pilots to fly the aircraft in comfort. During the early months of World War 2, once it became clear that pilots of modern fighters needed armour protection, the previously unarmoured Spitfire I had a thick slab of laminated glass fitted to the front of its windscreen. A 3cm thick light alloy cover was also fitted over the upper fuel tank in the fuselage and 75lb of steel armour installed behind and beneath the pilot’s seat. In the spring of 1940 the RAF also introduced 100 octane fuel in place of the 87 octane that it had previously used. The Spitfire I’s Merlin engine had to be modified to use this petrol, and the higher octane allowed pilots to select double the supercharger boost for a maximum of five minutes (raising the top speed by up to 34mph) without the risk of damaging the Merlin III. IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponder equipment was also introduced soon after the outbreak of war, thus allowing radar operators on the ground to identify the aircraft they were tracking on their plots. Early in its development, the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine’s lack of fuel injection meant that both Spitfires and

Hurricanes, unlike the Bf109E, were unable to simply nose down into a steep dive. This meant a Luftwaffe fighter could simply ‘bunt’ into a high-power dive to escape an attack, leaving the Spitfire behind, as its fuel was forced out of the carburettor by negative G. RAF fighter pilots soon learned to ‘half-roll’ their aircraft before diving to pursue their opponents. Finally, on the eve of the Battle of Britain commencing, all frontline Spitfires were fitted with ‘two-step’ rudder pedals, with the upper step six inches higher than the lower step. Just prior to combat, the pilot lifted his feet onto the upper step, thus giving his body a more horizontal posture that in turn raised his blackout threshold by about 1 G, allowing him to sustain tighter turns during high-speed manoeuvring. Production of the Spitfire I ran from April 1938 through to March 1941, by which time 1,567 examples had been built. Following a series of delays, the massive Shadow Factory established by the Nuffield Organisation in Castle Bromwich at last began to produce Spitfires in June 1940. These aircraft were virtually identical to late-production Spitfire Is built elsewhere in the UK, but they were fitted with the slightly more powerful Merlin XII engine that produced 110hp more than the Merlin III. Designated the Spitfire IIA, the first examples were delivered to No 611 Squadron in August 1940, followed by Nos 19, 74 and 266 Squadrons. By the time production

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of the Spitfire IIA ended in July 1941, 751 examples had been built. Around 30 cannon-armed Spitfire IBs also saw brief frontline service during the summer of 1940. Soon after the Spitfire I entered service, the RAF had stated that it required the fighter to pack a heavier punch in order to down bombers that boasted armour and self-sealing tanks. Having evaluated a series of heaviercalibre cannon, it selected the French 20mm Hispano-Suiza Type 404 as the best weapon of its size then in production. The cannon boasted a high muzzle velocity and the ability to fire armour-piercing shells, and a deal was quickly struck with the manufacturer to build the gun under licence in the UK. Small blisters were added to the upper surfaces of the fighter’s wing so that the cannon’s drum magazines could be housed within the slender structure. Cannon barrels also extended from the leading edges of the wings. The Hispano-Suiza guns had had to be mounted in the thin wings on their sides in order for them to fit, and if they were fired when the fighter was pulling G, used cartridge cases tended to bounce back into the cannon and cause stoppages. The first examples were delivered to No 19 Squadron at Duxford in June 1940, but when the unit went into action two months later its aircraft were plagued with chronic cannon jams and the Spitfire IBs were hastily replaced with all-machine gun Spitfire IIAs within days.

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Famous Ace George ‘Grumpy’ Unwin A member of No 19 Squadron from 1936 and one of the RAF’s most experienced Spitfire service pilots at the outbreak of war, Flt Sgt George ‘Grumpy’ Unwin was the unit’s senior NCO throughout the long summer of 1940. First engaging the enemy over the evacuation beaches of Dunkirk during Operation ‘Dynamo’, he was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and Bar for his successful participation in both this action and the Battle of Britain. By the time he was posted away from the unit at the end of 1940, having been deemed too old at 28 by Fighter Command to serve within its frontline force, Unwin had been credited with 13 and two shared destroyed, two unconfirmed victories and a solitary damaged claim. These successes made him No 19 Squadron’s leading ace of 1940.

George Unwin and his Alsatian, Flash. Unwin got the nickname ‘Grumpy’ after he complained about the amount of noise Bader made adjusting his tin legs.

Supermarine Spitfire Ia Type: Single-engined monoplane fighter Crew: One pilot Dimensions: Length: 29ft 11in (9.12m) Wingspan: 36ft 10in (11.23m) Height: 11ft 5in (3.48m) Weights: Empty: 4,810lb (2,182kg) Loaded Weight: 5,844lb (2,651kg) Max Speed: 355mph (571km/h) Range: 575 miles (925km) Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin II/III of 1,030hp (768kW) Armament: 8 x 0.303in machine guns First Flight: 5 March 1936 Operators: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK Production: 1,567 Mk Is and 921 Mk IIs

Into Combat By the outbreak of war in September 1939, there were nine full squadrons of Spitfires with Fighter Command. On 16 October 1939 Spitfires of Nos 602 and 603 Squadrons engaged German bombers over the Firth of Forth and downed two He111s. These were the first German aircraft to be destroyed over the British Isles in World War 2. Prevented from going to France to support the British Expeditionary Force by Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Sir Hugh Dowding, C-in-C Fighter Command, Spitfires nevertheless took part in Operation ‘Dynamo’ – the evacuation of British and French troops

from Dunkirk. Although the units involved suffered significant casualties over the Channel (72 Spitfires were lost), there were still sufficient numbers of Spitfires available to equip 18 squadrons and one flight in Fighter Command. During the Battle of Britain (officially recognised as running from 10 July to 31 October 1940), the average strength in Spitfires was 957. By 15 October 1940, 1,426 examples had been delivered to the RAF, of which 1,142 saw squadron service between 1 July and 15 October 1940. Although fewer in number than the ‘workhorse’ Hurricane I, Spitfires could be

found in all Fighter Command four groups. Most examples served with No 11 Group (the largest), which covered south-eastern England and the approaches to London – it was commanded by Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Keith R. Park, a New Zealander and a fighter ace from World War 1. To the immediate north was No 12 Group, covering the Midlands and East Anglia, commanded by Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. Nos 10 and 13 Groups, covering south-western and northern England and Scotland, respectively, had smaller numbers of Spitfires, but these also saw action against enemy intruders.

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Left: The very compact cockpit of a Spitfire I. Note the lack of bullet-proof glass and the extremely rudimentary gunsight. Below right: Spitfire production at Eastleigh in full-swing in 1939, with Rolls-Royce Merlins being fitted to the completed fuselages. The Spitfire’s airframe was complex: the streamlined, semi-monocoque duralumin fuselage featured a large number of compound curves built up from a skeleton of 19 formers, also known as frames. The first four frames supported the glycol header tank and engine cowlings. Frame 5, to which the engine bearers were secured, supported the weight of the engine and accessories. Below left: Mitchell designed the Spitfire’s distinctive elliptical wing to have the thinnest possible cross-section to enabe a high top speed. A feature of the wing was an innovative spar boom design, made up of five square tubes that fitted into each other.

Above: The man behind the creation of the Spitfire, Reginald J. Mitchell, CBE. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the development of the Spitfire through its multitude of variants.

During the Battle of Britain a total of 529 German aircraft were shot down by Spitfires serving with the 20 actively engaged units of Fighter Command. Some 282 of these were Bf109Es. Conversely, 361 Spitfires had been lost and 352 damaged during the conflict. Over-claiming of victories by both sides during the campaign was rife, with the 19 Spitfire units claiming 1,064.5 kills of which only 521.49 can be substantiated. Of the 10 topscoring squadrons in Fighter Command, six of them were equipped with Spitfires – No 603 Squadron topped the list with 57.8 victories (from 67 claimed).

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SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE

Above: At home in its natural element, Spitfire Ia, P9450, wings its way gracefully through an English cloudscape. This aircraft first flew on 5 April 1940 and became the mount of Sgt C. L. Hopgood of No 64 Squadron. He survived the Battle of Britain but was tragically shot down and killed in P9450 on 5 December 1940. Far left: On 4 May 1939 the press were invited to Duxford to see the new Spitfire. Twelve Spitfires from No 19 Squadron were lined up and performed an air drill. To really give the press an idea of the capabilities of the Spitfire, journalists were taken up in Blenheims to be the ‘target’ in a mock attack! Flight magazine reported that the Spitfire was ‘truly a poem of speed and precision’. Left: The calm before the storm. RAF fighter pilots relax between flying patrols over the south-east of England. Right: Pilots of No 65 Squadron sprint to their aircraft during a practice scramble at Hornchurch on 18 May 1939. It was not long before they were doing this for real.

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Above: A mechanic works on the hydraulic system of a Spitfire Ia’s undercarriage. The undercarriage legs were attached to pivot points built into the inner, rear section of the main spar and retracted outwards and slightly backwards into wells in the non-load-carrying wing structure. Right: RAF fighter tactics quickly changed during World War 2, as evidenced by this famous air-toair photograph featuring L1043 DW-O and P9495 DW-K of No 610 Squadron . Often this is cited as a ‘Battle of Britain’ image but it was in fact taken in June. While the three aircraft in the foreground of the picture are in a traditional ‘vic’ it should be noted that the rest of the squadron is in a loose staggered formation with sections of three aircraft in line astern. Below right: Armourers service the Browning guns of a Spitfire Ia in 1940. Red fabric patches were doped over the gun ports to protect the guns from cold, dirt and moisture until they were fired. Even if the eight Brownings worked perfectly, pilots soon discovered that they were not sufficient to destroy larger aircraft. Combat reports showed that an average of 4,500 rounds were needed to shoot down an enemy aircraft. Below: ‘Here come the last 50 Spitfires’. A bitter Luftwaffe bomber crew joke in light of Reichmarschall Göring’s claims that the RAF was down to its last fighters. This gun camera film shows tracer ammunition from a Spitfire I of No 609 Squadron flown by Flt Lt J. H. G. McArthur hitting a Heinkel He111 on its starboard quarter. These aircraft were part of a large formation from KG53 and KG55 that attacked the Bristol Aeroplane Company’s works at Filton, Bristol, just before midday on 25 September 1940.


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Battle of Britain Spitfire Squadrons No 19 Sqn No 41 Sqn No 54 Sqn No 64 Sqn No 65 Sqn No 66 Sqn No 72 Sqn No 74 Sqn No 92 Sqn No 152 Sqn No 222 Sqn No 234 Sqn No 266 Sqn No 602 Sqn No 603 Sqn No 609 Sqn No 610 Sqn No 611 Sqn No 616 Sqn No 421 Flt


Famous Pilot Sqn Ldr Basil ‘Stapme’ Stapleton

Above: Life on the wing: Pilots of Nos 19 and 616 Squadrons pose by a Spitfire. Sitting on the wing (left to right) are Brian Lane, ‘Grumpy’ Unwin and Francis Brinsden – with Flash the Alsatian and Rangy the Spaniel. In front, are Bernard Jennings, Colin MacFie, Howard Burton and the American volunteer Philip Leckrone. Three of the men – Lane, Burton and Leckrone – did not survive the war. MacFie went on to fly with Bader’s Tangmere Wing until he was shot down in combat and captured in July 1941 Top right: The average age of an RAF pilot in 1940 was 20. The strain they were under is clearly written on the face of Squadron Leader B. J. E. ‘Sandy’ Lane (centre), pictured here aged 23. He was killed in combat two years later.. Left: A Spitfire being re-armed during the height of the Battle of Britain. As soon as aircraft returned from a sortie they were re-fuelled and re-armed ready for the next one.

Tall, blond and sporting a splendid handlebar moustache, Stapleton was the epitome of the dashing fighter pilot. As the Battle of Britain opened in July 1940, he was flying Spitfires with No 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron and saw action off the east coast of Scotland. He shared in the destruction of two German bombers before his squadron moved to Hornchurch in late August as the Battle intensified. Within a few days Stapleton had engaged the enemy fighter force escorting the Luftwaffe’s bombers, and was credited with probably destroying two Messerschmitt Bf109s. By the beginning of September No 603 was one of the most heavily involved squadrons and Stapleton accounted for a Dornier bomber on 3 September and a Bf109 two days later. On 7 September Stapleton’s Spitfire was hit by enemy fire, but he managed to force-land his badly damaged aircraft. A young couple having a picnic in an adjacent field gave him a restorative cup of tea before driving him back to his airfield. On 15 September (Battle of Britain Day) Stapleton shot down a Dornier bomber and damaged a fighter. By the end of the Battle on 31 October, he had destroyed two more Bf109s and probably a further three. During that summer of 1940, 13 of his colleagues were killed and others seriously wounded. When reflecting on the Battle in later life, Stapleton observed: ‘Despite the casualties, when I look back, I recall we also had great fun. It was an exciting time and we made the most of our opportunities to live it up. We tended to treat each occasion as if it were our last.’

Spitfire I, L1024, of No 603 Squadron, flown by Sqn Ldr Basil ‘Stapme’ Stapleton.

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Roll call

Other aircraft that flew in the Battle of Britain… BRITAIN

ITALY

Bristol Beaufighter Developed as a private venture by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the Beaufighter was a two-seat all-metal fighter based on the Beaufort torpedo-bomber. First flown on 17 July 1939, the Beaufighter eventually equipped 52 RAF squadrons, giving outstanding service during World War 2. Entry into Fighter Command service came during August 1940 with the Fighter Interception Unit at Tangmere. The following month, five squadrons received the Mark IF equipped with Mark IV Air Intercept radar for night-fighter duties although the type’s first kill wasn’t until November of that year.

Gloster Gladiator By the time of the Battle of Britain, only a handful of Gladiators remained in frontline RAF service with the Shetland Fighter Flight defending Scapa Flow. An expanded flight equipped with Gladiators was also established at Roborough to protect Plymouth’s naval dockyard. The Shetland Gladiators eventually moved south to St Eval, in Cornwall, and became No 247 Squadron on 1 August. The unit failed to engage the enemy during the Battle of Britain despite numerous raids being made on Plymouth, the Gladiator lacking the speed to intercept high-flying bombers. However, No 247 Squadron’s Plt Off R. C. Winter did manage to damage a lone He111 off Falmouth on 6 November.

In September 1940 Benito Mussolini sent an air expeditionary force of the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) known as the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) to Belgium to assist in the Battle of Britain. Three wings of approximately 200 aircraft were formed but they did not participate in the battle until it was almost over. The first raid by the Corpo Aereo Italiano flying the Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (Stork) medium bomber was a failed night mission against Harwich on 24 October 1940. Bombing missions (mainly at night) continued until January 1941 on targets more or less directly opposite Belgium including Harwich, Felixstowe and Ipswich (144 bombing sorties in total). Fighter sweeps were also conducted along the coast of the English Channel throughout November 1940 and fighter patrols continued until 7 February 1941 (1,640 fighter sorties in total). A small number of CANT Z.1007 Alcione (Kingfisher) aircraft were used to conduct reconnaissance missions from November 1940 to January 1941. In 1940 the Regia Aeronautica was flying outdated but manoeuvrable fighters like the biplane Fiat CR.42 Falco (Falcon) and the lightly armed monoplane Fiat G.50 Freccia. These fighters were really no match against RAF fighters but some of the more

With an overheating engine, Sgt Pietro Salvadori’s Fiat CR.42 Falco ‘MM5701’ force landed on the beach at Orfordness, Suffolk, gently nosing over on the shingle. Salvadori was taken prisoner and was apparently very proud of his landing on 11 November 1940.

experienced Italian pilots could hold their own against better RAF aircraft through their own piloting skills. By February 1941 the majority of the Corpo Aereo Italiano returned to Italy although two squadrons of Italian G.50 fighters remained in Belgium until 16 April 1941 conducting local coastal patrols. Despite claims of success by the Italians there is no evidence to suggest they shot down any RAF aircraft and according to information from the RAF during their involvement in the Battle of Britain the Italians lost approximately 24 aircraft (shot down, crashed and forced landings).

Gloster Gladiator II N2308 HP-B as flown by Sgt James Verdun Renvoize of No 247 Squadron, RAF. Chris Davey

ROLL CALL

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GERMANY Arado Ar196 The first batch of Ar196 floatplanes was delivered in 1939, being assigned to Germany’s principal warships as on-board reconnaissance machines. An improved model, the A-3, appeared in 1940 and was primarily used for coastal patrol and reconnaissance duties, although it had a light attack capability. Numbers were encountered during the Battle of Britain on convoy and air-sea rescue reconnaissance missions.

Dornier Do215 The Dornier Do 215 was in all main respects similar to the Dornier Do17 except for its powerplant of two Daimler-Benz DB601 engines. The Do215 was originally an export model for Yugoslavia and Sweden taken over by the Luftwaffe, and was only seen in small numbers during the Battle of Britain, mainly in the reconnaissance role.

Focke-Wulf FW200 The FW200 Condor was designed as a transAtlantic airliner in 1936, but the Luftwaffe’s shortage of long-range aircraft led to its introduction into service during 1940. Deliveries were slow, but a number were used in the long-range reconnaissance and anti-shipping roles with occasional night bombing raids over Britain. The type gained notoriety later in the war with their attacks on the shipping convoys in the North Atlantic.

Arado Ar196

Heinkel He115 The Heinkel He115 floatplane was used in a wide variety of roles during the Battle of Britain, notably the mining of estuaries and coastal waters. It first flew in 1936 and by the end of the war was one of the best floatplanes of any air arm. Deliveries commenced in 1937. Some aircraft were modified to carry magnetic mines.

Heinkel He59 Designed as a torpedo-bomber and maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the He59 first flew in 1932. By the time of the Battle of Britain, the type was obsolete and used by the Luftwaffe for air-sea rescue, white-painted C-2s and D-1s of the Seenotstaffeln sporting large red

crosses and civil registrations being actively employed in the Channel, Bay of Biscay and the North Sea saving downed Luftwaffe and RAF airmen from a watery fate. However, it was alleged by the British government that these aeroplanes were being used to transport agents to England, mining the Thames Estuary and directing dive-bombers to their targets. Although no hard evidence was ever found to support these allegations, several He59s were shot down by RAF fighters. As a consequence, the Seenotstaffeln repainted its floatplanes in military camouflage and reintroduced defensive armament. German records show that 21 Heinkel He59s were lost to enemy action between 1 July and 31 October 1940.

Heinkel He59

THE BLITZ

The Blitz T

he appearance of German bombers in the skies over London during the afternoon of 7 September 1940 heralded a tactical shift in Hitler’s attempt to subdue Great Britain. During the previous two months, the Luftwaffe had targetted RAF airfields and radar stations for destruction in preparation for the German invasion of the island. With invasion plans put on hold and eventually scrapped, Hitler turned his attention to destroying London in an attempt to demoralise the population and force the British to come to terms. During this first phase of the Blitz (shortened from German Blitzkrieg, ‘lightning war’), raids took place both day and night. German bombers attacked London every night but one between midSeptember and mid-November. Birmingham and Bristol were attacked in mid-October. From mid-November 1940 to February 1941, the Luftwaffe attacked industrial and port cities. This second phase began on 14/15November 1940 when the Luftwaffe made a devastating 12-hour bombing raid on Coventry. The government feared that aerial bombardment could destroy civilian morale and perhaps after the devastation of Coventry those fears were put to their sternest test.However within weeks the city and its factories revived and nowhere did sustained loss of morale occur. Meanwhile the capital London was still being targetted. Fires consumed many portions of the city and residents sought shelter wherever they could find it – many fleeing to the Underground stations. In the worst single incident, 450 were killed when a bomb destroyed a school being used as an air raid shelter. The Blitz ended on 11 May 1941 when Hitler called off the raids in order to move his bombers east in preparation for Germany’s invasion of Russia. The accompanying images provide a graphic reminder of the life and times of the Blitz, events that are still in living memory…

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