BANDITS 200 PLUS

The 7th September 1940 was one of the most dramatic days in the Battle of Britain and would later be recognised as an important turning point in the course of the Second World War.

In the weeks prior to this day the Luftwaffe had made concerted attacks against RAF Fighter Command airfields, but it now changed its tactics, turning its attention to a new target, London. German bomber and fighter squadrons had been repositioned in airfields close to the French coast from where very large formations could be quickly assembled and hurled against this new and vulnerable target.

On the afternoon of the 7th September, Hermann Goring, no doubt with great satisfaction, watched the first colossal armada set forth as wave after wave of aircraft, totalling more than a thousand, roared over Cap Gris-Nez and headed out across the English Channel. The initial force was soon detected on British radar screens. At first the radar plotters counted one hundred enemy aircraft but then realised there were at least twice that number. Twenty three RAF fighter squadrons were scrambled and some were able to intercept the raiders over the Thames estuary. The swarm of Do17 and Ju88 bombers was protected by dozens of Me109Es including those of JG26, one of the very best Luftwaffe fighter units in the Battle.

In this scene high over the Thames, the Messerschmitt of Oberleutnant Joachim Muncheberg, a top ace in the unit and soon to be a Knights Cross winner, leads other fighters of 7./JG26 into the fray. A Spitfire of No.603 Squadron is in Joachim's gunsight, while a Hurricane of No.249 Squadron is engaging the bombers. The air is filled with the rattle of guns as the mass of German aircraft forges westwards with bomb aimers preparing to drop their deadly cargo, the wide river guiding them to their hapless target. By evening, London had suffered its first true heavy bombing with the extensive docks and East End suffering terribly. The Blitz had begun.

This Limited 'Blitz' Edition print has been signed by the artist, along with SEVEN distinguished Luftwaffe fighter and Bomber Aces who participated in the Battle of Britain!