|
|
| Hurricane on My Tail |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| DESCRIPTION |
|
| 16 x 11.5 Inch Collector Size Unframed Lithograph $40.00
With Europe occupied by Nazi forces, Great Britain was the last obstacle in Hitler's plan to rule Europe. Hitler's invasion plan called for his Luftwaffe to gain control of the air over Britain in the first few weeks of attack, which would be followed by pulverizing bombing attacks on the British coastline, and finally by a blitzkrieg style invasion spearheaded by Panzer Divisions supported by fighters and dive bombers. The Germans had assembled over 100 well-equipped divisions by the Summer of 1940 for its invasion of Britain, and on August 8 the Luftwaffe attacks commenced. The Germans had underestimated the capability of the British air defense and both the will and skill of its pilots. In the first ten days of German attacks RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires shot down 697 German aircraft, while losing only 153 aircraft and 93 flight personnel of their own. By month's end the German strategists shifted to all out attacks on British airfields, aircraft plants, and munitions factories. Effectively utilizing radar to pinpoint incoming strikes, and by widely dispersing their own aircraft so few could be destroyed during any single attack, the RAF fought back. During this second phase of attack the Germans lost an additional 562 aircraft compared to only 219 for the Brits. However, every German plane shot down resulted in the death or capture of its trained flight crews, but in more than half of the RAF losses the experienced pilot was saved. Forced to react to ever increasing losses, the Germans shifted their strategy to strategic night bombing raids on London and several other major cities. A year after The Battle Of Britain commenced Germany was forced to abandon major air operations directed at Britain marking this conflict the first major battle in the history of warfare fought solely by aircraft, as not a single Nazi soldier voluntarily set foot on British soil. The Hawker Hurricane while less glamorized than the Supermarine Spitfire, was the fighter most widely used by the RAF during the first two years of the War. The Hurricane was the first British fighter to exceed 300 MPH, and the first to carry eight machine guns. In excess of 14,000 Hurricanes were produced through 1944. The Heinkel He. 111 medium bomber pictured in Stan Stokes painting, Hurricane on My Tail!, was widely used by the Luftwaffe (7,300 produced) during the Battle of Britain. The 111 could carry a 5,500 pound bomb load and had a maximum speed of 252 MPH. In total the Germans lost 2,375 aircraft during the Battle of Britain. The inspiration and determination of the RAF's Hurricane and Spitfire pilots during this conflict lead to Winston Churchill's often quoted remark, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." |
|
|