Fascinating never-seen-before historic photos reveal incredible moment British spitfires and hurricanes took on the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
The British RAF and the German air force battled it out in the skies as ships, planes and houses took the brunt of the attack
AMAZING never-seen-before photos show British spitfires and hurricanes taking on the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain.
The British RAF and the German air force battled it out in the skies as ships, planes and houses took the brunt of the attack over a number of months in 1940.
Striking black and white images, released with the publication of a new book by Brian Cull, show burning ships and aircraft in the English Channel, and downed planes being carried away from the battle.
In one startling shot an upturned plane with a Swastika on its tail is embedded in a house, while another shows a squadron of planes flying to continue the battle.
The book, Battle for the Channel: The First Month of the Battle of Britain 10 July- 10 August 1940, recounts the aerial duel.
The Battle of Britain, which lasted for several months between July and October of 1940, cemented its place in history as an example of resistance.
It proved to be a watershed moment for the Nazis’ territorial aims as they then shifted their focus to conquering Britain.
Aware of the resilience of the RAF, German aircrafts bombarded British airfield bases until the autumn of 1940.
The incumbent Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, stated how "never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few".
These were the 3,000 men of the RAF who took part in the Battle of Britain, known as ‘The Few’.
Over the course of the battle, nearly 1,000 British planes were shot down by German gunfire.
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Similarly, the Luftwaffe endured high causalities whereby almost 2,000 of its planes were destroyed.
One of the last four surviving Spitfire pilots from the Battle of Britain died earlier this month.
Ken Wilkinson, who once told Prince William a dirty joke, passed away on Monday at the age of 99.
And the legendary Second World War fighter pilot Ginger Lacey was commemorated with a blue plaque on his family home – now the site of an Aldi, a German supermarket chain.
Born James Harry Lacey in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, the pilot became an unlikely hero of the Battle of Britain.
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