BANDITS 200 PLUS By Nicolas Trudgian
Print No 3 in the Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary Trilogy
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 on RAF Fighter Command airfields, but now it changed tactics, turning its attention to a new target - London.
German Bomber and Fighter Squadrons had been re-positioned in airfields close to the French coast, from where very large formations could be 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 of the English Channel. The initial force was soon detected on British radar screens.
At first radar plotters counted 100 enemy aircraft but then realised there were at least twice that number. Twnety three RAF Fighter Squadrons were scrambled and some were able to intercept the raiders over the Thames Estuary. The swarm of Dornier Do17's and Junkers Ju88's were protected by dozens of Me109E's, including those of JG26, one of the very best Luftwaffe fighter Units.
In this scene, high over the Thames, the Me109E of Oberleutnant Joachim Muncheberg, a top 'Ace' in the Unit and soon to be Knights cross winner, leads other fighters of 7./JG26 into the fray. A Spitfire of 603 Squadron is in Muncheberg's gunsight, while a Hurricane of 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.
The one positive outcome of this change in tactics was, with the attention now turned from their airfields, the RAF Fighter Squadrons were able to regain their strength, a tactical error the Luftwaffe would regret.
Joachim Muncheberg was personally selected by by Adolf Galland to lead the 7th Staffel of JG26 as he recognised a combat pilot of rare ability. He was eventually credited with 135 victories, including 33 over the Eastern Front with JG51, and the rest in Western Europe and in North Africa, where he finally served as commander of JG77. Remarkably, of his 102 western victories 46 were against Spitfires.
Muncheberg died of wounds following a mid-air collision in 1943.
The Print Measures 34.5 x 25.5 Inches
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