The chase

The Luftwaffe's massed bombing raids on London on 15 September 1940 were broken up by relentless attacks by RAF Fighter Command squadrons. Running fights often developed as German aircraft made for the coast using the high level of cloud cover to mask their escape where possible. In many cases the bombers sustained multiple hits from a series of Hurricanes and Spitfires before they were brought down.

My picture shows one example, a Heinkel He 111 H-1 of 5./KG 53 piloted by Fw Kurt Behrendt EKI, which had pink tactical bars painted on its wings. It eventually crash landed on West Malling airfield with two of his four crew dead and two wounded. The 66 Squadron Spitfire seen attacking here, piloted by Flt Lt Bobby Oxspring, was one of as many as 11 RAF fighters that tackled it that afternoon. In his combat report, Oxspring described how he attacked from behind, then broke right and turned back in for a quarter attack which caused the right engine to start smoking.