On August 12th, 1940 the Luftwaffe
turned their full attention to the RAF's forward fighter bases
and radar stations with the intent to obliterate them once and
for all. The outcome of the Battle of Britain hung in the balance.
It was late in the afternoon of Sunday, 18 August 1940. The previous
week had seen the hardest days of fighting in the Battle of Britain
as the young pilots of the RAF Fighter Command had engaged in
deadly duels with the Luftwaffe. Bystanders gazed cautiously
upwards at the weaving contrails in the clear blue skies over
southern England as they anxiously awaited the outcome. For just
a moment, all was at peace: A gentle breeze floated across the
airfield at RAF Hornchurch as the exhausted young pilots of 54
Squadron could rest for a few brief minutes and reflect on their
own previous two encounters with the enemy that day. The Luftwaffe
had thrown everything at them in the past few days, but today
had been the toughest of them all. And then the calm was shattered
by the shrill tones of the alarm, the Luftwaffe had launched
another huge raid of over 300 aircraft across the Channel, and
it looked like Hornchurch was the target.
Shown here is 54 Squadron's commanding officer, Squadron Leader
James Leathart, as he taxis out at Hornchurch to prepare for
take-off. Quickly following, the aircraft of New Zealander Colin
Gray is guided out from dispersal by his ground crew. Gray would
claim 3 Bf110s in the encounter and would eventually become the
top scoring New Zealand Ace of the war.
Part two of a three print
set The Hardest Days commemorating the 70th anniversary
of the Battle of Britain. |