German Bf 109 Fighters
The sudden leap in aviation technology after World War 1 and the onset of World War 2 was so dramatic that it led the Royal Air Force to believe that any future conflict would be won by air supremacy alone. During the period known as the Phoney War, the Royal Air Force launched a daring raid on the crucial naval base at Wilhelmshaven. The objective was to cripple the Kriegsmarine and stop it from engaging Allied supply routes in the Atlantic. As such, 22 Vickers Wellington bombers were suddenly unleashed upon the sheltered German area in the North Sea in December of 1939. The warplanes were tasked with sinking as many German ships in Wilhelmshaven and the area surrounding Heligoland Bight as possible. Emboldened by the British mantra about the bomber always being able to get through, the confident Allied pilots swept into the area believing the day would result in a decisive victory. Soon, however, the Luftwaffe would unbridle a formidable fleet of Messerschmitt Bf 109 interceptors that would bring the British pilots to their knees and force the Royal Air Force to rewrite their aviation combat philosophy for the remainder of the war…
Credit Dark Skies
