HUNTERS OVER THE CHANNEL – THE LUFTWAFFE

Part of an outstanding pair of prints with HEADING INTO ATTACK in which artist Anthony Saunders remembers a typical but eventful day during the Battle of Britain.

As a section of the force escorting a large formation of Luftwaffe bombers heading over the Channel, a group of Bf109 fighters from JG3 open their throttles ready to dive on a section of Hurricanes from 32 Squadron spotted in the distance below, 24 August 1940.

For the pilots of Fighter Command’s 12 Group, Saturday 24 August, 1940 was much the same as any of the other days they’d encountered in the past couple of months. Flying three, four and sometimes more sorties a day they’d found themselves outnumbered, outgunned, increasingly fatigued and suffering heavy losses as the Battle of Britain ground its way through that long sweltering summer of 1940. Yet still they fought, and as Hitler and his henchmen would soon discover – they would never surrender.

The day had started early for the pilots of 32 Squadron; at first light they’d left Biggin Hill and headed down to their forward base at Hawkinge which, a few miles from Folkestone, was the nearest RAF station to enemy-occupied France. With the Pas-de-Calais less than ten minutes’ flying time away and within range of the enemy’s biggest guns, Hawkinge was on the receiving end of numerous attacks and by now the Hurricane pilots of 32 Squadron were well accustomed to danger. No one was surprised, therefore, when later that afternoon yet another big battle erupted overhead, just one of the six major raids launched by the Luftwaffe throughout the day.

Using his well-honed skills with brush and canvas to record events, talented aviation artist Anthony Saunders brings us an impressive pair of new paintings, each depicting the view from either side of the Channel prior to the action. Centre stage in HEADING INTO ATTACK portrays Acting Flight Lieutenant Pete Brothers leading the Hurricanes of his ‘Blue Section’, 32 Squadron towards the enemy’s bomber formations whilst at the same time, as shown in OUT OF THE BLUE, a group of Bf109s from JG3 have just spotted the Hurricanes in the distance below and open their throttles ready to engage. In the mêlée that followed Pete Brothers downed one of the Bf109s, but despite the success that afternoon’s battle proved to be one of the last fought by 32 Squadron that summer. They’d withstood the worst of the fighting so far and later that day as the first Luftwaffe bombs fell on London, a new phase of the Battle of Britain was about to begin. It would end in triumph a few months later but for now 32 Squadron’s part was over. Reduced to eight extremely exhausted pilots, the Squadron was finally withdrawn from the front line to be rested.

Anthony’s stunning painting has now been faithfully reproduced in extremely restricted quantities as a fine art limited edition print, with each copy personally signed by the artist himself and hand numbered.