SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE

The Supermarine Spitfire remains the most famous fighter ever used by the Royal Air Force. Most of its fame came from the numerous dogfights with German Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters during the Battle of Britain. This scene shows a similar battle over the English Coast in November 1940. Luftwaffe ace Helmuth Wick (who, with 55 kills, was one of the top three German aces at the time) sighted a group of twelve Spitfires below him, and pounced with his schwarm of four Bf-109s. In the ensuing dogfight Wick got on the tail of a Spitfire, but as he was shooting pieces off of his prey a Spit flown by Flt. Lt. John Dundas (12 1/2 victories) got on Wick's tail and scored mortal hits to the Bf-109. Even as Dundas enthused over the radio that he had "got a 109", both Dundas and his wingman were shot down by yet another Bf-109. Both Dundas and Wick went down with their planes. And so it went, the hunters becoming the hunted....

 

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