Sweeping across Europe with unprecedented speed and aggression, the Nazi Blitzkrieg lasted less than seven weeks but resulted in the fall of France, Belgium and the Netherlands – with the shattered remains of the British Expeditionary Force barely managing to escape during the Dunkirk evacuation. Britain stood shaken and alone as Germany prepared to invade and deliver a knockout blow – but first the Luftwaffe, the world’s largest air force, needed to destroy the RAF and gain air superiority over the British Isles. From July to the end of October 1940, the young pilots of Fighter Command waged a desperate battle for survival and their actions would go down in history as “their finest hour”. World War II Air Combat Issue 1 – Battle of Britain offers a treasure trove of stories recounting heroism in the face of impossible odds, comparing the technical prowess of Britain’s Spitfire and Hurricane fighters against Germany’s Messerschmitt Bf 109s and 110s, and examining Germany’s invasion plan: Operation Sealion. New research on the state and composition of the Luftwaffe at the beginning of the fight is featured, are details of Italy’s involvement and the fight to stop the Luftwaffe’s fearsome bomber fleet as Heinkels, Dorniers and Junkers attempted to strike targets across England.
