Strana 20
#11197BOXART STORY
The Battle of Britain was one of the decisive
turning points of the Second World War. From the
German perspective, it began on 8 August 1940
with the launch of the “intensified air war against
England” and continued until the end of October.
During the preceding “contact phase” from early
July to early August, the Luftwaffe sought to test
RAF tactics and capabilities, gain air superiority
over the Channel, and weaken British fighter
forces. Most of these operations were carried out
by JG 51 and several independent Jagdgruppen,
flying bomber escorts against convoys and fighter
sweeps that frequently reached the coast of
south-eastern England.
As fighter strength in north-western France
grew to twenty-five Jagdgruppen within eight
Jagdgeschwader by early August, the Luftwaffe
was about to discover how well prepared the
defenders of Albion were. One of the largest
clashes of this period occurred on 24 July 1940
and was later remembered by the pilots of No.
54 Squadron RAF as the “Battle of the Thames
Estuary.”
At RAF Rochford, No. 54 Squadron stood ready
with its Spitfires before noon. Earlier that morning,
the squadron had already engaged Dornier Do 17s
of II./KG 3, two British fighters were damaged by
their defensive fire, but the convoy it protected
escaped unharmed.
Shortly after midday, No. 54 Squadron
scrambled against eighteen Do 17s of I./KG 2
heading to attack another convoy in the Thames
Estuary. Twelve Spitfires patrolling over Deal at
7,000 feet soon sighted the bombers and their
strong escort, called for reinforcements, and were
quickly engaged by fighters identified as Bf 109s
and He 113s.
Ahead of the bombers, ten Bf 109 Es of
II./JG 26 were flying a free hunt mission. After
encountering nine Spitfires from No. 610 Squadron,
the commander of II./JG 26 mistakenly believed
he was facing thirty fighters and broke off the
mission. He was later killed in a landing accident
in France.
The bombers were subsequently attacked by
Spitfires of No. 65 Squadron. Despite skilful evasive
manoeuvres and accurate mutual defensive fire by
the German crews, RAF pilots were credited with
four damaged bombers. In fact, only two German
aircraft were damaged and two crewmen wounded,
while the British convoy escaped unscathed.
Direct escort for the bombers was provided
by approximately forty Bf 109 Es of III./JG 26
under the command of Maj. Adolf Galland. It was
this formation that became engaged with No. 54
Squadron and six pilots from No. 65 Squadron.
According to the diary of No. 54 Squadron, it was
the most intense engagement since the fighting
over Dunkirk. The Spitfires found themselves
outnumbered roughly three to one. Combat took
place among the clouds, partly in rain showers,
and also at low altitude over the countryside.
Galland’s Gruppe remained in action until its fuel
reserves for the return flight to France were nearly
exhausted, losing two Bf 109s and their pilots in
the process. The Germans claimed two Spitfires
destroyed; in reality, one damaged Spitfire crashed
while returning to base and another landed with
its canopy damaged. A further Spitfire of No. 54
Squadron was written off after running out of fuel
while pursuing an opponent. The return of the
bombers was to be covered by III./JG 52, although
it appears that only aircraft from the Stab and
7./JG 52 actually engaged the Spitfires. The
pilots of 9./JG 52 took off approximately twenty
minutes after their comrades but failed to make
contact with the enemy. The Spitfires shot down
the commander of III./JG 52 along with two pilots
from 7./JG 52. Some accounts also associate the
loss of the commander of 8./JG 52 with this action,
but he in fact took part in another escort mission
later that afternoon.
In this dramatic battle, No. 54 Squadron was
credited with two confirmed victories by P/O Colin
Gray and Sgt George Collett, while P/O H. K. F.
Matthews claimed one damaged aircraft. Twelve
additional claims for destroyed Bf 109s were not
confirmed, including one by Red Leader F/Lt Alan
C. Deere, whose aircraft is depicted on the box art.
F/Lt J. Ellis of No. 610 Squadron was credited with
one Bf 109 destroyed, while S/Ldr H. C. Sawyer of
No. 65 Squadron had a victory claim rejected but
was credited with three damaged Bf 109s.
The RAF‘s strict confirmation standards
reflected both the intensity of the combat and poor
weather conditions. Confusion was further caused
by the Germans‘ split-S escape manoeuvre, which
produced flames and smoke from the exhausts
and often gave the impression of a fatally damaged
aircraft.
That evening, Adolf Galland criticised the
performance of his unit and acknowledged that
the RAF had proven itself to be an exceptionally
formidable opponent.
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Battle of the Thames Estuary
INFO Eduard20
June 2026