WORLD WAR TWO COLOR PHOTOS :: The War Against England (II)

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~ THE WAR AGAINST ENGLAND ~

II

Destruction after London bombings of 1940

The German aerial offensive over England hit dwellings and streets in London and other cities. This dramatic image from the Battle of Britain shows an autobus of the urban service that has fallen into a bomb crater.

A German pilot is about to take off towards England onboard a fighter Messerschmitt Me Bf 109. During the Battle of Britain the insufficient operational range of the German fighter aviation was a key factor that prevented the Luftwaffe from achieving the necessary superiority on the English sky. Because of this the Operation Sea Lion, which should have made possible the German landing and further invasion of England, had to be cancelled.

The fighter Hawker Hurricane was the most numerous aircraft on the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, on the summer and autumn of 1940.

Destruction in a district of London during the Battle of Britain.

The German bombings over London did not respect venerable monuments nor artworks.

British fighter Supermarine Spitfire chased by German fighter Me Bf 109

In the sky of England, a British fighter Supermarine Spitfire is about to be shot down by a German fighter Messerschmitt Me Bf 109. Despite the high losses, the efforts of the Royal Air Force prevented the feared German landing on England.

In the English coasts the anti-aircraft defenses permanently watch the sky. But without the help of the coastal radar network, this effort would be insufficient against the secret weapons that the Germans started to launch against England during the middle of 1944, especially the V-2 missiles which were able to travel much faster than sound and hence to hit their targets without being heard.

The German cruiser Prinz Eugen fires her heavy cannons against the British artillery batteries emplaced on the coasts of Dover, in February 1942.

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:: PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY ::

~ THE WAR AGAINST ENGLAND ~

II