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A Battle of Britain Spitfire from 610 Squadron takes on a Me109 from I./JG3 in a head-on attack high over the south coast port of Dover, in the late morning of 10 July 1940.
With the Battle of Britain in its early stages, on the morning of Wednesday 10 July 1940, a convoy of slow-moving cargo ships heading along the south coast came under attack from a formidable force of Dornier Do17 bombers, escorted by five squadrons of fighters. RAF Fighter Command scrambled several squadrons to meet the oncoming force in an effort to protect the ships, and a massive dogfight involving more than a hundred planes developed in the region of Dover.
Ripping into the oncoming bombers, the RAF fighters attacked head-on - a hazardous tactic requiring great courage, but highly effective in unnerving bomber crews, causing them to swerve out of formation and abandon their target. Head-on collisions were not uncommon. The great battle raged well into the afternoon, and by evening the insurgents had been driven back to their bases in France to lick their wounds. Only one direct hit was scored by the enemy, when a 700 ton sloop was sunk. The Luftwaffe lost nineteen aircraft, and although the RAF had seven aircraft damaged, it lost only one pilot that day.
Robert Taylor's dramatic painting captures a head-on attack between two seasoned pilots high over the port of Dover in the late morning of 10 July 1940. A Spitfire from 610 Squadron, flown by Squadron Leader Andrew Smith, has taken on a Me109 from I./JG3, the two aircraft having flashed past each other at a closing speed nearing 800mph. Smith was forced to crash-land his damaged aircraft at Hawkinge following this encounter, but the gallant squadron commander was to lose his life following combat with Me109s just two weeks later.
Below the duelling aces, other aircraft contest the air above the old port, while the coastline is seen stretching west into the distance. A superb limited edition recreating a typical scene from the first decisive battle ever fought exclusively in the air.
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