Uploaded January 2008 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The first and the ultimate test: The Battle of Britain.
The pilots on both sides were to begin with very enthustiastic - young and admired as they were. The testosterone raged in their blood and they felt they were members of an exclusive club - the knighthood of the air.
But they soon learnt of comrades being washed ashore from the Channel and comrades screeming going down with their plane in flames.
The british Spitfire-pilot became aware of, that he sat behind fuel tanks containing up to 380 litres of petrol and the german BF109-pilot, that he sat with 400 litres beneath his seat. The fuel could instantly change the plane into a blazing fire, he had less than 10 seconds to get out from, and at speeds in excess of 140 mph it was dfficult to open the canopy.
The possibility of a sudden death was'nt nearly as frightening as to die in a burning plane.
The strategical winner of the battle was Air Marshall Hugh Dowding , and the tactical winner was Air Vice Marshall Keith Park .
The strategical and tactical looser was Hermann Göring .
It is not often published, but many pilots from the occupied Europe played their vital part in defending Britain during the battle.
Young brave volunteers from the US took against their governments will part too. The best known of them tradically died in a training-accident. His name was John Gillesbie Magee jr. Before the accident he had written a poem "High flight" to his parents. This poem soon became loved all over Amerika and the allied nations.
These young fighterpilots, who risked their life day after day, saved Europe from the teutonic darkness . As Churchill said: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Three colour-pictures mark the end of this serie : Spitfire Mark V , Mark IX and Mark XIV .
(You are here, because you have chosen a series of quality videos. Another series (very big) of high quality videos is to be found here: youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FF93A9257EAD7950
Carl Vendler
The first and the ultimate test: The Battle of Britain.
The pilots on both sides were to begin with very enthustiastic - young and admired as they were. The testosterone raged in their blood and they felt they were members of an exclusive club - the knighthood of the air.
But they soon learnt of comrades being washed ashore from the Channel and comrades screeming going down with their plane in flames.
The british Spitfire-pilot became aware of, that he sat behind fuel tanks containing up to 380 litres of petrol and the german BF109-pilot, that he sat with 400 litres beneath his seat. The fuel could instantly change the plane into a blazing fire, he had less than 10 seconds to get out from, and at speeds in excess of 140 mph it was dfficult to open the canopy.
The possibility of a sudden death was'nt nearly as frightening as to die in a burning plane.
The strategical winner of the battle was Air Marshall Hugh Dowding , and the tactical winner was Air Vice Marshall Keith Park .
The strategical and tactical looser was Hermann Göring .
It is not often published, but many pilots from the occupied Europe played their vital part in defending Britain during the battle.
Young brave volunteers from the US took against their governments will part too. The best known of them tradically died in a training-accident. His name was John Gillesbie Magee jr. Before the accident he had written a poem "High flight" to his parents. This poem soon became loved all over Amerika and the allied nations.
These young fighterpilots, who risked their life day after day, saved Europe from the teutonic darkness . As Churchill said: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Three colour-pictures mark the end of this serie : Spitfire Mark V , Mark IX and Mark XIV .
(You are here, because you have chosen a series of quality videos. Another series (very big) of high quality videos is to be found here: youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FF93A9257EAD7950
Carl Vendler
