The Wehrmacht reached the Channel coast. It was only a question of time for France to surrender and the Luftwaffe prepares to fight down England for a jump across the Channel.
I./JG 27 had it's airfield at Guines at Pas de Calais.
Their orders for this day were to escort bombers from KG 53 to the white cliffs of Dover.
The RAF sent up a mixture of Hurricanes and new Spitfires to give the attackers a warm welcome.
Gruppenkommandeur Major Herbert Neumann itself lead the escort for the bomber.
With full speed Neumann and his Katschmarek Hartl left the close escort to engange the new RAF Spitfires.
It was the better tactic to intercept the Engländers before they commenced the attack on the bomber.
Distracted by the fierce German attack the Spitfires missed to concentrate on the He.111 and passed it without a chance to attack. Meanwhile the Messerschmitts had turned around and started the hunt.
Leutnant Berliner, an expert of I/JG 27 kept the attacking Hurries busy.
They did a better job then the Spitfires and they damaged the German medium bomber.
The first RAF Spit was shot down and rushed into the cold Channel waters.
The Hurries passed the bomber, ...
... and Berliner, the German fighter aces finished his half loop with a sharp curve to the left and immediately followed the Hurricanes close.
The He.111 gunners kept the attackers under constant fire.
When the Hurricaness passed the bomber from the left to the right, the waist gunner changes position from the left to the right, too.
Major Neumann went for the last Spitfire and told his comrades via radio to defend the bomber.
Hartl and Berliner turned in to keep away the Hurries.
Lt. Berliner crippled one of the Hurricanes, but did not interupt his left curve to finish it of.
So Hartl get another chance and the Hurricane was shot down.
Outnumbered and under constant fire of the He.111 gunners, the remaining Hawker Hurricane continued the desperate attack.
Hunted by Neumann's Messerschmitt, the Spitfire pilot realized, that he had to fight off the Bf.109 first before going for the Heinkel again.
The Hurricane placed a few good hits on the bomber, but finally it received a fatal hit in the left fuel tank and exoploded in the air.
"Seems that this one goes to the comrades in the big one", said Berliner to Hartel via radio and continued to escort the bomber to his target.
Neumann and the remaining Spitfire had lost contact to the other planes and the Spitfire turned around to attack the Messerschmitt.
It was a wild mixture of turns and curves when both tried to get into a better shooting position.
In the following curve fight, Major Neumann tried to stay behind the Spitfire.
He was impressed by the maneuvareability and speed of his opponent.
A long range shot missed again the agile RAF plane.
The Spitfire turned around again and both planes were damaged due to the bullet exchange.
Finally a half loop brought Neumann in a perfect position and a combination of cannon and machine gun shells brougth down the Spitfire.
The first aerial victory over the Channel for Gruppenkommandeur Neumann.
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