L JL Described as a cargo plane during its development to disguise its true purpose the He 111 was among the most common German bombers early in World War
CHAPTES MIDAIR DUELS August 16 1940 dawned sunny and clear over the southern United Kingdom It was perfect flying weather for the massive fleet of German airplanes headed for London the nation's capital Heinkel He 111 bombers and Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters soared over the coastline Their pilots and crews prepared to launch a devastating attack from the air The airborne assault was part of the Battle of Britain British radar and ground observers quickly spotted the German aircraft which were flying toward the Royal Air Force RAF airfield at Biggin Hill The German pilots orders were to bomb planes runways buildings and any radio or radar equipment they could find Before reaching Biggin Hill the large He 111s began releasing their bombs early over the London suburb of Wimbledon There were no military installations here only parks rows of houses and a sprawling tennis
L The 1 1 to Ms RF RAF pilots prepared themselves to take off and defend British skies at a moment's
Alerted by their commander pilots of the British 601 Squadron scrambled for THE MILLIONAIRES SQUADRON their fighter planes to defend against the The 601 Squadron was nicknamed the bombing The squadron was part of the Millionaires Squadron because of the wealth Royal Auxiliary Air Force a portion of and social status of many of its members Only the RAF set up to be used during military pilots who could control themselves under difficult circumstances were permitted to join emergencies A group of young aristocrats As a test the volunteers were served alcohol had founded the squadron They had and then carefully watched by the members Any money and connections They drove inappropriate behavior would lead to a rejection expensive fast cars They played polo and During the Battle of Britain the squadron suffered heavily Of the original 20 members flew private airplanes for fun Eager to 11 lost their lives in combat 2 get into the fight they had volunteered for service at the start of World War II 1939 1945 Now they were fighting the Luftwaffe or German air force alongside regular RAF squadrons The 601 Squadron included foreigners from distant nations of the British Empire including Australia Canada and New Zealand Some even came from the United States One of the newest fliers a 29 year old who had logged only 11 combat hours in the air was Billy Fiske of Brooklyn New York FROM BOBSLEDS TO HURRICANES Billy Fiske came from a wealthy family He joined the US Olympic bobsled team at age 16 and won gold medals in 1928 and 1932 In the 1932 games as captain of the squad he proudly carried the American flag in the opening parade But he also felt right at home in England He married a wealthy Englishwoman
