THEIR FINEST HOUR -  The Battle of Britain
By Nicolas Trudgian
650 Signed and Numbered Prints

Situated on the south eastern tip of Kent, RAF Hawkinge was the most forward airfield in Fighter Command.  It was not surprising therefore that when Reichmarshal Goering began his fierce attacks on airfields - part of his softening up campaign in preparation for Hitler's Adler Tag (Eagle Day) - Hawkinge would be among the first in his sights  The Luftwatte were putting up massive raids - over 1700 aircraft crossed the coast on August 16 - and RAF bases in the southeast were taking a pounding.  Hawkinge, a satellite of the Biggin Hill sector station, and vital to front line  defences, lay right in the path of the raiding Luftwaffe hordes.  When on August 12, it was bombed for the first time, its effect was only to harden the resolve of its pilots and groundstaff.  Featured in this painting are the Mark I Spitfires of No. 610 Squadron, seen scrambling out of RAF Hawkinge in late August 1940.   Refuelled and rearmed with scarlet patches covering the gunports, all serviceable aircraft roar off the grass strip and head back to the fray.  With aerial battles raging all the way from 2000 to 20,000 feet, within minutes they will be back in the action.  All the vital action of a famous frontline Battle of Britain airfied is captured in this grippingly accurate reconstruction depicting a renowned fighter squadron.  The edition is authenticated by the signatures of four legendary Battle of Britain fighter pilots.  Each print a true collector's piece.

Size:  31 3/4"  x  23 1/2"

$195.00