AERO 107 Messerschmitt Bf 109E 5.díl – Šnajdr Miroslav (2024)

German fighters had been engaged in an offensive campaign against Britain for several weeks by the end of August 1940, including the Channel Battle and especially the so-called "intensified air war against England" (verchäferte Luftkrieg gegen England). This phase began on Eagle Day (Adlertag) on August 13 and placed great demands on the pilots of the Jagdwaffe, although the workload of the pilots varied significantly from day to day. As Ulrich Steinhilper stated (who served as an Oblt. in 3./JG 52 during the air battle and was captured on October 27, 1940): "Although most of us still showed no major signs of nervousness outwardly, by the end of August arguments became more frequent, moods changed more quickly... The tension from continuous operational flying began to manifest itself." The air battlefield over the British Isles presented a number of novelties to the German fighters. One of them was the fact that the enemy's air forces did not collapse immediately after a few concentrated strikes in the initial days of the fighting. The Luftwaffe had so far experienced short-term intense campaigns interspersed with periods for recovery and replenishment of armaments. However, the air war over Britain was unpleasantly prolonged, and no significant results were apparent for a long time.