LW048 - A Squadron of Spitfires

At the height of the Battle of Britain in 1940 Chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering was becoming increasingly impatient with his air force's inability to decisively crush the Royal Air Force. At the same time the Luftwaffe was beginning to lose an growing number of aircraft to the British. He decided to pay a visit to his frontline squadrons in France to find out for himself what was going wrong.

Traveling on his private train the Reichsmarshall summoned Adolf Galland and Werner Molders, two of his top fighter aces, to meet him and discuss the worsening situation.

At first he berated the two leading pilots and accused them (and their fighter units) of not doing enough to protect his bombers. After a while, his mood softened and he asked them both how to succeed and what they required?

Galland looked at Molders, Molders look to Galland and finally Galland said, "A squadron of Spitfires!" The Reichsmarshall was not amused.

This little vignette set portrays the historic meeting.