Battle of Britain – Heinkels Approaching Scene

Spitfires vs Heinkels

This scene from the 1969 film “Battle of Britain” depicts an RAF squadron of Spitfires taking on a fleet of Luftwaffe Heinkel bombers and its fighter escorts over the English Channel.

“Keep your eyes open at their escorts”, the commander says as they try to pick off the Heinkels one by one. 

Spitfires going up against lone Luftwaffe bombers had a relatively easier time – He 111s are almost 100 mph slower than the Spitfires after all. But its heavy armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and several defensive armaments did make it challenging for some Spitfires to shoot down.

Meanwhile, escorts like the Bf 110 were only slightly more maneuverable than the bombers they were escorting. During the Battle of Britain, Bf 110s suffered a lot of heavy casualties that it even outpaced their own production rate!