Description:

BATTLE OF BRITAIN ME-109 CRASH RELIC
A great relic from the hard-fought Battle of Britain, a large section of twisted fuselage from a Me-109 fuselage which had been shot down near RAF airfield Biggin Hill on September 15, 1940 - the day that would come to be called Battle of Britain Day. The riveted aluminum wreckage, folded in over itself, measures 16 x 12.5 in. overall. Following its recovery, it was stenciled in black lettering: 'ME 109 E.3/JG53 15 SEPT 1940 BIGGIN HILL 1590' A two sided museum of collector's tag remains attached to the piece. It states that the aircraft was shot down in a dogfight at about noon and crashed near Norheads Farm, close to Biggin Hill. Its pilot, Staffel Kapitan Oblt. Hasse of 3/JG 53 died when his parachute failed to open. He was shot down by F/Sgt. Charles Sydney of 92 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill. Sydney himself would be killed in action on Sep. 27 - 12 days later. The plane's engine and fuselage remnants were recovered in 1969, the engine buried under 15 feet of clay. Battle of Britain day commemorates the day when RAF Fighter Command claimed what proved to be a decisive victory over the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe launched two huge bombing raids on London. Believing that the RAF was close to breaking point, the attacks were a repeat of their monumental and devastating attack eight days before. Smaller formations of German planes were also planned to attack Portland and Southampton. The Luftwaffe had introduced a significant change of tactics on 7 September. They had switched away from attacking RAF bases and radar stations to focus on bombing London. The RAF claimed to have shot down 185 German planes; in fact, it was 61, but these were the highest losses the Luftwaffe had suffered for over a month. The RAF lost 31 planes. Although fighting continued in the air for several more weeks, and British cities were bombed sporadically for the rest of the war, German tactics to achieve air superiority ahead of an invasion failed.

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December 5, 2024 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000