Regular contributor Barry J Marsden has, over many years, built up a unique collection of details – and images – of German aircraft shot down by Derbyshire pilots in the Battle of Britain in 1940… and here he shares his remarkable discoveries with us.
THIS YEAR sees the 74th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and I have spent many years researching the deeds of Derbyshire pilots who fought in that epic conflict. Latterly I have looked for images of German aircraft shot down by local aviators; pilots rarely had chance to visit the sites of their victories – often their victims fell many miles from their English bases and the sheer pressure of flying and fighting during that hectic summer meant there was little time to indulge in such activities…