In Part 1, we had a look at the Luftwaffe's Bf109 and the Allied fighters that it was up against during the war in France and the Battle of Britain. This week we return to the battle in the skies over France and England and what was to come for both sides.

As the Battle of Britain began, the Luftwaffe often flew their bombers deep into England bombing RAF bases throughout the southern part of the country. At times, the bombing would include cities such as London, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester, Southampton, Dover and more. They inflicted thousands of casualties, both civilian and military. But Churchill countered by bombing Berlin, infuriating Hitler who's retaliation was instant.

Hitler directed Goring and the Luftwaffe to switch from bombing RAF bases to bombing cities. For months, he all but left RAF air force bases alone which permitted the RAF to repair damage and increase both Spitfire and Hurricane numbers. Though the RAF still lost fighter aircraft in dogfights, they lost fewer through bombing allowing the RAF and aircraft production facilities to increase fighter aircraft numbers.

After the Battle of Britain, which is thought to have lasted from about mid July to October 31 1940, the full onslaught of Germany and her Luftwaffe began in ernest. Britain was prepared for an invasion by sea, likely along the south coast of England. Hitler amassed his troops along the coast of France. Barges were built for transporting soldiers, transport vehicles, tanks, armament and everything they would need. The only thing standing in their way was the RAF. Hitler ordered Goring to destroy the Royal Air Force at all costs, in the air and on the ground, in order for the German Army and Navy to launch their invasion.

The RAF stopped Goring and the Luftwaffe. At least, they stopped them enough that Hitler called off his land/sea invasion of England. Though Germany had the most experienced fighter and bomber pilots in the world, the RAF, with a combination of British, Canadian, French, American, Australian, New Zealand, South African and so many other pilots from so many other Commonwealth countries, beat back the Luftwaffe and her 109 fighter aircraft. "Never was so much owed to so many by so few..." was one of Sir Winston Churchill's speeches about the pilots of the RAF in the Battle of Britain.

However, Germany and the Luftwaffe were not done. Great Britain was continually bombed, night and day. Hitler's plan was to bomb Britain into submission, to destroy the spirit and the will of her people. They failed. Stoic, stubborn, steadfast, strong willed, whatever you want to call it, the people of Britain stood against tyranny. Hitler's plan to bomb out the will of the people, failed. He could not crush the spirit of the British.

As war progressed, Germany also continued to develop aircraft, including further developments of the 109 and the development of the Focke Wulf 190, a powerful, fast radial engine powered aircraft that outmatched any aircraft the Allies could put up against it at the time. Though the Hurricane was now outmatched against German fighter aircraft it was utilised more against the bombers, a task it was used for more often during the Battle of Britain while the Spitfires went after the German fighters. The Hurri was also often relegated to other roles such as tank buster.

The Spitfire was continually being redeveloped and updated. The powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin was developed into the Rolls-Royce Griffon, offering faster speeds to the Spitfire. The RAF also began equipping the Spitfires with canons instead of just .303 machine guns, better matching the armament of the 109 and 190. Throughout the war, development of aircraft to match or better that of their enemy continued.

The North American P-51 Mustang, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Tempest, the de Havilland Mosquito and many other Allied aircraft were developed, flying against the Bf109 and the FW190. Germany worked on aircraft development as well, but few of their newer designs were put into development though, late in the war came their Me262, the first jet aircraft to see action. However, it was too little, too late and was improperly utilised by Hitler and the Luftwaffe.

The Bf109 and the Supermarine Spitfire flew in combat against each other throughout the war in Europe. Both were also used in different roles including fighter bomber, ground attack and photo recon but their most effective roles were as fighter aircraft. Both were highly respected by their opponents.

The Fw 190 was another highly respected Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. Its BMW twin row radial engine offered it higher speeds than the 109 and making it faster than the Spitfire Mk V in 1941until the appearance of the fabulous Spitfire Mk IX in 1942. The Fw 190 was well liked by its Luftwaffe pilots and many felt it a superior aircraft to any of the 109 models. As the war progressed, the Fw 190 saw more powerful engines and more armament but, it was too little too late for the Luftwaffe and the Nazi regime as the Allied forces continued to overrun German forces.

In total, there were in excess of 34,000 109s built, more than any other fighter aircraft in history, and in excess of 20,000 190s against more than 20,000 Spitfires and more than 14,000 Hurricanes. At times, they were relatively evenly matched. At other times, one proved better or more effective than the other. The Luftwaffe, which had its roots in gliders and gliding, developed into the most powerful air force in the world in a relatively short time and, in reality, for a relatively short period. The Bf109 and the FW 190 are historic, quality fighter aircraft for their time. Their opposites, the Hurricane and the Spitfire, were as well. In the end, both proved effective and deadly against their opponents. Today, there are still a few 109s and one or two 190s & 190 replicas that fly today. Find a museum near you today with a 109 or a 190 and compare them to one of the Allied fighter aircraft to get an idea what pilots of World War II were up against.