Luftwaffe Operations Over Britain

Austin J Ruddy surveys some of the wide-ranging collectables that tell the story of the Luftwaffe’s campaign against Britain during World War Two.

Despite the enormous invasion threat of 1940-1941, Hitler’s land forces never crossed the Channel. However, it would be wrong to say that German forces didn’t attack or set foot in Britain: the Luftwaffe were the vanguard at the forefront of Nazi expansionism and regularly made lengthy incursions into British air space. At the same time, more than a thousand downed Luftwaffe personnel became captives of their target country.

A good-condition early war example of the LKp W101 leather flying helmet, complete with radio communications. The seller I purchased it from said it was from a Luftwaffe airman downed over Britain, but he knew no more, perhaps more reassuring than a more convoluted but unprovable backstory. Expect to pay a few hundred pounds if you want to add something similar to your collection.

ALL IMAGES VIA AUTHOR

For the collector of Luftwaffe militaria, there’s a comprehensive selection to choose from and a sizable chunk of items originates from downed airmen and their machines. Aircrew were equipped with a variety of clothing and equipment, such as flying goggles, oxygen masks, flight suits and boots, that are established collectables today.