"Bounced"

by Mark Littlejohn


300 A1 plus (24" x 16") Artist Signed Limited Editions


The Battle of Britain


Geoffrey Wellum 92 Sqn Dungeness September 1940


Joining 92 Sqn as a 17 year old pilot Geoffrey Wellum found himself thrown into the savage air battles then raging over Great Britain during the year of 1940. The outcome of which would decide the fate of the nation then at war with Nazi Germany. During one such engagement he spotted an He III bomber attempting to escape from the area over Dungeness back to the relative safety of the Channel. Having engaged and shot it down he turned for home, suddenly there was the unmistakable flashes and sounds of enemy rounds striking his aircraft, he had been bounced by an Me 109! Worse still he had used up all his own ammo and was defenceless.


Having collected his wits Geoffrey now showed that determination and strength of character which coupled with the superb handling ability of the Spitfire would see him through the war. Although starting at a disadvantage Geoffrey kept his Spitfire in a tight turning battle with his opponent, always managing to just keep outside the field of fire of the Me 109's guns, eventually the German pilot broke away either short on fuel or fearing he had stalled his plane. Geoffrey quickly headed down to ground level and returned to base to live to fight another day and as he put it some what the wiser for it.