Aviation artist Robert Taylor.  Aviation art print 'Assault on the Capital' by Robert Taylor depicting a large German formation ready to attack London.

Assault on the Capital by Robert Taylor.  When the morning of September 7th 1940 dawned cloudless, RAF Fighter Command, its resources fully stretched, prepared for another long day of air fighting.  The Battle of Britain was at its height, yet by mid afternoon no raids had appeared on the plotting table at Bentley Priory.  But for the usual German reconnaissance flights, things were ominously quiet.  It was almost 4pm before the first blips appeared on the radar screens, but within 30 minutes it was clear the Luftwaffe were mounting the largest raid yet faced by the RAF, and that could mean only one target - London.  On the coast, spotters reported huge columns of aircraft, stepped up from 14,000 - 23,000 feet, advancing towards the capital on a 20 mile front.  Fighter Command scrambled all 21 Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons based within 70 miles of London and within minutes they were ripping into the massive formations of German bombers.  As running fights developed between the fighters, waves of bombers emptied their bombs over the city.  The raid continued for almost 12 hours without respite causing tremendous destruction, with huge fires raging throughout London's dockland.  It was to be the first raid of the Blitz.  However the Luftwaffe's switch from attacks on RAF bases to the blitzing of England's cities gave Fighter Command the reprieve it so desperately needed.  Goering's fatal decision cost the Luftwaffe the Battle of Britain, halted Hitler's invasion plans, and ultimately cost Germany the war.