Name: Battle of Britain German Bomber Display, Shot Down by Famous Night Fighter Ace
SKU: M1916
Price: 995.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Description

Parts and salvage from a German Junkers JU 88-5 twin-engine bomber which was shot
down in England while returning from a raid on Birmingham by Pilot Officer Richard P.
Stevens, DFC & Bar, in a Hawker Hurricane. Stevens would also shoot down a Heinkel
HE111 that night. Display includes over a dozen pieces from the wreck, many of which still
have maker’s marks with serial numbers. The identified four-man German bomber crew
were all killed when the plane impacted the ground; a tunic button in the display is certainly
from one of the crew. Includes story of crash on reverse of display with more detail.
Richard Playne Stevens (87639), RAF 151 Squadron, was one of the most successful
night fighters in the RAF. Sadly, only two months after shooting down this JU88, he was
killed at Gilze-Rijen, Holland, while chasing and claiming his 15th victim. He had developed
a deep hatred for German airmen after his daughter was killed in a Luftwaffe night raid. His
tactics were to fly where the antiaircraft fire and searchlights were most intense and then
close on the enemy and fire at very close range. This may have ultimately led to his death,
as he hit the ground while chasing his last victim. He achieved this extraordinary success
at night without ever using radar and was known as the original “Cat’s Eye” pilot of WWII.
He was awarded the DSO just 3 days before his death. A 2020 article in the Daily Mail told
of his unique story and an upcoming auction for an archive from his family. It can be seen
here: