Up Amongst Eagles by Anthony Saunders

Up Amongst Eagles by Anthony Saunders   This painting, portrays a magical scene in the Bavarian Alps during the winter of 1943 where, passing low over the fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, the Bf109 pilots of 7./JG3 are led by their Gruppenkommandeur, Major Walther Dahl.When the prototype of Willy Messerschmitt's radical all-metal single-seat monoplane fighter first took to the air in May 1935 little did onlookers realise they were witnessing the birth of one of the world’s most iconic aircraft.Sporting sleek lines, a closed cockpit and retractable landing gear the Bf109 was soon wowing the crowds at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, an ominous prelude to its worth in battle after its introduction into service with Germany’s Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War the following year. It was clear to friend and foe alike that this agile, well-armed little fighter was superior to anything else in the skies and by the outbreak of World War II the Bf109 formed the backbone of Hitler’s new Luftwaffe.