Where Storm Clouds Gather by Anthony Saunders

Where Storm Clouds Gather by Anthony Saunders     The painting portrays the Bf109s of JG4, one of the many Luftwaffe units that took part in the German Ardennes offensive that began in December 1944. In the foreground is Hauptmann Ernst Laube, Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG4, seen leading his men along that part of the Mosel river dominated by the seemingly unscathed Cochem Castle. They are returning to base after a hard-fought encounter in which, outnumbered by Allied fighters, they are relieved to have survived yet another day.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 Legi