On 14 February 1941, II./JG 51 returned to the Channel region after a well-deserved rest and refit period at Mannheim-Sandhofen. Equipped with later marks of the Bf 109 Emil ­ often the E-7 sub-type with the uprated DB 601N engine using 100 octane petrol ­ the pilots enjoyed a noticeable edge against the RAF Hurricanes and especially Spitfires, which also used 100 octane-fueled engines.

Much of the time at Mardyck was spent training new pilots and Feindberührung (contact with the enemy) was infrequent. However on 16 February, Obfw. Werner Hübner managed to score the only Abschuss registered by the Gruppe on this Monday, a PRU Spitfire of No. 1 Sqn. RAF shot down at 17:25 over Calais.

This was to be Hübners seventh and final Abschuss. His first was a Blenheim, downed on 28 June 1940. Then followed a Hurricane on 16 August, and another Hurricane on 26 August followed by three Spitfires on the 7th 15th and 28th of October.

He would fly his last combat mission on 12 April 1941 when his Bf 109 was seen crashing into the sea near Nieuwpoort, Netherlands, killing him. '

White 4's camouflage consisted of RLM 02 grey and RLM 71 dark green upper surfaces with RLM 65 light blue undersides that extended almost to the fuselage spine. As a result of operational experience, the bright-colored sides were toned down with stringy pattern of dark green to improve concealment.

Yet the yellow engine cowling and rudder recognition markings continued to compromise the camouflage. Note the red outline of the white numeral, typical of 4. Staffel machines from this time period. The II. Gruppe's crest on the rear fuselage is slightly over sprayed.

An insightful excursion from the above subject by the author: When writing about the Channel war during the 1940-41 period there is very rarely any analysis of the British economic situation. It is a well-known fact that already in the third quarter of 1940 the British economy was in tatters. UK exports were down by 37% compared to 1935.

By the turn of the midwinter 1940-41 of the Blitz, England's stock of gold and dollars was depleted. That is to say, there were no funds to pay for the large commitment of war material purchased from the USA, the country was simply bankrupt.

By March 1941, British resources had been so considerably diminished such that payments could only be made by a loan from the Belgian Government in exile. Luckily for the British government the US Congress, in an "Act to promote the Defense of the United States", accepted what would later be known as "Lend-Lease".

Thus, instead of seeking a peace settlement the British would fight a proxy war against Germany, financed by US taxpayers. This settlement was presented to the American public as an act of unparalleled generosity. In fact it was clearly to America's advantage; American weapons carried into battle by the fighting men of England and its empire rather than by the sons of American mothers.

After the loss of the Balkans during April 1941, when the British were thrown out of their last foothold in Europe, PM Winston Churchill had begun transforming England into an American satellite warrior-state fully dependent on the flow of supplies across the Atlantic.

If this was not enough England had to agree not to sell any goods abroad, even if British-made, when similar to the goods supplied by the USA. As a result during and after the war most if not all of the British export of products of advanced technology was defined as 'illegal'.

On the another hand, the Soviets, who took all the aid they could, without surrendering a jot of their independence, managing by the fact that they did not agree upon any "Lend-Lease" loans as all their payment was made up front in gold.

It is interesting to note that the final British "Lend-Lease" installment to the USA was made on 28 December 2006.

This profile and caption was included in my latest book, Profile Bok No 16 as profile No 11.