Battle of Britain, Series 6 (TRWM-2)
Trucards, Thornton Heath Surrey, South London, England

Series Title: Battle of Britain, Series 6
Cartophilic Reference Number: TRWM-2
Issued by: Trucards
Country: Thorton Heath Surrey, South London, England
Number of Cards: 30
Card Numbering: 1 to 30 on reverse side
Type of Card: OTC (Over the Counter)
Card Dimensions: 69.55 × 42.71 mm
Circa: 1970
Checklist: Download

Battle of Britain Overview ^[1]

The Battle of Britain (German: Luftschlacht um England, literally Air battle for England) is the name given to the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date.

The objective of the Nazi German forces was to achieve air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially its Fighter Command. Beginning in July 1940, coastal shipping convoys and shipping centers, such as Portsmouth, were the main targets; one month later, the Luftwaffe shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. As the battle progressed, the Luftwaffe also targeted factories involved in World War II aircraft production and ground infrastructure. Eventually the Luftwaffe resorted to attacking areas of political significance and using terror bombing strategy.

By preventing Germany from gaining air superiority, the British forced Adolf Hitler to postpone and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion, a planned amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain. However, Germany continued bombing operations on Britain, known as sleep okay I The failure of Nazi Germany to achieve its objective of destroying Britain’s air defenses in order to force Britain to negotiate an armistice (or even surrender outright) is considered by historians to be its first major defeat in World War II and a crucial turning point in the conflict.

The Battle of Britain has an unusual distinction in that it gained its name prior to being fought. The name is derived from a famous speech delivered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons on June 18, more than three weeks prior to the generally accepted date for the start of the battle:

… What General Weygand has called The Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilisation. Upon it depends our own British life and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of a perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour.

For a detailed and comprehensive history of the Battle of Britain, be sure to visit the following Wikipedia article on the Battle of Britain.

Overview ^[2]

During 1970, Trucards published a 30-card set of Battle of Britain, Series 6 (TRWM-2) over-the-counter (OTC) trading cards. The set presents a chronological accounting the aircraft artwork and descriptive text describing the Battle of Britain, Series 6 through its four phases during 1940. It’s interesting to note, that this particular set includes numerous types of aircraft, not just fighters, both German and British. Fighters, Bombers, Flying Boats, Torpedo Planes, and Dive Bombers are all represented.

The fronts of the cards are rather straight-forward. All of the 30 cards feature WWII aviation artwork of aircraft, aircraft insignia, or events specific to the Battle of Britain. The . The artwork is presented in both landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) formats. There are no border lines surrounding the artwork, and there is no text contenton the front of the cards. The artwork is simply surrounded by an ample white border. The cards measure 69.55 × 42.71 mm.

The backs of the cards are all presented in a portrait (vertical) format with an attractive dual-lined border surrounding the descriptive text. The descriptive text is comprised of the following six vertical elements:

1. Series length in the card number: i.e. A SERIES OF 30, No.2
2. Series title: i.e. Battle of Britain, Series 6
3. Trucards series designation: i.e. SERIES No.6
4. Card title: i.e. Supermarine Spitfire
5. Descriptive text: i.e., Having one Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, …
6. Publisher information (in Black Box): i.e. , published by Trucards … etc.

Image-Guide ^[2]

Checklist ^[2]

1970 Battle of Britain, Series 6 Trucards CHECKLIST
№	x	Card Title
1		The Start of the Battle
2		Supermarine Spitfire
3		The Messerschmitt 109
4		Hawker Hurricane
5		The Second Phase
6		The Messerschmitt 110
7		Whitworth Whitley
8		Dornier 215
9		Achtung — Schpitfeuer!
10		Junkers JU.88
11		The Third Phase
12		Gloster Gladiator
13		Dornier DO 17
14		Attacks on London
15		Scramble!
16		Short Sunderland
17		Heinkel H.E.111
18		The Boulton Paul Defiant
19		Short Stirling
20		The 15th September Climax
21		The German Insignia
22		The Royal Air Force Insignia
23		Vickers Wellington
24		Abandoned ME 109
25		Handley Page Hampden
26		The Fourth Phase
27		Halifax
28		Junkers J.U.87
29		The Toll of the Battle
30		Winston Churchill’s Tribute

References

1. Wikipedia article Battle of Britain.
2. John A. Shupek: Card images via the Skytamer Archive Digital Image Database.

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