Herman Goering's vaunted Bf 110 long-range fighters had previously had little trouble sweeping obsolescent Polish, Dutch, and Belgian fighters from the air. In France the big "Destroyers" suffered one of their worst defeats when fifteen of them tangled with five Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron. Ten Bf 110s were shot down, two by each Hurricane pilot, for the loss of one RAF fighter, piloted by Paul Richey who safely bailed out. It was turning out to be a tough war for Paul - he would be shot down three days later and severely wounded after claiming two more Bf 110s.
