War Year 1940

The last gold coin of the Czech Mint from the miniseries War Year 1940 immediately follows the three previous issues. As the Nazis conquered continental Europe, they invaded the last rebellious country and started a battle of Britain.

France - Britain's largest ally - fell victim to German aggression in June 1940, but the islands beyond the English Channel were spared the immediate threat of ground invasion. The amphibious operation was too complicated even for the seemingly invincible war machine of the Third Reich. Firts of all, the Nazis had to disrupt the naval supply of Great Britain and break its population. The Luftwaffe bombers were to devast key infrastructure and terrorize innocent civilians. However, the Royal Air Force - RAF stood in their way. Although the British had excellent aircraft and radar technology, they lacked expert pilots. Therefore, in the most difficult hour, pilots from all corners of the planet including Poles, New Zealanders, Canadians and dozens of Czechoslovaks deprived of their home by the Nazi occupation and who had a score to settle with the Germans rushed to their aid. There was also war on the ground - factory workers built Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, firemen fighted ubiquitous fires, rescuers searched the rubble, and villagers cared for refugees from bombed-out neighborhoods. Ground troops, meanwhile, were preparing for an invasion, and every British that was fit to fight was to join the defense of the homeland. Fortunately, the worst did not happen. In battle after battle, exhausted RAF pilots defeated a stronger enemy - not only did they persevere and make it pay dearly for each raid, but they also dared to bomb Berlin. Thanks to their invincibility, the German plan to take control of the sky and chances of an invasion of Great Britain failed. "Never in the history of human conflicts have so many people been obliged to such a handful," Winston Churchill told about his faithful pilots.

The reverse side of the coin, which was processed by the medal maker MgA. Josef Oplištil, presents a burning German fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109, which was used as an escort for bombers. The "Messoun" rushing to the ground is captured by a sighting device in the form of a British flag. The English inscription states BATTLE OF BRITAIN. The obverse side is common to the entire miniseries War Year 1940 - it bears the flags of the states that faced the German attack, in the shape of shields and also other lightning bolts. As the Czech Mint is granted with the license for the issuance of commemorative coins by the Pacific island of Niue, the obverse side bears its necessary attributes - the name and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the nominal value of 5 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2020.

You can store a complete collection of four war coins in a tin collector's case.