Monday, March 31, 2014

D-Day RAF - The RAF's Part in The Great Invasion

I have been fascinated by the D-Day story since my father took me to see the film The Longest Day at the cinema when I was 11 years old. At that age I was at once enthralled and shocked by the events portrayed on the big screen and totally in awe of the courage and heroism of those who carried the fight to the enemy. Having subsequently served for 36 years as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force, my interest, perhaps not surprisingly, became orientated towards the RAF's involvement in the war and in the D-Day invasion. I have never lost sight, though, of the fact that where D-Day was concerned, the air element was only a part of an all-arms campaign of almost unbelievable scale that was undoubtedly one of the greatest military feats of all time. My 11 years flying with the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), including my time as the officer commanding the flight, gave me the privileged opportunity to fly two actual D-Day veteran Spitfires, the
story of one of which is included in these pages. In 2004, for the 60th anniversary commemorations of D-Day, I was privileged to fly that Spitfire as part of the BBMF formation which conducted a number of flypasts over commemorative ceremonies in Normandy, including the main one on June 6, with no fewer than 17 heads of state and assorted members of European royalty, including our own Queen, watching on the ground. This was an occasion I will never forget and heightened my interest in the D-Day events of 1944. Since joining the BBMF in 1996 I have also had the privilege of meeting many wartime veterans, some of whom were involved in the operations surrounding D-Day, of hearing their stories first hand and in some cases getting to know them well.

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