The three 'Overs' is the timeless description of 'Yanks' in the UK. From 1942 GIs, sailors and 'flyboys' began to arrive in Great Britain, they were the first of tens of thousands. The majority of these 'invaders' were also very young... or did they just seem that way? By early 1946 there was hardly a trace of them, and many of the airfields and other establishments that they had inhabited lay silent or had reverted to previous uses. This relatively fleeting stay was to have an effect that has lasted down the generations. They had an impact on the military, political, economic and social thinking, and behaviour of the country. History has shown that the 'Friendly Invasion' of 1942-1945 was not to be a one-off. As the nature of the 'Cold War' crystallised, the basing of US military personnel in the UK became a reality again in 1948 as the international situation degraded and the Berlin blockade heralded a tense future. US forces have remained resident, to one degree or another, ever since.
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