Canadian men and women in uniform received a special salute at CFB Borden today. The 77th annual Battle of Britain parade was held to celebrate the members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and their accomplishments during World War Two.
It’s celebrated annually in the month of September to commemorate the point in the 1940 battle when the Royal Air Force delivered such a punishing blow to the Germans, that Hitler indefinitely postponed his planned invasion of Great Britain. It’s widely recognized as one of the greatest air battles of all time, and Canadians played a valuable role in it. “It was absolutely monumental, consequential for this country. It wouldn’t be what it is today at all”, said Major-General Richard Rohmer, one of Canada’s most decorated RCAF veterans.
Germany had far more resources, with a total of 2,500 aircraft compared to Great Britain’s 600. Colonel Andrew Fleming says he thinks Air Marshal Hugh Dowding summed it up best when he said "the essential arithmetic is that our young men will have to shoot down their young men at the rate of four to one.”
The battle was ultimately won, and Hitler suspended the invasion of Great Britain indefinitely. “If the royal air force had failed, if the spitfires and hurricanes had failed, then Britain would have been ruled by the German army and Hitler - and consequences would have been beyond belief”, reflected Rohmer.
More than 100 Canadian pilots flew in the battle, 23 of them lost their lives. No known Canadian veterans from the battle are still alive today, but today’s parade ensures they are never forgotten.
