A sunset Mission to Honor the Canadians in The Battle of Britain

United Fuel Cells


n echelon left formation, Aitken leads the group in a southerly turn over the green forested hills of the Ottawa Valley.  Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
n echelon left formation, Aitken leads the group in a southerly turn over the green forested hills of the Ottawa Valley. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

By Dave O’Malley

On September 15, 1940, the future of Great Britain was unknown. The Luftwaffe’s Heinkel and Dornier bombers, accompanied by hordes of Messerschmitt fighters, had been hammering cities and airbases on an almost daily basis for more than two months.  On this particular Sunday, the epic aerial conflict we now call the Battle of Britain reached its zenith. On September 15 of 1940, the Luftwaffe launched its largest and most concentrated series of attacks against London in the hopes of drawing the Royal Air Force Fighter Command into a final daylight battle of annihilation. It did not succeed.

Swinging round to the west to complete the 360-degree turn. Photo- Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

By the time the sun set on that day, as many as 1,500 Luftwaffe and RAF aircraft and their crews had taken part in this, the greatest battle of the greatest battle. The day was most certainly the climax of the Battle of Britain, though there would be many still to die before it was over at the end of October. This tipping point day, September 15, is still commemorated each year in Great Britain as Battle of Britain Day, while Canadians annually celebrate it on the third Sunday of September, which it was in 1940. Either way of calculating the day of remembrance is meaningful and has been celebrated throughout the Commonwealth now since the end of the war.

In the lead is Mike Potter in the Spitfire Mk IX, followed by Aitken in the Spitfire Mk XVI and Erdos in the Hurricane IV. Photo- Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

This year, the Royal Canadian Air Force, Vintage Wings of Canada and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) will be celebrating the day with a public flying cavalcade over the airfield at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport—featuring fighters from Vintage Wings, a Lancaster from CWHM and assets of the Royal Canadian Air Force. To get ready for this event and to photograph fighters of the Michael U. Potter Collection together for the first time with the newly-completed Roseland Spitfire Mk IX, a special formation was launched at the end of the day, Tuesday, September 12.

The temperatures were sublime, the skies clear, the air still and warm, the sun setting, the pilots ready, the aircraft polished and fueled. There will likely never be another time like Tuesday when all the necessary ingredients were in place for a perfect photo shoot.

As the flight progressed, the imagery became more and more emotional. The beautiful late summer Canadian landscape was as it was on September 15, 1940 when Canadians like Ottawa’s “Skeets” Ogilvie were fighting for their lives in the skies across the ocean and over London. It was these hills and lakes and farms and cities that they were fighting for. To keep them safe from bullies. To keep them free from hate. To get home to them. To see another 20,000 more of these perfect sunsets. These thoughts were not lost on the pilots and photographer Peter Handley as they circled the city to the north.

The results from Handley’s camera and heart perfectly capture the commemorative flight and the meaning of the day. We invite you now to join him and Paul Kissmann in the cockpit of the Harvard for a flight back in time.

As the sun headed to the horizon, the lighting got better and better. Handley captures the formation at is absolute best—perfectly spaced. You could draw a straight line from Potter's wingtip to Aitken's and then to Erdos'. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
As the sun headed to the horizon, the lighting got better and better. Handley captures the formation at is absolute best—perfectly spaced. You could draw a straight line from Potter’s wingtip to Aitken’s and then to Erdos’. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

Kissmann drops below the formation, while Handley twists round in the Harvard's cockpit to look back.  Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
Kissmann drops below the formation, while Handley twists round in the Harvard’s cockpit to look back. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

 

Long shadows over Outaouais farm land and woodlands gives a soft and hazy backdrop as the formation turns toward the sun once again. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
Long shadows over Outaouais farm land and woodlands gives a soft and hazy backdrop as the formation turns toward the sun once again. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

Now heading southeast, the formation flies over classic cottage country north of the Vintage Wings hangar. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
Now heading southeast, the formation flies over classic cottage country north of the Vintage Wings hangar. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

The sun now lights up the underside of the fighters as they head towards its setting orb. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
The sun now lights up the underside of the fighters as they head towards its setting orb. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

The overhead break begins with Erdos from an echelon left formation.  Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada
The overhead break begins with Erdos from an echelon left formation. Photo: Peter Handley, Vintage Wings of Canada

For the complete report, click on the image below

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Click on the poster for the complete report.

Vintage Wings of Canada

Moreno-Aguiari

Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.

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About Moreno Aguiari 3365 Articles
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.

1 Comment

  1. This article was sent to me from a friend just today – so I wish to thank you for it as well as the accompanying photos.
    I was born in early 1945, so this has brought home to me the significance of the battle, as well as the many others throughout the long six years of the war.
    I’m so thankful for the sacrifices made and very pleased that their memory, along with the planes that they flew, are still being commemorated.

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