ROYAL AIR FORCE
COMMONWEALTH & ALLIED AIR FORCES
1939 - 1945
TRIBUTE
TO ALL MEN AND WOMEN OF GREAT BRITAIN
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, INDIA, NEW ZEALAND
RHODESIA AND SOUTH AFRICA
BELGIUM, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, DENMARK,
FRANCE, GREECE, THE NETHERLANDS,
NORWAY AND POLAND
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS,
AND THOSE OF MANY OTHER NATIONS WHO SERVED
IN ALL COMMANDS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCES
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
THEIR COURAGE, SKILL AND DEVOTION TO
DUTY
WAS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER,
BY WINNING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, THE MEN
SAVED THE COUNTRY FROM INVASION IN 1940.
"NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO
MANY TO SO FEW"
CHURCHILL
COASTAL COMMAND PLAYED A VITAL ROLE
IN
KEEPING THE SEA LANES OPEN
THE COMMANDS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND
THE FAR EAST, MADE GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS
TOWARDS FINAL VICTORY.
FROM THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR THE
BOMBER
OFFENSIVE STEADILY INCREASED AND AFTER
THE FORMATION OF THE PATHFINDER GROUP IN 1942
VERY SEVERE DAMAGE WAS INFLICTED ON THE
ENEMY BY THE CONSTANT NIGHT AND DAY
OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT BY BOMBER COMMAND
AND THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE.
CONTROL OF THE SKIES OVER EUROPE IN
1944
WAS A VITAL FACTOR TO THE SUCCESS OF THE
NORMANDY LANDINGS, THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF
TACTICAL AND BOMBER COMMANDS AND
THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE THEN SPEARHEADED
THE ALLIED ADVANCE ACROSS EUROPE.
THE INSPIRED LEADERSHIP OF BENNETT,
DOWDING,
HARRIS, PORTAL, SLESSOR AND TEDDER OF THE
ROYAL AIR FORCE AND ARNOLD, EAKER AND SPAATZ
OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, PAVED THE WAY
TO VICTORY IN 1945.
"NOW AT LAST THE BOMBER COMMANDS HAVE WON THE AIR BATTLES OF
EUROPE, OPENING THE PATH FOR VICTORY AND FREEDOM FOR THE
ENSLAVED COUNTRIES OF EUROPE"
CHURCHILL 1945
HONOUR
107,000 MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
84,000 MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
42,200 MEMBERS OF THE SOVIET AIR FORCE
WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
THEY FLEW BY DAY AND NIGHT
AND GAVE THEIR LIVES TO KEEP FOREVER BRIGHT
THAT PRECIOUS LIGHT
FREEDOM
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