VE Day commemorations

Today the BBC is majoring on acknowledging we are 75 years on from VE Day. Quite rightly. However, as always, there is a shortage of context. 80 years ago today, Churchill was not yet Prime Minister. The war had been going on for 8 months in which time the RAF had lost more than 100 aircraft and several hundred air men, mostly on missions to challenge German naval vessels in the North Sea or to drop anti-Nazi leaflets on cities such as Hamburg. 79 years ago, London had yet to suffer its most serious Luftwaffe raid which would consist of 700 tons of high explosives and 80,000 incendiary devices, which started 2,000 fires and killed 1,400 people in the city – this happened some 7 months on from what is described as the end of “The Battle of Britain”. For context on aerial combat in World War Two, check out OF SONS AND SKIES by Robert Arley. http://www.ofsonsandskies.com