“The eyes of our people have turned,
with particular interest and pride, to
the Royal Canadian Air Force” stated
Canadian PM W.L. Mackenzie King in 1939.
No one could imagine the part Canada and
the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) were
about to play, or the challenges they
would face in the following years.
The threat of an air or naval attack
by Japan in the west or by Germany in
the east prompted the Canadian government
to make territorial defence its military
priority. Canada also took on the responsibility
of training pilots from all parts of the
British Commonwealth: the British Commonwealth
Air Training Plan became of such vital
importance that on its account Canada
was referred to as “the aerodrome
of Democracy”.
In 1939 the Canadian Government still
hoped that the overseas involvement of
its air force would remain limited; the
fall of France and the ensuing Battle
of Britain, however, forced a radical
revision of priorities. Fighter and bomber
squadrons from the RCAF were sent abroad
to join the RAF, playing a significant
role in protecting the British Empire,
and later in attacking Nazi Germany.
To fulfill its mission, the RCAF could
count on the support of its numerous female
auxiliaries, as well as on the contribution
of civilian workers. Military and civilian
personnel worked together to fly overseas
the airplanes built in American and Canadian
factories.
Canada in WWII
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
