15 September 2016

Battle of Britain to Be Marked in Wellington

The 76th anniversary of the Battle of Britain will be commemorated in New Zealand today, with a wreath-laying service in Wellington.

The ceremony will begin at 5pm, at Pukeahu National War Memorial.

The Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies, will be laying a wreath on behalf of the New Zealand Defence Force, and Air Commodore (Retired) Terence Gardiner will lay a wreath on behalf of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association.

Subject to weather conditions, there will be a flypast by a Spitfire at the end of the ceremony, at about 5.15pm.

Background:

The Battle of Britain (10 July – 31 October 1940) was one of the defining moments of World War II. It was the first battle in history waged almost exclusively in the air, and was fought between the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires and the German Luftwaffe Air Force’s bombers and Messerschmitt Bf109s.

Over a four-month period, about 3,000 Allied airmen – including 129 New Zealanders – battled in the skies above southern England for that country’s survival.

Despite suffering heavy losses, the RAF prevailed. This was the first serious setback experienced by Germans during the War, and gave the British hope at a time when German military forces seemed unstoppable.

The battle is commemorated on 15 September. On this day in 1940, the Luftwaffe embarked on its largest bombing attack yet, forcing the entire RAF to engage to defend London and the south-east of England. This resulted in a decisive British victory that marked a turning point in the war, in Britain’s favour.

ENDS

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