“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.
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
