This country is at war with Germany.

We shall go on to the end.

I remember the sheets of flame which came up and almost blinded us from our guns.

In 1940, for 113 harrowing days, Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe unleashed relentless attacks on Great Britain,

aiming to secure an early victory in World War II.

The defence of southern England fell to the brave pilots of the Royal Air Force,

joined in their hour of need by over a hundred Canadian airmen. These men hailed from all walks of life, some from prominent families, others fresh of the farm. They served with distinction

in 47 different Battle of Britain squadrons.

I'm Angus Wallace, and in this episode I'm joined by Ted Barris, author of Battle of Britain, Canadian Airmen, in their finest hour,

to explore their incredible contributions during this pivotal chapter of the war.

Ted, thanks for joining me.

Before we get to those crucial months in the summer of 1940,

I'm curious about aviation in Canada in those interwar years.

I tend to think due to its size,

there must have been plenty of opportunity for prospective pilots in Canada during the interwar years.

I think isn't there even a big old book set in Canada?

Well, you put your finger, Angus, on an important aspect of Canada, which the phenomenon

of aviation addresses, and that is its size.

We need the ability to move quickly and over long distances.

I mean, if you look at the canon of books on bush flying into northern Canada, I mean, those pilots were extraordinary because when you go north of the tree line in any part of Canada, you're essentially dependent on your abilities as a

pilot to get home because there's nothing. I mean nothing in terms of registration of detail on the

ground. You have to know exactly what you're doing. But that's really not why the country was awash

...