Gainsborough: Spitfires to fly over the town

Spitfires will be flying over Gainsborough this evening (Thursday, August 13) in a show of strength to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the German operation ‘Unternehmen Adlerangriff’ designed to destroy the Royal Air Force in World War II.

By The Newsroom

Published 13th Aug 2015, 14:00 BST

Flyover at Harthill Carnival of a WW2 Spitfire

The planes will launch from Humberside Airport and split into three sections to fly over as many villages, towns and cities as fuel will allow, enabling the public to see and hear the historic aircraft and remember the sacrifices made by the young men of Fighter Command 75 years ago.

The destruction of the Royal Air Force would have cleared the way for the invasion of Britain. The German attacks on August 13, 1940 inflicted significant damage and casualties on the ground but they did not make a significant impression of Fighter Command’s ability to defend British air space. The engagements resulting from Adlertag became known as the Battle of Britain.

The spitfire to fly over Gainsborough will be part of the second section and is expected at 4.45pm.

All locations and times are subject to weather and operational changes.

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