BoB 75 Years on

Today was the commemoration of the beginning of the Battle of Britain, one of my favourite film titles too. I have to admit the music at the end of this clip brings tears to my eyes, it is also the ring tone I use for when Julia calls me!!
The six surviving pilots from that incredibly historic period accompanied HM Queen Elizabeth while a flypast of Spitfires and Hurricanes took place along with a modern Typhoon fighter in WW2 fighter camouflage, which is not their normal livery.
Video of the flypast is on the BBC website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-33476099

'Battle of Britain Day' is celebrated on the 15 September, this was the peak of the battle when the Luftwaffe launched it's largest attack in an attempt to destroy the Royal Air Force and it's airfields. They failed and this resulted in Hitler abandoning his plan to invade Britain from the French Northern ports. Then the Blitz began with the bombing of London, Coventry, Birmingham, Newcastle, and other major cities.

Statistics from the battle that raged from July to October 1940 in the skies above Britain;
Battle of Britain
July to October 1940
1,023
aircraft lost by RAF
1,887
aircraft lost by Luftwaffe
3,000 aircrew served with RAF Fighter Command
20% were from the British Dominions and occupied European or neutral countries
544 RAF Fighter Command pilots were killed
2,500 Luftwaffe aircrew were killed

This video clip is very moving and emotive. Most of these pilots were in their teens or very early 20's.