The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS. Spoiler alert - if you read any further than each question, you will find the answer to the questions directly below. Good luck and have fun!
The Canadian Aviation Moments questions and answers for July are:
Question: How many Lancasters returned to Canada following the war? How many were remustered into service and for what reason? What were some of the tasks that the Lancasters were used for?
Answer: “Of the 288 Lancasters that returned to Canada following the war, approximately 100 were re-mustered for post-war service with the RCAF. Changes on the international stage and the dawn of the Cold War generated a renewed need for the legendary bomber. “We needed something to cover our borders and our coastlines, so Lancasters were pressed back into service. They were converted to perform various different roles.”
Source: Airforce Revue – Vol 32/No 3– Page 37
Question: September 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of which Canadian Military Aviation’s first solo aerobatics display? How many years was the act active? How many appearances at how many locations did this act make?
Answer: THE RED KNIGHT “September 2008 marked the first “official” public appearance. That display, part of the Canadian International Air Show (CIAS), took place during the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto. The act, which would become Training Command’s solo aerobatics display, continued for the next 12 years making over 600 appearances at more than 300 locations throughout Canada and the United States. This achievement ranks second only to the Snowbirds for Canadian military aerobatics display.”
Source: Airforce Revue – Vol 32/No. 3 – Page 12
Question: Why did the bombing of Berlin by the RAF in 1940 start and why did it end the Luftwaffe’s best chance to prevail in the Battle of Britain?
Answer: “The bombing of Berlin began with a mistake - a Luftwaffe mistake. On the night of Aug. 23, 1940, a segment of a German bombing formation that had been dispatched to strike at aircraft factories and oil tanks outside London drifted off course and launched a ferocious attack on the English capital itself. Britain’s new Prime Minister, Winston S. Churchill, was only too happy to use the incident as an incentive to remind Hitler about British will power. “The War Cabinet were much in the mood to hit back, to raise the stakes, and to defy the enemy,” Churchill later wrote. “I was sure they were right.” “A force of 81 RAF bombers hit Berlin on the night of Aug 25, 1940.” “On Sept. 4, 1940, Hitler announced his plan for retaliation. “When they declare that they will increase their attacks on our cities, then we will raze their cities to the ground,” Hitler said. The fateful decision took pressure off the beleaguered airfields and forces of the RAF, and none too soon. The shift to attacks on London ended the Luftwaffe’s best chance to prevail in the Battle of Britain.”
Source: RUSI Warning Order – Sept-Oct 2010 Page 1