2019 marked the 75th Anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, and the liberation of much of occupied Europe. The Wings & Wheels event saluted the remarkable contribution made by the ‘little-warbirds’, the fragile and unarmed AOPs that operated out of primitive grass-strips, often flying beyond the front line.
Scores of personal invitations were sent to the owners and pilots of the British Austers and American Pipers. The event hoped to showcase a number of genuine WW2 aircraft as well as numerous ‘retro-marked’ post-war examples. With the Red Arrows in the USA and BBMF committed elsewhere, the commentary team had the chance to share the often untold stories of these planes and pilots who flew ‘Unarmed into Battle’.