THUNDER BAY -- Seventy-five years ago, planes built in Fort William were pivotal in holding the Nazi airforce at England's south shore.
Sunday's commemoration of the 1940 Battle of Britain at the Thunder Bay Airport was an annual reminder of the Thrid Reich's overconfidence in the Luftwaffe and the Allied effort that turned the tide in the air battles of World War II.
"Thunder Bay, at what is now the Bombardier plant, produced a large number of Hurricanes. The Hurricane was the aircraft that shot down more aircraft during the Battle of Britain than any other," explained retired Canadian Forces captain and local Battle of Britain organizing committee chair Richard Mortensen.
"This was the first real defeat Adolph Hitler had druing World War II."
Veterans and cadet groups marched together in a statement of shared understanding over the meaning and the sacrifices made.
"Seventy-five years is a remarkable period of time for society as a whole to remember things like this," Mortensen said.
We've been able to retain that memory not solely through our own efforts but through the efforts of many epople over the years -- to remember the people who served so well -- the ones (British Prime Minister) Winston Churchill referred to as 'the few.'"
