The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain took place between 10 July and 31 October 1940. The Battle of Britain commenced when Germany launched a series of aerial attacks on Britain in an attempt to defeat the Royal Air Force and prepare for a full scale invasion of Britain. The RAF managed to prevent Germany from dominating British air space and from initiating full scale attacks. Canadians participated in the battle as air and ground crew, mostly serving under the RAF though several RCAF units also participated. It is estimated that more than 100 Canadian pilots took part in the battle, but an exact number is difficult to know because of ambiguity about many of the pilots' citizenship — at the time, Canadians were legally identified as "British subjects." Most official sources on the Battle of Britain agree that 23 Canadians were killed in action, with many more wounded or injured.