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In 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt coined the phrase "Arsenal of Democracy" to refer to the industrial and military might and resources that would eventually topple the Axis powers and lead to Allied victory in World War II. This industrial machine would eventually turn out over 12 million fighting men, more than 7,000 ships and over 300,000 aircraft. As the organizers of this unprecedented event began planning and pictured dozens of WW2 aircraft in the skies above the Capitol, it must have been an obvious choice to name the historic flyover.
In celebration and commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe, a dedicated group of planners, spearheaded by the Commemorative Air Force, set out to put together an unheard of collection of warbirds in one of the most secure airspaces in the world. A herculean task by any measure, the planning for this event was many months in the making and involved the coordination of 15 historically sequenced warbird formations made up of over 50 aircraft in total. From liaison aircraft to trainers, from fighters to heavy bombers (including the world’s only flying B-29 Superfortress), the flyover showcased most of FDR’s Arsenal of Democracy for the hundreds of thousands of spectators watching along the route. Many WW2 veterans watched from a special ceremony at the World War II Memorial along the National Mall. The flyover concluded with a moving missing man formation.
The flyover was not without some drama as one aircraft, a TBM Avenger, had to make an emergency landing at Reagan National Airport due to a hydraulic leak. Thankfully, the plane landed safely and no one was injured.
The Arsenal of Democracy flyover was a once-in-a-lifetime event that was spectacular in scope and faithfully commemorated this significant anniversary.
ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY FLYOVER
Commemorating 70 Years Since V-E Day
May 8, 2015
Washington, DC
Report by Dan Adams
Photography by Dan Adams and
Stefan Seville
Contributor: Bill "Pinch" Paisley