Red Arrows and Patrouille de France Fly Over London to Mark Anniversary of Wartime Broadcast

The Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows and French Air Force’s Patrouille de France flew over London on June 18 to mark the 80th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s Appeal of 18 June speech, widely seen as the start of the French Resistance in World War II.

On June 18, 1940, De Gaulle spoke to the people of Nazi-occupied France from London, using the BBC to send a radio message urging them not to give up fighting Hitler’s forces.

French President Emmanuel Macron was in London to commemorate the occasion. He also met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss their respective approaches to the coronavirus pandemic, France 24 reported.

The aircraft flew over Paris earlier that day. Credit: Daniel James via Storyful