Why Britain Pulled Aircraft with Horses and Trucks
To circumnavigate the US neutrality act, Britain took delivery of aircraft at the US Canadian border and pulled them into Canada by horses or trucks.
It was the US-Canadian border. On normal days it’s farmland with farmers plowing their fields.
Today is not a typical day. It was the peak of World War II, and Britain was in a desperate situation needing help from the USA. The USA converted the farm into a temporary airfield, but horses or trucks pulled aircraft into the Canadian border.
Why was the aircraft not flown to Canada directly? It’s a complex web of international politics.
World Politics
With the rise of Nazism, almost half of Europe was under the control of Hitler. Hitler strengthened the Atlantic Wall while the Luftwaffe bombed Britain. Britain, an island country, relied heavily on outside help to sustain the blockade imposed on it.
Britain imported most of its raw materials from its colonies. Still, it relied on the USA for finished goods like…
