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[h=4]WWII vets gather for rare flyover of vintage planes celebrating VE day[/h]Some 56 vintage fighters and bombers from World War II fly over the National Mall to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of war in Europe, in an event called "The Arsenal of Democracy: World War II Victory Capitol Flyover."
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The Arsenal of Democracy: WWII Victory Capitol Flyover prepares for commemorative flights which will fly over Washington, D.C. and National Mall on the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 2015. Jack Gruber
P-51 World War II era aircraft sit on the tarmac at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Virginia, May 7, 2015. The planes will fly past the National Mall in Washington, DC, on May 8 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.(Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images)
Vintage World War II planes flew down the National Mall Friday afternoon as part of the 70th anniversary Victory in Europe celebration in Washington.
More than 50 military planes in 15 formations made their way down the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial and down Independence Avenue to the House office buildings before returning to airports in Culpeper and Manassas, Va.
They flew in sequenced formations recounting the biggest battles of World War II, from Pearl Harbor to the final assault on Japan.
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Thousands of people -- including WWII veterans and people whose parents and grandparents fought the Germans and Japanese -- lined the Mall and watched from office building windows and balconies in downtown Washington, cheering as they looked skyward.
One of the more poignant moments came when the missing man formation -- honoring those who died during the fighting -- flew overhead to the sounds of Taps.
A plane scheduled to participate made an unscheduled landing at Reagan National Airport due to a mechanical issue, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. There were no injuries reported.
Ceremonies began Friday morning at the World War II Memorial on the Mall, featuring remarks from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Dozens of veterans placed wreaths in memory of 400,000 Americans and 60 million people worldwide killed during the war.
Such flyovers happened occasionally after the war but flights are now generally prohibited over the Mall.
The vintage fighters and bombers will flew just 1,000 feet off the ground – nearly twice the height of the Washington Monument – in formations representing significant battles during the war. Planes scheduled to appear include:
• Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• B-25 Mitchell bombers, which were adapted for the aircraft carrier Hornet for the Doolittle Raid over Japan. Dick Cole, who will turn 100 on Sept. 7 and who was co-pilot of the first bomber flying off the Hornet, is expected to attend.
• Bell P-39 Aircobras and P-63 Kingcobras from Guadalcanal.
• Consolidated PBY Catalinas, Grumman F4F Wildcats and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the Battle of Midway.
• Lockheed P-38 Lightnings from the mission that shot down Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of Japanese naval strategy who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Consolidated B-24 Liberators, the type of bomber featured in the movie Unbroken, and North American P-51 Mustang fighter escorts from the Ploesti Raid targeting Romanian oil refineries.
• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from Operation Argument to destroy German aircraft manufacturers.
• Douglas C-53 Skytrooper and C-47 Skytrain cargo planes that dropped supplies into Europe for the D-day invasion.
• Grumman TBM Avengers, F6F Hellcats, F8F Bearcats and a Curtis SB2C Helldiver from the Marianas Turkey Shoot.
• Republic P-47 Thunderbolts from the Battle of the Bulge.
• Vought F4U Corsairs from Iwo Jima.
• Boeing B-29 Superfortress nicknamed Fifi, the only known model still flying, which was the type of plane that dropped atomic bombs on Japan.
• A TBM Avenger leading a missing man formation to honor war casualties will be flown by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and have passenger Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind. The Avenger is the type of plane flown during the war by former President George H.W. Bush, who is one of the flyover's honorary chairmen, along with former Sen. Bob Dole and former Rep. John Dingell.
"It's got a wonderful history," Graves said of the aircraft, and Bush signed the propeller of the plane Graves will fly Friday. "He's an individual who is representative of that generation that did so much for our country. We're proud to honor his service."
The Avenger was the largest single-engine plane in the war, weighing 18,000 pounds with 1,900 horsepower, said Graves, who has flown vintage aircraft with the Commemorative Air Force and Texas Flying Legends Museum. The difficulties flying in formation offer him a glimpse of the challenges that wartime pilots faced during missions five or six hours long.
"It wears you out," Graves said. "It's an opportunity to honor these men and women who sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms and our liberties."
After the flyover, some of the planes will be on display Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
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