Spitfire Josephine

The Challenge

Josephine - Named after Thomas's Fiancée 

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For the first time since the war, a vintage Spitfire will fly the 3600-mile Takoradi Run, testing both man and machine. Viewers will witness first-hand the perilous journey across hostile desert and tropical terrain, gaining profound respect for the unsung heroes of this forgotten mission.

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To fully understand the story of the Takoradi Run and the crews who flew it, the expedition will focus on three of the main locations that would have been familiar to Thomas and all of his colleagues -

                     Takoradi, Ghana    |   N'Djamena, Chad    |    Cairo, Egypt  ​

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As the expedition crosses the continent and delves deeper into history -  through the use of professional and personal archives, local experts and good old investigative footwork - the team will discover the forgotten people and places that made this incredible  journey possible.

They will endeavour to uncover the facts behind Thomas's survival and the fate of his unfortunate crew mates when their Blenheim aircraft crashed so far from home, more than 80 years ago.

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