Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), founded at the outbreak of World War II, was a civilian organization which made an enormous contribution to victory by taking over from service pilots the task of ferrying RAF and RN warplanes between factories, maintenance units and front-line squadrons. During the war, 1250 men and women from 25 countries ferried a total of 309,000 aircraft of 147 different types, without radios, with no instrument flying instruction and at the mercy of the British weather. Often they were presented with a type of plane they had never seen before.

Air Transport Auxiliary’s headquarters was at White Waltham airfield near Maidenhead from February 1940 until 30th November 1945. White Waltham is still the spiritual home of ATA and Maidenhead Heritage Centre holds the world’s leading collection of ATA memorabilia, including 140 logbooks and thousands of photographs. Most of these are now available on this website for people around the world who are interested in the astonishing achievements of ATA.

Vera Strodl was one of two Danish women who came into active service in the ATA. She was born in England in 1918 to Danish parents, but in the 1930s she moved to Denmark and lived in Bogense. In 1934 she returned to England and obtained a pilot's license. In 1941, she became part of the ATA and soon became a trusted employee who flew both British and American aircraft.

Vera Strodl in the cockpit of a Mustang fighter in preparation for transport flight.

After the war, she came to Canada and continued as a flight instructor and pilot. In 2000, she was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.

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