White Cliffs of Dover a tribute to D-Day by Dan Mitchell guitarist Ray Eberle and Tex Beneke also included it in their repertoires. Jimmie Baker frequently performed it in Europe during the war, and the song was sung by the vocal group The King's Men on a 3 February 1942 episode of the Fibber McGee and Molly Show. It was a top ten hit in America for Kate Smith in 1942, and Glenn Miller recorded a version in November 1941. The song was made most famous by Vera Lynn and sung to troops during the war. The lyrics also looked towards a time when the war would be over and peace would rule over the iconic white cliffs, Britain's symbolic border with the European mainland. Notable phrases include "Thumbs Up!" which was an RAF and RCAF term for permission to go, and "flying in those angry skies" where the air war was taking place.
The American lyricist, Nat Burton, wrote his lyric unaware that the bluebird is not indigenous to Britain and asked Kent to set it to music. With neither America nor the Soviet Union having yet joined the war, Britain was the only major power fighting the Axis powers in Europe (see The Darkest Hour). Nazi Germany had conquered much of Europe and in 1941 was still bombing Britain. The song was written about a year after the Royal Air Force and German aircraft had been fighting over southern England, including the white cliffs of Dover, in the Battle of Britain. Made famous in Vera Lynn's 1942 version, it was one of Lynn's best-known recordings and among the most popular World War II tunes. "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song composed in 1941 by Walter Kent to lyrics by Nat Burton. Dan Mitchell - Guitar - White Cliffs of Dover a tribute to D-Day by Dan Mitchell guitarist