The R.Ca.F. Overseas the Fifth Year
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THE R.C.A.F. OVERSEAS THE FIFTH YEAR THE R.CA.F. OVERSEAS THE FIFTH YEAR With a Foreword by COLONEL THE HONOURABLE COLIN GIBSON P.C., M.C., M.P. MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE FOR AIR TORONTO OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 1 9 4 5 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AMEN HOUSE, TORONTO London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, New York Melbourne, Capetown, Bombay, Calcutta Madras GEOFFREY CUMBERLEGE PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT, CANADA, 1945 First Published, October 1945 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the publishers. All royalties from this publication will accrue to the R.C.A.F. Benevolent Fund. Printed in Canada The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. -ABRAHAM LINCOLN, November 19, 1863, Gettysburg. PREFACE In this, the second volume of the story of Royal Cana- dian Air Force squadrons overseas covering the period Sep- tember 1943 to August 1944, the same limitations of space and security that imposed themselves on The R.C.A.F. Overseas: The First Four Years have had to be observed. The reader will realize the impossibility of making individ- ual mention of every member of R.C.A.F. aircrew-even if security regulations would so allow. But it is hoped that this book will be accepted as a token payment of the com- plete story which, of necessity, must be delayed until after the cessation of hostilities. The narrative is essentially one of operations. It has not been possible to include mention of those senior members of the Force who, although themselves precluded by age and rank from participating in the actual operations, are never- theless responsible for the planning and administration which make the operations possible. Nor has it been practi- cal to include in the limits of this wartime publication the activities of the less glamorous partners in every air opera- tionthe ground crew, without whom no sorties could have been carried out. For the moment at least their sacrifices and selfless labours in the common cause must go unsung. The reader will note that, except in the final chapter and in the lists of honours and awards and casualties, no men- tion is made of those thousands of members of the R.C.A.F. vii viii THE R.CA.F. OVERSEAS who have served or are serving in the Air Forces of our Al- lies. The compilation of information on these personnel is proceeding slowly, but it must be realized that squadrons on operations are primarily fighting units and as a result are interested in making rather than in writing history. To this must be added the fact that these formations are scattered throughout the world and working under varied conditions and with different Air Forces. Though in a few instances the records are readily available this does not hold good in the majority of cases; also the form in which they are found varies with every squadron. For these reasons their colla- tion into understandable form must, of necessity, remain for a time when it can logically be assumed that all possible information is to hand. However, volumes describing these activities and other phases of the contribution of the R.C.A.F. to the cause of the United Nations are under con- sideration and will, it is hoped, form part of the complete history of aviation in Canada which will be produced in the years immediately following the war. It should also be noted that the list of honours includes the names of personnel of other Air Forces who were deco- rated while serving with R.C.A.F. squadrons overseas. Sev- eral of these individuals are themselves Canadians, com- missioned in the Royal Air Force. Photographs are from the British Ministry of Informa- tion, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force and are in every instance Crown Copyright Reserved. Ex- cept where otherwise stated the ranks given for individuals shown in the illustrations are those held on 31st August, 1944, or, in the case of personnel deceased prior to that date, on the day of their death. The Air Historian of the Royal Canadian Air Force ac- knowledges the kindness of the Honourable Cyrus MacMil- lan, M.A., Ph.D., M.P., formerly Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of National Defence for Air, in reviewing the manuscript. FOREWORD This volume of the operational activities of the Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons overseas covers a period prior to my becoming associated with the Department of National Defence for Air. Nevertheless, like all other Ca- nadians I have an immense pride in the glorious story of skill, courage and devotion to duty of our fighting airmen all over the world. This is a story of skill developed in the great British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which the Royal Cana- dian Air Force had the honour of administering during the five years of its existence. Good tuition alone cannot make a hero. The essential quality of heroism lies within our own Canadian boys who, having acquired the necessary skill, went far from home to demonstrate to friend and foe alike that a peace-loving Canadian, fighting in a good cause, is a formidable antagonist. Even a series of historical narratives cannot recount the thousands of deeds of bravery which are a part of the daily work of our airmen, and this volume, while mentioning briefly many personnel, has not attempted to give the com- plete story. Every reader will realize, however, that the events narrated symbolize the whole body of courageous Canadian youth serving in the R.C.A.F. Just as the previous volume covering the operations of the First Four Years of the war was incomplete for security reasons and because it could not cover the activities of ix x THE R.CA.F. OVERSEAS those of our personnel who served and are serving with the Royal Air Forcethis record must also be incomplete. However, the story it tells is unsurpassed in history and is worthy of the attention of all. I further commend this volume to the consideration of all Canadians because of its timeliness. The historians of the R.C.A.F. have not waited until the dust of years has ac- cumulated on the records of our menbut they present the story only a few months after the heroic deeds themselves here recorded. Ottawa, March, 1945. CONTENTS PREFACE vii FOREWORD: Colin Gibson ix GLOSSARY xiii I. INTRODUCTION 3 II. BOMBING OPERATIONS 1943 14 III. MEDITERRANEAN BOMBING OPERATIONS 48 IV. PREPARATIONS FOR INVASION-BOMBERS 54 V. SEA-MINING 101 VI. DAY OPERATIONS AND RECONNAISSANCE 106 VII. NIGHT FIGHTERS AND INTRUDERS 158 VIII. SPITFIRES OVER SICILY AND ITALY 186 IX. BUZZBOMBS 198 X. SUMMER BOMBING OPERATIONS 211 XI. SUMMER FIGHTER OPERATIONS 245 XII. AUGUST FIGHTER OPERATIONS 284 XIII. SUMMER NIGHT FIGHTER OPERATIONS 300 COASTAL COMMAND 315 XIV. ANTI-SUBMARINE OPERATIONS 317 XV. ANTI-SHIPPING OPERATIONS 348 XVI. THE FAR EAST 378 XVII. THE LOST LEGION 383 ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND. MEDALS 387 ROLL OF HONOUR 399 INDEX 425 xi GLOSSARY AIRCRAFT TYPES Allied Albacore: produced by Fairey; successor Hampden: another of the Handley Page to the honoured and well-worn Sword- line. A twin-engined mid-wing mono- fish or “Stringbags” of the Fleet Air plane, characterized by a narrow deep Arm. A single-engined biplane, carrying fuselage and slender panhandle tail, the a crew of two or three; used as a tor- Hampden did yeoman service as a night pedo-spotter-reconnaissance craft. bomber in the early months of the war. It Auster: the smallest and lowest-powered was also used with great success for aircraft used in operations. A light mine-laying and torpedo attacks but is singleen-gined high-wing monoplane now obsolete. two-seater, often seen around Canadian Hurricane: the famous Hawker single- flying clubs in pre-war days; used now seater fighter and fighter-bomber; now for artillery observation work. Irrever- obsolescent. ently known as the “piddler”. Lancaster, “Lane”: one of the finest heavy Beaufighter, “Beau”: one of the famous bombers of the R.A.F. A four-engined line of Bristol fighters. A twin-engined mid-wing monoplane produced by Avro. midwing monoplane, carrying a crew of With the Hally the Lane carries the bur- two, the Beau has been used with great den of the night bombing of Germany. success as a night fighter and as a con- Liberator, “Lib”: a four-engined high-wing voy strafer. For shipping attacks it car- monoplane, designed by Consolidated, ried rocket-projectiles and torpedoes. which shares with the Fort in the day- The torpedo-carrier is nicknamed the light long-range bomber offensive of the Torbeau. U.S.A. A.F. in Europe. (U.S.A. A.F. des- Bombphoon: see Typhoon. ignation B. 24.) Canso: see Catalina. Lightning: a twin-engined single-seater Catalina, “Cat”: a twin-engined high-wing fighter with distinctive twin tail booms; monoplane flying-boat produced by manufactured by Lockheed. (U.S.A. Consolidated; known as the Canso in the A.F. designation P. 38.) R.C.A.F. The amphibian version is the Marauder: a twin-engined high-wing Canso “A”. monoplane medium bomber, designed Fortress, “Fort”: a four-engined low-wing by Martin. Distinguishing features: tri- heavy bomber monoplane, manufactured cycle undercarriage; tall, prominent tail- by Boeing; used by the U.S.A. A.F. for fin. (U.S.A. A.F. designation B. 26.) long-range daylight precision bombing.