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At the Crossroads of Time – the Story of Operational Training Unit 31

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At the Crossroads of Time – the Story of Operational Training Unit 31 madiganstories.com At the Crossroads of Time The Story of Operational Training Unit 31, RCAF No. 7 Squadron, and RCAF Tiger Force at Debert, NS Department of National Defence photograph DNS -29021 Aerial view of Hangars at Debert, N.S. Gerry Madigan 1/8/2016 Update: 22/11/2017 11:44 AM 1st edition “At the Crossroads of Time” is dedicated to the men and women who lived and died at Debert during the Second World War. This is ultimately their story of their lives and times forged in the closing of the Great Depressions and that was steeled by war. Their sacrifices paved the way towards a better world that we live in today. It is a story respectfully remembered and one well worth telling. 1 Verso to title page Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Madigan, Gerry (Gerard Daniel J.), author At the crossroads of time: the story of Operational Training Unit 31, RCAF No. 7 Squadron, and RCAF Tiger Force Debert Airfield during the Second World War / Gerry Madigan. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-9959203-0-9 (PDF) 1. Airports--Nova Scotia--Debert--History--20th century. 2. Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force--History--World War, 1939-1945. 3. World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, Canadian. 4. Debert (N.S.)--History, Military--20th century. I. Title. FC2349.D39M33 2017 971.6'1204 C2017-901532-X 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... 6 Foreword ......................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 …The Day the Yellow Wings Came to Town ................................................................ 11 …A walk along the Flight Line ..................................................................................... 13 1 - Debert Sketches in Time .......................................................................................... 16 …Debert ....................................................................................................................... 16 …The Great Depression in Rural Nova Scotia ............................................................... 17 …In Contrast, the Great Depression in the City ............................................................. 20 2 - Building an Enterprise .............................................................................................. 23 …The British Commonwealth Training Plan Starts Up! ................................................ 23 …Facing Reality ........................................................................................................... 25 Debert Selected as an Operational Training Site ............................................................ 27 3 – Monumental Changes .............................................................................................. 30 …A Great Transformation ............................................................................................. 30 …Government Spending and Debert ............................................................................. 32 …Diefenbaker’s Inquiry ................................................................................................ 35 …Some Insights ............................................................................................................ 38 4. Aside - Receiving a Telegram .................................................................................... 40 5. Moving a Backlog ..................................................................................................... 43 6 - Internecine Battles .................................................................................................... 47 …Politics at the Crossroads ........................................................................................... 47 …“Decisions, decisions” ............................................................................................... 51 …Behind the Scenes - Leadership at the crossroads....................................................... 55 …Bowhill an Atypical RAF Officer .............................................................................. 58 …Air Chief Marshall Bowhill’s Posting ........................................................................ 61 …The Hard Facts – What was the truth? ....................................................................... 64 7 - Operational Unit 31 The Beginning ......................................................................... 69 …The reasons behind the move ..................................................................................... 71 …Getting on with the job! ............................................................................................. 74 …First Days .................................................................................................................. 76 …The Training Syllabus ............................................................................................... 79 8. Operational Unit Getting Off to a Bad Start ............................................................... 82 3 …Courts of Inquiry ....................................................................................................... 86 …Review of Losses Regarding AM896 and AM895 ..................................................... 89 … Visiting Flight (VF) Program .................................................................................... 91 …Getting to the Heart of the Matter .............................................................................. 93 9. Crossroads of “Time” ................................................................................................ 97 10. A Funny Thing Happened -1942 .............................................................................. 99 11. Memories of Training 1943 ................................................................................... 104 12. No Absence 1943 .................................................................................................. 108 13. Antisubmarine Warfare Canada ............................................................................. 114 …Seeking assistance ................................................................................................... 115 …The Enemy Finds Natural Advantages Not Enough ................................................. 117 14. Antisubmarine Operations at Debert ...................................................................... 119 …Post Operative Analysis and Findings ...................................................................... 122 15. 119 Squadron (RCAF) Yarmouth Hunts U-754 ..................................................... 124 16. No 113 (BR) Squadron’s pursuit of U-754 ............................................................. 128 17. Deep Impression – The Final Reckoning of 1942 ................................................... 131 …Into the Fray ............................................................................................................ 132 …Making an impression ............................................................................................. 133 18. With No Particular Place To Go ............................................................................ 136 …Diversions mattered ................................................................................................. 137 19. The Sights and Sounds of Truro ............................................................................. 140 …The Single Men and Women ................................................................................... 142 …Blowing off Steam ................................................................................................... 143 …Doors are closed ...................................................................................................... 144 20. Transition to RCAF Control .................................................................................. 147 …The Transfer ............................................................................................................ 148 …The End Was in Sight .............................................................................................. 151 21. The Tiger Force ..................................................................................................... 152 …The Tiger Force ....................................................................................................... 152 …The Question of Leadership ..................................................................................... 153 …The Wings ............................................................................................................... 155 …The Stations ............................................................................................................ 156 …On the Chopping Block ........................................................................................... 157 22. Girl on the Wing .................................................................................................... 158 4 23. Landing in Ernest Jordan’s Field ........................................................................... 164 24. The Crew of Anson 12578 ..................................................................................... 170 25. Winding
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