George Philip Alcide Bodard

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DAMAGED PLANE REACHES TARGET
Hamilton Flyer Tells of Attack in Weekly Summary Issued By RCAF

Ottawa, Feb. 26, 1944 —(CP)— Severely damaged during 11 attacks by enemy night fighters, an R.C.A.F. Halifax bomber continued to its target of Leipzig, bombed it and  then returned to base to provide the highlight of last week's bomber activity, the R.C.A.F. reported today, in it’s weekly summary of operations.

Lost Tall Fin
The big aircraft, piloted by F/O Bill Blake, of Hamilton, and a member of the Canadian bomber group's Ghost squadron, suffered loss of its starboard tail fin and the port undercarriage and several of the inter communications and oxygen lines.
“I never saw so many fighters,” said Blake later. “The sky seemed to be full of them.”
While the Bombers were adding to their laurels, the Canadian fighter pilots too were busy making history.
S/L C. A. Anderson, of Toronto, a former Sunday school teacher who never before had bagged a plane, got two hi-speed German bombers, a Junkers 88 and a Junkers 188, in 20 minutes last Tuesday night while the Germans were bombing London.
From his night-fighter Mosquito, Anderson sent the JU-88 flaming into the sea and watched the 188 explode after crashing on the ground.
S/L Anderson’s navigator on this trip was P/O George Bodard of Mannville Alberta.
Two Messerschmitt 410's returning from a previous raid on London, ran afoul of a Canadian night fighter Mosquito over their base near Juvincourt, northern France, and were shot down. The Mosquito was piloted by F/L Bob Kipp, of Kamloops, B.C. and its navigator was F/O Peter s Huletsky of Montreal.
The trip was the 13th together for the pair. Their leave was supposed to start two hours before they took off but they decided to get the 13th trip over with and not have it to look forward to at the end of their furlough.
Canadians in Coastal Command also were busy and Monday night Albacore dive-bombers of an RCAF squadron attacked and damaged two enemy E-boats in the English Channel.

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RCAF AWARDS

Ottawa, Jan. 22, 1945 - (CP) - Air Force Headquarters announced tonight the award of one Distinguished Service Order and 15 Distinguished Flying Crosses to members of the RCAF serving overseas.
The recipients include :
D.S.O.
S/L O.C. Kallio, DFC, of Ironwood, Mich.
D.F.C.
W/C L.H. Randall, Bristol, N.B.; F/L D.W. Banting, Fort San, Sask.; F/L R.E. Coffey, Greenview, Ill.; F/L H.A. Crawford of Edmonton; F/L H.A. Dean, Vero Beach, Fla,; F/L J.E. Hogg of Dartmouth, N.S.; F/L R.H. Hunter of Strathcona, P.E.I.; F/L G.F. Mercer of 77 Church St., St. Marys; F/L L.W. Metcalfe of 50 Scott St., St. Thomas; F/L J.M. Portz, Weyburn, Sask.; F/O G.P.A. Bodard, Lethbridge, Alta.; F/O C.L. Burgess of Fredericton; F/O A.R. Lehman of 307 Niagara St., Welland; P/O A.D. Fraser of Winnipeg & F/O J.P. Jessee of Vancouver.

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BODARD, F/O George Philip Alcide (J86079) - DFC - No.410 Squadron
Award effective 13 Jan. 1945 as per London Gazette dated 23 Jan. 1945 &
AFRO 471/45 dated 16 March 1945.

In February 1944, Flying Officer Bodard was navigator of an aircraft which intercepted enemy aircraft over the North Sea. As a result of skilful navigation on his part the pilot was enabled to shoot down two of the enemy aircraft after a prolonged pursuit. In June 1944, while on patrol in the Aachen area, this officer skilfully directed his pilot in a long chase of a German night fighter which was finally destroyed. He has destroyed four enemy aircraft. Flying Officer Bodard's skill and ability have been an example to the squadron.

NOTE: Public Records Office Air 2/9043 has recommendation (undated but circa 2 December 1944) when he had flown 61 sorties (144 operational hours):

On the night of February 22/23, 1944, Pilot Officer Bodard was navigator to Squadron Leader Anderson when a raid was intercepted over the North Sea coming for London. They were put onto this raid and followed their first aircraft through quite violent evasive action on the A.I. [radar] before getting in to obtain a visual and ultimately a kill. The pilot was brought onto their second aircraft, got a visual but lost it through violent evasive [action]. The observer held the contact, however, and another visual was obtained and the aircraft was shot out of the air. On the night of July 30th, 1944, Pilot Officer Bodard was flying with Flying Officer MacKenzie over the beachhead in France. This time contact was obtained and the aircraft show down. Again on November 30th, 1944, while patrolling under GCI "Rejoice" in the Aachen-Eckelenz area, Pilot Officer Bodard and Flying Officer MacKenzie were vectored onto what turned out to be a German night fighter apparently under their own GCI control. A long chase resulted in which both aircraft tried to get on each other's tail. The aircraft was eventually shot down.

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He was involved in the following Victories :

6 / 0 / 0

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