Norman Hobson "Norm" Bretz

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RAF SQUADRON BAGS ONE PLANE ANOTHER IS HIT
Belleville and Kirkland Lake Fliers
Share Glory in Sweep Over France
WORK IS PRAISED

Somewhere in England, September 28, 1941 - (CP) - A group of representatives of Canadian newspapers were given an opportunity Saturday to talk with pilots of a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter squadron returning from a sweep of Northern France, in which they destroyed one German fighter and possibly damaged a second. After lunching at a famous sea­side resort, now almost deserted except for local residents, the Canadian party went to the fighter station and waited on the field to greet the pilots as they stepped from their Hurricanes.
Squadron Leader V. B. Corbett of Belleville and Sergeant Pilot George McClusky of Kirkland Lake shared credit for the plane destroyed. Flying Officer Fred Kelly of Toronto saw another pass through the line of his machine-gun fire and possibly "messed it up" enough to place it in the "damaged" category.
The plane shot down, a Messerschmitt 109, was the second confirmed victim of the Canadians' fire since they moved into this station a little more than one month ago. They also have six probables and two damaged, not including Saturday's one.
The newspaper representatives, who were disappointed earlier in the week when operations at a bomber station they visited were cancelled due to bad weather, spent an interesting afternoon with the fighter pilots.

Welcomed by Commander
They were welcomed at the station by its commander, an R.A.F. officer, who praised the work of his Canadian pilots, saying they "are grand chaps" and first-class pilots with an excellent record, considering the short length of time many of them had been on operations.
The visitors learned of the "splendid co-operation" given by the young Canadians and how they had quickly made themselves at home. As the fighters began to arrive back from over France, the newspapermen singled out men from the parts of Canada they represent and got personal stories of the day's engagements from the beaming pilots, who posed for pictures before removing their Mae Wests.
The plane piloted by Pilot Officer Norm Bretz, Toronto, was the first to appear over the field, and Pilot Officer Brad Walker, London, Ont., let out a cheer when he distinguished the lettering on the streamlined Hurricane. "K for Kitty, and all in one piece, too," he said, explaining it was the plane he usually flies, "but I loaned it to Norm for a day."
Corbett and McClusky landed at almost the same time, and pilots and newspaper representatives soon gathered around them when it was learned they had shot down an enemy craft.
Bishop R. J. Renison of Toronto, who was the padre of Corbett's squadron before it came to England, was among the first to congratulate the squadron leader.

Halved the Plane
Corbett did not know he had "halved" the plane until he landed. "I just shot at it and it ran out of my sights, going down," he said. McCIusky, who, like Corbett was claiming his first confirmed victim of the war, said he was on Corbett's tail, and followed the Nazi craft down, firing all the time. "I saw smoke pouring from him, and then the pilot seemed to roll out from the side. His parachute opened up and he went down just like a mushroom."
"It was just like in practice," the Northern Ontario boy said, excitedly. "It was really swell."
Flying Officer Brad Foster of Montreal, who "got in two good shots" at a Messerschmitt, said there was lots of flak and considerable fighter opposition on the way to the target, but that it was "pretty quiet" coming home.
A number of the pilots brought down their machines at other stations to refuel, and landed on their own field as much as an hour later. Kelly, who was one of these, said the German plane flew right in front of his machine guns and "must have taken everything I had."
Nearly all the other pilots on the sweep, including Flight Lieutenant Harry Crease, Windsor, Ont.; Pilot Officer Bill Pentland, Calgary; Pilot Officer Syd Ford, Liverpool, N.S.; Sergeant Butch Handley, North Bay; Sergeant Jerry MacKay, Rock Island, Que., and Sergeant. K. Magee, Moncton, N.B., saw some sort of action.

Tea With Officers
After spending about ninety min­utes at the field, the newspaper representatives went to the officers' mess for tea. The mess was in a huge house built at the time of Ann Boleyn, and is considered by the pilots to be one of the best in the country.
Henry G. F. Christie, Saint John, N.B., thanked the officers on behalf of the visiting group, congratulated them on the day's success, and wished them luck in future operations. The party spent another half an hour talking to pilots on the spacious lawn surrounding the mess, then drove back to London.
Earlier in the day they had their first look at Britain's coastal defenses, a distant view from a hotel window during lunch, of barbed wire entanglements along a beach.
Another visit in the crowded day was a brief stop at a recruiting center for women war workers. Men and women were driving about the town in loudspeaker cars drumming up volunteers, and girls were sitting at the windows of the center, making wireless parts for tanks.
The Canadians were told that the need for more women workers is great.
Finally, upon arriving in London at night, the Canadians had a private dinner, then went to the Ministry of Information for a showing of the film, "Target for Tonight" and a number of documentary pictures.
They spent Sunday as they chose, not having an official schedule for the day.

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CANADIANS BUILD AIRFIELD QUICKLY
Completed Job in Three Months
That Usually Would Have Taken Two Years

Somewhere in England, Aug. 17, 1942 — (CP Cable) — Hon. C. G. Power, Canadian air minister, and Air Marshal L. S. Breadner visited Lieut.-Gen. A. G. L. McNaughton at Canadian army headquarters today and attended the informal opening of an airport which was just a plain wheat field before a battalion of Royal Canadian Engineers went to work and completed in less than three months a job which normally would take two years.

Minister Greets Pilot
The air minister, with the army commander as his guide, toured the vast aerodrome in a jeep, then stopped at one of the long runways where he greeted the pilot of the first plane to land on the broad concrete paths. This was F/L Paul Bissky, 20, of Saskatoon, a member of one of the Canadian army co-operation squadrons, who brought in a powerful mustang to a perfect three-point landing.
Major Power congratulated the young pilot in battledress and Mae West, then climbed into the pilot's cockpit and addressed bronzed short-sleeved soldiers who paused in the work of cleaning up odds and ends and crowded around the plane to hear the minister.
"The work you have done has been of inestimable value to the army and the air force," he told them. "Gen. McNaughton volunteered to construct the aerodrome with Canadian labor for Canadian airmen. I congratulate you on the magnificent work you have done."
Bissky later took off in a cloud of dust which enveloped the visitors and while he circled overhead Major H. G. Duff, of Toronto, one of the officers in charge of the construction of the aerodrome, gave the minister the field's statistics.

Long Concrete Strips
The extent of the new project may be gauged from the fact there are 40 miles of 15-foot strips in the concrete runways and perimeter.
Major Power lunched at Canadian army headquarters with a group of military dignitaries including Gen. McNaughton, Major-Gen. Carl Spaatz, commander of United States air forces in the European theatre; Lieut.-Gen. H. D. G. Crerar, Canadian army corps commander; Major-Gen. G. R. Turner and Major-Gen. C. S. L. Hertzberg.
Gen. McNaughton welcomed the minister outside the entrance to headquarters where a guard of honor was lined up.
En route to the Canadian army area, Major Power dropped in at a station housing a Spitfire squadron commanded by S/L Robert E. E. Morrow, of Leaside Ont., who had just been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The air minister was one of the first to congratulate Morrow.
He also chatted a few minutes with S/L Norm Bretz, of Toronto, and two of the squadron's flight commanders, F/L N. B. Trask, of Halifax, and F/L D. G. Malloy, of Toronto, and also P/O Ian Keltie, of Edmonton.
Major Power paid an informal visit to Lord Beaverbrook on his way back to London.

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Score 15 Direct Hits On Vital Rail Junction
Smashing Victory Over Luftwaffe at Dieppe Will Force Nazis to Withdraw Planes From Russian Front, British Observers Declare

LONDON, Aug. 20, 1942 - (CP) - In the Greatest daylight aerial offensive of the war, 300 (?) Allied fighter planes raided the invasion coast of France today while Flying Fortresses bombed the Amiens railway yard, scoring fifteen direct hits on their target. Previously the Allies have limited the number of planes in a similar day time operations to 200 (?). The widespread attack too was a continuation of the daytime use of the huge four-motored bombers, a recent innovation.
The fact that not a single plane was reported lost and only slight fighter opposition was encountered was regarded by British authorities as further indication of the severe mauling the Nazi air force took in the battles over Dieppe.
In fact some quarters in London believed the German losses yesterday included at least one-third of the Nazi fighter strength in the western occupied zone of Europe.
Four Canadian squadrons, in the forefront of yesterdays titanic air duel over Dieppe, were in action again today, escorting the Flying Fortresses to Amiens.
A communique announced that one German aircraft was destroyed during the operation, but did not indicate whether it was shot down by the Canadians or by one of the bombers.
The Canadian squadrons were commanded by Squadron Leader Keith Hodson of London, Ontario, Norm Bretz of Toronto, Knobby Fee of Toronto and R. B. Newton, an Englishman in the R.C.A.F.
The operation, extended from Le Havre up the French coast to Futnes(?), above Dunkirk.
Direct hits were scored on numerous targets attacked by the raiders.
The intensity of the raiding was disclosed by the story of the Belgian pilot of an RAF Spitfire plane.
“I saw fifteen bursts on the target and most of the hits were on yards and locomotive depots,” he said. “Great mushrooms of grey smoke went up after the bombs were dropped.”
All Allied planes returned safely.

Help For Russia
A Southern British Port – 20 August 1942 – (CP) – The smashing Allied triumph over the German Air Force over Dieppe will force the Nazis to divert bombers and fighters from the Russian front to Western Europe, qualified observers said tonight.
These observers, who must remain anonymous, declared the German losses consisted of ninety-two planes certainly destroyed, thirty-eight probably shot down and 140 damaged.
(actual German losses were about half that – ed)
The mounting strength of the RAF the RCAF and the United States Army Air Corps, plus the new assurance won at Dieppe by Canadian shock troops, British commandos and United States Rangers, makes it imperative for the Germans to strengthen the Western air frontier it was said.
No second front could be opened on the continent without a mass of troops experienced in operations similar to Dieppe, these observers said.
Analyzing the Allied moves in the Dieppe raid, it was clear that the Canadians made the greatest progress on the left flank, where they destroyed a six-inch battery.
After a partial success, the Allied force was checked in the center while on the right remnants of the original landing party were partly able, by skill and ingenuity, to put another six-inch battery out of action.
Nevertheless, the German coastal defenses showed the enemy has the wind up, and valuable experience and information was gained by the Allies in the center, where the blow was aimed at the heart of Dieppe.
The Germans stiffened that position with fresh troops and new material. Nevertheless, the Allies made considerable gains against this strong force.
The commandos and Canadians attacked with impetuosity seldom seen in this war, and were able to carry all local objectives before them.
Thus, in the center, much damage was done.
The Allies ran into ill luck on the right flank. Landing craft speeding towards the shore ran into a German convoy, a sure sign that the enemy expected no attack in the region of Dieppe.
There were only three errors in the fine timing of the entire operation and none of these affected the success of the operations.
Casualties were believed to have been heavy but not as heavy as they might have been.
The general feeling was that the next major operation, which everyone expects to be on a similar scale, would be concluded with less loss and with greater success.

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R.A.F. FORAY DRIVES DEEP INTO POLAND
U.S. Bombers Sweep Over North France, Still Without Loss

London, Aug. 28, 1942 - (AP) - Hundreds of the R.A.F.'s biggest bombers and American Flying Fortresses, escorted by Canadian Spitfire squadrons, dealt a triple punch to Hitler's war machine by day and night today.
While the big sluggers of the R.A.F. heralded the opening of the fall bombing season, when the longer nights allow the bombers to carry their loads deeper into the heart of the Reich by blasting the Baltic port of Gdynia, former pride of Poland, and Kassel, Prussian locomotive-building centre, other bombers hit at German shipping.
While no R.C.A.F. bomber squadrons went on the Kassel-Gdynia attack, one Canadian pilot scored a hit on an enemy ship in a convoy off Guernsey and left it in a sinking condition. R.C.A.F. Spitfire squadrons which escorted the Fortresses on their daylight attack on an airplane body plant at Meaulte, near Albert, in France, scored one probable and also damaged several Nazi planes in heavy fighting. Other British and American Spitfire squadrons and fast Boston attack-bombers, swept the invasion coast from Calais to the Seine.
The Fortresses returned from their sixth attack of the war, still without having lost a plane. One R.C.A.F. fighter was lost out of the two escorting squadrons led by Squadron Leaders Norm Bretz of Toronto and Keith Hodson of London, Ont.
Both the Gdynia and Kassel raids were in the pattern of "aid to Russia."
Kassel, a city of 217,000, presumably was working overtime to repair the damages to Germany's railway equipment and to carry out Hitler's orders to last April after he promised that German locomotives would not freeze up on the Eastern Front this winter as they did last.
To reach the city, which is the home of the Daimler and Benz airplane engines and Messerschmitt fighters as well as the Henschel Locomotive Works, the R.A.F. had to go 80 miles deeper into the Reich than it has on earlier blockbusting raids in the Ruhr and Rhineland.
The Air Ministry said the raid was "concentrated and effective" and this was taken to mean that the R.A.F. again had crowded the air over the target with big bombers to the point of saturation.
Pilots, dropping to 1,500 feet over their target, reported masses of flames in the city. Thirty bombers failed to return from this and the Gdynia raid. If the usual loss of about five per cent was experienced, this meant about 600 planes took part. The 1,800-mile round trip to Gdynia resulted in heavy blasts on a base which has been used by Hitler's U-boats for attacks on the Soviet Baltic fleet. The damaged 26,000-ton German battleship Gneiseau, has been reported tied up in that supposedly safe port since shortly after her run through the channel last spring. The un-completed aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin also was reported based there at one time, but the Russians recently said she was being used as a transport in the Baltic to ferry troops to the Russian front.
The attack on Gdynia meant that the British and Russian air forces were able to meet over Germany, for the Russians announced yesterday that they had bombed near-by Danzig and other places in Pomerania and East Prussia as well as Berlin, while the R.A.F. attacked Danzig recently.

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BRETZ, S/L Norman Hobson (J2975) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.402 Sq.
Award effective 2 September 1942 as per London Gazette dated 22 September 1942 &
AFRO 1653/42 dated 16 October 1942.

Squadron Leader Bretz has completed many operational sorties including four low level raids in Hurricane bombers, as a result of which, two enemy destroyers were severely damaged. During the combined operations at Dieppe on 19th August he led his squadron in four sorties and destroyed one enemy aircraft and damaged another. Squadron Leader Bretz has displayed great courage and initiative which have contributed largely to the successes achieved by his squadron

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FLYING CROSS TO TORONTO AIRMAN
Squadron Leader Norman Bretz Honored

Toronto, Sept. 4, 1942 — (CP) — S/L Norman Bretz, 29, of the Royal Canadian Air Force, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, a cablegram received by his father here said today. S/L Bretz participated in the Dieppe operations.
He was born in Toronto but spent years in Winnipeg where he attended high school. He enlisted in the R.C.A.F. early in 1940 and went overseas as a pilot officer by Christmas of that year.
Last week his squadron escorted Flying Fortresses of the United States army air corps in their raids over shipyards near Rouen, France, and he and one of his pilots each brought down a Focke-Wulf 190.
In the Dieppe raid, dispatches reported, he watched his men damage three enemy machines and was heard to announce to his pilots over their communication system that there were "almost enough to go round," as the Canadians dived from 8,000 feet. In a message home, he referred to it merely as "a good show."
A brother, Lieut. Howard Bretz, of Winnipeg, is on service with his regiment in British Columbia.

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Nazi Positions Battered For Two Days and Nights
By Allied Aerial Forces
Operational Flight Is the Longest Recorded Of This War to Date

London, Sept. 8, 1942 - (CP) - British, Canadian and American air forces, continuing their day-and-night assaults on the Nazis, climaxed two days of intense activity yesterday with raids on the railroad yards at Utrecht and Schledam shipyards at Rotterdam - the longest recorded operational flight of the war.
American Flying Fortresses followed up R.A.F. daylight raids on Emden, Bremerhaven and other targets in western Germany with a smashing attack into Nazi-held territory. The American bombers returned intact by fighting off a swarm of German fighters and shooting down 12 of them.
It was the tenth attack in Europe by the giant bombers since they entered the European theatre August 17th.
"With more crews and aircraft like these, there can be no doubt about the mastery of the air over Europe," said Major-Gen. Carl Spaatz, commander-in-chief of United States air forces in the European theatre.

Fortresses Amaze Experts
"The Fortresses have amazed the experts again," the air correspondent of the Daily Mail wrote.
One Canadian fighter squadron was among the escort for the Fortresses, two others made diversionary attacks. The Spitfires swept to Utrecht, a 300-mile round trip, while escorting and carrying out diversionary raids. The Canadians were led by Squadron-Ldrs. Norm Bretz, of Toronto; John Fee, of Calgary, and Keith Hodson, of London, Ont.
Sunday night a "strong force" of R.A.F. bombers, escorted by two R.C.A.F. squadrons, battered Duisburg, at the junction of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, and started tremendous fires in the important traffic and metallurgical centre. Nine planes were lost in that and related operations, indicating that hundreds of bombers participated.
German bombers made their appearance over England last night, planes being noted over East Anglia, the Home Counties and London, but a communique said the few bombs dropped caused slight damage. One person was reported injured. Flares were dropped in the London area, but heavy antiaircraft fire drove off the planes before bombs were released. One invading bomber was reported destroyed.

Story of Gallantry Told
The Flying Fortress raid yesterday brought forth a new story of a gallant crew and a sturdy plane. "In returning from the attack at Rotterdam," a statement issued by United States army air forces headquarters said, "a formation of B-17's encountered enemy fighters and the engine of one aircraft was damaged.
"The pilot, Capt. Aquilla B. Hughes, of Waco, Texas, endeavored to keep up with our formation by diving his aircraft, but in doing so the Flying Fortress fell behind and became a special target for 12 Focke-Wulf 190's which dived at tremendous speed from a higher altitude.
"On a second attack of 12 enemy aircraft, Sgt. Gilbert Goar, of Clarkesdale, Miss., himself wounded, shot down a FW 190, which caught fire as it fell. Then Sgt. Jerry D. Johnson, of Milwaukee, fired a single burst from his .50 caliber machine gun into a second FW 190, which also burst into smoke. The navigator, Lieut. Morris E. Mansell, of Houston, Tex., put a burst of .50 caliber bullets into a third FW 190, but could not confirm its destruction."
Captain Hughes fought off all attacks and brought his bomber back to his home aerodrome. The running battle lasted 15 minutes.
"During this raid," the statement said, "twelve German fighters were destroyed and many others probably destroyed or damaged…"
The Daily Mail's air correspondent, in writing that the Flying Fortresses had "amazed the experts again," said "it is highly probable that the achievement of the great American bombers in close cooperation with the R.A.F. fighter command will now convince the authorities both here and in Washington of the opportunity provided for a great new daylight blitz against the enemy."
Against the stray raiders which appeared over the London area during the night, it was recalled that two years ago last night the German air force launched the first great fire raid on Britain's capital, starting conflagrations in east end dock areas.
The raiders which appeared last night dropped flares of an unusual type. Thousands who watched in the streets described them as resembling “silver rain.”
The only bombs, however, were in two areas of the Home Counties. It was considered likely the planes there were attempting to locate air bases of night bombers and fighters.

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Citations Relate Story Of Airmen's Courage As 18 Are Decorated
Six Officers From Toronto Are Awarded DFC;
Heroism in Action Over Dieppe, at Tobruk and
Over Germany Brings Canadians Honors

By DOUGLAS AMARON London, Sept. 22, 1942 - (CP) - The names of eighteen Canadians were added today to the honor rolls of the R.C.A.F. and R.A.F. with the announcement that Distinguished Flying Crosses and Distinguished Flying Medals had been awarded for bombing operations against the enemy.
Included were Acting Squadron Leaders Norman Bretz of Toronto and Lloyd Chadburn of Aurora, Ont., and Montreal, Flight Lieutenant William H. Baldwin of Ottawa, Flight Lieutenant Reginald Lane of Victoria, Flight Lieutenant Herbert Swetman of Montreal and Kapuskasing, Ont., Flying Officer John G. McDonald of Toronto, Flying Officer John D. Waterman of Vancouver, Pilot Officer Lloyd F. Austin of Toronto, Pilot Officer Stanley J. Cybulski of Pembroke, Ont, Pilot Officer Leonard S. Hammond of Toronto, Pilot Officer Henry James Carter (home town unknown), and Pilot Officer Philip M. Leith of Toronto, all of whom received the D.F.C.
The D.F.M. went to Flight Sergeant Philpso Brichta of Sutton West, Ont., Flight Sergeant David A. Cumberland of Britannia Beach, B.C., Flight Sergeant John D. Dickson of King's County, N.B., Flight Sergeant Bernard L. Schaunberg of Verwood, Sask., Flight Sergeant Guy P. A. Yates of Toledo, Ont., and Sergeant Ronald George Bell of Kelowna, B.C.
In addition, the D.F.C. was awarded to Wing Commander Michael Evelyn Pollard, who was educated in Montreal and is a former trooper in the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars, and Acting Flight Lieutenant Albert Lambert, a native of Bristol, Eng., whose home now is in Saint John, N.B., and who flies in the R.C.A.F. Pollard hails from Croydon, Eng.

Fought Over Dieppe
Bretz was rewarded especially for his work over Dieppe, where he led his squadron on four sorties, destroying one enemy plane and damaging another.
Chadburn's citation also mentioned particularly his work on that Canadian-led attack on the French coast, where his squadron destroyed three enemy planes, scored a probable on a fourth and damaged seven others without loss to itself.
Yates Was singled out for his attack on shipping at Tobruk where, when his plane lost a propeller, he ordered the crew to bail out and flew alone until the engines stopped, when he 'chuted to safety. Bell bombed his target despite
attacks by an enemy fighter at Duisburg, flew his badly riddled plane to Britain safely and executed a skilful crash-landing.
Throughout, the citations bristled with the words "exceptional ability," "courage and initiative" and "skill and determination."
They told of such assorted deeds as that of Waterman, who was hit by fragments of an ack-ack shell just above both eyes while over Bremen.
"Despite this he continued his work and navigated his aircraft safely back to the base, without even mentioning that he had been slightly wounded," said the citation. "This fact became known when he arrived in the operations room with his face covered with blood."

Plane Caught Fire
The Ministry said Brichta's "courage and coolness in the face of danger at all times has been of a high order," and cited this example:
"On the night of June 16, during an attack against the Ruhr, his aircraft was damaged by ack-ack fire. It also was attacked by an enemy fighter. The underside of the fuselage from the front turret to the observer's table caught fire, but in spite of the imminent danger to the whole crew and the possibility he would fall through the badly burned bottom of the fuselage, Brichta immediately attempted to extinguish the flames. His subsequent accurate navigation played a large part in the eventual safe return of his aircraft to this country."
McDonald's citation told his part in the 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne.
"Whilst over the target his aircraft was caught in a cone of searchlights and heavily engaged by the defenses," it said. "Violent evasive action was taken, but he was unable to evade the searchlights and shell-fire until he descended from 16,000 to only 50 feet.

Continued to Target
"The aircraft was extensively damaged, the hydraulic system was rendered unserviceable, the perspex front turret was shot away, the port engine was holed and other minor damage was sustained.
"Despite this, McDonald continued to the target and obtaining height, bombed Cologne from less than 5,000 feet. Skilfully flying his damaged aircraft back to base, he executed a crash-landing with, a minimum of damage to the aircraft."
Typical of the citations was that of Dickson. He acted as captain of an aircraft twenty-six times, the Air Ministry said.
"He executed his tasks with the utmost vigor and determination," read his citation. "Undeterred by bad weather, he makes every effort to locate the target and bomb it accurately. On one occasion over Stuttgart he descended to 3,000 feet to ensure success. He participated in attacks on Brest, Hamburg, Rostock, Essen, Emden and many other equally important targets."

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AIR FORCE, NAVY HAD BIG SHARE IN OPERATIONS
Nine Flyers Have Been Rewarded For Their Work So Far
MAY CITE SAILORS

Ottawa, Oct. 2, 1942 — (CP) — While Canadian army men were in action in the battle of Dieppe last August, Canadian flyers and Canadian naval personnel also played a part in the big combined operations attack.
National defence headquarters today announced 178 decorations to army men who were in the hard-fought battle.
So far nine Canadian airmen have been decorated, though their awards were not directly related to the battle of Dieppe and some of the citations referred to service in other operations as well.
Some 100 officers and men of the Canadian navy, serving with the Royal Navy, were aboard ships engaged in the operation and although no naval decorations for Canadians have yet been announced, there is a possibility there will be some.
Airmen whose citations mentioned service at Dieppe were: Acting Squadron-Ldr. B. Chadburn, of Aurora and Oshawa, Out.; Acting Squadron-Ldr. Norman H. Bretz, of Toronto; Flying Officer T. A. Casey, of Listowel, Ont.; Flying Officer Donald T. Smith, Oakville, Ont.; Acting Squadron-Ldr. Leslie S. Ford, of Liverpool, N.S.; Pilot Officer J. W. Reynolds, Pembroke, Ont.; Acting Squadron-Ldr. John C. Fee, of Calgary, and Acting Flight-Lieut. Frederick E. Green, of Toronto, all of whom received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Sgt. Clarence G. Scott, of Tisdale, Sask., who received the Distinguished Flying medal.
Other decorations for Canadian airmen as a result of their Dieppe services may yet be announced. Both the Canadian airmen and naval personnel who were at Dieppe were under British command although several all-Canadian air force squadrons took part.

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The King Recognizes Gallantry of Canadian Airmen of Dieppe

Oct. 8, 1942 - While the Canadian Army fought gloriously on the beaches of Dieppe, hundreds of their brothers of the Royal Canadian Air Force in both R.C.A.F. and R.A.F. squadrons helped provide an "umbrella" for their operations "upstairs." And they, too, share in the honors awarded for the shining page written into the history of Canada at war. Among them were Top, left to right - Squadron Leader Leslie S. Ford of Liverpool, N.S., who won a Bar for his D.F.C. Flight Lieutenant Frederick E. Green, Toronto, D.F.C. Squadron Leader Norman H. Bretz, Toronto, D.F.C. Squadron Leader Lloyd V. Chadburn, Aurora, D.F.C. Bottom, left to right - Squadron Leader John Clark Fee, Calgary, D.F.C. Flight Lieutenant James Whitham, Edmonton, D.F.C. Sergeant Clarence G. Scott, Tisdale, Sask., D.F.M. Pilot Officer B. (Scotty) Murray, Halifax, D.F.M

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BEHIND THE LINES
Naval Auxiliary Will Help Solve Social Problems
of Men in the R.C.N.V.R.

15 May 1943 - Railway men, who have been contributing dimes and quarters to a Spitfire fund, got a report at Montreal back from the battlefront on what their two planes have been doing.
They learned that Canadian Pacific I and Canadian Pacific II have accounted for seven enemy planes, have damaged nine others, chalked up two probables, and some of the pilots have won decorations.
Pilots of the two planes at various times have been: F/L G. B. Murray, D.F.C, of Halifax; S/L L. S. Ford, D.F.C. and bar, of Liverpool, N.S.; F/O Ken Marshall, of Milton, Ont; W/C E. E. Morrow, D.F.C, of Toronto; S/L Norman Bretz, D.F.C., of Toronto; S/L D. F. (Bud) Malloy, D.F.C, of Halifax, and S/L Foss Boulton, of Coleman, Alta.

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Toronto Airman Commands Depot

Ottawa, Nov. 27, 1944 - (CP) - W/C N. H. Bretz, D.F.C, of 17 Fairview Blvd., Toronto, has been appointed to succeed W/C C. S. Dowie, D.F.C. and Bar, of Regina, as officer commanding the R.C.A.F. repatriation depot at near-by Rockcliffe, the R.C.A.F, announced today.
Bretz, who has been chief instructor at Bagotville, Que., since returning from overseas last spring, will assume his new duties early this week. Dowie is moving to Regina to open a new Air Force release center.
Before returning to Canada, W/C Bretz commanded the RCAF Spitfire wing comprising the City of Winnipeg and City of Oshawa squadrons, which distinguished themselves by shooting down nine enemy fighters in a 15-minute engagement over the Dutch coast.

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Victories Include :

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