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First Pickaback Flying Bomb Shot Down by Canadians
London, Aug. 3, 1944 (CP) — The first German pickaback "flying bomb" — incorporating a ME-109 mounted on an explosive-laden JU-88 — to be destroyed in the air fell to a Canadian night fighter pilot and his navigator, the RCAF disclosed tonight.
F/L Walter Dinsdale of Brandon, Man. and P/O Jack Dunn of Winnipeg encountered the new weapon during a recent routine patrol over the Normandy beach-head and sent it crashing to earth, where it exploded behind the German lines.
"It was retribution for Jerry for thinking up such things," Dinsdale said. He described the pickaback as "an awkward thing which lumbered along at about 150 miles an hour."
"I recognized it as a Ju-88 but couldn't figure out what the thing on top was," he said. "I thought it was one of their glider bombs mounted a new way." It was on top, mounted between the rudder and main wing."
Dinsdale got the pickaback with his first burst and said that as far as night fighters were concerned the composite planes were "a cinch to shoot down."
He and Dunn are members of the RCAF Cougar squadron flying Mosquitos.
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Born 1916 in Brandon, Manitoba
Home there
Enlisted in Toronto, 21 November 1941
Trained at
No.5 ITS (graduated 9 May 1942),
No.13 EFTS (graduated 31 July 1942) &
No.2 SFTS (graduated 24 November 1942)
Cited with F/O John E. Dunn (RCAF, Nav.)
Invested with award, 13 September 1947
See Air Force, Vol.V, No.4 (December 1981)
Postwar Member of Parliament and
Member of Diefenbaker cabinet
Minister of Northern Affairs
Died in Ottawa, 22 November 1982 |
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Dinsdale [right] with this friend & Navigator John Dunn
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The War Reviewed - War In the Air
By W. R. PLEWMAN (Friday, August 4, 1944) - Last night the R.A.F. had splendid success against flying bombs, shooting down more than half of them. But the Germans sent the robots over in salvoes this morning. British and Canadian planes then left to bomb robot bases in France and robot factories in Peenemunde in the Baltic region. Bremen, Kiel, Restock and Anklam were pounded. Yesterday 44 locomotives were destroyed in France and oil installations near Lille attacked. Planes from Italy attacked targets in southern France, bridges in northeastern Italy and industrial targets in southern Germany. They lost 15 of their number and downed 18 enemy planes.
A Canadian night fighter, Walter Dinsdale, was the first pilot to shoot down a German "pickaback" or two-in-one plane. His navigator was P/O Jack Dunn of Winnipeg who had taken over the controls for a spell while Dinsdale manned the guns.
The Germans say that their one-man torpedoes operated by a suicide squad sank several warships and supply ships in Seine bay yesterday. None returned.
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Dinsdale, Andy Rose, Archie Harrington & Frank Chad of 410 Squadron
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DINSDALE, F/L Walter Gilbert (J21124) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.410 Sq.
Award effective 27 April 1945 as per London Gazette dated 8 May 1945 and
AFRO 966/45 dated 8 June 1945.
Flight Lieutenant Dinsdale as pilot and Flying Officer Dunn as navigator have taken part in a large number of operational sorties during which they have destroyed three enemy aircraft and damaged another. At all times they have displayed exceptional keenness for operational flying and a high degree of skill, courage and devotion to duty.
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Dinsdale & Dunn in front of [probably] HK476,
the Mossie they got their first 2 claims with.
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Hit over Dunkirk by ground flak, the bofors shell blew the nose apart & ruptured the radar housing. At the controls was "Pop" Edinger who was giving Dinsdale and Dunn a lift to England so that they could go on leave. 3/4" Armor plate saved the men, luck saved the plane and Pop was able to land the Mossie safely at Amiens, with Dinsdale sitting on Dunn's knee all the while. |
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Victories Include :
2/3 Feb 1944
14/15 Jun 1944
3/4 Aug 1944
27/28 Dec 1944 |
one Ju88
one Ju88 *
one Me110
one Ju88 |
damaged
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed |
HK476, RA-O
HK476, RA-O
MM449
MM788, RA-Q |
3 / 0 / 1
* - The Mistel combat report -
"We took off from base at 2235 hours and set course for Fighter Pool No.1 at the beach-head area. Arrived at 2320 and started to orbit. Vectored south then 100 degs, following Seine River. Told bandits were about. Vectored 280 degs, and experiencing heavy window. Several contacts were obtained simultaneously. Pilot obtained a visual immediately, at a range of 2000 feet, height 11000 ft., time 2335 hours. Closed to 1000 ft., and identified, with the aid of Poss Night Glasses, as a Ju-88b; with a glider bomb attached to the top of the fuselage. Closed in further to 750 ft., astern and slightly below. Opened fire with a short burst. The cockpit and port wing root burst into flames immediately. E/A banked slowly to port, then went down suddenly in a steep dive burning fiercely leaving a trail of sparks all the way down. It hit the ground with a terrific explosion, lighting up the countryside. E/A burnt on the ground. Combat took place at approx. 11000 ft. 25 miles SE Caen, at 2340 hrs. E/A did no evasive during combat. I was controlled by FDT 217 Mobile GCI. Landed at base at 0200 hrs. I claim this E/A as destroyed."
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The Dinsdale/Dunn team scored their last kill in this Mossie [MM788] coded RA-Q
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