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FIGHTER PILOTS DEFY BIG ODDS OF FOUR TO ONE
Ottawa, 8 April 1944 — Fighter pilots of the R.C.A.F. City of Windsor Squadron, defying odds of about four to one, drove into more than 30 Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs over the Anzio beachhead, in Italy, during the last week, destroyed two and damaged several others, the R.C.A.F. reported last night in its weekly summary of operations.
Nuremberg — it’s only target during the week — was blasted by the R.C.A.F. bomber group, which sent a "substantial force" of Lancasters and Halifaxes against the German city and, with aircraft of the R.A.F. Bomber Command, left "large portions" of it in flames.
R.C.A.F. Intruder pilots were active over occupied France, and aircraft from the R.C.A.F. Beaufighter Squadron with coastal command flew in a shipping strike off the Norwegian coast, when the larger of two medium-sized enemy merchantmen and three heavily armed trawlers were hit.
Damage Heavy Liner Beaufighters piloted by Canadians were in the striking force which on Thursday attacked and damaged the heavily escorted 14,000-ton liner Monte Rosa off the Norwegian coast. During this operation, an ME-110 fighter was destroyed by an unidentified R.C.A.F. pilot.
Heavies of the R.C.A.F. bomber group laid mines in enemy waters on two days during the week.
Sgt. Alan Green, Wellesley, Ont, a rear gunner, said of the Nuremberg attack that the target was well lit up and there were "plenty of explosions — they came up like one big yellow flame."
"Lovely Glow"
Sgt. George Webb, of Hamilton, arrived with the last wave of bombers, and said he saw a "lovely glow" beneath the cloud. "Coming out, we could see it for 100 miles, and I figure it was a well-concentrated raid," he added.
In the tussle with the Luftwaffe over Anzio, F/O Cameron Everett, of Winnipeg, scored hits on an FW-190 which he caught attacking a squadron mate and polished the enemy aircraft off with a screaming earthward dive at more than 500 miles an hour.
Everett, shooting as he went, plunged after the Nazi fighter when he observed it roll over on its back and head downward. The Focke-Wulf crashed and later was seen ablaze on the ground. Everett pulled out of his dive with only "a few hundred feet" to spare.
F/L George Turvey, of 101 Walmsley Boulevard, Toronto, brought down another FW-190 in the same action.
Just One More Trip
F/L Charlie Scherf, D.F.C., of Glen Innis, New South Wales, who had finished a tour of operations, returned to the R.C.A.F. City of Edmonton Intruder Squadron for "just one more trip," and, with F/O W. Stewart as his observer, destroyed two unidentified enemy aircraft in the air and left three others burning on the ground.
Scherf and Stewart, making a sweep over occupied France, left a Fieseler Storch in the vicinity of Monsoreau and two Heinkel 111's on the airfield at St. Yan burning on the ground.
In the air they accounted for a twin-engined twin-braced fin aircraft and a twin-engined single fin aircraft in the vicinity of Lyons.
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Born 28 August 1918
From Winnipeg
Enlisted in the RCAF 13 Sept 1940
Graduated from 2 SFTS in May 1941
& promoted to Sergeant
With No. 3 B&GS then
No. 8 B&GS as staff pilot
Posted to "Y" Depot Halifax
Arrived in the UK November 1942
With 417 Sqn in Italy during 1944
Returned to Canada in November 1944
Released from service November 1946 |
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Last kills for 417 Squadron
On 14 May 1944, 417 Squadron had its last good fight with the Luftwaffe when six pilots engaged more than 18 fighters over the Cassino battle area and destroyed two (credited to F/Os Cam Everett and G.I. Doyle), with three more claimed as damaged (one each by Everett and Doyle and the third by F/L Turvey - all 5 being Me109s).
Describing the battle, Flying Officer Everett said:
“We spotted a gaggle of Nazi planes over the Cassino area. We were flying at about 16,000 to 18,000 and the Huns were about 14,000 feet. Our leader took six of us in on the attack, and we all picked out our bait.
“I went in after two of the 190’s, who broke away from the gaggle when it split up. They both went down to the deck, and I stuck on their tail with Warrant Officer Norman Gerrand, of Birtle, Man., as my No.2 to cover the attack.
“I fired the first burst, just before he started down, and he plunged into the side of a hill. At the same time, when I got the chance, I fired at the second one. Gerry (W/O Gerrand) saw strikes on the latter, although I didn’t. By then we were getting pretty far forward into enemy territory, and I was running out of ammunition, so we went back.
“It’s my second plane destroyed and one damaged. The first plane I destroyed was over the Anzio bridgehead. I’ve been out on 75 sorties.”
The squadron's score was now 29 destroyed, 8 probably destroyed and 22 damaged - and there it remained until the war's end.
Later in the month, on the 26th, F/S J.T. MacLeod was taken prisoner when he had to abandon his damaged Spitfire. Another casualty was suffered when P/O N.H. Gerrand died from injuries received in a flying accident.”
From 417 Squadron History & a dispatch
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Victories Include :
29 Mar 1944
14 May 1944 |
one FW190
one Me109
one Me109 |
destroyed
destroyed &
damaged |
2 / 0 / 1
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