|
--------------------------------------------------
Canadian Pilots Blow Up Trains, Destroy 5 Germans in 5 Minutes
With a Canadian Fighter Wing in Britain, May 22, 1944 - (CP) - Piling the Canadian score higher all through the day in the sustained, aerial offensive, pilots of the City of Oshawa Spitfire Squadron late today added five more trains damaged to their earlier bag of five enemy planes destroyed and six enemy trains shot up in a foray over the Cherbourg Peninsula.
Their bag of 11 trains today raised to 24 the number they have attacked since yesterday morning and gave Canadian squadrons operating from this British 2nd Tactical Air Force airfield a total of 31 trains shot up in the same period.
The Canadians' total bag of planes for the day was brought to seven by F/O Bud Bowker of Granby, Que., who shot two FW190's into the English Channel while on a gun-testing flight in a Spitfire. Putting in his operational rest period between tours as a pilot with a Canadian repair and salvage unit, Bowker took off from this base today to test the guns of a Spitfire. He bumped into two Focke-Wulf 190's over the English Channel and sent them both crashing into the sea.
It was the first time this stocky flier, who had been "getting so darn sick of doing nothing," had taken off with guns loaded since he came off operations last February. The double victory brought his score to seven enemy aircraft destroyed.
Standing beside a mobile hangar around which Spitfires were being overhauled, Bowker, in battle dress and wearing flying boots, pushed his cap back on his head and told the story of his victory, achieved in a matter of seconds.
He was flying in the direction of St. Valerie and about a quarter of the way across the Channel he sighted the FW190's, flying in line abreast in a northeasterly direction.
Were Carrying Bombs, Rockets
Bowker said the enemy planes were carrying bombs or rockets.
"I crawled up behind them and went after one and they broke toward the French coast," he related. “I let one have a 20-degree shot and he blew up. The exploding aircraft swerved to one side and the other just barely bounced off it, went up 100 feet and then crashed into the sea.”
Today's Canadian successes were achieved without loss.
The third sortie of the day against enemy transport in France was led by S/L Freddie Green, D.F.C., Toronto, who took five of his pilots into attacks against four freight trains and a petrol train.
The locomotive of the petrol train was left with steam pouring from it and two oil cars blazing.
A section of the Red Indian squadron under S/L Walter Conrad, D.F.C. of Richmond, Ont., attacked two trains 20 miles west of Paris just before dusk tonight.
One was a troop train and the Red Indians gave it a double dose of cannon and machine-gun fire, flying in through heavy ack-ack to deliver their blow.
The bag of five enemy planes to pilots of the City of Oshawa squadron came in a five-minute combat in the Rouen sector of France when the Canadians were returning from a train busting foray northwest of Paris.
Six planes of the squadron met an equal number of Germans and the Dominion filers attacked despite the fact their ammunition was dangerously low. Three of the German planes were downed in 10 seconds.
Pilots who each downed an FW190 were F/L R. D. Forbes-Roberts of Vancouver, leader of a section; F/L G. R. Paterson of Kelowna, B.C., and F/O W. H. Palmer of Kamloops and Salmon Arm, B.C.
F/Ls W. F. Mason of Smiths Falls, and A. R. McFadden of Springdale, Alta., each downed a Messerschmitt 109.
Fired Compressed Air
Mason's victory over his Messerschmitt victim came after he had expended all his ammunition, shooting up trains. He got on the German's tail, followed him close to the ground and the Jerry, apparently excited, flipped his machine over in evasive action and plunged into the ground. All Mason did, he said, was fire a couple of rounds of "compressed air" from his empty guns.
F/O Palmer had a close call. He was only 20 yards behind his German victim when the Nazi exploded and debris whistled around Palmer's cockpit but did no harm.
FO. G. A. Borland of Guelph was also in this action but went scoreless because he chose to protect the tail of F/L McFadden. Borland already has five German planes to his credit from previous, actions.
--------------------------------------------------
Born 4 July 1921 at Kelowna, British Columbia
Educated there.
Enlisted in Vancouver, 8 February 1941.
Trained at
No.2 ITS (graduated 8 May 1941),
No.16 EFTS (graduated 3 July 1941) and
No.11 SFTS (graduated 13 September 1941);
Commissioned 13 September 1941.
Arrived in UK, 20 October 1941.
Appears to have been around training stations
-possibly as instructor in UK -
until posted to No. 6 OTU (7 June 1943) then
to No.416 Squadron, 8 September 1943.
Shot down 26 September 1944 and made POW
Badly injured on bale-out
(he was strafed in his parachute),
His left arm was amputated in hospital.
The Germans repatriated him 18 January 1945.
Repatriated to Canada 9 February 1945,
Released 20 August 1945.
Medal presented 29 January 1947.
Passed away December 16, 2001 in Nanaimo |
--------------------------------------------------
RCAF Shoots Down 26 Enemy Planes
in Normandy Between Dawn and Dusk
By P/O H. R. McDONALD, A Canadian Airfield in France, June 29, 1944 - (CP) - Canadian fighter planes, in one of the most brilliant achievements in the history of the R.C.A.F., shot down 26 out of a total of 34 enemy aircraft destroyed over the Normandy front between dawn and dusk yesterday.
In addition, R.C.A.F. pilots chalked up a number of enemy planes probably shot down and a number of others which were damaged.
Four pilots scored double kills. They were W/C J. E. (Johnny) Johnson, English–born commander of a Canadian fighter wing operating from an R.C.A.F. base in Normandy, and F/Ls. H. C. Trainor, Charlottetown; W. T. Klersy, 14 Harcroft Rd., Toronto, and R. K. Hayward, St. John's, Nfld.
Destroys Two, Damages Third
Hayward destroyed two FW-190's and damaged a third, which gave him the highest R.C.A.F. individual score of the day.
Earlier reports indicated the Canadian airmen had downed 18 enemy planes in yesterday's daylight operations.
The complete figures were reached by intelligence officers today after a period of aerial operations which exceeded in intensity anything since the Allied Normandy beachhead was opened June 6.
Besides the toll of enemy planes, which included all fighter types, R.C.A.F. pilots also strafed transport on the roads.Final claims on two aircraft are being sifted
Among the R.C.A.F. Spitfire pilots contributing to the total with one Hun each were: F/Ls. Irving Kennedy, Cumberland, Ont.; G. R. Patterson, Kelowna, B.C.; J. McElroy, Kamloops, B.C.; Henry Zary, New York; R. M. Stayner, Saskatoon; A. F. Halcrow, Penticton, B.C.; G. W. Johnson, 102 Beechwood Ave., Hamilton, Ont.; D. E. Noonan, 146 Willingdon Ave., Kingston, Ont.; J. P. Rainville, Montreal; and Flying Officers W. J. Banks, Leaside, Ont. and G. H. Farquharson, Corbyville, Ont.
W/C Johnson's score of two brought his total of enemy planes downed to 32, equaling the mark set by G/C A. G. (Sailor) Malan, a South African now on ground duty.
Among the R.C.A.F. fliers scoring probables were F/O A. C. Brandon, Timmins, Ont.; F/O J. B. O'Sullivan, Vancouver and P/O J. M. Flood, Hearst, Ont.
Nine Others Damaged
At least nine others wire damaged by fliers of the R.C.A.F.
Of the wings comprising G/C W. (Bill) MacBrien's R.C.A.F. sector, the one led by 22-year-old W/C George Keefer, D.F.C. and Bar, Charlottetown, was high scorer of the day with 13 confirmed victories. Johnson's wing was second with seven, in a close race with a unit led by W/C R. A. Buckham, Vancouver.
The margin for Keefer's wing was established in two dusk operations in which seven enemy planes were destroyed and two damaged. In the first action Hayward sighted more than 25 Nazi fighters and led his formation in pursuit. He damaged one.
Later the same Spitfires became embroiled with a dozen FW-190's, and Hayward got two of them. The first fell out of control, and the second burst into flames and crashed after Hayward had followed it down to tree-top height.
"The Huns were like bees,” said WO. Murray Havers, 1 Lloyd St., Hamilton. Ont. "They seemed confused and acted as though they did not know what they were doing."
The Canadian airmen said the Germans did not put up much of a fight despite their numerical advantage.
Other Canadians credited with kills during the day were F/O G. R. Stephen, Montreal; F/O Larry Robillard, Ottawa; F/O W. A. Gilbert, Dartmouth, N.S.; F/O Don Goodwin, Maynooth, Ont. and F/O Tommy Wheler, 10 Beauford Rd., Toronto.
F/O Klersy took a prominent part in athletics at St. Michael's College, playing hockey and rugby. He also rowed for his college, and was goalie for Ostrander's mercantile hockey team. Enlisting in June 1941, he took aircrew training in Toronto, Oshawa and Dunnville and after nearly a year with a fighter squadron at Bagotville, F/O Klersy went overseas in May 1942.
The 21-year-year old airman is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Klersy, 14 Harcroft Rd.
--------------------------------------------------
Air Force Casualties
Ottawa, Oct. 30, 1944 - The Department of National Defense for Air today issued casualty list No. 1027 of the Royal Canadian Air Force, showing next of kin of those named from Ontario as follows: OVERSEAS - Missing After Air Operations -
| PATTERSON, George Rudolph, F/L, Kelowna, B.C. |
--------------------------------------------------
PATTERSON, F/L George Rudolph (J7440) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.416 Sq.
Award effective 3 September 1945 as per London Gazette dated 14 September 1945 and
AFRO 1672/45 dated 2 November 1945.
This officer has completed numerous sorties. He has destroyed four enemy aircraft and nearly 100 enemy transport. As a flight commander he has achieved outstanding results and his daring in attacking ground targets has been an inspiration to other pilots in his squadron. Flight Lieutenant Patterson has at all times shown a high standard of devotion to duty.
--------------------------------------------------
Victories Include :
22 May 1944
28 June 1944
14 July 1944 |
one FW190
one FW190
one Bf109 |
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed |
* |
3 / 0 / 0
* he claimed a 190 but was credited with a 109
--------------------------------------------------
PATTERSON _ George Rudolph "Rud". July 4, 1921 - December 16, 2001. Passed away after a lengthy illness in Nanaimo. Born and raised in Kelowna, George joined the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 19. During World War II, he was a flight lieutenant with the 416 Squadron who piloted, and taught others to fly, the Spitfire. He was injured and taken prisoner of war when shot down in combat September 26, 1944. Honoured for bravery with the Distinguished Flying Cross, George returned to Canada, studied at UBC and graduated with a BASc in May 31, 1949. He began a 33-year career as a professional engineer with Armco Canada, was named president in 1971 and moved to Guelph, Ont. George enjoyed fishing, hunting, boating, golfing and curling. He retired in 1982 to Qualicum Beach. Predeceased by wife Joyce Kathleen, brother Dr. L.A. "Pat" Patterson and sister Ruth Schroeder. Will be remembered lovingly by sisters Marion Sarkissian and Charlotte Hamlin, daughters Sherry Mackin (Robert Sr.) !
and Tina Mark (Doug), grandchildren Robert Jr., Jessica and Jonathan Mackin and Nigel Mark, and many nieces, nephews and their families. Special thanks to Dr. M.C. Petreman, the staff at Nanaimo Seniors Village, We Care and Nanaimo Hospice Society for their kindness and support. Memorial service, at Parksville Funeral Chapel, to be announced. George was a wonderful and kind dad, grandfather, brother and friend. "Never give up.
--------------------------------------------------
|
