Colin Frank Sorensen

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Increasing Number From Canada Seeing Action on Desert Front

(By Ross Munro, Canadian Press War Correspondent)
With the RAF in North Africa, 25 Feb. 1943 – (CP Cable) – An increasing number of Canadian fighter pilots are in action on the Tunisian front and S/L Jimmy Walker of Edmonton, now commands a Spitfire squadron, the first Canadian-led RAF squadron in North Africa.
Walker has just been awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross. His citation reads: “This officer has destroyed four enemy aircraft and damaged four others since his arrival in North Africa. His untiring efforts and leadership merit the highest praise. His example has been an inspiration to other pilots in his wing and has contributed greatly to the wing's success in the air.”
Flying with Walker at different times during the campaign have been several other Canadians who have been knocking off enemy aircraft.

Toronto Man Promoted
Alan Aikman, of Toronto, has been promoted from the rank of F/O to that of F/L and he now is leading a flight of Spitfires. Aikman flew No. 2 to the famous Irishman, Paddy Finucane, and was with him the day he was shot down off the French coast by anti-aircraft fire. The Torontonian has a score of five enemy planes destroyed in North Africa. Recently he shot down a Focke-Wulf 190 in an air fight over the Mediterranean. The German plane crashed on the shore.
Aikman said Spitfires have been doing a large number of sweeps recently to harry the Germans on the northern sector of the front. "The Jerries don't seem to want to mix it up with us," he said, "Sometimes we get a dozen or 15 in the sky but they sheer off when we get in at them. So life is a little dull at times these days."
Another high-scoring Canadian is P/O Harry (Junior) Fenwick, of Leamington, Ont., who has destroyed five of the enemy and damaged five more, besides having a probable to his credit. He wears the ribbon of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Flying in the same squadron as Fenwick are six other Canadians: Sgt. Louis Hamilin; Sgt. Donald Rathwell and P/O Calvin (Pep) Peppler, all of Winnipeg; F/Sgt. Douglas Husband, of Toronto; F/O Bill Olmsted, of Hamilton, Ont. and Sgt. John Olsen, of Kirkland Lake, Ont.
With another squadron that flies on sweeps with Fenwick and his crowd are P/O Jim Woodill, of Halifax; F/L Glen Lynes, of Montreal, who has just been promoted from the rank of P/O and leading a flight like Aikman; P/O C. F. Sorensen, a Dane from Kingston and P/O Howard McMinniman, of Fredericton.
Flying with still another R.A.F squadron that included a half-dozen Canadians is F/O R. W. Robertson, of Sydney, N.S., who has been through a couple of recent scraps over Tunisia. On a dawn patrol he ran into seven Nazi fighters and engaged them immediately. He took on three at first and headed straight at them. At less than 100 yards, he squirted lead at one and saw it break away and dive for the ground, riddled with bullets. Troops on the ground saw it crash and Robertson got the credit for destroying it.
He was not finished, though. He chased after the rest and damaged two before returning to his base in time for breakfast. Robertson flies a Spitfire with the name Bluenose painted on its nose. He has done almost 150 operational hours as a fighter pilot.
A great friend of a large number of Canadian pilots out here is F/Sgt. Tony Jonsson, the only Icelander in the R.A.F., who was recently awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. His score is three destroyed, one probable and one damaged.

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Sorensen in a De Havilland Moth at 2 EFTS, Ft. William - August 1941

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Harvards at No.11 SFTS, Yorkton - 1941

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Spitfires at 53 OTU, Llandow, Wales - 1942

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Victories Include :

1 / 0 / 0

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