In their own words...

[bobbysocks]

The Ghost Ship
The date was November 21, 1944; Lt. Harold R. DeBolt with the 401st Squadron was assigned a B-17G number 43-38545 from the 324th Squadron, Hal's 33rd mission. The plane was so new; it didn't have a "Name" yet. It was only the 3rd mission for this plane. The mission was to go back to Merseberg, Germany and was lead by Major Klette.

The weather was terrible, with solid clouds everywhere as the mission proceeded. Most things had been routine until he turned on the bomb run. The formation tended to slow up in the turn and with bomb bay doors open, DeBolt's aircraft stalled and dropped out of formation. At this instant he was attacked by enemy fighters and also began the run through a very heavy and accurate flak barrage. Due to malfunction with the bomb release mechanism, the bombs would not drop. This caused the aircraft to fall further out of formation. About this time the whole ship took the blast from a flak burst just below the bomb bays, the plane was badly damaged.

The explosion caused the bombs to drop but No. 2 and No. 3 engines also went out. No. 2 was out completely and No. 3 was windmilling and causing undue vibration throughout the aircraft. The crew began jettisoning all surplus equipment in an effort to lighten the Fortress as DeBolt set course for home.The plane was losing altitude and was turned to a heading of 270 degrees west, for friendly lines. The crew stayed with the plane as long as they could and when it was down to 2,000 feet, Hal gave the signal for everyone to "bail-out" and they did, while the Fort continued on its way with the autopilot doing its job. All chutes opened and the men were picked up by British infantrymen soon after landing.

The damaged Fortress continued onward, losing altitude and remaining in a perfect landing attitude. The Fortress mysteriously made a perfect three point landing in a plowed field. It ground looped at the end of the field and sat there with engines still running, undamaged in an open field, near Liege, Belgium. The landing was in a flat strip area, near a British Army encampment. A British Officer ran out to help the crew, but only found neatly stacked flying gear inside and was astonished to find no one on board. He inspected the Fort (as a possible German trap) but found no one. He then turned off the operating engines. The British Officers name was Major John Crisp.

The Stars and Stripes published the story the next day and called DeBolt's B-17 - a Ghost Ship, or Phantom Fort.

[Rambo Rich 360]

That's pretty incredible!

[bobbysocks]

On Christmas Eve 1944, a formation of specially configured HE-111 Heinkel bombers (I/KG53 squadron) flying over the North Sea launched 45 V1 Flying Bombs (Doodlebugs) aimed at Manchester 31 of which reached the target area. Fifteen fell on Manchester, the remainder impacting in surrounding towns and sparsely populated outlying areas BBC Report -- Doodlebug attack on Manchester

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...er/4122627.stm

One hit a row of terrace houses in nearby Oldham killing 37 people, including some evacuees from London, and seriously wounding many others. The blast damaged hundreds of nearby homes.

Six people died when one landed on Chapel Street, Tottington, near Bury.

One V1 that impacted near Oswaldtwistle carried a load of propaganda leaflets. Leaflets from these V1s were also found at Brindle, near Manchester and Huddersfield, Yorkshire. I believe the V1 that flew directly over our house was the one that impacted at Oswaldtwistle.

One of the errant V1s impacted in a farmer's field at Gregson Lane near Bamber Bridge just outside Preston. This crash site has recently been examined and recorded by the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team (V1 Gregson Lane 24.12.1944).

This V1 raid was a rude Christmas Eve shock for all of us in the Manchester area, for local officials had been hinting that the danger from air raids was was pretty much over for us in the North. D-Day had heightened the expectation that the war was winding down, besides, the unexpected V1 raids had been directed against London. Certainly none of us expected an air raid siren alert followed by the sound of Doodlebugs chugging across Lancashire skies during that Christmas of 1944! This V1 raid on Manchester occurred exactly four years after the first major Air Raid on the city -- the horrendous firestorm Blitz of Christmas 1940.

Evidently a large number of V1s were loaded with propaganda leaflets. This subject is covered in meticulous detail by Herbert A. Friedman in his Web page article The German V1 Rocket Leaflet Campaign.

http://www.psywarrior.com/V1RocketLeaf.html

This fascinating article explains how the leaflets were stored and dispersed and includes an impressive number of V1 related photographic images and numerous actual propaganda leaflet reproductions. It is also a treasure trove of V1 Flying Bomb information.

The British government was pretty secretive about V1 impact sites for they did not want the Germans to know the number of those that reached the target area and exactly where they had fallen.

[bobbysocks]

Andrew Charles Mynarski was born in Winnipeg (Manitoba, CANADA) on the 14th of October 1916, the son of Polish immigrants. He had five other siblings, two brothers and three sisters. He was educated at the King Edward and Isaac Newton Elementary Schools and at St. John's Technical School. To help support his family after his father's death in age of 16, he worked for four years as a leather worker in Winnipeg.
He later built furniture and air planes models in a workshop that he built in the basement.
In November 1941 (the Second World War) he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He took his training at Calgary and Edmonton (Alberta) and MacDonald (Manitoba) graduating in 1942 as a mid-upper gunner shortly before his 25th birthday. He went overseas in December 1942.
His first operational posting was with Number 9 Squadron in October 1943. In March 1944, he replaced another mid-upper gunner in 419 (Moose) Squadron and joined the crew with whom his name would be forever linked. On the crew's ninth mission together, (June 5th, 1944... D-Day minus 1) they were assigned a brand new Canadian built Lancaster Mk-X, with number KB-726 VR-A .
On June 11, 1944 Mynarski was promoted to Pilot Officer / Gunner.
On the night of June 12, his crew was to take off on the new Lanc's fourth mission, their target: the rail marshalling yards at Cambrai, France. It would be the 13th mission of the crew. They would be over the target on Friday the thirteenth. While waiting to go, the crew couldn't help but think of these omens related to the number "13". Andrew found a four leaf clover in the grass by the planes. He insisted that his closest buddy in the crew, tail gunner Pat Brophy, should take it. Pat put the leaf into his helmet...
Shortly after crossing the French coast, the Lancaster was briefly coned by enemy searchlights. After some evasive maneuvers, they were in the safety of darkness again. They began descending to the level of their planned attack when a Ju-88 came in from astern. It's cannons blazed from below.
Three explosions tore the aircraft. Both port engines were knocked out and began to flame. The third burst tore into the aircraft between the mid-upper and rear turrets starting a fire. Hydraulic lines to the rear turret were severed and the fluid ignited, turning the rear of the fuselage into an inferno. The captain, Art de Bryne gave the order to bail out...
...Pat Brophy, the tail gunner proceeded to exit his turret and bail out. To get out, Pat had to straighten his turret in line with the fuselage, go through the doors, collect his parachute and jump from the fuselage door on the starboard (right) side. Tail gunners stored their parachutes in the fuselage because there wasn't the room in the confines of the rear turret to wear or store one. Unfortunately that third round had split the hydraulic line feeding his turret, it wouldn't move and flames where sweeping down towards him. The alternate route was to rotate the turret with the inner doors facing to the outside and to bail out backwards. Pat managed to open his doors to the inside of the aircraft, enough to grab his parachute and clip it on. He would then manually rotate the turret with a hand crank as far he could to the side, open the doors and bail out into the night. To his horror, the handle broke off. He was now trapped in a burning aircraft heading for the ground. At that time Mynarski left his post at the mid upper turret and began to make his way to the rear escape door...

The remainder of this encounter is best left up to Pat Brophy himself:
"(...) Then I saw Andy. He had slid down from the mid-upper turret and made his way back to the rear escape hatch, about 15 feet from me, having received the same P signal to bail out from the skipper.
He opened the door and was just about to jump when he glanced around and spotted me through the plexiglass part of my turret. One look told him I was trapped. Instantly, he turned away from the hatch - his doorway to safety - and started towards me. All this time the airplane was lurching drunkenly as Art tried to keep it on an even keel without instruments. Andy had to climb over the Elsan chemical toilet and crawl over the tailplane spar, as there is no room at that part of the fuselage. These cramped conditions forced him to crawl on his hands and knees - straight through the blazing hydraulic oil. By the time he reached my position in the tail, his uniform and parachute were on fire. I shook my head; it was hopeless. 'Don't try!' I shouted, and waved him away.
"Andy didn't seem to notice. Completely ignoring his own condition in the flames, he grabbed a fire axe and tried to smash the turret free. It gave slightly, but not enough. Wild with desperation and pain, he tore at the doors with his bare hands. By now he was a mass of flames below the waist. Seeing him like that, I forgot everything else. Over the roar of the wind and the whine of our two remaining engines, I screamed, 'Go back, Andy! Get out!'
"Finally, with time running out, he realized that he could do nothing to help me. When I waved him away again, he hung his head and nodded, as though he was ashamed to leave - ashamed that sheer heart and courage hadn't been enough. As there was no way to turn around in the confined quarters, Andy had to crawl backwards through the flaming hydraulic fluid fire again, never taking his eyes off me. On his face was a look of mute anguish. "When Andy reached the escape hatch, he stood up. Slowly, as he'd often done before in happier times together, he came to attention. Standing there in his flaming clothes, a grimly magnificent figure, he saluted me! At the same time, just before he jumped, he said something. And even though I couldn't hear, I knew it was 'Good night, Sir'. (...)"

Now as Pat sat there alone with five tones of explosives fifty feet from him, in a Lanc that would hit the ground in seconds, he braced himself for the impact. As the aircraft came down in a steady glide, it hit a thick tree with its port (left) wing and spun round. Two of its twenty bombs exploded almost immediately after the first ground impact, throwing the tail gunner clear. He came to rest about fifty feet from the burning remains, against an another tree alive and with no a scratch.
His watch stopped at 12:13 a.m., Friday, June 13, 1944.
At the time when he picked up his helmet, out of it fell the cloverleaf.
The seven crew members were now all on the ground. Unfortunately, Andrew Mynarski was dead.
He had landed alive with his clothes still on fire. French farmers who had spotted the flaming bomber found him and hustled him off to a doctor but he died shortly of his severe burns.
He was buried in a local cemetery in Méharicourt (France).
Four of the crew members were hidden by the French and returned to England shortly after the crash.
The others were captured by the Germans and were interned until they could be liberated by American troops. It wasn't until 1945 when Pat Brophy was reunited with Art de Breyne and could tell the others what happened to himself and Andy that anyone knew the story.
Art de Breyne started the process by recommending an award for Andy at the end of 1945. The recommendation worked it's way up the command structure of the RCAF and RAF until it was decided upon, a Victoria Cross would be awarded for "valour of the highest order".
The medal was presented to his mother, Mrs. Stanley Mynarski by the Right Honorable J.A. McWilliams, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on 12th December 1946.

[bobbysocks]

THE PREACHER
They called him The Preacher. 2nd Lt. Daniel T. Roberts, Jr. was a former divinity student from the torrid ranching community of Springer, New Mexico. With the onset of World War II Danny set aside his theology studies and joined the Air Corps completing flight training at Randolph Field, Texas. He didn’t smoke, drink or cuss and the nickname stuck.

The 80th Squadron of the 8th Fighter Group went to Darwin Australia and on to Port Moresby, New Guinea to bolster sagging fighter defenses in the area with P-39s and P-400s- the export P-39 version with the 20 mm cannon replacing the 37 mm but the four .50s in nose and wing retained.

The Japanese were on the move in New Guinea. Only the where and when were uncertain. The group flew a few missions without enemy fighter contact. There was activity at Buna Bay and enemy troops finally established a beachhead close to Milne Airdrome. The 80th went on a mission against the Japanese airfield near Buna Mission on August 26, 1942.

Ten war-weary P-400s cranked their rear-mounted Allisons and took off at 0600 led by Captain Greasly. His Airacobra developed electrical problems and he aborted along with three others cutting the odds even before enemy contact. Six planes led now by Lt. William Brown popped up over the Owen Stanley mountains and skimmed down the northern slope.

It was a surprise as the Zeroes were all not yet in the air. Roberts hit the triggers and a Zero just airborne took the brunt of his shells. Danny pulled a tight turn and came at one head on. Both pilots fired but Roberts’ rounds were accurate. The fighter shuddered and dropped into the water just off the beach. He got some rounds into another Zero before exiting the area. Two other Zeros were dispatched by other pilots and the P-400s pushed for home.

In the following days the groups continually attacked troop and supply columns and escorted bombers. The pounding paid off and though the Japanese were but a day’s march from Port Moresby, they were halted. New P-39Ds soon arrived with the blessing of the maintenance crews who’d done wonders keeping the older ships flying so long. No better than the P-400s, the P-39Ds at least were fresh and the group managed to hold off the enemy with them until they were scheduled for R and R in Australia in December 1942.

Upon returning to New Guinea in March and promoted to Captain, Roberts and his fellow flyers received the P-38F Lightnings to play with. On April 11th He led a flight of four and sighted a gaggle of twenty Vals escorted by Zeros intent on attacking Allied shipping in Oro Bay.

The quartet dived and Roberts caught a Val at 17,000 feet squarely with 20mm and .50 caliber. It disintegrated. Looking up he saw three more dive-bombers and pushed the throttles forward entering a steep climb. A long burst nailed one and a wing fluttered off. The result was a crazy, sharp turn and it crashed into the sea. Roberts noticed his wingman blazing away at a Val but three Zeros were lining up on him as he horsed the big plane towards them. The Val exploded and the other P-38 nosed over diving out of the Zeros’ reach. As often happened in combat, when Danny looked around again the sky was empty. But the four Americans tallied eleven shot down- three Vals and eight Zeroes.

When the 475th F.G. was formed in summer 1943 Danny Roberts was squadron commander of the 433rd Squadron. He was responsible for tactics, which he planned and discussed on the ground stressing that the pilots stay together “like a pack of wolves.” His ability continued and he downed a pair of Haps (A6M3 Model 32) on August 21st. An Oscar followed on September 9th.

On October 23rd Roberts led a sweep over Rabaul and was to keep enemies at bay from B-24s scheduled to appear for their big show. His squadron was at 25,000 feet and the two other squadrons at 15,000 were more than holding their own against some Zeros. Then thirty-five more enemy fighters materialized and the squadron now dropped their auxiliary tanks.

Thirty-two Allisons wound up and the sixteen P-38s accelerated down. Roberts lined up behind a Zero and punched out three short bursts. It fell off on a wing as The Preacher immediately slipped behind another. One burst hammered the right wing and the flimsy fighter turned into a ball of fire. Danny racked the P-38 around in a tight turn and came out head on to yet another. One more torrent of shells made the Zero roll and plunge groundward, streaming fire. He registered three quick victories and the whole squadron scored twelve.

By the November 2, 1943 Roberts had thirteen confirmed and a probable when their mission was to escort B-25 to hit airfields at Alexishafen on the northern New Guinea coast.

The P-38s dropped to treetop level to scour the area for enemy planes. Twenty Zeros, Haps, and Oscars challenged and Roberts sent deflection fire at a Hap maneuvering low to the water. The plane promptly exploded.

As they reformed with the bombers Roberts spotted a lone Zero skimming low headed home. Wingman Lt. Dale Meyers saw him and formed up on the right with Roberts as Lt. William Grady did so on the left. Down the trio went. Evidently the enemy saw his doom in the making and snapped a sharp turn to the right. Roberts quickly began a turn to counteract it but Meyers was split second slow and the two Lightnings smashed together and exploded killing both men.

Danny Roberts had the potential of being one of the top Pacific aces. At this time **** Bong only had nineteen and McQuire thirteen kills. Yet another fine ace was felled through accidental means.
__________________

[bobbysocks]

12 May 1940 - In an attack on the Maas bridges, four out of five Battles are shot down. Fg Off Garland and Sgt Gray are later posthumously awarded the first air VCs of the War.

6 Apr 1941 - Six Beaufort torpedo-bombers attack the German cruiser Gneisenau, anchored in Brest harbour. One, piloted by Fg Off Kenneth Campbell, makes a successful attack before being shot down, inflicting serious damage that took six months to repair. For this, Campbell was awarded a posthumous VC. Also on this day, German forces simultaneously invade Yugoslavia and Greece.

4 Jul 1941 - A low-level daylight raid on Bremen, Germany by 15 Blenheims of Nos. 105 and 107 Sqns, results in the award of the Victoria Cross to the formation leader, Wing Commander H I Edwards.


9 Dec 1941 - Japanese aircraft attack Alor Star airfield, Malaya. From the two squadron of Blenheims based there, only one aircraft survives; its pilot, Flt Lt A S K Scarf single-handedly overcame strong enemy defences to attack Singora airfield in the North. After recovering to Alor Star, Flt Lt Scarf died from his wounds, and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross five years later when the full facts of his heroism were established.


30-31 May 1942 - The first 1,000-bomber raid. 1,047 aircraft were des patched to Cologne, of which 868 attacked the main target dropping 1,455 tons of explosives, two-thirds of which were incendiaries. The city suffered severe damage and 469 people were killed. About 250 factories and 18,400 houses were destroyed or damaged. Half of the city's power supply was out of action, and some 12,000 fires started, many of which burned for days. Forty one aircraft were lost, and Fg Off T Manser was posthumously awarded the VC for remaining at the controls of his No. 50 Sqn Manchester to allow his crew to bale out.

17-25 Sep 1944 - Operation Market Garden, the airborne invasion of Holland begins. During the morning of 17 Sep, some 3,887 Allied aircraft, including 1,053 Dakota transports and 500 gliders towed by Stirling and Halifax bombers, were involved in supporting or airdropping 35,000 men behind enemy lines in three areas; Arnhem to the North, Eindhoven some 65 miles further south and Nijmegen in the centre. During the initial phase of the operation not one RAF transport was lost. The attempted capture of bridges over three rivers met with fierce resistance on the ground, and air support from 2nd TAF Typhoons was needed to take out enemy gun positions. Over the following 7 days, aerial resupply by Dakotas, Stirlings and gliders resulted in the loss of 238 aircraft and 139 gliders, but the bridges at Nijmegen and Eindhoven were captured. Of some 10,00 men dropped at Arnhem, more than 7,500 were killed and the remnants evacuated after nine days of bitter conflict. Flight Lieutenant D S Lord of No. 271 Sqn, was posthumously awarded a VC for his conspicuous bravery during the resupply mission on 19 September; the only one awarded to a Transport Command pilot during the Second World War.

[bobbysocks]

rommel killed by the raf??

On July 17, 1944, the 308 "City of Krakow" Polish Fighter Squadron patrolled over the northern France. The Western front seemed quite. The 308 was sent for a routine patrol, just to stay in shape.
Near Livarot, some 45 kilometers southeast of Caen, few motor vehicles were spotted, moving in the east direction. F/O Stanski with his wingman dove down to have a closer look. Flying on a deck, they concluded that two soldiers-full tracks escorting very chic limousine, indicated a traveling German VIP. The pilots strafed the column in few passes and climbing, returned to the squadron's formation.
Upon the return to the base, a British intelligence officer debriefed both pilots. The next day, the same officer sent for F/O Stanski to inform him:
- Claim Rommel!
- Are you sure?
- Yes I'm sure. Last night the Radio Berlin announced Feldmarshall Rommel - the Desert Fox -
killed in northern France, during strafing attack of British aircarft.
- How can you be sure it was our work?
- Yesterday, only the 308 sortied for France, and only you were strafing vehicles.

As it became known later, Feldmarshall Rommel survived the attack, but was seriously wounded.
In his book "Classic Warplanes - Supermarine Spitfire" (Salamander Books Limited - 1991) , Mike Spick wrote: "A significant contribution to the Allies war effort was an attack of Spitfires IXs near Livarot on July 17, 1944, on the car carrying Feldmarshall Rommel, during which, he was seriously wounded what removed him from active command."
(retranslation from polish)
An interesting question is why the Radio Berlin announced false information on Rommel's death. Was the Abwehr's disinformation to blame? Impossible. Three days later in Wolfschantze near Ketrzyn, an unsuccessful attempt on Hitler's life took place. It is known that Rommel sympathized with the members of the putsch. Some time later, during the visit by mysterious guests, Rommel committed suicide. This obscure event has many versions.
On 17 July that year, F/O Waclaw Stanski became twenty-four, and coincidently gave himself a memorable birthday present.
Waclaw Stanski was born on July 17, 1920, in Bezenczuk in Soviet Russia, as a son of force-laborer in Siberia, Jozef Stanski, who was sent there for refusing to join the Czar's Army. His roots were in Podlasie, eastern Poland. After the October's Revolution, Jozef was freed, and to reach Poland he had work for many days to afford one or two hundred kilometers by train. After crossing Ural Mountains, he found a temporary employment near Ufa, at a watermelon plantation. He fell in love with the youngest of the owner's daughters, married her and returned to newly independent Poland. He returned home not only with his wife, but also with his two sons and mother-in-law. Six other daughters of Szevieliev, stayed in USSR with the father. Szevielievs never met theirs mother, sister and wife again.
Upon his return to Poland, Jozef Stanski settled in Siedlce and worked for PKP, Polish national railroad. Waclaw, and his older brother Wiktor, grew up in Siedlce. As a teenager, Waclaw was very keen with sports. He played football (soccer) and competed in athletics. In 1936 he finished parachute course and a year later, glider course in Warsaw Aeroclub. He planned to graduate from the Szkola Lotnicza in Deblin (Military Aviation Academy). He failed one class, what postponed his High Scholl graduation by one year. In 1939 he entered the officer cadets course in Swidnik, where he trained on RWD-8.
During the Polish campaign he evacuated to Romania, then through Bulgaria and Liban he reached fighting? France (see left). During combat flying in England, Waclaw Stanski scored 2 and 1 shared, enemy aircraft destroyed (Focke Wulf FW190). Flying with 131 Polish Fighter Wing (302, 308 and 317 squadrons), Waclaw Stanski logged in record breaking number of dive bombing sorties. It is mentioned in Tadeusz Schiele's memoirs: "Blisko nieba" ("Near the Sky"). Schiele, Stanski's closed friend, was highlander, pilot, writer and mountaineer.
Once asked whether he was ever really scaired, he replied:
- Yes, very much so! When they shot me down over the front lines somewhere in France or Belgium. I forced landed with undercarriage up on a wood clearance at no-man's land, between Wermacht and Canadian divisions. Both sides fought for me like crazy. I lay under my Spitfire frozen with fear. Luckily for me the Canadians were better fighters.

After returning to Poland in 1947, it became apparent that, it was tough to live through war but to live through the "peace" was far more difficult. The "eastern climate" brought the real hardship.

[bobbysocks]

Tom McGuire's Most Exciting Mission...

(McGuire and Bong were in an ace race for the us in the PTO)

During the give and take air battles to and from Rabaul in Oct 43, McGuire (Mac from here on out) flew what he remembered as his most exciting mission...

On Oct 17th, the 431st FS of 475th FG met a Jap formation head on at 23,000 ft... On the first pass, Mac got a Zeke and was promptly jumped from behind by 3 more... Getting separated from his flight, he was left with one course of action - dive away... Going down to 12,000 ft, he felt as if he were on a huge circular stage: Zekes all around but not a single P-38... Nothing to do but fight it out...

Both Mac and the enemy exchanged numerous passes... Spotting a smoking Lightning, he attempted to help, but was bounced by a flock of fighters... He turned into the formation and engaged... One Zeke blew up, then another... With 3 for the day, it was time to leave, but before he could bank away, the instrument panel disappeared under enemy fire, the left engine broke into flames, and a 7.7 mm round hit him squarely in the wrist... Instinctively, he pushed forward on the yoke to get away, going straight down... The then right engine began pouring black smoke and a 20mm round exploded in the cockpit, hitting the yoke...

The rear of the canopy flew off and 5 pieces of shrapnel entered his arm and leg... The -38 was out of control, giving no response to Mac's movements... Only one fear crept into his mind, "Boy, will Nick be sore at me!!!" (He was flying Maj Franklin A Nichols' plane)...
Trying to get out, Mac became wedged halfway - the oxygen mask was firmly attached over his eyes as the wind tore at him.... Kicking like crazy, he finally came sailing out after falling 5,000 feet... Find the rip cord - it was gone, torn off!!! Another 5,000 feet was gone before he found the D-ring wire trailing behind...

At 800 feet, Mac yanked the wire, the chute deployed and he hit the water... Getting away from the chute and harness, he inflated his rubber dinghy, but it was full of bullet holes and sank away... As he was going under, a PT boat picked him up and got him to the hospital...

On November 1st, just 2 freakin weeks later, a group of 20 P-38's flew in to Tacloban air field on Leyte, which badly need more fighters... Suddenly a Japanese Tojo fighter appeared... Mac opened up the P-38 full throttle, hit the gear and flap levers, sounded a warning to other pilots, and swung around to face the Tojo... In full view of the Tacloban airstrip, the P-38 pilot attacked and shot down the intruder with one short burst.... The Tojo crashed in flames just outside the field. Finding no other Jap planes, the P-38 pilot circled and landed....

The man really was a hell of a pilot...

Mac climbed down from his beloved Pudgy V and grinned... He had just shot down his twenty-fifth Japanese aircraft.... "This is my kind of place. You have to shoot down Japs to land on your own field..."

McGuire was the commander of the 431st Fighter Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group... The pilots of the 431st felt that McGuire could do things in a P-38 that were virtually impossible... His skill with the P-38 was so extraordinary, he almost defied reality.... He had tremendous faith in his skills as a pilot and the plane he flew....

[bobbysocks]

"Wing commander Nicky Barr, who has died aged 90, was one of Australia's most successful wartime fighter pilots, credited with destroying at least 12 enemy aircraft.

Shot down three times, on the third occasion he was badly wounded and was taken prisoner by the Italians. He then escaped three times, and remained behind enemy lines for more than a year conducting clandestine operations with the partisans and special forces.

On January 11 1942 Barr was flying a Kittyhawk fighter with No 3 (RAAF) Squadron escorting bombers over El Alamein. When enemy fighters appeared on the scene Barr attacked, shooting one down.

He then observed one of his fellow pilots being forced down by two enemy and he immediately engaged them, dispatching one. Minutes later Barr saw his colleague waving to him from the ground, and, as he was preparing to land in the desert to rescue him, two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters attacked.

Although the undercarriage of his aircraft was not fully retracted, Barr engaged his attackers, only to find that his guns had jammed. He quickly rectified the fault and shot down one of the Bf 109s before two more appeared. When they attacked he was wounded and forced to crash land.

While on the ground Barr was again wounded by enemy fire, but still managed to make his way through enemy lines. He reached Allied territory after walking through the desert for three days, bringing with him valuable intelligence on the dispositions of enemy tanks and defences. He was awarded an immediate DFC for "displaying the greatest courage and tenacity".

Andrew William Barr, always known as Nicky, was born on December 10 1915 at Wellington, New Zealand, but he grew up in Australia. He was educated at Swinburne Technical College, in Victoria, where he excelled as a sportsman. But it was at rugby that he made his greatest mark, playing as hooker for Victoria and Australia.

Barr was selected for the Australian team to tour England. But shortly after their arrival war was declared, and he immediately returned to Australia to train as a pilot. Commissioned as a pilot officer in November 1940, he joined No 23 Squadron, flying Wirraway aircraft patrolling the coasts of Queensland.

After demanding to see some action, he was sent to join No 3 (RAAF), a squadron that developed a reputation as one of the most aggressive and outstanding fighter squadrons of the Desert Air Force.

Initially flying the Tomahawk, Barr achieved his first success on December 12 1941, and this was quickly followed by four more before his encounter with German fighters over El Alamein. His philosophy in combat was simple: "The Tomahawk and Kittyhawk were not considered by us to be top fighter aircraft.

I decided early on that any deficiency either type had could be offset by unbridled aggression. I had done some boxing, and had beaten better opponents by simply going for them, and I decided to use this tactic in the air. It paid off."

After recovering from his wounds, Barr returned to combat and immediately destroyed an Italian fighter near Tobruk. He was made a flight commander, but on May 27 1942 the engine of his Kittyhawk overheated and he had to land in the desert. He took off the covers to repair the engine, having already prepared a rough strip for take off.

Then he heard enemy tanks approaching and, despite the malfunctioning engine, he took off without replacing the engine covers and reached base after being missing for four hours. The next day he was promoted to squadron leader. It was just six months since he had joined as a junior pilot officer.

On May 30 Barr went to the aid of his wingman, who was being attacked by fighters. Flying at only 50 ft, his aircraft was hit by ground fire and he was forced to crash land. On this occasion he returned after spending two days in the desert.

In June he accounted for another Bf 109, his twelfth confirmed victory, in addition to having damaged at least five others. During the fierce fighting around Tobruk on June 16, Barr flew six sorties during the day in support of the retreating ground forces engaged against Rommel's Panzers.

Ten days later he was escorting bombers when he suffered engine trouble, and was then attacked by two Bf 109s. Badly wounded, he baled out of his burning fighter.

After 84 sorties, in which he was No 3 (RAAF) Squadron's top-scoring pilot of the war, Barr became a prisoner of the Italians, and nothing was heard of him for three months - he had been put in hospital in Tobruk before being moved to Italy. Once his survival had been confirmed, it was announced that he had been awarded a Bar to his DFC.

Barr spent five months recovering in a hospital at Bergamo, in northern Italy. As soon as he felt fit enough he escaped, getting as far as the Swiss border, where he was apprehended by a customs official; Barr knocked him unconscious, but was soon captured.

After a court martial, in which a Swiss border guard spoke in his defence, he was given 90 days' solitary confinement in the notorious Garvi jail, near Genoa.

Following the Italian capitulation in September 1943 the Germans started to transport all Allied PoWs to Germany. Barr jumped from a moving train and travelled south to join the Italian partisans. He helped other escaped prisoners to make their way towards the Allied forces, but after two months he was recaptured by the Germans and badly beaten up.

He escaped for a third time, and, with the help of Italian farmers, eventually joined an Allied special operations group collecting intelligence and conducting sabotage operations.

Finally, in March 1944, Barr escorted 10 other prisoners through the German lines and met up with the advancing armies. For his gallantry in organising escape routes and on clandestine operations against the Italian Fascists and Germans, he was awarded the MC.

Barr arrived in England in April 1944, and two days after D-Day he landed on Omaha Beach in charge of an air support control unit. Despite being grounded, he managed to fly Typhoons on a number of rocket-firing operations against German forces in Normandy. In late 1944 he returned to Australia as chief instructor, fighter operations, and then flew fighters in Papua New Guinea and Celebes in support of Australian ground forces.

After leaving the RAAF in 1946 Barr was involved in the development of the Murray Valley Basin in Victoria; he later joined the oil seed industry, becoming chief executive of Meggitt Ltd. He was the Australian representative on, and chairman of, the International Oil Seed Group. In 1983 he was appointed OBE for his services to the industry.

Barr earned a reputation amongst allies and enemy alike for his acts of bravery, his selflessness, dogged determination and his infectious sense of humour. He was an ardent supporter of the RAF Escaping Society, and regularly returned to Italy to meet the Italian farmers and peasants who had aided him.

Nicky Barr died on June 12. He married his wife Dot in 1941; they had two sons."
Sydney Morning Herald, June 2006
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[Robotic Pope]

There is an awesome IL2 1946 movie about Nicky Barr. I'll try and find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THAHc...834&feature=iv