Canadian TAIL-GUNNER: The MAN. His OFFICE!

FOR 3 YEARS. In WW II. In the RCAF.

He beat the odds.

MOST, didn't.

Now a free man…in a free world. A freedom he helped win for generations of Canadians to come after the war.

THEN, aboard Halifaxes and Lancs.

The average lifespan of a rear-gunner, or tail-gunner, was about 10 missions. Being generous here.

I talked to him about the Halifax heavy bomber vs. the Lancaster heavy bomber…you know, which did he like better?

Hands down the Mighty, Mighty Lanc.

Seems it boiled down to the shape of the Lanc's wings which meant the Lanc was highly manoeuvrable in tense situations, compared to the lumbering Hally.

And safer.

Caught in a Nazi spotlight?

No problem.

The captain of his Lanc would dip the Lanc's wings to a 90 degree angle (to the ground) and proceed to drop, slicing downwards through the air…for hundreds of feet…effectively losing the lifetaking spotlight.

And then complete the bombing run.

I was so immeshed in our conversation (which had gathered a small crowd), I forgot to ask our homegrown hero what his name was!

AND, I wasn't the only curious one! As I left, another guy appeared and was rifling questions at this guy like there was no tomorrow.

So…what do we know about him?

Our tail-gunner was assigned to Bomber Command, of the illustrious All-Canadian Group 6: RCAF 428 Squadron, Ghost Squadron. The "Ghost" moniker was earned through its many night bombing ops. And through the death and destruction which the Canadian squadron meted out to the Nazis, and to their incessant efforts at war production. The squadron badge depicted a skull in a shroud…a chilling death head.

Squadron 428 flew in night and tail-gunner was responsible for being on the lookout for any approaching enemy fighter-planes.

RCAF Lancaster bombers flew as solo aircraft, while American bombers flew in formation.

Therefore when the tail-gunner, rear-gunner, or "Tail-end Charlie" as they were interchangeably called, spotted an enemy night-fighter he radioed his captain who would then engage in radical flying maneuvers like a corkscrew roll, etc. to escape. When all else failed…the tail-gunner would cock his machine-guns and open fire on any pursuing enemy aircraft!

This gentle warrior comes out to CWH every year for Remembrance Day. To remember his fallen buddies.

Wouldn't be anywhere else.

What do we know about the 428 of the RCAF?

Hailfaxes of 428 Squadron, flying at 15,000 feet carried out the first highlevel bombing of Brest with mines!

In June 1944, the squadron struck their Handley-Page Halifaxes off charge… and were re-equipped with Canadian-built Mark X Lancasters…which were made in Malton.

After the war 428 was stationed in Yarmouth Nova Scotia, until the 5th of December when the squadron was disbanded.

RCAF 428 Squadron re-formed mid-June 1954 as a night-fighter squadron flying CF-100 Canucks and was scheduled to be the first Canadian squadron to receive, and put into operational status, the never-to-be Arrow.

In 1961, specifically May 31…the squadron was again disbanded, for a final time.

CANADIAN DAMBUSTERS: The Bomber Boys

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. We will remember them."


WHEN YOU'RE READY…to celebrate Canadian heroism.

And those heroes who bought our PRESENT DAY freedom.

Far too many times with their very own blood. In places, far from Canada.

I REMEMBER…and not just in November!

30 Canadians were among the 133 airmen who participated in "Operation Chastise" which was a bombing raid on Germany's Ruhr Valley hydro-electric dams. 617 Squadron was a specially formed elite squadron of lads who used specially modified Lancasters to drop cylindrical 9500 pound bombs at low level.

And at night.

Not since General Doolittle's secret squadron of USAAF's best of the best, matched with modified Mitchell bombers had such precision flying, and bombing, been needed.

This time to bring the industrial heartland of Germany to an unexpected halt.

Yes, on May 16, 1943, in ink pool darkness…skimming the surface of the water at an unbelievable 60 feet with your massive Lanc, all the while maintaining a white-knuckle speed of 230 miles-per-hour, was not for the faint of heart. Now closing, closing, nary 450 yards from the dam…these elite Dambuster aircrews dropped their heavy payload of unforgivable bombs with deadly accuracy.

The Barnes Wallis (the same man who designed the Wellington Bomber) designed bombs were released rotating backwards at 500rpm! As these bombs skipped along the surface of the water, they would vault over any defensive Nazi torpedo nets, and slam into the dam wall.

And here is where the real magic took over.

Since these massive 5 tonne bombs were already spinning backwards, they would roll DOWN the dam wall going underwater…and proceed down, finally exploding at a pre-arranged depth!

Talk about wrecking havoc!

The dam wall now severely weakened, but with the great weight and expanse of water still pushing up against it…well, soon enough, these factors caused the dam to be overwhelmed, and the area to be flooded for 40 miles.

More importantly, Britain was now, on the attack!


Some info about F/Lt. John Fraser, the Canadian mentioned in the video clip can be found here: www.lancastermuseum.ca/fraserhoppy.html

He was the only member of his particular Lancaster crew to survive the bombing raid.

John was captured and sent to Luft Stalag III where he participated in the Great Escape.

Get the Bomber Boys right here from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum:
www.warplane.com/Gift-Shop/DesktopDefault3.aspx?tabid=41&...

Our MIGHTY, MIGHTY, LANC'

… comin' right at cha'.

A PICTURE… I wish I had taken…

Year in, year out… the Canadian Christmas shopping hordes make their rounds at Best Buy, Zellers, Future Shop, HMV, Canadian Tire, MALWART etc., you know, like THESE are the only stores that are out there.

Folks, this year be original. You got a few days left.

Don't get the same old tired-out predictable gifts you always buy your loved ones.

If you already did… take 'em back!

Remember why your ex-wife left you? You know some of those nasty things she said about you were true. Stop keeping' her predictions alive! She lives to mock those sweaters, scarfs, gloves, chocolate, and after-shave you always buy. Every year.

This year its gonna' be different.

Go to your local aviation museum and admit to them… you need help. Laugh about it for sure, but they'll get it.

My local museum is the CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE MUSEUM.

The one in TO is the Canadian Air & Space Museum.

I go to both.

They got great mags, movies, models, shirts, framed art, jackets, calendars etc. Different stuff. Not what every other store is offering.

Again, wish I had taken this picture. But Rick Radell took this, and the other glorious photos inside. This pic alone makes this 2010 calendar worthwhile for me.

And if ye needs a calendar for 2010, you might want to consider this one available at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum for $20 CDN!

Yup, $20 CDN!! Cheap—

SEE: www.warplane.com/Gift-Shop/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=38&a...

:::: Luck Holds Out… for OUR Lancaster… Emergency landing in Hamilton!!

The MUCH AWAITED Heritage Flight was nixed today on Father's Day.

The North American B-25, the Fairey Firefly, the Avro Lancaster and the new-member-to-the-club Westland Lysander were supposed to meet up in the sky, and do a together, heritage flypast over the skies of Hamilton—

Didn't happen.

What did happen is that shortly after takeoff, a hydraulic warning light went off in the cockpit of Victory Aircraft Canadian-made (made in Toronto… dontcha' love how I emphasize where it was made) Lancaster.

The Lanc' pilot executed a cautionary move, left the Lanc's gear down, thereby deciding not to chance raising them… since he might not get them back down for landing and broke ranks from the Heritage fly-past formation.

He immediately swung the gentle giant around, lined her up (see above), and made an emergency landing amidst a sea of fire-trucks!

The other three WW II aircraft followed through with a flypast, the Lysander taking up the rear to launch herself into a solo effort for the public on her first public day out. The Lysander WAS ALSO made in Toronto!

Good news… there was no resultant damage for the Lanc' upon landing. The Lanc' will now get an intensive look over to fix any problems and to ensure she is flight worthy… ASAP!!

(Long distance photo)

RCAF Approved: MAINTAINING Your Lancaster!

FIXING MY BOMBER


WHENEVER I'M working on my Lancaster, as you can see here I'm working on those mighty Merlins…I can't always go by memory.

Ain't what it used to be.

So I get out my Hayne's Owner's Workshop Manual for my Mighty Lanc before I do ANYTHING!

This is a damn expensive airplane, folks! And I can't take it to Canadian Tire!! Even though it was made here, locally, in Toronto.

So here goes.

Chocks in place.

Righty, tighty…lefty, loosey.

It doesn't get any better than this…working on my Lanc…Supertramp playing in the background, but hey…I almost forgot.

There is ALSO a Hayne's Owner's Workshop Manual for the Supermarine Spitfire and even the British Leyland one! Thanks ...Anna... for the tip.

WHY THERE ISN'T a Hayne's Owner's Guide for the Boeing B-17 or the North American P-51, only Ken knows. There isn't even one for the famous Taylorcraft 75.

There will be one for the Avro Arrow.

I assembled a little graphic here for the viewership, complete with page views from the books.

I. Ain't. Making. This. Stuff. Up.



© Hayne's Owner's Workshop Manuals
© SPIR
© Paul Cardin

::: A New War Is Coming ::...

You guys know what I am talking about.

When groups here in Canada want to prevent our singing of the national anthem publicly…as far as I am concerned war has been declared.

So CANADIAN FREEDOM will have to be fought for all over again, but not over there in Europe, or the Far East, or Africa, but right here on our own soil.

In Canada.

So,

"Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong!'"

FREEDOM must always be earned…by each generation…it seems that IS the will of God.

And if your don't care about freedom…your freedom will be taken away. Inch by inch…or by blitzkrieg. That's the rule.

THOSE HEROES flying our Canadian bombers knew it. Do you?

…:: BECAUSE::::

…THESE GUYS once flew overhead, and OTHERS have since…we can still fly "that guy" (our glorious Canadian flag).

WE WILL Rebuild You…

…we have the technology.

The MIGHTY LANC is being rebuilt at TAM.

THIS LANC was used by the RCAF to give OPERATIONAL ASSISTANCE to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

••• RCAF Remembered …

"THREE THOUSAND MILES across a hunted ocean they came, wearing on the shoulder of their tunics the treasured name, "CANADA," telling the world their origin.

Young men and women they were, some still in their teens, fashioned by their Maker to love, not to kill, but proud and earnest in their mission to stand, and if it had to be, to die, for their country and for freedom.

One day, when the history of the twentieth century is finally written, it will be recorded that when human society stood at the crossroads and civilization itself was under siege, the Royal Canadian Air Force was there to fill the breach and help give humanity the victory.

And all those who had a part in it will have left to posterity a legacy of honour, of courage, and of valour that time can never despoil."


Father J.P. Lardie, Chaplain of 419/428 Squadron
(Engraved on the last panel are these words from his speech at the dedication of the RCAF Memorial at Middleton St. George, Great Britain 15/6/85.)