VALOUR OF THEHIGHEST ORDERThe Andrew Mynarski Story

DAKOTA FZ692D-Day Veteran & More!

MAY/JUNE 2019

CANADIAN WARPL ANE HERITAGE MUSEUM

Ages 13+Experience Runs Until August 31, 2019

New Virtual Reality Experience

1943 BERLIN BLITZNew Virtual Reality Experience

Vice President –OperationsSandra Price

Vice President – FinanceErnie Doyle

Chief EngineerJim Van Dyk

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Food & Beverage ManagerMatt Bronowicki

External Client Services ManagerCathy Dowd

CuratorErin Napier

Flight CoordinatorLaura Hassard-Moran

Retail ManagerShawn Perras

Volunteer Services Administrator

Toni McFarlane

Safety CoordinatorBill Craig

ControllerBrenda Shelley

Education Services ManagerHoward McLean

Donor Services ManagerSally Melnyk

Building Maintenance Manager

Jason Pascoe

President & Chief Executive OfficerDavid G. Rohrer

David IppolitoJohn O’DwyerDrew Hamblin

Barbara Maisonneuve

Board of DirectorsDavid G. Rohrer, Chair

Robert FennPatrick FarrellArt McCabe

David Williams

Christopher Freeman, Ex OfficioSandy Thomson, Ex Officio

Bruce MacRitchie, Ex OfficioNestor Yakimik, Ex Officio

Cover: Dakota FZ692.DEREK MICKELOFF

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Volunteer Editor: Bill CummingProduction Manager: Al MickeloffStaff Editor: Emily Millar

Flightlines is the official publication of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. It is a benefit of membership and is published six times per year (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec).

Readers are encouraged to submit articles and photos. All contributions published with the author’s name is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions and policies of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Responsibility for accuracy rests solely with the author. ©2019 Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. All rights reserved.

VALOUR OF THEHIGHEST ORDERThe Andrew Mynarski Story

DAKOTA FZ692D-Day Veteran & More!

MAY/JUNE 2019

CANADIAN WARPL ANE HERITAGE MUSEUM

Printed in Canada by

Welcome – 75th AnniversariesThe memory lives on! 6 June 2019 marks the start of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy and with it, a momentous occasion to celebrate peace, liberty and reconciliation. On 1 June 2019, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is presenting the D-Day 75th Anniversary Gala. The centrepiece for this event will be our Dakota FZ692/C-GRSB, which has been refinished during this past winter into 437 Squadron markings that it wore during the latter days of World War II. This aircraft is a true D-Day veteran; participating in the Allied aerial campaign attached to 233 Squadron RAF, dropping troops behind enemy lines the morning of 6 June 1944. In this issue, we look at the Dakota’s career after it returned to Canada following the war. Serving with distinction primarily in a search and rescue role with the RCAF, it was retired from military service in 1973. The Museum is planning a Dedication Ceremony of Dakota FZ692/C-GRSB on 6 July 2019 during Air Force Day, at which time we will also celebrate the 75th Anniversary of 437 “Husky” Squadron RCAF.

Elsewhere in this issue, we look at an event on the evening of 12 June 1944. This year is the 75th Anniversary of the events leading up to the awarding of the Victoria Cross to Andrew Mynarski. This story in Flightlines is the first-hand account as told by F/O Pat Brophy himself, Andrew Mynarski’s friend. Mynarski attempted to release Brophy from the jammed rear turret of their burning Lancaster but was not able to extract Brophy. Brophy survived the crash of the Lancaster to tell this story, but Mynarski would die as a result of wounds sustained in the fire. The story was first published in Reader’s Digest in 1965 and is presented here, with permission, in its entirety. This year, CWH’s Lancaster will commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the events leading up to Andrew Mynarski’s Victoria Cross.

From May until the end of the summer, the Museum once again will enter into a very busy period. The support of the membership is required to ensure the success of all planned activities and events. Please become involved with the happenings around the Museum and plan to attend many of the events. And of course, we welcome your suggestions and comments about each issue of Flightlines.

Bill Cumming, Volunteer Editormuseum@warplane.com

NewsNote from SandraI am so honoured and extremely proud to say that I have been part of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum for about a year now… and what a year it has been! I couldn’t have asked for anything better at this point in my career than to work for such an awesome organization and with such wonderful people. My thought when I first applied and was offered this role was, “What the heck do I know about planes?”, but I quickly learned that there is so much more to our Museum.

I have great appreciation for our absolutely amazing volunteers that are happy to share their stories and experiences, often bringing tears to my eyes while listening to the many sacrifices that they or their loved ones have made. There is the wonderful sound of happy children in classes throughout the hangar who are so excited to listen and learn. There are our extremely talented engineers that respect and treat the aircraft like the true historical gems that they are.

Kudos to my dedicated co-workers who constantly amaze me in how they keep our Museum running at full capacity every day. I have learned so much from each of them and will continue to challenge myself every day to learn more. I am truly honoured to be a part of Team CWHM, giving special thanks to Dave and Pam for picking me!

With that I will end with my commitment to each of you - “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!”

Thank you,Sandra PriceVice President – OperationsCanadian Warplane Heritage Museum

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Additional presentations included:

A. Chris Freeman (L) and Dave Rohrer (R) presented the Douglas MacRitchie Memorial Award to Paul Gilbert -“Presented for outstanding skill and contribution to maintaining and preserving aviation heritage through restoration, maintenance and care.”

B. Dave Rohrer (R) presented theAllan Shelley Award to Colin Lindsay -“Presented to an outstanding Tour Guide/Duty Day volunteer who has represented the museum and its mission through their exemplary service, professionalism and commitment.”

C. Chris Freeman (L) and Dave Rohrer (R) present the Peter Gutowski Memorial Award to Sten Palbom - “Presented to an outstanding volunteer pilot who through exemplary skill, talent, service, commitment and camaraderie, professionally demonstrated the ability and performance required to safely showcase the vintage aircraft.”

D. Chris Freeman (L) and Dave Rohrer (R) present the Albert (Al) Rowcliffe Memorial Award to Toni McFarlane -“Presented to the employee of the year in recognition of outstanding performance, superior dedication and a can-do attitude on the job throughout the past year.”

Congrats to the AGM Award WinnersChris Freeman (M) and Dave Rohrer (R) presented the Alan Ness Memorial Award to Larry Vernon -“Presented in recognition of an individual/group for service above and beyond what can normally be expected of a volunteer member.”

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DAVID HILLS

News

D-Day 75th Anniversary GALAD-Day 75th Anniversary - on 6 June, 1944, Allied troops consisting of Canadian, British, and American forces made history as soldiers landed on five beaches along 80 kilometres of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy Region. Of the nearly 150,000 Allied troops, 14,000 were Canadians. On D-Day, Canadians suffered 1,074 casualties including 359 who were killed. “This was the first time anything like this had ever been contemplated. It was monumental in terms of the scope and size of the operation,” said Dave Rohrer, President and CEO of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. “We want to remember the service and duty and the sacrifice that’s part of our history. Nobody wants to glorify war — but there are times in history when it was the last resort and you were drawn into it. We want to make sure we don’t let this go by quietly.”

The centrepiece of the D-Day commemorations is the black tie Gala dinner on June 1 at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The Gala features the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra - the most popular and sought after big band in the world today for both concert and swing dance engagements. With its unique jazz sound, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is considered to be one of the greatest bands of all time. The present Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and has been touring consistently since, playing an average of 300 live dates a year all around the world.

Each Gala ticket holder will receive a pair of tickets to the June 6th Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Toronto Argonauts football game courtesy of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats plus a chance to win a cruise for two courtesy of Celebrity Cruises.

The backdrop for the Gala will be newly refurbished Dakota FZ692. Each table will be entered to win a flight for 10 in that aircraft as part of the admission to the evening. AL MICKELOFF

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HARVARDUPDATEPainting continues on Harvard #213. Now that the wings and various panels have been completed, next up is the fuselage. The markings that will then be applied will be what #213 wore while at Primary Flying Training School at RCAF Station Centralia, circa 1960.

Tracker Tidbitsby Bob Freeman

Work on the Tracker has continued including the cleaning and refurbishing of many small items. The CWH staff were able to purchase the long-sought jig required to drill and ream the new wing-lock fittings, but unfortunately, the first jig did not quite measure up to requirements and simple aluminum blanks are now being made to carry out trials to solve this issue.

Work continues to pressurize the main hydraulic systems and fix any leaks uncovered. A major leak was found in one of the brakes. A replacement booster, an ex-US Navy repair depot part complete with repair certificates, was located and fitted. Another leak found in a large valve in the hydraulics bay on top of the fuselage was repaired, enabling work to continue with hydraulics system checks. The next milestone is to “swing” the landing gear in the near future, using ground hydraulic power units and pumps.

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This June, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum will be presenting numerous events commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Operation Overlord, more commonly known as D-Day. Considered as the beginning of the end of the Second World War, the operation was a success. By dawn on June 6th, thousands of Canadian, British and American paratroops and glider troops, mainly transported by C-47 Dakota aircraft, had landed behind enemy lines to secure bridges and exit roads in advance of the main invasion. The Museum’s commemorations will focus around its recently restored Dakota Mk. III FZ692, C-GRSB.

Dakota FZ692 is a true D-Day veteran, serving with 233 Squadron Royal Air Force. It was one of 30 aircraft from 233 Squadron that flew the mission that night. For the mission, it was piloted by Canadian Warrant Officer J. S. R. McRae of Agassiz, BC. In September 1944, FZ692 was assigned to 437 Squadron RCAF. Flying a number of missions into and around Europe for the rest of World War II as well as participating in Operation Varsity, the major airborne operation of the crossing of the Rhine River, FZ692 operated in Europe until May 1946, when the squadron and FZ692 returned to Canada. For a more detailed and in-depth account of FZ692’s wartime story, refer to Keith Clifford’s excellent article Researching our Dakota FZ692 During World War Two as published in Flightlines, August 2016. We now look at the life of FZ692 after it returned to Canada.

Dakota FZ692 was officially taken on strength with the RCAF on 26 August 1946. Along with the Dakotas that were assigned to the Home War Establishment squadrons and including the Dakotas returned to Canada at the end of World War II, some 168 Dakotas in three versions served with the RCAF.

THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN, BRITISH AND AMERICAN PARATROOPS AND GLIDER TROOPS, MAINLY TRANSPORTED BY C-47 DAKOTA AIRCRAFT, HAD LANDED BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Researching our Dakota:

Her Life after World War Twoby Bill Cumming

Dakota FZ692 now restored to her former 437 RCAF Squadron markings. DEREK MICKELOFF

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As best as can be determined, FZ692 first served with Tactical Air Command following its return to Canada, one of the four Dakota aircraft based at RCAF Station Rivers, Manitoba. Located 220 kilometres west of Winnipeg, Rivers opened in November 1940 as one of the RCAF training schools of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), originally as home to No. 1 Air Navigation School (later No. 1 Central Navigation School). As the war progressed, Rivers also became home to Army pilots and parachutists. RCAF Station Rivers remained open after the war, becoming part of the post-war RCAF. Several new units began operations at Rivers, including the Parachute School that merged with the Joint Air School (JAS) on 15 August 1947. The military command now entrusted the Joint Air School with the retention of skills required for airborne operations. More importantly, the JAS, later renamed the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre (CJATC), provided the seed from which airborne organizations could grow. The Dakotas carried out supply and live-para drops, as well as towing Waco gliders, full of troops and equipment. As noted by a RCAF veteran “the most spectacular exercise carried out by the Dakota unit was the ‘snatch’ of the stationary Waco glider by the airborne Dakota taking them from zero to full flying speed in only a few hundred yards.”

In 1950, Dakota FZ692 took on a search and rescue role with the air force, assigned to North West Air Command’s (NWAC) “K” Flight. In May 1951 on a rescue effort with a twist, NWAC “K” Flight was tasked to search for a Bellanca Skyrocket, missing between Bathurst Inlet and Yellowknife, NWT. Dakota FZ692 departed northward on May 23, followed by Dakota KN258 on the 24th. The Bellanca had only the pilot aboard—wartime veteran Johnny Bourassa of Peace River, Alberta. Johnny was a war hero, honoured for his conduct as a WWII fighter pilot carrying out operations against some of the most heavily defended cities in Germany, including Berlin. Crews returned empty-handed in the first week of June, but on September 3 an aircraft was spotted on Wholdia Lake, located about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. It was the Bellanca, but minus Bourassa. He had left a note saying that he was walking out. The same Dakotas searched again, but fruitlessly; a ground party also came up blank. The boreal forest had swallowed Bourassa.

We next find FZ692 based with No. 121 Communications Unit at Sea Island (Vancouver) BC. No. 121 Composite Flight was formed at RCAF Station Vancouver, BC on 1 April 1947 to provide transport services to No. 12 Group Headquarters. The Flight had been formed when the Western Air Command Composite Flight was disbanded on 31 March 1947 and split into two separate units, No. 123 Search and Rescue Flight and No. 121 Composite (K) Flight. On 1 April 1949, No. 121 (K) Flight was re-designated as No. 121 Communications Flight. No. 121 (K) Unit later became No. 121 Composite (KU) Flight and

Dakota FZ692 when attached to 121 KU, with squadron markingQT-692. Obviously on a winter fishing expedition – good catch. Notice the ski on the tail wheel. Date and personnel unknown. CWH

A poor quality but interesting photo, showing a Dakota about to “snatch” a Waco glider. Taken at Rivers, Manitoba, February 1948. Could this be FZ692? PUBLIC ARCHIVES

Dakota C-GRSB in the Environmental Canada paint scheme on its ferry flight to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in May 2014. KOOL SHOTS

moved to RCAF Station Comox, B.C. as of 1 July 1964. The unit was also known as No. 121 (Search & Rescue) Flight, and on 8 July 1968 was redesignated as No. 442 Squadron. Although we are not aware of the actual dates, FZ692 served with No. 121 KU. The Dakota was in overall natural metal scheme with a white fuselage top, orange and blue rescue markings and carrying squadron marking QT-692. During its time with 121 KU, FZ692 was converted to a Dakota Mk. 3CSR version.

By the mid-1960s, FZ692 was taken on strength with 102 Composite Unit (102 KU), based in Trenton, Ontario. The Dakotas attached to 102 KU were assigned to Search and Rescue (SAR) as their primary role, and had a secondary role in domestic transport. The 102 KU’s SAR area extended from Thunder Bay in the west to Quebec City in the east and from Coral Harbour in the north to Niagara Falls in the south. On 8 July 1968, 102 KU became 424 Communications and Rescue Squadron. In typical military fashion, another name change occurred on 18 September 1968, when it became 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron (424 T&R Sqdn), a name it continues to hold to this day.

After the RCAF was merged into the Canadian Armed Forces in February 1968, the in-service aircraft (ex Air Force, Army, and Navy) carried a mix of their previous serial number styles. To help sort out this mess, the existing aircraft were given new, “unified” serial numbers over the next few years. In June 1970, FZ692 was renumbered as CAF 12945.

The Dakotas continued to serve with 424 Squadron until their retirement from squadron service in September 1971. Declared surplus on 22 February 1973, Dakota FZ692/12945 was struck-off-strength with the Canadian Forces on 18 March 1973.

In June 1973, Gilley Airways Corporation purchased FZ692 from the Canadian government and operated it briefly as N91GA flying cargo. The relationship with Gilley Airways was short-lived. By 11 March 1975, FZ692 was back in Canada registered with the Canadian Department of Energy, Mines and Resources in Ottawa as C-GRSB. Between the late 1970s and into the early 1990s, Innotech Aviation in Toronto completed numerous modifications to the Dakota, mainly for test equipment in the cabin. The nose cone was also modified during this period. The government agency operated C-GRSB on environmental and energy surveys and in the development of survey equipment.

On 22 May 2014, Andy Dobson and Bill Craig delivered C-GRSB to Hamilton, the Dakota having been donated by the government to the CWH Museum. “The airplane had been based in Ottawa,” explained museum CEO Dave Rohrer. “We were aware of the airplane and we were hoping it would be possible to acquire it. But it had to be vetted through government services first. One of the things in our favour is we had committed to repatriate her to the 1944 livery and keep the aircraft flying.” The acquisition was especially exciting for the CWHM because the Dakota

Dakota FZ692 still wearing RCAF markings, possibly at Toronto Island Airport, 31 August 1968 during an appearance at the Canadian International Air Show. At this time, it would have been on strength with 102 KU. GEORGE TRUSSELL

Dakota FZ692 with the Canadian Armed Forces at Trenton on June 27, 1970. Although now wearing Canadian Armed Forces markings, it is still wearing its FZ692 serial number.

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Dakota C-GRSB in an early paint scheme showing Canada Sensor for Remote Sensing titles on the fuselage. At this stage of its career, it still retains the original nose cone. BARRIE MCLEOD

Dakota FZ692/C-GRSB at Innotech Aviation ramp, Toronto International Airport, September 1978. Still in basic CAF colours and markings. Probably at Innotech for modifications. BILL CUMMING

MIKE ODY VIA GEORGE TRUSSELL

is the only real combat veteran in the museum’s fleet. Over the past year, a lot of maintenance work has been undertaken on the Dakota, including overhaul of the aircraft’s engines in preparation for the 2019 flying season. As well this past winter, with the assistance of KF Aerospace, a fresh coat of paint was applied to FZ692, restoring the Dakota into her former World War II 437 Squadron colours. The markings that FZ692 wore toward the end of World War II have been researched and added to the airplane.

Dakota FZ692 will be formally dedicated on 6 July, which is Air Force Day at the museum. A month before that, it will take to the skies to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day; and later in the summer, it will appear in the Community Charity Airshow at Brantford. The museum also plans to include rides in FZ692 as part of the museum’s ride program. This D-Day bird is flying again as a tribute to that famous day in June 1944 and to all Canadian and allied airmen that participated during those difficult times!

ONE OF THE THINGS IN OUR FAVOUR IS WE HAD COMMITTED TO REPATRIATE HER TO THE 1944 LIVERY

AND KEEP THE AIRCRAFT FLYING.

Missions Accomplished by Brian Jones

As Dakota FZ692 takes up permanent residence at the CWH Museum, it is extraordinary to think that this piece of history is as old as the average human life span is long. It came as an incredible surprise to me to learn that this aircraft was connected to my father and his wartime service. I know this to be factual because I have my father’s war records in my possession and there are many references to FZ692 in these journals. Some of the following remarks and observations are extracted from his personal diary and not from his logbook.

My father, Gordon Jones, who retired as an Air Canada Captain after some 37 years of service, received his initial flying training with the RCAF during WWII. After earning his wings, his posting was to 437 Squadron, which was formed at Blakehill Farm aerodrome in 1944. He was one of the initial pilots posted to this new squadron and he flew the Dakota for the duration of hostilities. I have in my

possession his logbook, as well as his personal diary, in which he made a daily entry from the time he was recruited until his return to civilian life. He did this apparently to fulfill a pledge to my mother. The events depicted in both his log and diaries have allowed me over time to see my father in a different light. In the sunset years of his life, he and I attended a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the formation of 437 Squadron at CFB Trenton and the marking of the 70th anniversary of Operation Market Garden in Arnhem, Holland, in which 437 participated. The Dutch people, through an organization set up for this purpose, honoured the participants in this battle, including 437 Squadron members although very few, if any, of the actual combatants would be alive today.

Combing through his log and diary, I can see that he flew the Dakota on numerous occasions. The principal combatant operations in which he participated with 437 were Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity. The aircraft he commanded on those occasions were KG422 and FZ694 respectively, sister ships of FZ692. FZ694 sustained flak damage during the parachute drop and my father reported seeing gliders shot down during their attempts to manoeuvre and land in the drop zone. As the frontline pushed further to the east after the invasion of Normandy, the Allied armies had to be re-supplied with food, fuel, medical supplies and ammunition.

FZ692 participated wholeheartedly in these operations. A recurring theme in my father’s diary was the disappointment he and his fellow airmen experienced when mail from home was late in catching up to them or not at all. The General Staff knew that this was an important facet of maintaining morale so there are numerous references to the aircraft and 437 Squadron in general being tasked to fly mail to the front lines. On numerous occasions, FZ692 evacuated troops who had been wounded in operations to hospitals further to the west. Along the same line there are two references to 5,000 pounds of blood being flown toward the front, such blood presumably donated by Britons back home.

During glider tugs in the Dakota, my father reported having to operate the engines at maximum take-off power (with the cylinder-head temperatures in the red) for prolonged periods of time after take-off, and still taking 15 minutes to climb to 1,000 feet above ground. On more mundane trips, freight consisted of blankets, rations, medical supplies, ammunition and captured German material. If being dropped, these supplies would be loaded into panniers or baskets. Because of the large double-door area on the Dakota, Jeeps would also sometimes be transported. As the Germans were pushed back farther to the east, POWs were often transported by air to camps in western Europe. FZ692 performed this task on numerous occasions. After the cessation of hostilities, some of the aircraft’s new duties included flying high-ranking military personnel and VIPs.

Although this venerable aircraft has played many parts in its lifetime, it is only fitting that she end her service life painted in the colours of 437 Squadron, her most honourable role of all. I, along with other family members, am looking forward to riding in “Dad’s” airplane when it is re-certified once more for flight and performing yeoman service in its latest incarnation.

FZ692 EVACUATED TROOPS WHO HAD BEEN WOUNDED IN OPERATIONS TO HOSPITALS

P/O Gorden Jones somewhere in Belgium, September 1944. JONES FAMILY COLLECTION

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The story of Andy Mynarski’s heroic but futile attempt to release fellow crewman, F/O George ‘Pat’ Brophy, from the jammed rear turret of their burning Lancaster has been told and retold. Most accounts turn out to be no more than re-telling of the original Victoria Cross citation as published in the London Gazette of 11 October 1946. Pat Brophy, himself, as the only surviving witness is obviously the best man to tell the story. Fortunately, he has done so in an article prepared for Readers’ Digest with the assistance of writer and Editor David MacDonald. As F/O Brophy points out in the article, Andy Mynarski’s VC was one of only a very few awarded on the testimony of just a single witness. With the permission of Readers’ Digest, we are pleased to present that article in its entirety.

Little has ever been said about Andy Mynarski’s background, his family or his prior career in the Air Force. To find this material, it was necessary to refer to a number of sources, including the many stories which appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, his hometown newspaper, on the occasion of the presentation of the award to his mother by A/V/M K.M. Guthrie on behalf of then Minister of National Defense, Colin Gibson. All of these items reflected the pride which Winnipeg took in its gallant son.

Andrew Charles Mynarski was born in the Manitoba capitol on 14 October 1916, the second son of a family which would eventually include six children. He had one older brother, Chester, who preceded him in to the service (the Army), a younger brother, Robert, and three younger sisters Stephanie, Carolyn and Wanda. His parents had immigrated to Canada in 1911 from their native Poland and settled in Winnipeg. They occupied a small bungalow, single story with Victorian decoration and one attic bedroom, at 846 Manitoba Street in the ‘North End’, a community of largely Polish and Ukrainian families. The house was

“Valour of the highest order...”

ANDREW CHARLES MYNARSKI VCPilot Officer, Royal Canadian Air Force

by George Patrick Brophy and David MacDonald

Pilot Officer Andrew C. Mynarski. DND ARCHIVES

brightly painted and sat in the middle of a large yard surrounded by gardens, shrubs and a picket fence. With seven in the family and such a small house, sharing and co-operation must have been very necessary. It was variously described by Free Press writers as ‘happy’, ‘quiet’ and ‘contented’ and was probably a typical North End household.

Andy began attending Prince Edward School when he was six years old and is remembered for his aptitude for crafts. He later went to Sir Isaac Newton School where he enjoyed sports and liked to participate but was “not sufficiently athletically inclined” to make any of the school teams. Later, for his Service record, he referred to his hobbies as “baseball, football, swimming and hockey”. His father died in 1932 of tuberculosis and his mother, described as a “quiet, strong woman – ambitious for her family” worked hard to support and educate them, with the older children assisting when they could. For a year, in 1934, Andy attended St. John’s Technical High School and then obtained a job with a Donald Street furrier, Mr. C. Dorfman, as a chamois cutter, and became another source of family income. He proved to be good at his job and appears to have been one of those happy people who are instinctive craftsmen, who derive satisfaction and pleasure working with their hands. His employer endorsed Andy as best cutter and stated that he would have trained him in the business had he survived the war.

Andy Mynarski’s enthusiasm for creating things showed itself in other ways. He enjoyed building model aircraft and painting pictures and, during his last years at school, he set up a simple woodworking shop in the basement of the family home. Until he joined the RCAF, he spent most of his free time there turning out wooden furniture – tables and plant stands which his family proudly showed to reporters who commented on the design, the workmanship and the beautiful finish. Even in the Air Force, Andy used scraps of plexiglass to fashion small trinkets, crosses and lockets which he sent home to his sisters.

Just what was Andy Mynarski like? His fiancée, Victoria Safian, remembered that he was “quiet until he got to know a person, then he was a lot of fun.” “Willing” and “eager” are descriptive terms which appear frequently in his Service records. In the words of his family, he was “a man who formed many friendships” and the group of boyhood chums which he left in Winnipeg were soon replaced by his fellow crew members. “You could always depend on Andy to come through with a joke when the going got rough and, more than once, he made us laugh, relieving the tension,” said Wireless Operator Jim Kelly. “He was a quiet chap and he and our tail gunner, Pat Brophy, made a perfect team

as well as becoming close chums.” In view of the fact that the mid-upper gunner’s station is very close to that of the tail-gunner and both are relatively isolated from the other crew members all grouped in the nose, this mutual regard is understandable. Pat Brophy was quoted, “Andy was a popular fellow with everyone on the Squadron. We were awfully close pals and he must have thought of me as soon as things got bad – just as I would have thought of him.” Pat Brophy’s name came up often in the letters which Andy Mynarski wrote home.

His first experience in the Military was with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (Non-Permanent Active Militia) to which he belonged for a brief period in 1940. On 29 September 1941, a couple of weeks before his 25th birthday, he joined the RCAF at the Winnipeg recruiting centre and a week later was sent to the No. 3 Manning Depot, Edmonton. At the end of March he went to No. 2 Wireless School, Calgary where he experienced difficulty mastering the sending and receiving of Morse code. For this reason he decided to become a straight Air Gunner and, on 12 September 1942, transferred to No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School at MacDonald, Manitoba. A week later, he was promoted from LAC to Temporary Sergeant and, just before Christmas, he earned his Air Gunner “A.G.”. On New Year’s Day he found himself at Embarkation Depot, Halifax, and by the middle of January he had disembarked in England and was waiting posting at No. 3 Personnel Reception Depot. In March, he was sent to 16 Operational Training Unit where he trained on Wellingtons and from there to 1661 Conversion Unit at Wambleton where he was introduced to the Halifax and, on 18 June, became a Flight Sergeant.

Andy’s first assignment to an operational unit was with 9 Squadron RAF (flying Lancasters) where he arrived on 31 October 1943. A month later, he was back at another conversion unit, 1668, still on Lancs. His next posting was to ‘R’ (Replacement) Depot in mid-January and to 61 Air Base after two weeks. Later in March, he found himself at his third heavy-conversion unit, this time 1664 at Dishforth in Yorkshire. Here he met the crew from 419 Squadron with which his name would be forever linked. He replaced their mid-upper gunner, Ken Branston, whose jaw was accidentally broken during a bout of horse play. The men who were to become probably the most famous Canadian Lancaster crew made their first flight together on 26 March 1944, in a Halifax. They returned to their base at Middleton St. George in Durham where they flew their first operational mission, again – but for the last time – in a Halifax (Mk. II, HR925). They were then given one of the new Canadian-built Lancaster Xs which the Squadron had just received and, after a training flight or

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two, made their first operational trip in the new type (KB718) bombing St. Ghislaine on 1 May. For their ninth mission they were assigned another new Lanc, KB726, and sent on a softening-up raid against the enemy’s defenses in Normandy. It was D-Day minus one – 5 June 1944.

On the day of his final mission, Andy Mynarski was still a W02. His promotion was approved, posthumously, as it turned out, on 4 September and back dated to 11 June. At this time his death would not have been confirmed and the possibility of him being a POW would have existed. As an officer, his treatment as a prisoner would have been better than that on a ‘non-com’.

Art de Breyne, pilot of the Lancaster comments on the brief life span of their new aircraft. “From the data I have on KB726, the aircraft only had 46 hours of flying time which seems very little, since I flew the last 21 hours of its life in four raids and a cross-country exercise. That leaves only 25 hours to flight test it, fly the Atlantic and deliver it to our base. And I suspect that it was flown three or four days before it was turned over to me. I made my first trip in it on D-Day (June 5 - June 6), when we bombed coastal guns – one hour before the first landings.

Here, in the words of Pat Brophy (as told to David MacDonald) is an account of their last mission and of the act of heroism which won the Victoria Cross for Andrew Mynarski:

“…According to official records of the RCAF, I owe my life to “a miraculous escape.” But was it only an amazing twist of fate that saved me from certain death? Or was there some-thing more – another man’s incredible courage – that helped me live to tell the tale? Even now, years later, I still wonder.

That night of 12 June, at 419 Squadron’s base in England, our seven-man crew – six Canadians and one Englishman – was sitting on the grass by our Lancaster bomber, waiting to take off for France. For us, it was a night of mixed omens. A few hours earlier we’d been briefed for a raid on railway yards at Cambrai – our crew’s 13th mission. Moreover, we were due on target shortly after midnight, 13 June. Then, as if to compensate, a turret gunner named Andy Mynarski, my closest buddy in the crew, found a four-leaf clover in the grass. Twirling the good-luck token like a tiny prop, he turned to me. “Here, Pat,” he said. “You take it.” Minutes later our black, four-engine Lanc – A for Able – was climbing into the darkness, one of 200 bombers that 6 group sent out that night, a week after D-Day. I sat alone in the glass-domed rear turret, watching the evening stars pop out. As the “Tail-end Charlie,” I was shut off behind the revolving turret’s doors, far from all my crewmates. My only contact with them was via the intercom, on which pilot Art de Breyne’s voice now crackled: “Estimating 80 minutes more to target.” “Thanks,” came Andy Mynarski’s reply from the mid-upper turret. “No rush.”

In our crew, Andy was a relative newcomer. Four months earlier, before our first mission, he’d turned up to replace a gunner who’d gone to the hospital. At 27, Andy was a quiet, chunky fellow with a boyish grin. The son of Polish immigrants, he’d grown up in Winnipeg and left school at 16, when his father died, to help support four kid brothers and sisters. He joined the army in 1941, then switched to the RCAF because most of his friends were in it. To Andy, friends were important.

Andrew Mynarski. DND ARCHIVES

We soon became close chums. Since I was an officer and Andy was an NCO, rank kept us in different quarters. But we made light of it. Splitting up on the base after a mission or a pub crawl, I’d clap him on the back and say, “So long, Irish.” He’d stiffen, exaggerate a salute and reply with a hint of Polish accent, “Good night, sir.” In a tight spot, I could always count on him. Once, on leave with Andy and two other crewmates, I got into a late-night scrap and phoned them from a police station. They laughed and said a taste of jail would teach me a lesson. While the others went back to sleep, however, Andy got up to bail me out. But there was one thing Andy would not do, even on practice flights. He would not go into the tail turret. Like most air gunners, he hated its cramped isolation. “Back there,” he said, “you’re completely cut off.”

Back there now, as we crossed the French coast, I saw enemy searchlights sweeping the sky, then lazy puffs of smoke and deceptively pretty sunbursts of sparks. “Light flak below, Skimmer,” I reported. Suddenly, with a blinding flash, a searchlight caught us. Others quickly converged. “Hang on!” called de Breyne. “We’re coned!” He threw the Lanc into a breaking dive, then swung upward trying to squirm away from the deadly glare. Then, just as suddenly, we were in the dark again. We’d escaped – or had we? The Germans sometimes let a bomber shake loose, once their fighters got a fix on it. It was too soon to tell.

Once past the coastal defenses, we began a slow descent. This was to be a low-level raid, from 2,000 feet. We were down to 5,000 feet when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a twin-engine fighter. “Bogey astern!” I yelled on the intercom. “Six o’clock!” Instantly, as he’d done to evade the searchlights, de Breyne began to corkscrew. Seconds later I saw a Ju 88 streaking up from below: “He’s coming under us!” As I whirled my turret around and opened fire, the white-bellied Junkers flashed by with its cannons blazing. Three explosions rocked our aircraft. Two shots knocked out both port engines and set a wing tank on fire. The third tore into the fuselage, starting another fire between Andy’s turret and mine. We began losing altitude fast. I listened for orders on the intercom, but it was dead. Then a red light flashed in my turret, the sign to bail out. A for Able was doomed. For some reason, I glanced at my watch. It was 13 minutes past midnight, 13 June.

THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN, BRITISH AND AMERICAN PARATROOPS AND GLIDER TROOPS, MAINLY TRANSPORTED BY C-47 DAKOTA AIRCRAFT, HAD LANDED BEHIND ENEMY LINES

The crew of Lancaster KB726, code named VR-A, from left to right: Flying Officer Pat Brophy (rear gunner), Pilot Officer Jim Kelly (wireless operator), Flight Sergeant Roy Vigars (flight engineer), Flying Officer Art de Breyne (pilot), Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski (mid-upper gunner), Pilot Officer Jack Friday (bomb aimer) and Flying Officer Bob Bodie (navigator). Picture was taken in April 1944 in front of a Halifax V which preceded the Lancaster with 419 Squadron. DND ARCHIVES

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While Art de Breyne fought to keep the plane from heeling over in a spiral dive, bomb-aimer Jack Friday tugged at the forward crew’s escape hatch. It flew open with the violent updraft, hit his head and knocked him out. Jack was still unconscious when our English flight engineer, Roy Vigars, dropped him through the hole, yanked his D-string and jumped after him. Navigator Bob Bodie went next, then wireless operator Jim Kelly. When pilot Art de Breyne finally jumped – from barely 800 feet – he felt sure that both Andy Mynarski and I had already got out the rear hatch.

But he was wrong.

To fire, I’d swing my turret to port. Now I had to straighten it out so I could go back into the plane for my parachute and then jump from the rear door. I pressed the rotation pedal. Nothing happened. The hydraulic system had been shattered, locking my turret at such an angle that I couldn’t get out. Meanwhile, from inside the fuselage, flames were sweeping toward me. Don’t panic, I told myself. There’s still another way. I managed to open the turret doors a few inches, reached in for my parachute and clipped it on. Then I began handcranking the turret to the beam position, where I’d be able to flip right out into the slipstream. To my horror, the rotating gear broke off. Now there was no way out. At that moment, imprisoned in a falling plane, I remembered Andy Mynarski’s words: “Back there, you’re completely cut off.”

Then I saw him. Andy had slid down from the mid-upper turret and made his way back to the rear escape hatch, about 15 feet from me. Just as he was about to jump, 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 toward me. With the aircraft lurching drunkenly, Andy couldn’t keep his feet. He got down on hands and knees and crawled – straight through blazing hydraulic oil. By the time he reached the tail, his flying suit was on fire. I shook my head; it was hopeless. “Don’t try!” I shouted. I waved him away.

Mrs. Stanley Mynarski, mother of the late Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski, was guest of honour for a tea at the RCAF Mess on December 13, 1945, while in Ottawa to receive her citizenship papers. From left to right: Wing Commander Len Birchall, Mrs. Mynarski, Mrs. Birchall and Wing Commander, L.A. Costello, senior RCAF Roman Catholic chaplain. DND ARCHIVES

Andy didn’t seem to notice. Completely ignoring his own plight, he grabbed a fire ax and tried to smash the turret free. It gave slightly, but not enough. Wild with desperation, he tore at the doors with his bare hands – in vain. 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 whine of our 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. Even then, Andy didn’t turn his back on me. Instead, he crawled backward, through the 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 so 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 though I couldn’t hear, I knew it was “Good night, sir.” I turned, watched him fall away beneath the tail and saw his chute open. So long, Irish. Good luck.

Now I was alone. The Lanc was going down less steeply than before, but I knew it could hit the ground in a matter of seconds, with five tons of high explosives barely 50 feet from me. I curled up in the way prescribed for crash landings and waited for death. Time froze. While I was struggling inside the turret and Andy was fighting to get me out alive, a minute or more had flashed by like a second. Now the last agonizing seconds were like eternity. Prayers and random thought raced through my mind. Hail Mary, full of Grace… God, I hope Andy got down okay… Pray for us sinners… “Brophy? On, he went for a Burton over Cambrai.”

Suddenly time caught up. Everything came at once – the ground’s dark blur, the slam of a thousand sledgehammers, the screech of ripping metal. Just as the Lanc went bellying into a field, a thick tree slashed away its flaming port wing, spinning the plane violently to the left – its last dying lurch. This is it. But in that instant, at that last possible moment, the whiplash snapped my turret-prison open. Without knowing it – for I’d blacked out – I was hurled through the air. When I came to few seconds later, I heard two explosions. Only when I felt the solid, blessed earth tremble under me did I realize that the crash was over and, somehow, I was alive.

Slowly, fearfully, I moved my arms and legs. Nothing hurt. Then I sat up. I wasn’t even scratched! It was as if

Andrew Mynarski’s grave at Meharicourt Communal Cemetery near Amiens, France.

In August 2014 during the UK Lancaster tour, the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster visited the base where the original VR-A KB726 was stationed during WWII, Middleton St. George, and performed a flypast over the statue of Victoria Cross recipient Andrew Mynarski. ROB SMITH

ONLY WHEN I FELT THE SOLID, BLESSED EARTH TREMBLE UNDER ME DID I REALIZE THAT THE CRASH WAS OVER AND, SOMEHOW, I WAS ALIVE.

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ANDY WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW IN HISTORY TO GET THE V.C. ON THE UNCORROBORATED TESTIMONY OF A SINGLE WITNESS. AND I’LL ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT A DIVINE PROVIDENCE

INTERVENED TO SAVE ME BECAUSE OF WHAT I HAD SEEN – SO THE WORLD MIGHT KNOW OF A GALLANT MAN WHO LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR A FRIEND…

Some of Mynarski’s crew members at the CWH Lancaster Dedication Ceremony, 24 September 1988. Pictured far left in blue suit coat is Pat Brophy; fourth from left seated is Roy Vigars; fourth from right seated is Jim Kelly; third from the right seated is Art de Breyne; 2nd from right seated is Stephanie Holowaty, sister of Andrew Mynarski. Ms Holowaty is wearing Andrew Mynarski’s Victoria Cross medal. In the middle is CWH General Manager Jack Evans. AIDAN FINN COLLECTION

Opening of a number of parcels addressed to the Commanding Officer 419 squadron RCAF Overseas – Andrew Mynarski is pointed out.

some gentle, unseen hand had swept me out of that hellish turret, now twisted and blazing a hundred feet away. Incredibly, and luckily for me, only two of the Lanc’s 20 bombs had exploded. But fear had left its mark: when I hauled off my helmet, most of my hair came with it.

After a night in hiding, I approached a farmer, who turned out to be a Resistance leader. With six other allied airmen, I was passed through the French underground for 11 weeks, until British troops found us near Lens. All this time I kept seeking word of my crewmates – especially Andy Mynarski.

When I got back to England, on 13 September, I finally found out what had happened. Two of the crew had been taken prisoners; three others got back via the underground and one of these was wireless operator Jim Kelly. After his parachute jump, Jim told me, a French farmer hid him in a barn. Soon another Frenchman arrived. In halting English, he spoke of a parachutist who had landed alive, only to die of severe burns. Then he held out a flying helmet. Painted across the front was “Andy.”

Almost numb with grief, I realized that Jim didn’t know – no one else could know – why Andy died. I told the story to him, and later to Air Force officials. The RCAF document describing my escape as “miraculous” went on to say that Andy, “Must have been fully aware that in trying to free the rear gunner he was almost certain to lose his own life.” With that citation, Andrew Charles Mynarski was posthumously given the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest award for valor.

Andy was one of the very few in history to get the V.C. on the uncorroborated testimony of a single witness. And I’ll always believe that a divine providence intervened to save me because of what I had seen – so the world might know of a gallant man who laid down his life for a friend…

Pat Brophy, Andrew Mynarski, Art de Breyne (pilot) pictured a few months before they were shot down.

2019 CalendarJune 1

June 15 & 16

July 6

July 28

August 27

August 28

September 28 & 29

November 11

2019 Closures November 25 - December 3inclusive

*Please visit warplane.com for additional updates. Dates subject to change.

75TH ANNIVERSARY D-DAY GALA

Come fly with us at FLYFEST

AIR FORCE DAY Past & Present

VINTAGE WHEELS & WINGS

AIRSHOW DINNER

COMMUNITY CHARITY AIRSHOWAt the Brantford Airport

CLASSICS OF THE GOLDEN AGEIndoor car show

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE

Virtual Reality Has Landedby Emily Millar

1943: Berlin Blitz officially landed at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on 9 March, marking the Virtual Reality Experience’s North American debut. Created by the BBC, this 14-minute experience utilizes an original crew recording on a Lancaster bomber in 1943 to truly bring history to life.

The most common word used in visitors’ reviews? “AMAZING!”

Virtual Reality Experience is FREE with museum admission. Regular admission rates apply. Virtual Reality Experience is available for those aged 13 and up and is at the museum until August 31, 2019.

In Their Own Words: Virtual Reality Visitor Reviews:

“The virtual part of this is virtually amazing! The only thing missing is the smell of fuel and hot leather. Unbelievable!”

“Awesome and real. Very moving and emotional. Well done!”

“Amazing! What an incredible experience. It felt like I was there in the Lancaster.”

“One of the most amazing glimpses of an era long gone but not forgotten.”

“Absolutely amazing!! I didn’t want it to be over. It’s so much more significant and meaningful to experience this virtually versus reading about it.”

Visitors immersing themselves in 1943 Berlin Blitz. AL MICKELOFF

A Heartfelt Thanks From All of UsIn July 1999, the Canadian Warplane Heritage was fortunate indeed to have Mr. Christopher H. Freeman join the Board of Directors. Shortly after Chris joined the Board of Directors, he became the Corporate Secretary and held that position from 1999 to 2013. During this period, Chris worked under the direction of our first three CWH Chairmen of the Board, namely Dennis Bradley, R.J. (Rick) Franks, and Bill Koyle.

As the Corporate Secretary, Chris was instrumental in helping to guide the museum safely through some very difficult financial periods during his tenure. Chris was also the key person in arranging for the CWH acquisition of 4.2 acres of land from the former Kaytor farm at no cost to the museum, thereby ensuring space for future museum development.

For the past 6 years, the museum has been blessed to have Chris as the Chairman of the Board. Under his capable leadership and keen legal mind, we have grown, prospered, and excelled as an organization in every aspect. Thankfully, while Chris is stepping down as the Chairman, he has graciously accepted an appointment as an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Board. We all look forward to working with Chris in this new capacity and continue to benefit from his wisdom, talent and expertise.

Chris, from all of us at the CWH, please accept our sincere thanks and appreciation for all you have done over the past 20 years. We wish you well in all your future endeavours.

Per Ardua ad Astra

David G. Rohrer, CDPresident & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

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Chris Freeman (L) was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by Dave Rohrer (R) at this year’s Annual General Meeting. DAVID HILLS

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