MEMORIAL DAY

[Cosine26]

For Cinders
I remember one incident with the RAAF. We were flying a rare daylight formation of 61 B-26’s attacking Kumwa, where the CHICOMS had broken through the II Corps line in June of 1953. On 15 June 1953 I was in the left aircraft in the lead element of the second group and we were under heavy FLAK (being the second group) headed west to east. I saw some Meteors of the 77 Squadron approaching from south to north when one was hit by FLAK; there was a blinding flash, a big explosion and a huge column of black smoke. I learned later that it was flown by FltSgt David Pinkstone of 77 Squadron out of K14. I learned later that he survived and was exchanged on operation Big Switch. I do not know how he survived.
My narrative as reported to Intel debrief:

85mm's were active and numerous.

"Yeah, and that’s where we are heading," said Wallie. "Looks like someone is flying Flak Suppression though." As we looked out of the front of the cockpit, we could see fighter-bombers diving at ground targets.

“Looks, like Meteors. Must be the RAAF."

Just then, one of the FBs passing in front of the formation took a hit and flame started coming from the A/C. The aircraft continued on to our left then exploded in a burst of orange flame and Black smoke.

"I'm hit - My God I'm on fire - I'm going in- I'm going to die." came the cries from the stricken pilot in a heavy Australian accent in a rising crescendo.


"Oh for Christ's sakes- die like a bloody fxxxing man!" came the reply from one of his unsympathetic fellow pilots.

Well, I don't know whether he died like a man- but die he did as the Meteor plunged into the ground and exploded in a large orange flame, accompanied by a huge cloud of black smoke so typical of a fuel based explosion. (I subsequently discovered that the pilot was FltSgt David Pinkstone, RAAF that he survived the crash, and was repatriated during Big Switch)

[painter777]

"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth..

..Put out my hand, and touched the face of God"

John Gillespie Magee, Jr

That kind of wisdom from a 19 year old..... Amazing.

God Bless and RIP

[painter777]

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...47193807-1.jpg

http://www.milsurps.com/images/impor...rystone3-1.jpg
Sergeant Pilot Henry Archer "Harry" Womack, RCAF
Spitfire Pilot
1919-1941
Killed practicing air combat maneuvers near Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England
Buried at St. Deiniol's Church, Flintshire, Wales, near his station, RAF Hawarden
Probably the first war casualty from Tennessee, USA


Bob

Bob,
Below I found this about HA Harry Womack,
I see he called Johnson City home.
I have many family ties in the area.

His Gravestone Inscription reading :

Because I live, ye shall live also.
St John XIV. 19


Sgt Henry Archer “Harry” Womack, Jr
BIRTH 3 Feb 1919
Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia, USA
DEATH 1 Jul 1941 (aged 22)
Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire West and Chester Unitary Authority, Cheshire, England
BURIAL
Hawarden Churchyard
Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales
PLOT North Section
MEMORIAL ID 68025373 · View Source

Pilot Sergeant Henry Archer "Harry" Womack Jr was Washington County, Tennessee first overseas casualty of World War II. Harry served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Number 57 Operational Training Unit, Service Number R/67722. He called Johnson City, Tennessee, United States of America (USA) his home.

Harry died in a training accident while practicing aerial dog fighting out of RAF Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales, along with Pilot Officer John Melvin Milmine, RCAF . They now rest side by side in the Hawarden (St. Deiniol) Churchyard, Flintshire, Wales, United Kingdom.

The aircraft crashed at Mill Lane in the village of Upton, a part of Upton-by-Chester, which is a civil parish and a large suburb on the outskirts of Chester, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom.

Harry was 22 years old and the son of Henry Archer Womack and Nellie Parsons of Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.



Civil Registration:
Deaths Sep 1941 Womack Harry A 21 West Cheshire 8a 646.

He is commemorated at Monte Vista Memorial Garden, Johnson City, Washington County, Tennessee, U.S.A. Section F, Lot 348, Space 9. (Find A Grave Memorial# 16726786)



God Bless

Info Link: Sgt Henry Archer “Harry” Womack, Jr (1919-1941) - Find A Grave Memorial

[CINDERS]

Cosine ~ A pretty basic laconic response from one Aussie to another Aussie....

[rcathey]

All,

I once read a book by none other than Roald Dahl. Ol' Willy Wonka himself was a fighter pilot during WWII and he wrote a short book titled "Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying."

I found enjoyable and a quick read. Worth looking up.

Enjoy!

[Sarge1998]

How did this post turn from honoring American military deaths on Memorial Day? If you feel compelled to answer please send me a PM.

[rcathey]

A lot of people from a lot of countries died.
Not sure why we can't remember them all on the same day/week.

[CINDERS]

Those generations were in it together I am quite sure the US forces across all services lost people in training accidents and in the ETO/PTO I also wholly agree we owe allot to the US for gaining victory in WWII but lets not forget some of the allies had been hard at it since 1939 the US only came in after December 7th 1941 by the Japanese attack on Pearl.
And yes as sure as eggs Yamamoto's words came back to haunt the Japanese Forces "I fear we have awoken a sleeping giant."

https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/...ricas_wars.pdf

From Wiki ~ World War II fatalities of the Soviet Union from all related causes numbered more than 20 million both civilian and military, although the exact figures are disputed. The number 20 million was considered official during the Soviet era. The Russian government puts the Soviet war dead at 26.6 million based on a 1993 study by the Russian Academy of Sciences. This includes 8,668,400 military deaths as calculated by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The figures published by Russian Ministry of Defense have been accepted by most historians outside Russia. However, the official figure of 8.7 million military deaths has been disputed by some Russian historians who believe that the number of dead and missing POWs is not correct and new research is necessary to determine actual losses. Officials at the Russian Central Defense Ministry Archive (CDMA) maintain that their database lists the names of roughly 14 million dead and missing service personnel. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in 2009 that "data about our losses haven't been revealed yet..We must determine the historical truth." He said that more than 2.4 million people are still officially considered missing in action. Of the 9.5 million buried in mass graves, 6 million are unidentified. Some Russian politicians and journalists put the total number of losses in the war, both civilian and military, at over 40 million,.

What we suffered in casualties sorta pales to what they had.

[Bob Womack]

Bob,
Below I found this about HA Harry Womack,
I see he called Johnson City home.
I have many family ties in the area.

His Gravestone Inscription reading :

Because I live, ye shall live also.
St John XIV. 19


God Bless

Info Link: Sgt Henry Archer “Harry” Womack, Jr (1919-1941) - Find A Grave Memorial

Thank you kindly, Charlie! The men of my family visited the grave at Hawarden on a cold morning in November, 1996.



That's me on the right with my father, Harry's little brother, beside me. What you can't see in the expressions is that my father was left the lone male in his family by Harry's death and the accidental death of his father soon after. He suddenly became the man of the household. He ended up giving away his sisters at their weddings. Nevertheless he joined the Navy and served in WWII. The visit to the grave shown above was his and his family's first. He grew very silent. That evening in our hotel room he told me that he'd been forced to sort of put Harry's death to the side and be strong for his mother and sisters. Standing at the grave, the finality of it all hit him for the first time.

If you look closely at the foot of the stone you can see a poppy from the recent Remembrance celebration. His was the only stone in the area that was decorated. A girlfriend, perhaps?


This picture shows the inscription that is engraved to commemorate Harry on the reverse side of my grandparents' joint grave stone in their home of Johnson City.

Bob

[Cosine26]

For Cinders
OFF Topic but may interest you. I saw him go down and do not know how he survived.

The Squadron broke its own sortie record on 15 June 1953 when it flew a total of 88 sorties in the one day, accounting for 90 hours and five minutes of flying time. The only 77 Squadron casualty sustained during these raids was Sergeant D. Pinkstone (A77-982) who was hit by anti-aircraft fire when attacking an enemy vehicle and was forced to bail out of his stricken jet. He parachuted to safety landing successfully in a nearby rice paddy. Other members of his flight saw Pinkstone fold up his parachute and run for the cover of some high ground near a small village. A rescue helicopter was called in but was forced away from the downed pilot by intense enemy ground fire, leaving Pinkstone to be captured and interned as a prisoner of war
FWIW