Matt Poole
8th December 2007, 04:31
Does anyone have the wording of the DFC citation for 60566 Anthony Stanley Mortimer PIM?
His daughter, who was only 18 months old when he died as a S/Ldr in the Far East in 1945, seeks this information. She said that his main operational squadron had been 408 in Bomber Command, where he flew Hampdens.
Also, I have not searched the web yet, but does anyone know if 408 Squadron has an active veterans association? If not, who from 408 is a good point of contact? The daughter seeks contact with anyone who knew her father (knowing that she has left things a bit late!).
S/Ldr Pim died as a 358 Squadron Liberator skipper on the night of 22/23 January 1945. He was a Flight Commander. This was 358's first Special Duties op, but things went terribly wrong when S/Ldr Pim's Liberator (KH277) and two others (KH215 and KH278) failed to return from their assigned Drop Zones in French Indo China. Of the eleven Libs sent out to FIC that night, only two were successful in finding their DZs in horrible weather.
It turns out that at least two of the three missing aircraft were shot down by USAAF P-61 night fighters. A coverup was ordered at the highest level, and the facts were indeed kept under wraps until USAF Col Peter M. Dunn broke the story in the mid-1980s while researching his doctoral thesis (which later grew into a book, "The First Vietnam War"). He claimed that the Libs were targeted on purpose because of the serious political differences between the US and the UK over post-war FIC, but I have seen no evidence to support this premeditated action.
The National Archives at Kew have since released some documents which verify, in general, that at least two of the three Libs were downed by P-61s, and that there was an official coverup. We have yet to learn if S/Ldr Pim's KH277 was a victim of friendly fire, or if weather or another problem was a major factor.
Thanks for any help.
Matt
His daughter, who was only 18 months old when he died as a S/Ldr in the Far East in 1945, seeks this information. She said that his main operational squadron had been 408 in Bomber Command, where he flew Hampdens.
Also, I have not searched the web yet, but does anyone know if 408 Squadron has an active veterans association? If not, who from 408 is a good point of contact? The daughter seeks contact with anyone who knew her father (knowing that she has left things a bit late!).
S/Ldr Pim died as a 358 Squadron Liberator skipper on the night of 22/23 January 1945. He was a Flight Commander. This was 358's first Special Duties op, but things went terribly wrong when S/Ldr Pim's Liberator (KH277) and two others (KH215 and KH278) failed to return from their assigned Drop Zones in French Indo China. Of the eleven Libs sent out to FIC that night, only two were successful in finding their DZs in horrible weather.
It turns out that at least two of the three missing aircraft were shot down by USAAF P-61 night fighters. A coverup was ordered at the highest level, and the facts were indeed kept under wraps until USAF Col Peter M. Dunn broke the story in the mid-1980s while researching his doctoral thesis (which later grew into a book, "The First Vietnam War"). He claimed that the Libs were targeted on purpose because of the serious political differences between the US and the UK over post-war FIC, but I have seen no evidence to support this premeditated action.
The National Archives at Kew have since released some documents which verify, in general, that at least two of the three Libs were downed by P-61s, and that there was an official coverup. We have yet to learn if S/Ldr Pim's KH277 was a victim of friendly fire, or if weather or another problem was a major factor.
Thanks for any help.
Matt