Son of Arthur and Margaret Livingston Breeze, of Nelson, British Columbia, Canada; husband of Beatrice Emma Louise Breeze, of Nelson.
Husband of Beatrice Emma Louise Breeze, of Nelson.
Home: Nelson, British Columbia
Service RCAF
Unit 434 (B) Sqn- Squadron In Excelsis Vincimus We conquer in the Heights
Base RAF Croft
Rank
Pilot Officer
Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
A/C/M
Air Marshal
A/M
Air Vice Marshal
A/V/M
Air Commodore
A/C
Group Captain
G/C
Wing Commander
W/C
Squadron Leader
S/L
Flight Lieutenant
F/L
Flying Officer
F/O
Pilot Officer
P/O
Warrant Officer 1st Class
WO1
Warrant Officer 2nd Class
WO2
Flight Sergeant
FS
Sergeant
SGT
Corporal
CPL
Senior Aircraftman
SAC
Leading Aircraftman
LAC
Aircraftman 1st Class
AC1
Aircraftman 2nd Class
AC2
Position Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Service Numbers J/87376 Prev: R/168803
Halifax B/A/Met.Mk.V LL258
Bombing Montzen Belgium 1944-April-27 to 1944-April-28
434 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Croft
434 Bluenose Squadron (In Excelsis Vincimus) RAF Croft. Halifax BV aircraft LL 258 WL-W was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of Stab IV/NJG 1 from Sint-Truiden, Belgium in Bf 110 G-4 G9+DF. The Halifax was on an operation against the rail yards at Montzen, Belgium and crashed near Teuven, Voeren, Limburg, Belgium
Pilot Officer DA Pastorius (RCAF), Flying Officer AE Young (RCAF), Flying Officer WR Ellwood (RCAF), Pilot Officer HAA Breeze (RCAF), Pilot Officer EA Vigor (RCAF), Flight Sergeant CH Havill (RCAF) and Sergeant AB Randall (RAFVR) were all killed in action
There were two 434 squadron Halifax V aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial LL 243 WL-U for additional information
Oberleutnant Schnaufer was one of the top German night fighter pilots, who shot down 121 Allied bombers during the war. The Imperial War Museum in London has part of his aircraft on display. He was killed in a car accident in France in 1950
(RAF Photo, 1942)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)A Royal Air Force Handley Page Halifax Mk. II Series I (Serial No. W7676), coded TL-P, of No. 35 Squadron, RAF, based at Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire in the UK, being piloted by Flight Lieutenant Reginald Lane, (later Lieutenant-General, RCAF), over the English countryside. Flt Lt Lane and his crew flew twelve operations in W7676, which failed to return from a raid on Nuremberg on the night of 28/29 August 1942, when it was being flown by Flt Sgt D. John and crew.
The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester.
The Halifax has its origins in the twin-engine HP56 proposal of the late 1930s, produced in response to the British Air Ministry's Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use." The HP56 was ordered as a backup to the Avro 679, both aircraft being designed to use the underperforming Rolls-Royce Vulture engine. The Handley Page design was altered at the Ministry to a four-engine arrangement powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine; the rival Avro 679 was produced as the twin-engine Avro Manchester which, while regarded as unsuccessful mainly due to the Vulture engine, was a direct predecessor of the famed Avro Lancaster. Both the Lancaster and the Halifax would emerge as capable four-engined strategic bombers, thousands of which would be built and operated by the RAF and several other services during the War.
On 25 October 1939, the Halifax performed its maiden flight, and it entered service with the RAF on 13 November 1940. It quickly became a major component of Bomber Command, performing routine strategic bombing missions against the Axis Powers, many of them at night. Arthur Harris, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Bomber Command, described the Halifax as inferior to the rival Lancaster (in part due to its smaller payload) though this opinion was not shared by many of the crews that flew it, particularly for the MkIII variant. Nevertheless, production of the Halifax continued until April 1945. During their service with Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew a total of 82,773 operations and dropped 224,207 tons of bombs, while 1,833 aircraft were lost. The Halifax was also flown in large numbers by other Allied and Commonwealth nations, such as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Free French Air Force and Polish forces.
Wikipedia
Served with No. 434 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded "WL*W". Bombed Lille, France on 9/10 April 1944. Bombed Ghent on 10/11 April 1944. Failed to return from attack on the rail yards at Montzen on 27/28 April 1944, shot down by a night fighter All were killed.
Units 431/434
1944-04-28 Failed to Return Failed to return from attack on the rail yards at Montzen, shot down by a night fighter All were killed. 2019-08-20
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Halifax V, III, Lancaster I, III)
The unit was first formed at RAF Tholthorpe, Yorkshire, UK on 13 June 1943, flying the Handley Page Halifax Mk V aircraft. It was the 31st squadron and the 13th Bomber unit formed overseas. From its initiation it was part of the No 6 (RCAF) Group of RAF Bomber Command. On 13 August 1943 it flew its first operational sortie, a bombing raid across the Alps to Milan, Italy. In May 1944 the unit received Halifax Mk IIIs to replace its Mk Vs. The squadron was adopted by the Rotary Club of Halifax, Nova Scotia and to show its connection to the city adopted the nickname "Bluenose Squadron", the common nickname for people from Nova Scotia and a tribute to the schooner Bluenose; an image of the schooner appears on the squadron badge.
The squadron moved to RAF Croft, Yorkshire in December 1943 and re-equipped with Avro Lancaster Mk Is and Mk Xs in December 1944. After VE Day the squadron was earmarked for the Tiger Force to carry on the war against Japan, but was never deployed to the Far East because of the Japanese surrender. The unit was disbanded at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on 5 September 1945.
During World War II the unit flew 198 missions, including 179 bombing, 17 mine laying, one diversionary and one sea search. This was made up of a total of 2582 individual aircraft sorties, including 45 prisoner of war airlift sorties. It flew 14,622 operational flying hours and dropped 10,358 tons of bombs plus 225 mines. The squadron accounted for seven enemy aircraft destroyed along with two probable and four damaged. 434 Squadron suffered 75 aircraft lost, 484 aircrew operational casualties, including 34 killed, 313 presumed dead, 121 made prisoners and 16 who evaded capture and escaped. Unit personnel received six bars to the Distinguished Flying Cross, 108 DFCs, six Distinguished Flying Medals, one British Empire Medal and seven Mentions in Despatches. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-44, Baltic 1943-44, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1944-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine.Wikipedia, Kostenuk &Griffin .
MAP 1: 434 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab
434 Squadron History Summary 1943-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Sabre 2, 5, 6, Starfighter, Freedom Fighter, Challenger)
The squadron was re-formed as a fighter unit at Uplands, Ontario on 1 July 1952, flying Canadiar Sabre aircraft. It joined No.3 (Fighter) Wing at Zweibrücken, Germany in March 1953. It was selected to be one of the eight squadrons to be equipped with the CF-104 Starfighter in a Strike Attack role. Accordingly, it was deactivated on 15 January 1963 and reactivated on 8 April. The squadron was deactivated on 1 Mar 1967.
The unit was re-formed as 434 Operational Training Squadron at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta on 15 February 1968 as the operational training unit for the Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter. The squadron later gave up its OTU duties to 419 Squadron and became an operational squadron, moving to CFB Bagotville on 15 July 1982, later moving to CFB Chatham in July 1985. It was again disbanded on 17 March 1989. The unit was again re-formed as 434 Composite Squadron at CFB Shearwater on 4 July 1992. The name was changed to 434 Combat Support Squadron and the unit moved to CFB Greenwood in mid-1995, flying the CC-144 Challenger and Canadair CT-133 Silver Star in the electronic warfare role. The squadron was once again disbanded there in May 2000.
The squadron was reactivated in May 2018 at CFB Trenton as a test and evaluation unit. For details see
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