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Dalseg, Paul Ivor (Sergeant)

Prisoner of War 1944-May-23

Male Head

Birth Date: unkown date (age unknown)

Home: Rainy River District, Ontario

Service
RCAF
Unit
57 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Corpus Non Animum Muto I change my body, not my spirit
Base
RAF East Kirkby
Rank
Sergeant
Marshal
Air Chief MarshalA/C/M
Air MarshalA/M
Air Vice MarshalA/V/M
Air CommodoreA/C
Group CaptainG/C
Wing CommanderW/C
Squadron LeaderS/L
Flight LieutenantF/L
Flying OfficerF/O
Pilot OfficerP/O
Warrant Officer 1st ClassWO1
Warrant Officer 2nd ClassWO2
Flight SergeantFS
SergeantSGT
CorporalCPL
Senior AircraftmanSAC
Leading AircraftmanLAC
Aircraftman 1st ClassAC1
Aircraftman 2nd ClassAC2
Position
Mid Upper Gunner
Service Numbers
R/205026
PoW: 14

Lancaster Mk.III NE127

Bombing Brunswick Germany 1944-May-23 to 1944-May-23

(B) Sqn (RAF) East Kirkby

Took off from East Kirkby at 22:23 in Lancaster Mk III (Sqn code: DX-J Bomber Command).

Crashed Dorkwerd, Groningen

225 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitoes of 1 and 5 Groups. 13 Lancasters lost, 5·5 per cent of the force.

This raid was a failure. The weather forecast had predicted a clear target but the marker aircraft found a complete covering of cloud. There was also interference on the Master Bomber's radio communications. The 5 Group method could not cope with these conditions and most of the bombing fell in the country areas around Brunswick. The city records show only a few bombs and there were no casualties. A reconnaissance aircraft flying through this area an hour later found it completely free of cloud.source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

PAUL DALSEG A native of Rainy River, ON, Paul joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 1942 and graduated as an air gunner in July 1943.Sent overseas he was posted to the RAF, receiving further operational training in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire England before being posted to #57 Sqd. RAF in March "˜44

On May 22, 1944, Paul was the mid-upper gunner on a new Lancaster that exploded in the skies over Dorkwerd, Germany. A remarkable story - referred to as "the Dorkwerd Miracle" - emerged from the ensuing circumstances.

The Lancaster had been on a bombing mission to Germany when it was attacked by an enemy night fighter. Fire broke out in the rear of the fuselage between the mid-upper gunner and the tail gunner, and dangerously close to flares and ammunition boxes. The tail gunner, Norman Wharf, tried to leave his turret to assess things and, if necessary, bail out. The hydraulically controlled door refused to open. Dropping from his position in the mid-upper turret, Paul tried unsuccessfully to open the door manually but it refused to give. Meanwhile, the possibility of an explosion grew by the second. The tail gunner urged Paul to open the side-hatch and jump to save himself. But reluctant to leave his friend trapped in the turret without a parachute and aware that opening the side-hatch would fan the blaze, Dalseg attempted to extinguish the fire but the flames were beyond control.

With breathing becoming more difficult and close to losing consciousness himself, Dalseg finally opened the side-hatch and jumped. The plane exploded shortly after, splitting the Lancaster in two with the break coming immediately in front of the tail of the plane. Incredibly, the gun-turret became the tail-gunner's parachute and landed in a water-filled ditch. The tail gunner received serious injuries but recovered in a German hospital. Meanwhile, Dalseg had made a safe parachute landing in a meadow close to Dorkwerd but sadly the remaining crew members were killed.

Captured by the Germans, Dalseg was sent to a POW camp "˜Luft 7' until the great march of war prisoners to Luckenwalde Stalag 111A in the winter of "˜45. Liberation would come soon after and he returned to Canada.

In post war years Paul Dalseg operated a Canadian Tire franchise. "”Article courtesy of Roy Eaton, District H PRO reported by Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25, Sault Ste. Marie.
Home
Google MapRainy River District, Ontario
Target
Google MapBrunswick Germany

Lancaster NE127

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Sergeant Dalseg, Paul Ivor (RCAF)
Mid Upper Gunner
Prisoner of War
1944-May-23
cemetery unknown

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Pilot Officer Henley,Francis Norman (RAFVR)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-May-23
Begraafplaats Hoek van Holland, Kerkhofweg, Hook of Holland, Netherlands

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Flying Officer Lodge, Abraham Gordon (RAFVR)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-May-23
Begraafplaats Hoek van Holland, Kerkhofweg, Hook of Holland, Netherlands

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Sergeant Manson, John (RAFVR)
Wireless Operator
Killed in Action
1944-May-23
Begraafplaats Hoek van Holland, Kerkhofweg, Hook of Holland, Netherlands

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Sergeant Meaking,Arthur (RAF)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-May-23
Begraafplaats Hoek van Holland, Kerkhofweg, Hook of Holland, Netherlands

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Flight Sergeant Morris, Sydney (RAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-May-23
Begraafplaats Hoek van Holland, Kerkhofweg, Hook of Holland, Netherlands

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Sergeant Wharf, Norman G (RCAF)
Rear gunner
Prisoner of War
1944-May-23
cemetery unknown

Avro Lancaster

Avro Lancaster Mk. X RCAF Serial FM 213
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.

The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling. Wikipedia

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last update: 2021-09-18 14:32:33

Lancaster Mk.III NE127

DXRAF RoundelJ
Delivered to No. 57 Sqn 16 May 1944. Missing on operation to Brunswick 22/23 May 1944. 7 flying hours.

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