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Harvie, John Dalton (Flying Officer)

Prisoner of War 1944-July-05

Male Head

Birth Date: 1923-September-03 (age 20)

Born: Ottawa, Ontario

Son of Dr Robert Harvie and Ada Harvie (nee Dalton)

Home: Westmount, Montreal, Quebec

Service
RCAF
Unit
433 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique Who opposes it gets pricked
Base
RAF Skipton-on-Swale
Rank
Flying Officer
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
Navigator
Service Numbers
J/27573
PoW: 8049

433 Porcupine Squadron (Qui Sy Frotte S'y Pique) RAF Skipton-on-Swale. Halifax III aircraft LW 123 BM-W was attacked by a night fighter and crashed near Laons, (Eure-et-Loire) France during an operation against the rail yards at Villeneuve St Georges, France

Flying Officer JD Harvie (RCAF) was the only survivor from his crew and initially evaded capture, helped by the French Picourt Network but was arrested by the Gestapo in Paris after betrayal by Belgian traitor Jacques Desoubrie and was interned in Fresnes Prison, France, from 1944-07-14 to 1944-08-10. Flying Officer Harvie was one of 168 Allied Prisoners of War deported to Buchenwald Concentration Camp 1944-08-15. The Luftwaffe was made aware of these aircrew after a letter was smuggled out of Buchenwald by an anti-Nazi guard to a nearby Luftwaffe base. The Luftwaffe was responsible for aircrew Prisoners of War and intervened to have the Allied airmen at Buchenwald transferred to Luftwaffe POW camps. Flying Officer Harvie was among those sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan and 1944-11-29

There were three 433 Squadron Halifax BIII aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Yunker, B for information on Halifax LW 120 BM-E and Brewer, HR for information on Halifax HX 353 BM-X

Flying Officer Harvie survived the war and the camps to write a book about his experiences, "Missing in Action an RCAF Navigator's Story"

Flying Officer Harvie was BROTHER to Flying Officer Robert Harvie (RCAF) Navigator, killed in action on 50 Squadron RAF Lancaster BIII aircraft ED 471, 1943-01-17 on a raid to Berlin, Germany

During the war, Jacques Desoubrie betrayed several resistance leaders and more than 150 members of organizations helping downed Allied airmen to evade capture as well as over 100 Allied airmen. They were arrested by the Gestapo and many did not survive. Desoubrie fled to Germany after the war but was found, tried and convicted for his crimes. He was returned to France and executed by firing squad in 1946

Missing in Action, An RCAF Navigator's Story by John D Harvie

General France Crashes

Find-A-Grave.com Finadagrave.com

Home
Google MapWestmount, Montreal, Quebec
Target
Google MapVilleneuve-Saint-Georges France

Halifax LW123

Handley Page Halifax

(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

YouTube Halifax Heavy Bomber WWII

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Halifax Bomber

Museum National Air Force Museum of Canada

last update: 2023-12-08 20:34:11

Halifax B.Mk.III LW123

BMRAF RoundelW
Served with No. 433 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded "BM*W". Failed to return from attack on the Rail yards at Villeneuve St. Georges on 4/5 July 1944, shot down by a night fighter. 6 killed, 1 POW.

1944-07-05 Failed to Return Failed to return from attack on the Rail yards at Villeneuve St.Georges, shot down by a night fighter. 6 killed, 1 POW. 2019-08-20

433 (B) Sqn Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique ("Porcupine")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Halifax III, Lancaster I, III)

433 Squadron was the 14th and last bomber squadron of the RCAF to be formed overseas in WWII. It was formed in September 1943 as a unit of No 6 (RCAF) Group of Bomber Command. It flew from Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, UK for the whole of its operational career. With the squadron code letters BM, it originally flew Handley Page Halifax Mk III heavy bombers on its bombing missions, but these were replaced by Lancaster Mks I and III in January 1945. After the cessation of hostilities the squadron was retained in England as a unit of No 1 Group RAF from August 1945, and took part in the airlift of PoWs back to England (Operation EXODUS) and the bringing back of troops from Italy (Operation DODGE). The squadron was disbanded at Skipton in October 1945.

In the course of its operations, the squadron flew 209 missions involving 2316 individual sorties for the loss of 38 aircraft , dropping 7486 tons. Awards to crew members included 132 DFCs, 2 Bars to DFC, 9 DFMs, 1 BEM, 14 MiDs and 1 Air Medal (USA). Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1944-45, Baltic 1944-45, Fortress Europe 1944, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1944-45, Berlin 1944, German Ports 1944-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1944.Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 433 Squadron 1943-45

MAP 1: 433 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

433 Squadron History Summary 1943-45

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck, Freedom Fighter, Hornet)

The squadron re-formed as an All-Weather (Fighter) unit at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta , on 15 November 1954, as one of nine CF-100 squadrons to defend Canadian airspace. It moved to CFB North Bay, Ontario , in October 1955, the squadron flew CF-100 Canuck aircraft on North American air defence. However, in 1961 the Government decided to reduce the number of CF-100 squadrons from nine to five and 433 Squadron was dissolved for a second time on July 31st, 1961.

Reformed post-unification on 15 August 1968, as No. 433 Escadrille tactique de combat it was a French language squadron of Mobile Command based at CFB Bagotville, Quebec . The squadron flew the CF-5 Freedom Fighter in the tactical and reconnaissance role until it converted to the CF-188 Hornet fighter jets in 1984. The squadron was deactivated in 2005, and its assets and personnel amalgamated into 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron. Besides being originally designated as one of two bases of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force, the 433 Squadron was entrusted a NORAD role in December 1988. The 433 Squadron members in Bagotville played an important role in the Gulf War conflicts, better known under the names Operation FRICTION in 1991 and Operation ECHO in 1999. By September 2001, the Squadron was actively participating with NORAD in the fight against terrorism through Operation NOBLE EAGLE. On July 14th, 2005, the standards of the Squadron were once again laid aside almost 62 years after its initial formation. .Wikipedia

The squadron was reactivated on 9 June 2015, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on 15 September 2018.

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