Bell, Clarence Edgar (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1942-October-13
Birth Date: 1920-August-27
Born: Calgary Alberta
Parents: Son of Frank E. C. and Anna Marie Bell, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Top student, Calgary Central Collegiate, 1938.
Spouse:
Home: Calgary, Alberta
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
419 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Moosa Aswayita Beware of Moose
Base
RAF Croft
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Observer
Service Numbers
J/10319
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Wellington DF664
Mission
Wellington Mk. III DF664
Bombing Kiel Germany 1942-October-13 to 1942-October-13
419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Croft
288 aircraft - roo Wellingtons, 82 Lancasters, 78 Halifaxes, 28 Stirlings. 8 aircraft- 5 Wellingtons, 1 each of other types - lost, 2.8 per cent of the force.
A decoy fire site was operating and at least half of the bombing was drawn away into open countryside, but the rest of the attack fell on Kiel and its immediate surroundings. The Kiel diarist records a now familiar list of area-bombing damage, the only items of particular interest being that 17 omnibuses were destroyed in their garage or parking area and that much of the bombing fell on the south-eastern suburbs of Elmschenhagen. He also refers to a constantly recurring theme in recent raids, the vast amount of roof damage and glass breakage with the increasing use by Bomber Command of high-capacity blast bombs. 250,000 square metres of roof tiling and 150,000 square metres of glass were blown away in Kiel on this night. Casualties were 41 killed and 101 injured. Finally, Herr Boelck writes: 'Amazingly, the Flak hardly opened fire for some time although the bombers were over the town.* This withholding of fire was a ploy which the German defences developed to hinder the identification of a target by the bombers, particularly when a nearby decoy site was being used. There were often disagreements between local party officials who wanted their people to see the Flak banging away vigorously, and the local Luftwaffe Flak commanders who were attempting this tactical deception.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Unit Desciption
419 (B) Sqn Moosa Aswayita ("Moose")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington IC, III, Halifax II, Lancaster X)
419 (Bomber) Squadron formed at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, UK 
in 1941 as part of No 3 Group of Bomber Command. It got its name from its first commanding officer, Wing Commander John "Moose" Fulton, DSO, DFC, AFC. The squadron operated Vickers Wellington, then Handley Page Halifax and finally Avro Lancaster bombers through the course of WWII, with the squadron code letters VR. It was the third RCAF bomber unit to be formed in England. It started operations in January 1942, converting almost immediately from Wellington Mk ICs to Wellington Mk IIIs and then moving north to Leeming, Yorkshire, as part of 4 Group Bomber Command in August 1942. After short stays at Topcliffe and Croft , it moved to Middleton St. George, County Durham in November 1942, from which it flew until the end of hostilities. Here in November 1942 it was re-equipped with Halifax Mk IIs, which it flew for the next 18 months on the night offensive against Germany. In January 1943 it joined the newly formed 6 (RCAF) Group of Bomber Command.
In April 1944 the squadron began to convert to the Avro Lancaster Mk X, which was produced in Canada and flown across the Atlantic. The squadron remained continuously on the offensive until 25 April 1945, when it flew its last sortie. Squadron personnel flew a total of 4,325 operational sorties during the war from Mannheim to Nuremberg, Milan to Berlin and Munich to Hanover, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy. On completion of the war in Germany, the squadron was earmarked to become part of the proposed "Tiger Force" to continue the war against Japan. However, the Japanese surrender in August 1945 led to the disbandment of the squadron in at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia September 1945.
As a result of its wartime record, 419 Squadron became one of the most decorated units under the RCAF during the war. Over a span of roughly three-and-a-quarter years it logged 400 operational missions (342 bombing missions, 53 mining excursions, 3 leaflet raids and 1 "spoof") involving 4,325 sorties. A total of one hundred and twenty nine aircraft were lost on these operations. Members of the squadron accumulated 1 VC, 4 DSO's, 1 MC, 150 DFC's, 3 bars to DFC, 1 CGM, 35 DFM's: the VC was awarded posthumously to Flight Sergeant Andrew Mynarski for his attempts to help a fellow crew member escape from their burning aircraft. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1942-44, Baltic 1942-44, Fortress Europe 1942-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1942-44, Ruhr 1942-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1942-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1942; 1944. Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum)
Maps for Movements of 419 Squadron 1941-45
MAP 1: 419 Squadron Movements Dec 1941-Aug-42 (right-click on image to display enlarged new tab)
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MAP 2: 419 Squadron Movements Aug 1942-Jun 1945
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MAP 3: 6 Group Bomber Bases 1943-1945
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419 Squadron History Summary 1941-45
419 Squadron History Summary 1941-45 Page 2
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck, Silver Star, Freedom Fighter, Hornet)
The squadron was reactivated on 15 March 1954 at North Bay, Ontario , as an all-weather fighter squadron flying the CF-100 Canuck. It moved to the NATO Air Division base at Baden-Soellingen, Germany shortly after being formed. The squadron remained there until its disbandment in December 1962.
The squadron was again re-formed in December 1970, when it relocated to Cold Lake, Alberta as No. 1 Canadian Forces Flight Training School. It initially flew the T-33 Silver Star but then transitioned to the Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter. The squadron was on full active duty in November 1975 but disbanded again 20 years later when the CF-5’s were retired in June 1995.
The squadron was again reactivated as 419 Tactical Fighter (Training) Squadron on 23 July 2000. The squadron has since conducted Phase IV of the NATO Flying Training Canada (NFTC) program for the air forces of Canada, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. This program trains basic jet pilots to become fighter pilots and prepares them for training on CF-188 class aircraft through instruction in Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground combat tactics over a six month period.
Wellington DF664 Mk. III - Bombing Kiel Germany - 1942-10-13 to 1942-10-13
Squadron: 419 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1942-10-13
Completion Date: 1942-10-13
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Kiel Germany
Target Specific:
Base: RAF Croft
Take Off Time: 18.28
Squadron Code: VR E
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: North Sea off Brockeswalde, Germany.
Crash Specifics:
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason:
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
288 aircraft - roo Wellingtons, 82 Lancasters, 78 Halifaxes, 28 Stirlings. 8 aircraft- 5 Wellingtons, 1 each of other types - lost, 2.8 per cent of the force.
A decoy fire site was operating and at least half of the bombing was drawn away into open countryside, but the rest of the attack fell on Kiel and its immediate surroundings. The Kiel diarist records a now familiar list of area-bombing damage, the only items of particular interest being that 17 omnibuses were destroyed in their garage or parking area and that much of the bombing fell on the south-eastern suburbs of Elmschenhagen. He also refers to a constantly recurring theme in recent raids, the vast amount of roof damage and glass breakage with the increasing use by Bomber Command of high-capacity blast bombs. 250,000 square metres of roof tiling and 150,000 square metres of glass were blown away in Kiel on this night. Casualties were 41 killed and 101 injured. Finally, Herr Boelck writes: 'Amazingly, the Flak hardly opened fire for some time although the bombers were over the town.* This withholding of fire was a ploy which the German defences developed to hinder the identification of a target by the bombers, particularly when a nearby decoy site was being used. There were often disagreements between local party officials who wanted their people to see the Flak banging away vigorously, and the local Luftwaffe Flak commanders who were attempting this tactical deception.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
