Fichtner, James Roy (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-October-28
Birth Date: 1924-July-26
Born: Foam Lake Saskatchewan
Son of E. J. and Molly Fichtner, of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.
Home: Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RCAF
Unit
419 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Moosa Aswayita Beware of Moose
Base
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Flying Officer
Service Numbers
J/38237
Prev: R/192127
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Canadian Virtual War MemorialCrew or Other Personnel
Lancaster KB712
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Mission
Lancaster Mk.X KB712
Bombing Cologne Germany 1944-October-28 to 1944-October-28
419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St.George
733 aircraft - 428 Lancasters, 286 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitoes. 4 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost.
The bombing took place in 2 separate waves and the local report confirms that enormous damage was caused. The districts of Miilheim and Zollstock, north-east and south-west of the centre respectively, became the centre of the 2 raids and were both devastated. Classed as completely destroyed were: 2,239 blocks of flats, 15 industrial premises, 11 schools, 3 police stations and a variety of other buildings, Much damage was also caused to power-stations, railways and harbour installations on the Rhine. 630 German people were killed or their bodies never found and 1,200 were injured. The number of foreign casualties is not known.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita). Lancaster aircraft KB 712 was shot down near Hurth, Germany four miles south-west of the target Cologne, Germany. F/Os A.N. Nelligan, J.A. Nafziger, J.R. Fitchner, Pilot Officer W.H. Herman, FS B.E. Greenhalgh,FS E,R, Smith and Sergeant W.E. Hawkings (RAF) were killed. This was the 5th trip for this crew but the aircraft had been used on 52 operations
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Lancaster serial: KB712
Avro Lancaster Mk. X RCAF Serial FM 213
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
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
Lancaster Bomber
Wikipedia
Harold A Skaarup Web PageRead More ....
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.
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Lancaster KB712 Mk.X - Bombing Cologne Germany - 1944-10-28 to 1944-10-28
Squadron: 419 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1944-10-28
Completion Date: 1944-10-28
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Cologne Germany
Target Specific:
Base: Middleton St.George
Take Off Time: 13.04
Squadron Code: VR L
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Hurth, Germany
Crash Specifics:
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason:
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group October 28, 1944
195 Halifaxes from 408, 415, 420, 424, 425, 426,427, 429, 432, 433, and 434 squadrons were joined by 36 Lancasters from 419 and 428 squadrons on an attack on Cologne. The crews were over the target at between 18,000 and 21,000 feet, releasing 1,570,000 lbs of high explosive and 285,000 lbs of incendiaries. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
733 aircraft - 428 Lancasters, 286 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitoes. 4 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost.
The bombing took place in 2 separate waves and the local report confirms that enormous damage was caused. The districts of Miilheim and Zollstock, north-east and south-west of the centre respectively, became the centre of the 2 raids and were both devastated. Classed as completely destroyed were: 2,239 blocks of flats, 15 industrial premises, 11 schools, 3 police stations and a variety of other buildings, Much damage was also caused to power-stations, railways and harbour installations on the Rhine. 630 German people were killed or their bodies never found and 1,200 were injured. The number of foreign casualties is not known.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita). Lancaster aircraft KB 712 was shot down near Hurth, Germany four miles south-west of the target Cologne, Germany. F/Os A.N. Nelligan, J.A. Nafziger, J.R. Fitchner, Pilot Officer W.H. Herman, FS B.E. Greenhalgh,FS E,R, Smith and Sergeant W.E. Hawkings (RAF) were killed. This was the 5th trip for this crew but the aircraft had been used on 52 operations