Pilot Officer McEwan had been interned in Switzerland when his 431 Squadron Wellington aircraft was lost during a raid on April 15, 1943. He returned to England on June 29, 1943 via Gibraltar which he had reached on June 27, 1943.
McEwan, Ronald Alexander (Pilot Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-June-29
Birth Date: 1916-June-01
Born:
Parents:
Spouse:
Home: Verdun, Quebec
Enlistment: Montreal Quebec
Enlistment Date: 1939-October-14
Service
RCAF
Unit
432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light
Base
Rank
Pilot Officer
Position
Air Gunner
Service Numbers
J/86800
Prev: R/6190A
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax MZ591
Mission
Halifax B.Mk.III MZ591
Bombing Metz France 1944-June-28 to 1944-June-29
(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor
Battle of Normandy
202 Halifaxes of 4 and 6 Groups with 28 Pathfinder Lancasters attacked yards at Blainville and Metz. Both targets were hit. 20 aircraft were lost, 1 I Halifaxes of 4 Group and I Lancaster from the Blainville raid and 7 Halifaxes of 6 Group and 1 Lancaster from Metz. The combined loss rate was 8·7 per cent
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax aircraft MZ 591 missing during night operations against Metz, France. Pilot Officer(s) W Fernyhough DFC,, H.J. Kennedy, J. Musser, R.A. McEwan, J. Hembry (RAF), and Flight Lieutenant J.I. Williams (RAF) were killed. One of the crew, not Canadian, taken Prisoner of War.
Unit Desciption
432 (B) Sqn Saeviter Ad Lucem ("Leaside")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington X, Lancaster II, Halifax III, VII)
The Squadron was the twelfth RCAF bomber squadron to be formed overseas in WWII. It was formed on May 1, 1943 at Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, UK 
as a unit of No 6 (RCAF) Group of RAF Bomber Command: indeed, it was the first bomber squadron to be formed directly into No 6 Group. Using the squadron identification letters QO it flew Vickers Wellington Mk X medium bombers until it moved to East Moor, Yorkshire on 19th September 1943, when it re-equipped with Avro Lancaster Mk II aircraft. East Moor was part of No 62 (RCAF) Base. The squadron re-equipped with Handley Page Halifax Mk III aircraft in February 1944, and with Halifax Mk VII in July of that year, and continued with them until the squadron was disbanded at East Moor on May 15, 1945.
In the course of operations the squadron flew 246 missions, involving 3130 individual sorties, for the loss of 73 aircraft. 8980 tons of bombs were dropped. Awards to squadron members included 2 DSOs, 119 DFCs,1 Bar to DFC, 1 CGM, 20 DFMs and 1 Croix de Guerre (France). Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
Maps for Movements of 432 Squadron 1943-45
MAP 1: 432 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab
432 Squadron History Summary 1943-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck)
The squadron was re-formed at Bagotville, Quebec as an All-Weather Fighter unit on 1 October 1954. The squadron flew Avro CF-100 Canuck aircraft on North American Air Defence until it was disbanded on 15 October 1961.
Previous Events
1943-April-15 Sergeant Interned Prisoner
Wellington B. Mk. XSE X |
431 B Sqn RCAF |
Pilot Officer McEwan had been interned in Switzerland when his 431 Squadron Wellington aircraft was lost during a raid on April 15, 1943. He returned to England on June 29, 1943 via Gibraltar which he had reached on June 27, 1943. |
|
Wellington B. Mk. X HE374
Bombing Stuttgart Germany 1943-April-14 to 1943-April-15
431 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Burn
Battle of the Ruhr
462 aircraft- 146 Wellingtons, 135 Halifaxes, 98 Lancasters, 83 Stirlings. 23 aircraft - 8 Stirlings, 8 Wellingtons, 4 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters - lost, 5.0 per cent of the force.
The Pathfinders claimed to have marked the centre of this normally difficult target accurately but the main bombing area developed to the north-east, along the line of approach of the bombing force. This was an example of the 'creepback', a feature of large raids which occurred when Main Force crews- and some Pathfinder backers-up - failed to press through to the centre of the marking area but bombed - or re-marked - the earliest markers visible. Bomber Command was never able to eliminate the creepback tendency and much bombing fell outside city areas because of it.
On this night the creepback extended over the suburb of Bad Canstatt, which was of an industrial nature, and some useful damage was caused, particularly in the large railway-repair workshops situated there. The neighbouring districts of Munster and Miihlhausen were also hit and the majority of the 393 buildings destroyed and 942 severely damaged and the 200-plus civilian casualties were in these northern areas.
Only a few bombs fell in the centre of Stuttgart but the old Gedachtnis church was destroyed. In the district of Gaisburg, just east of the centre, 1 bomb scored a direct hit on an air-raid shelter packed with French and Russian prisoners of war. 257 Frenchmen and 143 Russians were killed. This tragedy brought the total death roll in Stuttgart to 619, a new record for raids to Germany.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax MZ591 B.Mk.III - Bombing Metz France - 1944-06-28 to 1944-06-29
Squadron: (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1944-06-28
Completion Date: 1944-06-29
Mission: Bombing
Operation: Battle of Normandy
Target City: Metz France
Target Specific:
Base: East Moor
Take Off Time: 22.17
Squadron Code: QO K
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Chevrieres (Oise) 18 km NE of Creil
Crash Specifics:
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group June 28/29 1944
100 Halifaxes from 424, 426, 427, 429, 432, and 433 squadrons were ordered on an attack of the rail yards at Metz. The crews were over the target at between 12,000 and 15,000 feet, releasing 686,000 lbs of high explosives.According to reports, the rail yard was accurately bombed with much damage caused.
Also on this night, 8 Halifaxes from 428 and 433 squadrons were ordered on a mining operation to Brest and Lorient. The crews were over the gardens at 15,000 feet, sowing 12@1500 and 12@1800 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
202 Halifaxes of 4 and 6 Groups with 28 Pathfinder Lancasters attacked yards at Blainville and Metz. Both targets were hit. 20 aircraft were lost, 1 I Halifaxes of 4 Group and I Lancaster from the Blainville raid and 7 Halifaxes of 6 Group and 1 Lancaster from Metz. The combined loss rate was 8·7 per cent
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax aircraft MZ 591 missing during night operations against Metz, France. Pilot Officer(s) W Fernyhough DFC,, H.J. Kennedy, J. Musser, R.A. McEwan, J. Hembry (RAF), and Flight Lieutenant J.I. Williams (RAF) were killed. One of the crew, not Canadian, taken Prisoner of War.
