CANADIANS GET NAZI FIGHTERS
Kamloops, Montreal Combination Scores
London, Feb. 19.—(CP Cable)— R.C.A.F., Mosquito bombers on
an intruder patrolling operation last night destroyed two Messerschmitt
410's over an enemy base in northern France, R.C.A.F. headquarters here
announced today.
All Canadian planes returned safely from the patrol.
Both enemy planes were credited to Flight-Lieut. Bob Kipp, of Kamloops,
B.C. His pilot (actually Navigator - ed) was F.O. (Peter) Huletsky, of
Montreal.
The victories came near Juvincourt in northern France, and were scored
against planes returning from last night's raid on London.
(The trip was the 13th together for the pair. Their leave was supposed
to start 2 hours before they took off but they decided to get the 13th
trip over with so they wouldn’t have to look forward to it when
they returned from their furlough -ed)
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Born in Kamloops, British Columbia, 12 October 1919;
home there.
Enlisted in Vancouver, 27 June 1940.
Trained at No.1 ITS (graduated 14 September 1940),
No.7 EFTS (graduated 29 November 1940) and
No.31 SFTS (graduated 24 March 1941).
Commissioned 25 March 1941;
F/O 10 November 1941;
F/L 25 March 1943;
S/L 25 February 1944.
Attended instructor school, Trenton, 25 March to 25 June 1941
Instructed at No.11 SFTS, 26 June 1941 to 24 January 1943.
Arrived in UK, 17 March 1943.
Further trained at No.12 (P) AFU (25 May to 3 Aug '43) and
No.60 OTU (3 August to 2 November 1943).
No.418 Squadron, 2 November 1943 to 29 June 1944.
To Air Defense Great Britain, 29 June 1944;
to RCAF Overseas Headquarters, 7 September 1944.
Station Ford, 8 December 1944 to 23 July 1945.
DSO and DFC presented at Buckingham Palace, 13 July 1945
To Canada, 23 July 1945;
Released 10 October 1945;
Rejoined at Sea Island, 1 October 1946.
KiFA (Vampire) 25 July 1949, while practicing aerobatics
He was Commanding Officer of No.410 Squadron at the time
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_____________________________________________________________
KIPP, S/L Robert Allan (J4743) - Distinguished Flying
Cross - No.418 Squadron -
Award effective 26 May 1944 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 1380/44 dated 30 June 1944
This officer has completed numerous sorties, most of
them at night. He is a skilful and tenacious pilot whose determination
to complete his mission successfully has been most commendable. On a recent
occasion Squadron Leader Kipp flew one of a small formation of aircraft
detailed for a mission far into enemy occupied territory. Success was
achieved and by his careful planning and audacious tactics, Squadron Leader
Kipp played a prominent part in the results obtained. He has destroyed
three enemy aircraft, two of them in one sortie at night.
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Mosquitoes Attack City Near Cologne; Rail Yards Blasted
German Chemical Centre Allies' Night Target;
Invasion Coast Ripped By Ceaseless Raids
London, May 3.— (CP)—R.A.F. Mosquitoes, taking over the western
phase of the European air war, made a 30-minute attack. on the German
chemical centre of Leverkusen last night while Italy-based bombers blasted
Genoa and communications centers in northern Italy, The 400-mile-an-hour
Mosquitoes dropped many 4,000-pound blockbusters on Leverkusen, which
lies just north of Cologne and is the home of one of the largest chemical
works in Europe, employing 20,000 workers, The Acheres railway yards in
France also were hit by Mosquitoes as British heavy bombers remained idle
for the first time in seven nights.
Munich Attacked
(The German radio said at noon (German time) that there were "no
enemy aircraft over the Reich," the Federal Communications Commission
reported. An hour earlier, it had announced that single aircraft were
over southwest Germany)
While the swift Mosquitoes visited Germany for the first time this month,
Allied intruders, including the R.C.A.F. City of Edmonton Squadron, swept
over the Continent as far as Munch and shot down five German planes. Four
of them were downed by one Canadian Mosquito crew, Squadron-Ldr. Bob Kipp,
of Kamloops, B.C., and his navigator, F.O. Peter Huletsky, of Montreal,
setting a record for this type of night operation.
____________________________________________________________
Victories as Follows:
12 December 1943, one He.111 destroyed (sh. with
F/L J.R.F. Johnson) +
- one He.111 probably destroyed
(also sh. with Johnson)
15/15 January 1944, one Me.210 damaged;
18/19 February 1944, two Me.410s destroyed;
22/23 March 1944, one unidentified enemy
aircraft damaged on ground
14 April 1944,
two minesweeping Ju.52s destroyed in air,
- two Do.217s destroyed
on ground,
- one Do.217 damaged
on ground;
28 April 1944,
one unidentified enemy aircraft damaged on ground
3 May 1944,
four FW.190s destroyed;
15 May 1944,
one He.177 damaged;
14 June 1944,
one He.111 destroyed. |
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TEAM WORK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MOSQUITOES' GREAT FEATS
Forgotten' Man of Air Forces, the Navigator,
Comes Into His Oven Again
With the R.C.A.F. in England, Aug. 4.—(CP)—Forgotten men of
the night intruder squadrons are the "half-wing flyers," the
navigators who play such a part in making possible the exploits of the
full-wing men, the pilots.
Up in Front
It is the pilot you hear of when the Mosquitoes come streaking home from
their night sorties far into German territory but without the navigator
the pilot could go nowhere and it might be taken as symbolic that in the
modern night fighter, the man who used to be in the back seat - the navigator
- has moved up front with the pilot.
It puts the navigator in his proper place, not as he used to be in the
old night-fighting Beaufighter, in back of the pilot. Today they sit side
by side in the same cockpit, boys like F.O. P. Huletsky, of Montreal,
who won a D.F.C. for his navigating of Sqdn.-Ldr. Bob Kipp, D.S.O., D.F.C.,
of Kamloops, B.C., in the City of Edmonton Intruder Squadron.
Together these two have ranged the length and breadth of Germany under
cover of darkness. Together on May 3 they set up a record, destroying
four FW-190's in one sortie where navigation was all important.
Huletsky plotted them away from England about 10 o'clock in the gathering
dusk. He took them across enemy territory at tree-top height on the way
to Munich, and near Lake Ammer, 20 miles southwest of Munich, they got
their first victim Then they went on to Grenzburg, got two over an airfield,
and then on to another airfield for their fourth kill.
___________________________________________________________
KIPP, S/L Robert Allan, DFC (J4743) - Distinguished Service
Order - No.418 Squadron
Award effective 3 july 1944 (Ottawa) & 7 July 1944 as per London Gazette
and
AFRO 2052/44 dated 22 September 1944.
This officer continues to display the highest standard
of skill and gallantry in air operations. He has completed very many sorties
and his careful planning, tactical ability and iron determination have
brought him much success. In April 1944, he led a section of aircraft
on a sortie over enemy territory during which four enemy aircraft were
shot down, two of them by Squadron Leader Kipp. On another occasion, one
night in May 1944, Squadron Leader Kipp destroyed four hostile aircraft
in combat. His genius for leadership has always been apparent and his
example has been most inspiring.
_________________________________________________________
Photo PL-26811 shows him on left, with his brother (Wilf
Kipp)
See H.A. Halliday, The Tumbling Sky.
--- Canadian Aces ---
On
these pages I use info from the Air
force Association of Canada's web site
in Hugh Halliday's excellent Honors & Awards section,
Newspaper articles via the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation
(CMCC)
as well as other sources both published and private
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