James Forrest "Lou" Luma

_________________________________________________

DARING ATTACKS HIGHLY PRAISED

London, March 22, 1944 — (CP Cable) — The feat of four R.C.A.F. flyers who ventured 400 miles into enemy-occupied territory to shoot down three enemy aircraft and damage 17 others on the ground was signalized to-day by a special communiqué issued by Air Marshal L. S. Breadner, commander-in-chief of the R.C.A.F. overseas.
The quartet, who flew in two Mosquito planes of the City of Edmonton squadron, consisted of Flight-Lieut. D. MacFadyen, of Toronto; Flight-Lieut. J. Luma, of Helena, Mont; F/O C. Finlayson, Victoria, and F/O J. Wright, of Rosthern, Sask.
There have been few previous occasions when such a small force was the basis of a full-fledged communiqué.
The three planes destroyed were shot down over the Haguenau airfield, about 250 miles east of Paris, and the Luxeuil airfield, 200 miles southeast of Paris.
The intruders also damaged at least five gliders on the ground.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

TWO CANADIANS SET HIGH MARK FELLING PLANES

Ottawa, March 24, 1944 — (CP) — Two pilots flying with the R.C.A.F.'s City Of Edmonton Intruder Squadron, F/L D. MacFadyen of 29 Chestnut Park Rd., Toronto, and Lieut. J. Luma of Helena, Mont., destroyed three German aircraft in the air and left 17 more either flaming or damaged on the ground during an attack deep in Occupied France last Tuesday.
The R.C.A.F. said tonight in its weekend summary of operations that the mark set by MacFadyen and Luma is believed to establish a new record for enemy aircraft bagged by two United Nations crews in a single sortie.
During the week, the R.C.A.F. was active over Germany, Occupied France, Burma, the Anzio Beachhead and Cassino fronts in Italy. Other Canadian pilots accounted for five enemy aircraft.
Frankfurt was hammered Wednesday and Saturday by Lancasters and Halifaxes of the R.C.A.F. bomber group, and Halifax squadrons attacked strategic railway installations in Amiens Thursday.
The operation by transport aircraft and the 3rd Tactical Air Force in North Burma, which placed Allied troops some 200 miles beyond the Japanese, was participated in by Canadians from all parts of the Dominion.

City of Windsor Squadron
During the bombing of Casino, four pilots of the R.C.A.F.'s City of Windsor Spitfire Squadron broke up a formation of 20 ME-109's which was about to attack one of the Allied bomber formations northwest of the disputed town.
An R.C.A.F. pilot brought down an ME-109 near Rome. Hits were scored on enemy shipping off the Norwegian and French coasts by Beaufighters of a Canadian squadron and R.C.A.F. Albacores of the R.A.F. Coastal Command.
In the Wednesday attack on Frankfurt, the Canadian bomber group struck in full force, and F/L Don Paterson of Lynwood, Calgary, said he saw five large fires.
"Fires were visible 150 miles from Frankfurt," said F/S Harry Grayson of London, Ont., a flight engineer. For W/C W. H. Swetman, D.F.C., of Kapuskasing, Ont., leader of the Thunderbird Squadron, it was his 53rd sortie over enemy territory.

Street "With Lights On."
Of Saturday's blow at Frankfurt, F/O L. D. Proctor of Biggar, Sask. said, "It looked like Portage Ave. Winnipeg, “with the lights on."
Halifax squadrons of the R.C.A.F. group paid a return visit to Annens last Thursday to bomb railway objectives, and F/O Jack Barlow of Ottawa, bomb aimer with the Moose Squadron, said it was "the best precision bombing I've seen in a long time—you could even see the bomb bursts going right through the target indicators."
For this raid the Canadian bomber group provided nearly half the force, and many other Canadians flew with R.A.F. formations.

Over Burmese Hills
In the Southeast Asia war theatre Canadians flew night after night over Burmese hills carrying Gurkha and Indian troops, mules, jeeps and a great quantity of supplies.
Shortly after the landing behind the Japanese rear F/L Bob Day of Vancouver shot down a bomb-carrying Zero.
On the Anzio Beachhead F/L Bruce Ingalls of Danville, Que., destroyed an enemy fighter near Rome Sunday, and Tuesday P/O S. B. (Red) Ruppert of Winnipeg and F/O J. S. Christie of Montreal and London, Eng., pilot and observer respectively, accounted for a JU-88 bomber during a raid on London.
S/L D. J. Williams of Vancouver, Beaufighter pilot of an R.C.A.F. night fighter squadron, destroyed a Heinkel 177 southwest of Guernsey, in the English Channel, Sunday. His navigator was P/O C. J. Kirkpatrick of Hamilton.
R.C.A.F. Spitfire squadrons of the 2nd Tactical Air Force provided escort for American heavy bombers returning from attacks on industrial targets in Germany.

_________________________________________________

LUMA, 1st Lieutenant James Forrest (USAAF O-885995) - DFC - No.418 Squadron
Award approved 13 July 1944 but not published in London Gazette
Citation in DHist file 181.009 D.3051 (National Archives of Canada RG.24 Vol.20634)

This officer has completed 21 sorties since September 1943, and has destroyed three enemy aircraft. One of these he shot down whilst intruding near the Spanish border, some 600 miles from his base. Shortly after the engagement the starboard engine in Lieutenant Luma's aircraft failed, but he skilfully flew on with the remaining engine and effected a successful landing at base.

(It was for this "Spanish border" mission that he was awarded the U.S. DFC)

NOTE: The above-noted file also has correspondence from January 1945 when he was with 419 Night Fighter Squadron, Detachment A, San Francisco. This stated that he had reported to No.418 Squadron on 9 December 1941 and transferred to the USAAF on 1 October 1942. His sorties were listed as follows (possibly incomplete - only 19 trips mentioned; obviously sorties flown while a member of the RCAF)

26 Mar 43 - Ghent
  3 Apr 43 - Brussels
10 Apr 43 - Eindhoven
12 Apr 43 - Eindhoven)
29 Apr 43 - Poix
  6 May 43 - Gilne-Rijin
30 May 43 - Leeuwarden
31 May 43 - Leeuwarden
  2 June 43 - Leeuwarden
  9 June 43 - Leeuwarden
26 June 43 - Deelen
  6 July 43 - Soesterberg
30 July 43 - Gilse and Eindhoven
11 Aug. 43 - Soesterburg
28 Aug. 43 - Lille-Valenciennes
  4 Sept 43 - Melun
  7 Sept 43 - Oreil
  8 Sept 43 - Beauvais-Oreil
19 Sept 43 - Juvincourt

_________________________________________________

Some of 418's finest. Howie Cleveland & his "Gator" Frank Day and Lou & his Nav. Colin Finlayson. Colin's decision to accompany Stan Cotterill on 18 Oct. '44 would prove fatal

Victories Include :

_________________________________________________

"First Sting" by Roy Grinnel - The night of 21/22 January 1944, 1st Lt. James 'Lou' Luma (USAAF) scores the first of five victories with 418 Squadron RCAF. Luma encountered an Me 410 twenty miles S.W. of Wunstorf : "We did a quick orbit to port, coming behind him and chasing him for about 15-20 miles. We were on his tail and gave him a 2-3 second burst of cannon and m.g. from about 250-100 yards. Strikes on the fuselage were followed by a ball of fire which enabled us to identify E/A as a 410. A large piece broke off to the left and he went down."

_________________________________________________

American Aces