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James Francis "Eddie" Edwards

RCAF   W/C
DFC & Bar,   DFM,   MiD

Born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan, 5 June 1921
Enlisted in Saskatoon, 24 October 1940
Trained at No.2 ITS (graduated 24 January 1941)
No.16 EFTS (graduated 29 March 1941) &
No.11 SFTS (graduated 25 June 1941 as a Sergeant)
At No.1 "Y" Depot, Halifax, 5-30 July 1941
At No.3 PRC, Bournemouth, 31 August 1941
To No.55 OTU, 8 September 1941
To Middle East Pool, 10 November 1941
Promoted to Flight Sergeant, 1 January 1942
To No.216 Squadron, 16 January 1942
To No.94 Squadron, 19 January 1942
To No.260 Squadron, 11 April 1942
Promoted to W/O2 on 4 July 1942 & W/O1 on 1 Aug. '42
Commissioned (P/O) 10 August 1942
Promoted to Flying Officer with simultaneous
Promotion to Flight Lieutenant, 21 December 1942
To No.203 Group, 12 June 1943
To No.417 Squadron, 20 November 1943
To No.92 Squadron, 19 December 1943
Promoted to S/L, 6 March 1944 & sent to 274 Sqn.
Embarked from Italy, 10 April 1944
Arriving in UK on 23 April 1944 (still with 274)
To Canada, 30 Aug. 1944, returned to Britain 18 March '45
Promoted to Wing Commander, 6 April 1945
Posted as W/C (Flying), No.127 Wing, 6 April 1945
To No.126 Wing, 7 July 1945
Repatriated to Canada on 2 September 1945

  Stocky Edwards
Stocky stayed in the RCAF, reverting to F/L in October 1946. He was promoted to S/L, 1 January 1949 & W/C on 1 June 1952
He retired in 1972 and is currently (May 2013) living in British Columbia. A helluva guy by all accounts, including my own.

See Chris Shores, 'Aces High' & 'Fighters Over the Desert'; H.A. Halliday, 'The Tumbling Sky' & Michel Lavigne, 'Kittyhawk Pilot'

 

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Edwards in Africa
29 Jan. 1943 - "Eddie" is seen here standing in front of an African Rattan fence at Castel Benito airdrome near Tripoli

"Eddie", as he was known during World War II, was born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan in June of 1921. He attended school in Battleford like another well known Canadian WW2 Ace, "Buck" McNair. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in October of 1940 and completed flight training in early 1941 as a Sergeant Pilot. By July he found himself at No. 55 OTU near Newcastle in the North of England undergoing fighter pilot training.

In January 1940 Eddie was posted to 94 Squadron in Egypt as a Flight Sergeant. The squadron was working up on Kittyhawks and became operational in March. On his first operational mission, escorting Boston's to the well defended Martuba airfield, Eddie made his mark with the destruction of a Bf 109F of Jagdgeschwader 27. 233 Wing Commander Beresford dubbed Eddie the "Hawk of Martuba" shortly afterwards in recognition of his quick reflexes, flying abilities and shooting instincts. It was only the beginning and Eddie's score continued to mount over the coming months.

By May, 94 Squadron had suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn from front line activity. F/Sgt Edwards was posted to 260 Squadron. On his first mission with 260 he damaged an Me 109 and on his second mission he destroyed another. On paper Edwards was promoted to Warrant Officer in July and to Pilot Officer in August. In practice he went directly from the rank of Flight Sergeant to that of Flying Officer in December and he had already led the squadron on several occasions even though he was only an NCO.

Like promotions, decorations were a little slow catching up with Eddie but they finally did. On January 31, 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and then the Distinguished Flying Cross four days later. He had already been the Desert Air Force's top scoring pilot for a period prior to this and his score by the end of January was 11 destroyed, 8 probably destroyed and 5 damaged in the air with several more on the ground. F/O Edwards and 260 Squadron soldiered on until the end of the campaign in North Africa in May 1943. He was the top scoring pilot of the unit.

After being rested as a gunnery instructor with 203 Group at El Ballah, Edwards was promoted to Squadron Leader and joined 417 Squadron in Italy in November flying Spitfire Mk VIIIs. He was transferred to 92 Squadron in December as a flight commander also flying the Spitfire VIII. Eddie continued to add to his score with this unit in early 1944. By March he was posted to take command of 274 Squadron in England which was just re-equipping Spitfire Mk. IXs. Operations began in May and included patrols over the Normandy beaches and bomber escorts. In August the unit began conversion to Tempests for "anti-diver" (V1) sorties. Shortly afterwards, Squadron Leader Edward's second tour ended and he returned to Canada on leave.

Eddie was awarded the Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross in October. After a few brief postings, he returned overseas in March 1945 becoming the Wing Commander Flying of 127 Wing. He managed to make three more claims before the war ended in Europe and he returned to Canada in August. His final tally at the end of World War II was 15 and 3 shared destroyed, 8 and 1 shared probably destroyed, 13 damaged, 9 destroyed on the ground and 3 damaged on the ground. He was the third highest scoring pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

James Edwards remained with the R.C.A.F. after World War II. It was also post war that an earlier nickname of "Stocky" became more commonly used. He reverted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and commanded RCAF Centralia until March 1947. After a tour flying Vampires, he was promoted to Squadron Leader in late 1948. He served with a Search and Rescue unit in 1949 and at a recruiting center in 1950-51. In November 1951, he formed and commanded 430 Squadron which was the first Canadian unit to be equipped with F-86 Sabres. In October 1952 he was promoted to Wing Commander and led 2 RCAF Wing (Sabres) to France. W/C Edwards attended staff college in September 1955 and then he served at the USAF Air Defense HQ in Colorado Springs for four years. When Stocky returned to Canada in 1959 he went on a conversion course for the CF-100 "Canuck" All-Weather Fighter. In September 1962, he became Deputy Operations Officer of the 41st Air Division then in July 1966 he returned to Colorado Springs as a Plans Officer with NORAD. Under the Canadian Forces unification program, the Wing Commander became Lieutenant-Colonel Edwards and his final posting was as the OC Canadian Forces Station Badly Hughes. He retired in 1972 and took up residence in British Columbia.

The autobiography Kittyhawk Pilot: Wing Cdr. J.F. (Stocky) Edwards was written in collaboration with J.P.A. Michel Lavigne and is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in learning more about Stocky's wartime experiences or the desert air war in general.

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EDWARDS, FS (now P/O) James Francis (R75188/J16077) - Distinguished Flying Medal - No.260 Squadron
Award effective 25 January 1943 as per London Gazette dated 9 February 1943 &
AFRO 373/43 dated 5 March 1943.

Flight Sergeant Edwards is an extremely capable soldier and a superbly gallant fighter pilot. Since October 1942, he has destroyed six enemy aircraft while participating in numerous sorties over enemy territory. He has displayed outstanding coolness and courage in the face of opposition while his cheerful and imperturbable spirit has been an inspiration to the squadron.

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EDWARDS, F/L James Francis, DFM (J16077) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.260 Squadron
Award effective 3 February 1943 as per London Gazette dated 16 February 1943 and
AFRO 410/43 dated 12 March 1943.

In December 1942, Flight Lieutenant Edwards was commander of a formation engaged in patrol duties over our forward troops. During the flight ten enemy aircraft were encountered and Flight Lieutenant Edwards destroyed one of five which were shot down. Two days later he destroyed another hostile aircraft bringing his total victories to eight. This officer has invariably displayed outstanding gallantry and devotion to duty.

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Prairie Pilot In Desert Famed As Deadly Gunner; Wins Flying Cross At 21
Edwards of Battleford Has Eight Enemy Planes and Five Probables to His Credit

Written for the Canadian Press By F/L K. MacGILLIVRAY
Cairo, 8 April 1943 — So far as being a veritable genius in aerial gunnery is concerned, the western desert seems likely to produce another Beurling in F/L James Francis Edwards of Battleford, Sask., who combines an excellent operational record with the same degree of disarming modesty which marks the Malta ace.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal Jan. 25 this year and the Distinguished Flying Cross Feb. 3.
The slight, tawny-haired RCAF officer, only 21 years of age, has to his credit a total of eight enemy aircraft shot down, five probably destroyed and others damaged, since he went on operations in the Middle East last March.
Beurling, now back in Canada, became the "Hero of Malta" last year with a score of 29 planes destroyed.
Flying in the most hazardous type of operations on the desert front — dive-bombing, strafing and offensive patrols far behind the enemy lines — the unassuming prairie lad has acquired a reputation for accurate gunnery that has spread beyond his own squadron, and is discussed with admiration in canvas crewrooms and messes far across the sandy wastes. "He's a master of deflection-shooting," a Canadian member of a rival squadron said the other day.
When he reached the Middle East it didn't take him long to "get cracking." He hit his peak in the autumn, getting three "destroyed" and one "probable" during a single week in November, when Montgomery's "big push" was gathering momentum.
A few weeks earlier he got a "destroyed" and a "probable" when his formation was attacked by eight Me-109's.
His accuracy is not confined to gunnery. Nov. 11 he dive-bombed an enemy airdrome and dropped one "egg" squarely between two Junkers 88's — some of the Germans' most powerful and versatile aircraft — destroying them both.
He celebrated the new year with a scrap near Bir Dufan when a formation of fighters caught a strong force of 109's taking off from their field. Edwards got one.
  Edwards in the North African Desert
Five more swarmed after him but he shook off all but one which kept up the chase for a full half-hour, taking advantage of the fact Edwards' guns were useless by then. The Hun damaged the Saskatchewan lad's aircraft but he made base safely.
About the same date he played a leading role in a dog-fight near Buerat when seven fighters intercepted 10 Me-109's which were dive-bombing our troops. The squadron shot down five and damaged another without loss. Edwards got one of the five destroyed.
Reticent though he is about his own record and achievements, the young Battleford flight commander minces no words when he discussed the RAF's part in the desert warfare.
"The RAF saved Alexandria last year," he said. "For a whole week they held up the panzers, until the immediate danger was over.

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Edwards  

Edwards Is Top Desert Scorer

13 May 1943 - F/L JAMES FRANCIS EDWARDS, D.F.C., D.F.M. of North Battleford, Sask., is the top scorer of the Royal Canadian Air Force fliers who helped drive the Nazis from North Africa. Flying with an R.A.F. squadron in the desert since last March, this 21-year-old fighter ace has accounted for 10 enemy aircraft destroyed.

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AIR VICE-MARSHAL SEES CANADIANS IN AFRICA

By LOUIS V. HUNTER, 19 May 1943 - (CP) - Like an assiduous newspaper man just back from an assignment, Air Vice-Marshal W. A. Curtis of Toronto, deputy air officer commanding-in-chief, of the Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas, returned to London after a three-week tour of the North African front with a long list of names of Canadian airmen he had met.
He told a press conference it was almost impossible to set foot on a North African airfield without coming face to face with a Canadian. "We bumped into Canadians practically everywhere we went," he said, remarking that although he was under the impression Western Canada produced more sailors than anything else, at least 60 per cent of the fliers he met came from Winnipeg or elsewhere in the West.
He met F/L J. F. Edwards, D.F.C., D.F.M., of North Battleford. Sask., whose score of 10 1/2 enemy aircraft destroyed ranked him as successor to F/O Frederick George Beurling, D.S.O., D.F.C., D.F.M. and Bar, of Verdun, Que., as Canadian ace in the Middle East.

Edwards' Good Record
He described Edwards as a "grand little fellow with a broad smile," and said his score was all the more creditable because he had piled it up in a Kittyhawk, a slower machine than the Messerschmitts he was up against.
The Air Vice-Marshal spent a night with the Spitfire squadron commanded by S/L Brad Foster of Montreal. The unit, the only R.C.A.F. fighter outfit in the Middle East, had been near the front line, behind the 1st Army, for only 10 days, but nevertheless was doing a "good job."
The squadron, complete with Canadian ground staff, lived in tents, and the ingenious Canadians had rigged up a perfect night landing system, using a lot of German wire they had picked up. The squadron was engaged mostly on patrol work, and often made three and four sorties a day.
Air Vice-Marshal Curtis brought back a story about F/L J. A. Nixon of Toronto, a radio officer. The young officer didn't let bombs or bullets interfere with his work of setting up stations close to the front.
"He was machine-gunned 21 times and bombed twice," the AVM said. An R.A.F. intelligence officer in a tent near Nixon was blown out of it and landed at the foot of a near-by hill, uninjured.
The work of Canadian wireless operator-air gunners drew praise from an American major in charge of a squadron of Mitchell bombers. A group of Canadians were borrowed by the Americans.

Canadians Efficient
"The major stopped me to thank me for the loan of the Canadians, who were manning radio equipment. He was just bubbling over with enthusiasm about them."

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Kittyhawks of 260 Squadron in North Africa
Kittyhaws of 260 Squadron at Marble Arch Libya, about to be "bombed up" for a ground attack mission

Son Of Padre In Army Gets Three Italian Planes In One Day In N. Africa
Canucks Win 36 D.F.C.s and Five Bars and 2.1 D.F.M.s - About 260 Killed and Missing

London, 7 July 1943 — Wherever British fighters fought and bombers bombed in North Africa, there were Canadians there as members of Royal Air Force crew.
Into the two massive aerial arms Britain conceived to crush the Axis — the western desert and the Northwest Africa air forces — the Dominion poured her aviators in liberal supply. Official figures place their number in the vicinity of 2,000.
The toll Canada paid has not been finally computed, but 132 were reported killed and missing in the western desert force and the figure in the Northwest Africa group again would probably coincide roughly.
Only one RCAF fighter squadron operated as an entity but few RAF squadrons were without Canadian representation and in some fighter squadrons as high as six of the 12 operational pilots were Canadian
In the air, Dominion crew members fought from El Alamein to Tunis. They scourged the retreating enemy, bombed his bases, joined battle with his bases, carried the war out to sea and harassed his shipping.
They flew the Spitfire, Wellington, Boston, Whitley, Mitchell and Hudson.
From their ranks emerged the inevitable greats, two of them to mature into leaders of RAF Spitfire squadrons in the Tunisian fighting.
These were S/Ls Jimmie Walker, 24-year-old Edmonton bank clerk, and George Hill, from Pictou, N.S., two youngsters who learned how to fly in the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme and now hold the D.F.C. & Bar.
Walker went to Africa with two planes to his credit & shot down 8½ more. Hill had 9½ when Africa fell.

HOCKEYIST STARS
A 26-year-old Listowel athlete who went to Britain in peacetime to play hockey fought the campaign as W/C J. H. Thompson of a Boston bomber squadron.
Supporting the 8th Army, the one RCAF squadron to see action was the City of Windsor squadron under S/L F. B. Foster, of Montreal, which finished the campaign in a crack, front-line fighter wing.
In this western desert force, too, were F/L James Francis Edwards, D.F.C., D.F.M., of North Battleford, who ran his score of destroyed aircraft to ten, and F/L William Lawrence "Red" Chisholm, D.F.C., of Kentville, N.S., who has eight.

GOT THREE IN ONE DAY
In their wake came many another exploit. F/S Michael Askey, of Winnipeg, son of an army padre, ran wild one day and shot down three Italian Macchis. F/O Frank Regan, of Vancouver, destroyed the German ace, Kurt Helmann.
Canadians in this western desert force, exclusive of those in the RAF proper, won 36 D.F.C.s, five Bars and 21 D.F.Ms. At the climax of the fight, about 1,000 Canadians were in the air.
Across the thousands of desert miles, the "Erks" labored at their obscure tasks, at times within artillery range of the Germans, maintaining aircraft that might be flown by Scot, Rhodesian, Canadian or South African.
To a one-time mounted policeman, F/L G. W. Slee, was entrusted maintenance of wireless communication in the Tunisian theatre of operations. He enlisted at Winnipeg.
RCAF wireless air gunners turned up in U.S. and South African Air Force bombers.
The toll Canada paid has not been finally computed, but 132 were reported killed and missing in the Western Desert group and the figure in the Northwest Africa group would probably coincide roughly.

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Three B.C. Airmen High on List
Canadian Fighter Aces Make Enviable Records

Written for the Canadian Press By F/L BASIL DEAN, RCAF, LONDON, 14 Aug. 1943 — Seventeen Canadian fighter aces of the present war have accounted for more than 220 enemy aircraft in the various theatres of war.
They flew in operations ranging from Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain to the Sicilian campaign. Between them they have won at least 34 decorations for gallantry.
Early in the war a young Canadian fought his way into "Ace" category. He was Willie McKnight, a pilot in the RAF from Calgary, who flew in the famed "All-Canadian" squadron led by W/C Douglas Bader, DSO, who was then a squadron leader.

Over Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain, McKnight destroyed 16½ enemy aircraft and won the DFC and Bar. He was reported missing in 1941 following one of the early RAF sweeps over France.

With him in those early days flew another Canadian, S/L Stanley Turner, DFC and Bar, of Toronto, who is also in the RAF. Turner, now leader of the City of Windsor Spitfire Squadron in Sicily, was a flight commander in the "All-Canadian" squadron when Bader commanded it. He now has a total "bag" of 14 enemy aircraft destroyed.

STILL FLYING
During 1941 a third Canadian in the RAF, S/L E.F.J. Charles, DFC and Bar, of Lashburn, Sask., was achieving a big reputation. At the most recent count, Charles has destroyed 15 enemy aircraft, of which six were knocked down in 1941. He is still flying on operations and leading an RAF Spitfire squadron from a British base.
Fighting over Malta during 1942 gave great opportunities to fighter pilots and it is known now that over 25 per cent of all fighter pilots on the island during its great bombing ordeal were Canadians.

Leader of them all, of course, is F/O George Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM and Bar, of Verdun, Que. He has 29 destroyed.

S/L R. C. (Moose) Fumerton, DFC and Bar, of Fort Coulonge, Que., a night fighter, destroyed 13 enemy aircraft, all during darkness.

TOTAL EXCEEDS 20
W/C Mark Brown, DFC and Bar, of Glenboro, Man., who was killed in action in Africa early last year, had destroyed 18 enemy aircraft when he gained the Bar to his DFC. Subsequently he destroyed several more and his total is known to be more than 20.
S/L R.W. (Buck) McNair, DFC and Bar, of North Battleford, Sask., commander of the RCAF Red Indian Spitfire squadron in Britain, has a score of 12 destroyed. He got eight of these over Malta last year, the remaining four on sweeps over northern France since he returned to operations after a rest in Canada.
Most successful RCAF Spitfire pilot over Malta was F/L Henry Wallace McLeod, DFC and Bar, of Regina, with a score of 13 destroyed at the time he left the island.
F/L F.E. Jones, DFC, of Cloverdale, B.C. destroyed seven over the island, left Malta at the same time as his good friend McLeod.

In Malta F/L L. Gosling, DFC and Bar, of Battleford, Sask., began piling up a score towards the end of the campaign and his total at the time of his second award stood at 10. He now is missing.

VICTORIAN GETS 20
S/L V.C. Woodward of Victoria, B.C., who joined the RAF in 1938, has destroyed 20 enemy aircraft and now holds the DFC and Bar. He commands an RAF fighter squadron in the Mediterranean theatre.
George Hill of Pictou, N.S., fighting in Sicily at the head of an RAF fighter squadron, has a count of 13 destroyed.

W/C James E. Walker, DFC and two Bars, of Edmonton, is the only member of the RCAF to be awarded the DFC three times. He led an RAF Spitfire squadron in the North African campaign and accounted for 10½ enemy aircraft destroyed.

Also in the North African campaign was F/L J.F. Edwards, DFC, DFM, of Battleford, Sask., whose record at the time of his DFC award stood at eight enemy aircraft destroyed. He now has eight enemy aircraft destroyed.

RECORD IN BRITAIN
Top scorers of the RCAF wing in Britain are two members of the Wolf squadron — S/L Hugh Godefroy, DFC, of Toronto, the squadron commander, who has six to his credit, and F/L H. D. MacDonald, DFC, also of Toronto, who has destroyed eight.

Probably the most brilliant fighter pilot who ever flew with the RCAF in Britain was F/L Don Morrison, DFC, DFM, of Vancouver, who now is a prisoner of war. Morrison was awarded the DFM in July this year, several months after he had been shot down over France and suffered loss of a leg. The citation recorded the fact he had destroyed 15 enemy aircraft.
Morrison's score of 15 destroyed puts him at the head of the list of RCAF fighter pilots. The only Canadians ahead of him did their scoring with the RAF.

 
Stocky Edwards
Later photo of W/C Edwards, spring 1945
F/L Jones 'Spitfire Man'
F/L Jones, 26, visited his parents in Abbotsford last January following participation in air battles at Malta when he flew with Beurling.
At that time, he told of watching 10 RCAF Spitfires tear into 80 enemy planes and "when the smoke cleared away, our 10 Spitfires were still riding high."
Jones' reputation in the ranks is reflected in their nick-name for him, "Spitfire man of Malta." He joined the RCAF in 1940 and received the DFC in October 1942.
His brother, Thomas J., is overseas with the RCE.

S/L Woodward, 26, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Woodward, 1587 Fairfield Street, Victoria. Born and educated in Victoria, he joined the RAF in 1938 and was a leading fighter pilot in the Western Desert campaign. He led a fighter squadron over Greece and Crete, and is now back on operations after a year as instructor in Rhodesia. He was awarded the DFC in April 1941, and the Bar was added to it this month.

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Germans Fought to Standstill In Second Major Bid to Drive Allied Invaders Into the Sea
Enemy's Full Striking Force Is Hurled Against British Sector Without Effect as Tremendous Aerial Action Continues

Allied headquarters, Naples, 17 Feb. 1944 – (BUP) – A massive battle of infantry, planes and tanks swirled over the Anzio beachhead today, and official reports indicated the Germans were being fought to a standstill in their second major attempt to drive the Allied invaders into the sea. Putting an end to the three day lull that followed the collapse of their first counter-offensive last week, the Germans hurled their full striking force against a narrow sector on the British-held northern flank of the beachhead yesterday morning. Under cover of a terrific rolling barrage laid down by their massed artillery and fighter-bombers, waves of Nazi troops charges against the British positions astride the Aprilia-Anzio highway.

British Lines Holding
Big German tanks lunged in behind the infantry, probing for a weak spot in the Allied lines, and came to grips with British armored forces.
Hundreds of Allied fighters and fighter-bombers streamed into the battle, tangling with the low-flying enemy planes and ripping up the charging German troops with bombs and gunfire.
Front reports said the enemy offensive was met everywhere by determined resistance and it was indicated that the British lines were holding fast.
The German attacks continued throughout the day and all last night, however, and at daybreak this morning they were increasing in fury as the Nazis fought fanatically to achieve a break-through.
(The German high command tacitly acknowledged that its offensive had not yet succeeded in breaking the Allied lines. The Nazi communiqué this morning reported that British troops and tanks counter-attacked in the Aprilia sector, and made no references to German gains.)

On Narrow Sector
The full fury of the German assault again centered on a narrow sector of the beachhead in the Aprilia area, where the Nazis opened their first large-scale offensive last week in an effort to break out their armored forces onto the main highway leading to Anzio and the sea.
The first enemy offensive collapsed Saturday after five days of furious fighting, and Gen. Sir Harold R. L. Alexander declared confidently that the beachhead would be held.
In the intervening three days, however, the Germans were believed to have reinforced their wearied divisions and it appeared that the new offensive was on an even greater scale than their first drive.
Clear weather this time favored the Allies, however, and reports from the battle area said hundreds of British, Dominion and American planes were raking the charging Nazi columns with gunfire and ripping up their supporting lines of communication all the way back to Rome.

Widespread Air Attacks
Dive-bombers attacked the Ostiense and Tiburtina railway yards in Rome yesterday for the second straight day, while medium bombers and fighter-bombers sprayed high explosives and fragmentation bombs over the entire beachhead area.
The Allied bombing attack concentrated on Campo Leone, key rail and road point through which the Germans were reported moving men and tanks into the battle lines.
Heavy bombers joined in the thunderous aerial assault, blasting at railway bridges and marshaling Yards at Ancona, Cecina and many points in the Florence area
Other medium raiders hammered similar targets at Orte, Orvieto, AIbinia and Perugia, and R.A.F. Wellingtons followed through with an attack on the west coast seaport of Stefano.
The Allied air fleets flew more than 1,200 sorties throughout the day and night at a cost of four planes. The Luftwaffe flew some 130 sorties over the Anzio beachhead in support of the Nazi ground offensive, and the Allied communiqué said nine enemy planes were shot down. Of the nine shot down, five fell to Spitfire pilots including three destroyed by Canadian pilots. F/L James Francis Edwards, of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, who holds the D.F.C. and D.F.M., shot down his first plane during his second operational tour of duty.
Edwards served one operational tour in the desert campaign. He scored 10 and a half destroyed planes there. Yesterday's raised his score to 11½. He was widely known for his long range accuracy. Yesterday was no exception. He destroyed a FW190 at the extreme range of 500 yards.
The other Canadians who destroyed planes were F/O B. J. Ingalls, of Sayabec, Quebec, and W/O W. Downer, of Midland, Ont., each of whom destroyed an FW190.
Allied airpower also blanketed the main 5th Army front around Cassino, where the Germans launched a small-scale diversionary attack to coincide with their main offensive against the beachhead.
Bombers returned to attack the ruins of the 1,415-year-old Benedictine monastery on Mount Cassino yesterday, piling new wreckage about the heads of Nazi gunners entrenched behind the massive walls of the abbey.

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CANADIAN FLYER BACK FROM DEAD TO REJOIN MATES
Bantam-Sized Ace Commanded Squadron of Spitfires

260 squadron pilots
Shepperd, Cundy, Edwards, Fallows & Gilboe of 260 Sq.
 

An Advanced Fighter Base in Italy, 18 April 1944 - (CP Cable) - If ever anyone could claim to have come back from the dead, then that person is bantam-sized Squadron Leader James Francis Edwards, D.F.C., D.F.M., of North Battleford, Sask., ace R.C.A.F. pilot of the desert air force, who commands a Spitfire squadron.
An R.A.F. companion circling in a Spitfire high over the snowy mountains of Italy watched his 22-year-old leader's Spitfire going down and making a forced landing on a sloping plateau, with white fumes streaming over the plane's cockpit from the exhausts. A moment later he saw the landing plane explode and burst into flames. He saw nobody get out of the flaming wreckage.

Reported Killed
The fighter pilot flew back to base and told his comrades that the squadron commanding officer had been killed.
But six days later S/L Edwards stepped out of a truck by a dispersal hut and strode perkily over towards a group of is companions. Astonishment and delight showed on their faces and in their voices as they greeted him.

In the days following the crash the squadron had heard first that S/L Edwards  had been killed, then that he was alive, but seriously injured, and finally that his injuries were not serious, but that he would be in a Canadian hospital for five or six weeks.

"Like a Dream"
S/L Edwards, the highest-scoring pilot of the desert air force with 111/2 enemy planes to his credit and a like number of probables and damaged aircraft in North Africa and Italy, was on a fighter sweep when his aircraft developed a glycol leak. He turned back but was compelled to try a forced landing in the mountainous country on the northern fringe of Allied territory.
"It was like a dream," he said. "The last thing I remember was coming down to make a landing. I saw this nice level stretch and thought maybe I could make it. Then the white glycol fumes kept streaming up at me and I don't remember anything after that."
The squadron leader had no idea how he got out of the burning plane. It is possible that the explosion threw him clear of the wreckage. He received a cut on the head requiring several stitches and a bruise over one eye.
"The first thing I heard when I came to was a lot of people talking," he said. "After a while, someone said: 'Don't worry, you're with friends.'"
S/L Edwards is rated a magnificent marksman. He shot down his last German fighter over the Anzio beachhead recently at the extreme range of 500 yards, an exceptional feat of deflection shooting.

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Stocky's FW190
Stocky's captured FW190 "JFE". Note Stan Turner's Me108 "PST" in the background

EDWARDS, S/L James Francis, DFC, DFM (J16077) - Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross - No.274 Squadron
Award effective 27 October 1944 as per London Gazette of that date &
AFRO 2637/44 dated 8 December 1944.

This officer has successfully completed a very large number of operational flights and has destroyed thirteen enemy aircraft. He is a keen and courageous pilot whose example and leadership have been most inspiring.

NOTE: Public Record Office Air 2/9160 has recommendation drafted 11 August 1944 by the Wing Commander E.P. Wells, Wing Commander (Flying), West Malling. He had flown 450 operational hours, of which 250 had been since his previous award.

Squadron Leader Edwards is a keen and courageous fighter pilot who has participated in a very great number of operational sorties both in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East. Since receiving his last award he has destroyed an additional five enemy aircraft and a large quantity of enemy transport. He has destroyed 13 enemy aircraft in all. His example and leadership have been of a consistently high standard and I strongly recommend that he be awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross.

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W/C Edwards about to lead a mission
Wing Commander Edwards is about to lead his wing on a sweep. His kite is front & center

EDWARDS, W/C James Francis, DFC, DFM (J16077) - Mention in Despatches - Overseas
Award effective 1 January 1946 as per London Gazette of that date &
AFRO 322/46 dated 29 March 1946.

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Victories Include :

2 Mar 1942
23 Mar 1942
30 May 1942
8 June 1942
14 June 1942

17 June 1942
26 June 1942
6 July 1942

4 Aug 1942
3 Sept 1942
6 Sept 1942
15 Sept 1942
21 Oct 1942
22 Oct 1942
26 Oct 1942
28 Oct 1942

1 Nov 1942
16 Dec 1942
30 Dec 1942
2 Jan 1943
29 Mar 1943
8 Apr 1943

15 Apr 1943

22 Apr 1943
11 Jan 1944
16 Feb 1944
19 Feb 1944

29 Apr 1945

3 May 1945
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one MC202
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
one Me109
1.5 Me109s
one Me109
two FW190s
one Me109
one FW190
two Me109s
one Me109
1/3 Me323
one Me109
one FW190
two FW190s
one Me109
one FW190
one Me262
1/4 Ju88
destroyed
destroyed
damaged
destroyed
probable
damaged [a]
probable [b]
probable
destroyed
damaged [c]
probable
damaged
probable
probable [d]
destroyed
destroyed
probable
destroyed
probable
destroyed
damaged
destroyed [e]
destroyed
damaged
probable
damaged
destroyed
damaged
destroyed
damaged
destroyed
destroyed
damaged
damaged
damaged
destroyed
(Kittyhawk AK-K)
Martuba Airfield (Kittyhawk FZ-F)
N Rotunda Gap (Kittyhawk HS-O)
Bir Hacheim area
&
Acroma area
near El Daba & Sidi Rezegh

&
E El Daba (Kittyhawk ET623, "E")
(Kittyhawk AL140)
(Kittyhawk FL233)
(Kittyhawk FL233)
(Kittyhawk FL238)
(Kittyhawk FL322)
(Kittyhawk FL233)
(Kittyhawk FL221)
&
(Kittyhawk FL221)
(Kittyhawk FL305)

(Kittyhawk FR350)
(Kittyhawk FR350)
(Kittyhawk FR436)
Sfax area (Kittyhawk FR446) &
(Kittyhawk FR436)
&
(Kittyhawk FR436)
Gulf of Tunis (Kittyhawk FR436)
Foggia area (Spitfire QJ-F)
Anzio (Spitfire QJ-F)
&
Anzio (Spitfire QJ-F)
&
(Spitfire JF-E)
(Spitfire JF-E)

20.08 / 6.5 / 13     -    16.08 / 8.5 / 13

[a] German records show, Lt. Hicke, Lt. Quaritsch, Lt. Hesse, Lt. Hein & Uffz. Giester shot down that
     day. It seems likely that at least one of them was shot down by Edwards
[b] He actually thought he got 2 destroyed but since he was alone, only claimed one probable. It seems
     he shot down Wolf Schaller (POW) & Otto Schulz (KIA, who had just shot down Wally Conrad)
[c] This damaged was not claimed at the time
[d] He claimed a destroyed but because he was only a Sergeant (leading a squadron) it was downgraded
[e] One shared with F/S Brown (Scotland)

-------------------------------------------------------

On The Ground :

5 Nov1942

11 Nov 1942
13 Nov 1942
14 Nov 1942
15 Nov 1942
25 Jan 1943
one Me110
one Me109
two JU88's
two Me109's
two Me109's
  3  Me109's
two MC202's
one SM79
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed [a]
damaged
destroyed
&
Fuka Airfield, Egypt (Kittyhawk FL305)
Gambut Airfield, Libya (Kittyhawk FL305)
Gazala Airfield, Libya (Kittyhawk FL315)
Marawa Airfield, Libya (Kittyhawk FL305)
Marawa Airfield, Libya (Kittyhawk FL305)
&
Medenine West, Tunisia (Kittyhawk FR350)

12 / 0 / 2  or  9 / 0 / 5

[a] Shores has these as damaged

According to Eddie's book his total destruction of aircraft was :

20 / 6.5 / 16    plus   12 / 0 / 2  OTG

Scores from Shores (Aces High) & Edwards (Kittyhawk Pilot)

_________________________________________________

Edwards: The Hawk Against The Eagles
Eddie's first confirmed kill

"Stocky" Edwards got his first confirmed destroyed while serving on 260 Squadron during his second sortie with them. The Kittyhawks and Tomahawks of 233 Wing normally flew bomber escort missions, or flew armed with light bombs themselves, in support of the 8th Army. However, this sortie would be quite different for the unit. Lavigne and Edwards describes the mission in the autobiography Kittyhawk Pilot as follows:

"In an unusual mission the large formation of Kittyhawks and Tomahawks of 233 Wing sent on an offensive sweep over Bir Hacheim that morning provided no escort to bombers, nor were they ordered to strafe ground targets. Their task was paramount; they were to "seek and destroy". Ten Kittys from 260 Squadron were joined by six more from 2 SAAF. Tommys joined the mission from 4 and 5 SAAF Squadrons and no less than thirty-six P-40's took off to take care of any enemy aircraft they could find in the area.

On his twenty-third operational sortie of the war piloting Kittyhawk HS M, Eddie was sure the 109's would respond to the challenge. He was sure they would find the enemy above and ready to pounce. He was right.

Once the Allied formation was over enemy territory, a flock of 109's and 202's took action. Striking from high above, they pulled quickly and steeply after each attack. As in other battles, tension rose, but this time, the boys from 233 Wing concentrated on better defense, protecting each other from enemy fire. Only one Tomahawk was lost when its pilot was forced to bail out after his controls were blown away by cannon fire. Although the South African pilots weren't able to claim any kills, they eventually damaged five Messerschmitts and one Macchi.

As Edwards flew top cover in his Kittyhawk I, 109's attacked from astern. Committing themselves to their attack pattern, the 109 pilots dared to come face to face with their Kittyhawk opponents before pulling skyward to repeat their routine. Eddie watched two of the Jagdfliegern come, as anticipated, from behind the formation and start the expected dive. Eddie heard his leader call the turnabout and together they changed direction. The lead Messerschmitt pulled up steeply at the unexpected move but his follower pursued the course just a little too long on Eddie's side. Quickly, the Canadian fired in front of him as far as he could. Within seconds, the well-aimed burst hit the spinner and propeller of the 109 almost head on and Eddie watched as fragments splintered from the enemy aircraft right under the formation. Trailing clouds of black smoke, it fell toward the earth. Eddie and many of his comrades saw the plane blow to bits on the ground. The 109 had landed on a mine; the pilot was killed instantly.

Eddie's hit had taken down an Me.109 flown by Feldwebel Johann Walchhofer, an NCO pilot of 6 Staffel, II Gruppe, JG-27 who, on 3 April had claimed victories over aircraft flown by PO Moon and Sgt. Musker of 94 Squadron. The German had four confirmed victories to his credit at the time of his death."

_________________________________________________

Stocky Edwards  
Signing Autographs
2005 - Stocky Edwards signs autographs on art prints to help with the Y2K Spitfire project (Pat Murphy photo)

 

 

16 Sept. 1952 - S/L Edwards in front of a 430 Squadron Sabre

_________________________________________________

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--- Canadian Aces ---

--- flyingforyourlife.com ---

_________________________________________________

Thanks go out to Rick Rutherford and Stocky Edwards

On these pages I use Hugh Halliday's extensive research which includes info from numerous sources; newspaper articles via the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC); the Google News Archives; the London Gazette Archives and other sources both published and private.

Some content on this site is probably the property of acesofww2.com unless otherwise noted.     Mail