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Did you know American Pilots were quietly recruited to help Canada support England 2 years before Pearl Harbor was attacked?
Just like American Pilots were recruited to help China with its P-40 Flying Tigers,so to did Canada recruit for Canada and England to fight the Axis. This was during the time where the USA was still isolationist. They flew fighters and sometimes Anti-Submarine B-24s in the North Atlantic. Some were in the Eagle Squadron that the UK formed.
http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/americansrcaf.html
Just like American Pilots were recruited to help China with its P-40 Flying Tigers,so to did Canada recruit for Canada and England to fight the Axis. This was during the time where the USA was still isolationist. They flew fighters and sometimes Anti-Submarine B-24s in the North Atlantic. Some were in the Eagle Squadron that the UK formed.
http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/americansrcaf.html
WWII World War Two
Aviation
15A: Aviation Officer
Military History
Combat
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 17
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LTC (Join to see), one of the most famous was Flight Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., RCAF, author of the poem, High Flight. Born of an American father and a British mother, Magee finished school in the U.S., and rather than attend Yale University on scholarship, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1939. He died in an air training accident in England at the age of 19 in 1941. He had written High Flight only a few months earlier.
High Flight
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."
CPT Jack Durish LTC Stephen F. Capt Seid Waddell
High Flight
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."
CPT Jack Durish LTC Stephen F. Capt Seid Waddell
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC William Farrell - It was from an American Pilot who flew for the Canadians in WW2 and was later KIA. Sad but his legacy lives on but we don't see this video anymore since tv stations have nauseating infomercials when not on the air.
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LTC Stephen C.
Perhaps, SFC William Farrell, you're thinking of In Flanders Fields? It was written by Canadian Major John MCRAE in May, 1915.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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SSG Jim S.
It's funny that you mentioned this one poem, it can up in a discussion earlier. Canadian school children learn them poem and recite it every year during their Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11th. Every Canadian school kid learns it by heart. If you have never been to a Canadian Remembrance Day ceremony I highly recommended it. My family was in Victoria BC in 2010 when they had there ceremony, thousand were there, at 1100 they pause for 2 minutes of silence buses stop trains,,,,
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Col Robert Ginn
I have been to (too) many funerals for friends and the majority of them wanted "High Flight" read. As do I wish. Beautiful words.
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It's funny, the Canadians have always honored those Americans who served in the RCAF and the other serves. In fact when discussing our two countries support of each other in various conflicts I was surprised to learn they joke about the draft dodgers in Canada. Their view is about 3000 Draft dodgers fled there, while well over 30,000 Canadians volunteered for service in Vietnam! There was a program in the Canadian military that you could volunteer for service in the US military for Vietnam. Then upon return to the Canadian military you would re-enter will no loss of service or rank! I knew a few guys who left the army to join the Canadians. Not mention working with a USASOC unit that had so many former Canadian Army types in leadership positions, they nicknamed their company the Canadian Mafia! Not to mention they have stood with us as brothers in Afghanistan!
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LTC (Join to see)
LTC (Join to see) - Here is the American WW2 Veteran Bill Brown Senior I wrote about in my Brigade Newsletter and I have shown this twice before on Rallypoint. His two American-born but Canada raised Sons served in Vietnam and discussed earlier today.
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/anyone-have-any-more-ww-2-veterans-stories-that-they-can-share-here
SFC William Farrell
Maj Rev. Fr. Samuel WATERS - Traditional RC Priest MAJ David Potter LTC (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. TSgt Scott C. Brammer TSgt Joshua Copeland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO1 John Miller CPT L S CPT Pedro Meza
MAJ (Join to see) CPT Jack Durish SSG James J.
Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM
COL Mikel J. Burroughs SGT (Join to see) SGT Robert George SP5 Mark Kuzinski
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/anyone-have-any-more-ww-2-veterans-stories-that-they-can-share-here
SFC William Farrell
Maj Rev. Fr. Samuel WATERS - Traditional RC Priest MAJ David Potter LTC (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. TSgt Scott C. Brammer TSgt Joshua Copeland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO1 John Miller CPT L S CPT Pedro Meza
MAJ (Join to see) CPT Jack Durish SSG James J.
Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM
COL Mikel J. Burroughs SGT (Join to see) SGT Robert George SP5 Mark Kuzinski
Anyone have any more WW 2 veterans stories that they can share here? | RallyPoint
I had this printed in the my Brigade Newsletter last summer. https://www.rallypoint.com/status-updates/1487281 [~378759:SrA Christopher Wright] [~1266:MAJ David Potter] [~554971:SSG Carlos Madden] [~547388:CSM William DeWolf] [~188441:CPT L S] [~584416:CPT Pedro Meza] [~605:CPT Aaron Kletzing] [~263202:MAJ Jeff Jager] [~38789:1LT Eric Rosa] [~334546:SFC William Farrell] [~506422:Sgt David G Duchesneau] [~520566:SGT Keith Bodine]...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
The last ones I've known have already passed but please keep sharing these wonderful stories.
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I knew that American pilots were flying for the Brits, but I did not know they also flew for the Canucks. Thanks for sharing.
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Douglas Sheley
They were basically RAF squadrons of Canadian pilots. The RAF had squadrons of Americans, Canadians, S. Africans, Australians, Poles, Norwegians and more. Really interesting stuff. Some of the Poles who had flown too much with the Brits got permission to fly with the rookies of the 8th AF. Gabby Gabreski had flown with the Polish RAF squadron as a sort of advanced training prior to the USAAF moving to England en-mass. When he was assigned to the 56th FG he brought along a few of the Poles, who were superb fighter pilots.
Another mostly unknown chapter of the USAAF during WWII were the Brazilian and Mexican fighter squadrons that flew with the 15th AF out of Italy, as well as a squadron of Yugoslavians flying B-24 Liberators.
Another mostly unknown chapter of the USAAF during WWII were the Brazilian and Mexican fighter squadrons that flew with the 15th AF out of Italy, as well as a squadron of Yugoslavians flying B-24 Liberators.
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